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vintagecarat · 29 days

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Confessions and Cuddles

Summary: You finally tell Spencer that you love him.

A/N: This might be the absolute WORST title I've ever come up with. I wrote this on a whim without any sort of plan, and I already know that I'm going to cringe every single time I see the title of this one.

Enjoy the fic, and have a fantastic day <3

Note(s): gn!reader & no pronouns used (reader does have long hair, though), the briefest mention of intimacy in the entire world, tooth-rotting fluff,

Word Count: 2437

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After a lifetime of nothing but trauma heaped on top of even more trauma, Spencer couldn’t be any happier than he was in this moment.

You were curled up on the couch in Spencer’s apartment. You were sitting on his lap, and he was running his hands through your hair in a way that made you purr in satisfaction. For someone who wasn’t particularly fond of physical contact, Spencer absolutely adored being close to you and touching you whenever he could.

You were in the middle of watching a terrible rom-com - it had been your idea, and Spencer was never one to disagree with you - but it was clear that neither of you were paying attention. You only wanted to be close to one another, and if you had to suffer through a terrible movie to do it, then so be it. Spencer was often gone for so long when he was away on a case that you often ended up spending every single moment clinging to each other when he was home.

You truly couldn’t get enough of him, and he truly couldn’t get enough of you.

Then, the peaceful silence was broken when you muttered something that made Spencer pause. His fingers stopped combing through your hair and came to rest on the nape of your neck as he looked down at you. His mouth was hanging open slightly, and there was a subtle blush creeping up his neck.

“What did you say…?”

At Spencer’s softly spoken words, you turned your head to look at him. You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing at his shocked expression, even though your heart was pounding and a blush that matched his own began painting your cheeks.

“I…” your expression smoothed into a soft, albeit nervous, smile, “I said, I love you.”

You and Spencer had been dating for a little over a year, and your lives were beyond perfect. You’d both gone through so much in life, but everything felt absolutely worth it now that you had each other. You’d always imagined that there would be some grand performance when it finally came time to say those three words to him, but instead, you’d said them without even realising it.

You’d absolutely meant it, though.

Spencer continued staring at you for a moment longer. He couldn’t find his voice at all, and his mouth was still hanging open. Then, his fingers began moving again, though instead of running them through the strands of your hair, he started to slowly braid them. Spencer’s hands were shaking.

“I love you, too,” Spencer muttered the words, almost as if he was worried that his voice would crack if he spoke them any louder, “So much.”

Your heart filled with so much warmth as he said those words back to you. There had never been any doubt in your mind that he loved you just as much as you loved him, but hearing the verbal confirmation meant more to you than anything.

A shiver ran down your spine at the touch of his gentle fingers against your scalp, and a smile flitted across your lips as he began braiding your hair. The last time he’d done that was after you’d been in a bad car accident and broken your arm. You supposed that the weeks after your accident were the moments you truly realised that you loved Spencer, but the words had been stuck to the tip of your tongue ever since.

“You’re shaking,” you’d already closed your eyes at this point, and you’d settled back into Spencer’s lap as if you hadn’t just dropped the biggest bombshell in your relationship, “You’re doing that thing where you scrunch your nose up when you’re trying not to cry, aren’t you?”

You didn’t even need to look at him to know exactly what was going on with his expression. You knew Spencer like the back of your hand, and you’d been with him for long enough to have picked up on every single one of his quirks and mannerisms. Just as he had for you.

Spencer snorted a little at that, “I didn’t think I looked so obvious.”

“You do to me,” you hummed in response, letting out the softest sigh in the world. Spencer always made you feel so comfortable and safe.

You could easily fall asleep to the feeling of Spencer playing with and braiding your hair - to be honest, you’d definitely done that in the past. You’d always been so proud of your hair, and from the way Spencer seemed to find any sort of excuse to play with it, he loved it, too.

It felt as though the weight had been lifted from your shoulders now that the words were out in the open and you didn’t have anything to hide anymore. You and Spencer were inseparable, but you’d definitely wondered once or twice if he’d end up leaving because you’d taken too long to tell him that you loved him. It was a ridiculously stupid thought, of course. You knew that Spencer would rather die than leave you.

“I don’t understand how you’re better at braiding my hair than I am,” you softly giggled. When you’d first started dating, Spencer didn’t seem at all like the type to do other people’s hair for them, so it came as a complete surprise when he seemed more natural at it than you ever did.

One thing Spencer had never told you was that he’d spent hours watching you intently as you sat in front of the mirror and did your hair. He’d been determined to copy it perfectly to surprise you. It ended up being that he was much better at it, though.

“I’m better than you at most things, sweetheart,” Spencer chuckled, “Braiding just happens to be one of them.”

“Oh. Ouch,” you faked a wince at his comment, and you playfully swatted him. It was true, though, Spencer was better than you at most things. It was hard not to be when he was a literal genius, “I try my best. It’s hard to keep up when you’ve got an IQ as big as your ego.”

You loved to tease Spencer every now and then over his IQ, even though his intelligence was definitely one of his most attractive traits. Spencer had these moments where he’d go full scientific mode and start spouting the most random facts he could think of, and every single time, you couldn’t stop staring at him in pure adoration.

“I tell you I love you, and then you insult me,” you scoffed, “Despicable.”

Spencer laughed at your playful swat, and he stopped braiding for a moment to catch your wrist and squeeze it, “Don’t complain too much, sweetheart. I’ve seen the way you look at me when I go into scientific mode,” he let go of your wrist and moved back to your hair, “You can’t hide how much you love it when I start spouting off random facts that go completely over your head.”

You shrugged, “What can I say? You look hot when you go into scientific mode,” you didn’t understand half of the things he told you, but you always listened to intently whenever he started rambling since his voice was your favourite things in the world, “I might not understand anything you’re saying, but that doesn’t mean I’m not listening very intently.”

“You don’t care about anything I’m saying, do you? You just like listening to my voice,” Spencer finished braiding your hair, and he wrapped his arms around your waist as he pulled you tightly against him so your back was flush against his chest, “I could be reading instructions for how to wash a dish and you’d still listen to every word.”

“Oh, absolutely,” you leaned your head back a little so you were almost resting against his shoulder, and you looked up at him, “I could listen to you talk for hours and I’d never get bored. You could probably read me the phone book and I’d listen to every single word.”

To be honest, it had mainly been Spencer’s voice that had attracted you to him in the first place. You’d met at the bookstore near where Spencer lived after you both tried to grab the same copy of your favourite book. Once you started talking about it, you found yourself falling head over heels for him.

Your lips curled into a little smirk, and you placed your hand gently on his thigh as you squeezed it, “You don’t even realise how badly you turn me on when you whisper in my ear, do you?”

“Hm, I had a hunch,” his own smirk appeared on his lips as he spoke, though his eyebrow cocked slightly as you squeezed his thigh, “Don’t be sneaky, sweetheart. I’m not sure I can think of anything besides you right now, so I may start doing or saying something that I probably shouldn’t.”

You gasped in mock offence, “I’m not sneaky, Spence. I’m about as subtle as a brick wall,” your little smirk grew even wider as you squeezed his thigh again and you felt him tense up ever-so-slightly, “Especially when it comes to you.”

A low groan, a noise that Spencer didn’t make very often, escaped his lips before he could stop it, and he couldn’t help but chuckle, “I’m warning you, sweetheart,” he said, his tone half teasing and half serious, “If you keep that up, I might do something I shouldn’t.”

You scoffed out a laugh at that, but you raised your hands in a mock surrender, “Fine. I’ll stop,” you took your hand away from his thigh, instead choosing to take his hand and interlace your fingers. You stuck your tongue out at him, “Spoilsport.”

For a long moment, the two of you sat silently as you attempted to watch the rest of the movie, even though you’d barely been watching it from the beginning. Your earlier teasing attempts had all but been forgotten.

That was, until, you sneakily slipped your hand behind you, and you squeezed his thigh once more, making sure to go as close to touching through his jeans as you could without actually doing it.

Spencer’s body tensed. You both knew that he never had much restraint when it came to you. Spencer placed his free hand over your hand before you could move it from his thigh, “Please,” he whispered softly, his breath catching in his throat as he met your eyes, “Don’t keep doing that.”

“Sorry,” you shrugged a little sheepishly, “Couldn’t help myself. I’ll stop,” you meant it this time, too. Once Spencer started talking to you in that tone of voice and looking at you with that look in his eyes, you knew that you needed to stop teasing him.

If there was one thing about your relationship with Spencer, it was that you always knew each other’s boundaries and never went over them.

Your teasing smirk dropped into a warm smile, and you snuggled back against Spencer’s chest with your head resting on his shoulder. You kept a tight hold of his hand, and your heart fluttered as he ran his thumb over your knuckles. You and Spencer held hands so much that you might as well have been superglued together.

"You're just so fun to tease."

Spencer grumbled, but his tone was teasing, “I swear to God. You’re going to be the death of me,” he squeezed your waist, “You know that, right?”

“Yep.”

A comfortable silence fell over the two of you again, and the only sound you could hear was Spencer’s heartbeat softly in your ear as you rested against his chest.

“I can hear your heart beating,” Spencer said, as if he’d been reading your thoughts, “It’s quite loud.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you grinned at him, “I’ll try and stop my heart from beating. Just for you.”

Spencer nodded, as if that was the answer he wanted to hear, and he smiled, “You know, experiments have demonstrated that conscious control of the breathing can actually cause arbitrary changes in heart rhythm,” he began to ramble, “It’s even possible to cause cardiac arrest by contracting the abdominal muscles.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling as he rambled on and on about causing your own heart to stop. You were mainly focused on his lips as he talked with such enthusiasm.

Once Spencer realised that you weren’t saying anything, he looked down at you with a sheepish grin, “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“Oh yeah, you’re definitely rambling,” you giggled, gently tracing your finger over his lips. He had softer lips than you, which you were very jealous about, “You’re just… You’re so kissable when you’re rambling.”

Spencer laughed at that, and he pressed his lips together for a moment to stop himself from smiling like an absolute idiot, which was something he did a lot around you, “You’d kiss me any time. Dont lie.”

“I definitely would,” you teased, “Believe me. If I knew that I wouldn’t run out of breath, I don’t think I’d ever stop kissing you.”

“Well, sweetheart, I can’t say I’d be too mad about that,” Spencer put a finger under your chin, tilting your head up so that he could look into your eyes, “I’m pretty sure there are worse ways to die than kissing the love of your life.”

That sentence made you giddy, “I’m the love of your life now, huh?” you smiled at him, your eyes crinkling and your nose scrunching as you did so in the way that proved you were truly happy, “You’ve always got to one up me, haven’t you?”

“Absolutely, my love,” Spencer stroked your hair with his free hand, giving the braid he’d created for you a tug, “I told you. I’m better than you at most things. I think I’ll add confessing my love for you to that list, too.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

You scowled at him, but that expression immediately melted away when Spencer kissed you. Your kisses definitely had the tendency to be fiery and passionate when the time came for it, but most of the time, they were gentle and tender. A perfect representation of your relationship.

After a moment, you and Spencer broke the kiss, and you continued smiling at each other like a pair of teenagers in love. To anyone else, it probably would’ve been sickening.

“I love you so much, Spence.”

“I love you too,” Spencer whispered, and he pressed his lips against your forehead before smirking, “So, what’s all this about you getting turned on when I whisper in your ear, hm?”

#criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader

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hsllfirescoopsreblogs · 1 day

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.・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・.

「 ✦ spencer reid ✦ 」

╰┈➤ 18+ none of these stories belong to me! this is a masterlist of all spencer reid stories i’ve read and reblogged! just thought it would be nice to have them all in one spot! (if your fic is on here and you wish not to be, please let me know!) some will have summaries if provided <3

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

MASTERLIST 🦋 CRIMINAL MINDS 🦋 4/25/24

♕ @/deactivated account

♜ blurb

♕ @judeswhore

♜ easy fix

♞ after spending weeks searching for ways to ease the burden of his headaches, spencer has finally found a solution. you.

♕ @theonewiththefanfics

♜ heartbeat

♞ For seven months Y/N, the newest team member of the BAU, has been missing, kidnapped by an unsub they were hunting. But when the search comes to an end, Spencer doesn’t know how to feel.

♕ @januaryembrs

♜ i can see you

♞ Spencer may or may not have a little thing for the desk jockey on the floor below, and she may or may not have a thing for their silent elevator rides together.

♜ black cat girlfriend

♞ the team meet Spencer's new girlfriend and she doesn't look quite like they'd imagined.

♕ @rreids

♜ practice run

♞ going on a platonic date with spencer (for him to know what it's like) that becomes very real.

♕ @sweetestspence

♜ and then there were two

♞ the bau recruits a new agent whose credentials arguably match their very own boy wonder’s.

♕ @violetrainbow412-blog

♜ hearts pt2

♞ an intern pesters Spencer to get his attention and you help him get rid of it a bit, benefiting in the process.

♜ bolinus brandaris pt2

♞Reid loves the gift you just gave him and the whole team can notice.

♕ @reiderwriter

♜ request

♕ @luveline

♜ don’t think i don’t like you

♞ Spencer calls you drunk and in need of rescue. You confess a few secrets to him while he won’t remember them (or so you think)

♜ bombshell!reader

♜ married!reader

♜ bombshell!reader

♜ shy!reader

♜ bombshell!reader

♜ roommate!reader

♜ bombshell!reader

♜ badass!reader

♜ roommate!reader

♕ @tlou-reid

♜ visitors list

♞ when spencer goes to prison, his visitor's list seems to be missing a name.

♕ @cerisereids

♜ please don’t have somebody waiting on you

♞ spencer reid is your best friend. you’re in love with him, he wants someone else.

♕ @rynbutt

♜ safe

♞ You were pregnant but JJ had just left the team and they needed you. You hadn't told anyone; you hadn't even told Spencer.

hopefully all links work, let me know if not <3

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid angst #spencer reid smut #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid drabble #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid blurb #mgg

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imagining-in-the-margins · 9 months

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CM Family Fic Rec List

Hey everyone! I want to start by saying thank you so much to everyone who participated - it was so much fun to write alongside you all, and I can’t wait to share everyone’s hard work. You are so appreciated, and you makes these events better.

Without further ado, here are all of the entries + recs for the CM Family Challenge!

SFW S.R. Fics (Pregnancy/Parenting)

Growing Pains: Spencer finds unfamiliar lingerie in the laundry. When he confronts his wife, he learns it belongs to their teenage daughter.

One Last Chance? by @justanothercmblog: Spencer and his wife have decided to foster a teenager.

Little Genius by @c-m-stuff: You and Spencer are married. You two have a beautiful daughter, who is coming to work with you.

Somewhere to Belong by @fortheloveofwonderland: You and Spencer have only been dating a few months when he drops the bombshell that he wants to adopt a child and it throws you into turmoil.

Who's Your Daddy? by @justawritterwithideas: After a long day's work, the BAU returns to the head office where they find a stroller with a small baby sleeping and a child very determined to surprise his father. c

SFW S.R. Fics (Other Family Dynamics)

The Mother Wound by me: Spencer and Reader bond over the difficulty of an emotionally absent mother.

A Desert Bloom by me: Reader has never liked cacti. Spencer finally finds out why.

A Well-Kept Secret by @astrophileous: While working on a case in D.C., Spencer didn't expect to hear a familiar name being mentioned as the sole surviving witness. Or, in which the team discovers Spencer's well-kept secret.

Pet Parents by @junipers-archive: In which Spencer and Reader adopt a baby (dog).

Keep reading for other pairings, more of my S.R. fics, and another related Fic Rec Masterlist!

Other Pairings

Motherhood by @foxy-eva: Temily. Emily and Tara become mothers.

May by @gaelic-symphony: Temily. Tara and Emily babysit the Simmons kids.

Maternal Instinct by @gaelic-symphony: Emily/Alex Blake. Motherhood brings with it complicated feelings for new moms Emily and Alex. Written for the CM fandom gift exchange.

Keeping the Faith [AO3] by @masterwords: Hotchgan. Hotch and Derek take the kids to Easter Service.

Going Home Time [AO3] by @/masterwords: Hotchgan. Hotch and Jessica co-parent Jack

Home is Where the Heart Is by @prentiss-theorem: Alex Blake/Fem!Reader. Domesticity with Alex, Ethan, and Reader.

The Sound of (No) Silence [AO3] by @/ArwenLaLaith: Alex Blake/Fem!Reader. Reader and Alex have just welcomed their daughter into the world.

Home by @neuroprincess: Alex Blake/Fem!Reader. Alex finally returns home after one week.

Question of Timing by @codename-mom: [NSFW] Aaron/Haley. Aaron finally agreed to make Haley a mother and she realised that the d-day is now. The issue is: how to convinced a husband afraid AF to be a father to do the last step?

Be sure to check out @darcyfangirlsfrequently's Masterlist of entries, which includes fics for Luke Alvez, Garvez, and Tara/Rebecca!

Be sure to also check out @the-guilty-writer's Masterlist of entries, which includes fics for Child!Readers of Spencer, Rossi, Derek, and Hotch, as well as Emily's sibling!

Gen Fics

Mothers and Daughters by @/gaelic-symphony: When Ambassador Prentiss brings the team a kidnapping case, it causes Emily to reflect back on her tumultuous relationship with her mother.

A Day At Work by @/codename-mom: Platonic. JJ arrived early in Hotch’s office to discover that he was not alone. A surprise guest was with him for the day.

Looking for more?

Keep reading for the rest of my Spencer Reid fics associated with pregnancy and parenting!

SFW S.R./Mom!Reader

Impromptu: Reader learns some shocking news when a case lands her in the hospital.

Painting by Numbers: Spencer is still a little worried about his pregnant wife painting the house.

Practice Run: Spencer and Reader take on Derek’s challenge to babysit.

The Prodigy Path: At a parent teacher conference, Spencer and Reader explain their seemingly unorthodox parenting style.

Fairytales: Spencer comes home to his very tired wife and even more tired child who refused to go to bed without a bedtime story from their dad.

Intentions: Spencer’s teenage daughter wants to have a conversation with you about your intentions with her father.

Defining Family: Spencer finds out he’s a dad… to a twelve year old girl. Your twelve year old girl, who just broke into the FBI.

From the Tree: The kidnapping case becomes personal when Spencer and Reader get a call from their nanny.

S.R. & Child!Reader

Like Father, Like You: Child!Reader. Platonic. In which Spencer’s child comes out as not-straight.

NSFW S.R./Fem!Reader

Domesticity: Reader gets worked up watching Spencer with kids. He notices.

Different Kind of Daddy: After a rough day, Reader has good news for her husband.

Santa’s Gift: Reader asks her husband what he wants for Christmas.

To Have and To Hold: Reader is trying to save her marriage, but Spencer seems resigned to its failure.

Stork Song: Spencer and Reader try to find intimacy again following a terrible loss.

Still not satisfied?!

Check out my extensive Father's Day Rec List!

Thanks for reading.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid smut #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #emily prentiss fanfic #tara lewis #alex blake #garvez #luke alvez #penelope garcia #temily #hotchgan #derek morgan #aaron hotchner

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kjhbsies · 6 months

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KJHBSIES'S FANFIC RECOMMENDATIONS PART II

Part I.

Smut

INTERVIEW 016 with. hazel callahan by murdrdocs

Dave Lizewski smut by bianquitasunderworld

"thing" (bbf!ellie x reader) by seattlesellie

Elation (Spencer Reid x reader) by reidbae

mean older brother’s friend ellie hc’s by seattlesellie

Ellie Williams headcannons by elliewlums

just pretend (ellie williams x fem! reader) by ourautumn86

Distraction : Dave Lizewski by tangerinesilk

Fuck his brains out (Dave Lizewski x reader) by asterias-record-shop

James Potter*Switching Positions by axelsagewrites

Dry Hump- James Potter by myfictionaldreams

DONT BE SO QUICK TO WALK AWAY! | ft. Dave lizewski by euaphora

Arabella (brother's best friend! ellie williams x f!reader) by ellieswrldd

messy sex with jealous ellie by ellieslovergirl

Heaven Sent (Ellie Williams x reader) by catasplla

𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒓𝒚 - ellie williams x fem reader by ellieslittlewh0re

Angst

Once again, for the first time part II: Silver Springs (Ellie Williams x reader) by lovelettersfromluna

No Longer Yours (James Potter x Female Reader) by singmyaubade

She's All That (J.P. x Reader) by unearth1y-chi1d

Shattered (James Potter x reader) by willowbleedsonpaper

In Ruins (Spencer Reid x reader) by weehelers

Angst + Fluff

Is it chill that you’re in my head? (James Potter x reader) by boneblushed

Spencer Reid x bombshell!reader by luveline

The infinite space between you and I (e. williams) part ii. by loaksky

Spencer Reid turning into a manwhore after Maeve died by reiderwriter

I've got plans, sorry | James potter and I'll reschedule | James Potter by livinginshambles

What Was I Made For? - James Potter by once-upon-an-imagine

Misunderstandings (Sirius Black x reader) by wolfmoonmusic

All of the benefits (James Potter x reader) by astonishment

Fluff

JAMES POTTER | 10:44 ⏤KISS CAM by kquil

Hockey!James by theemporium

Bambi James by ddejavvu

Richboy!James by ddejavvu

This Spencer Reid headcannon by randomoutsiders

spencer with a famous gf, and the team finding out. by 0anonnymouslyours0

hot physiotherapist | j.potter by infictionalwonderland

Summer dress— James x fem!reader by in-between-thighs

#ellie williams x reader angst #ellie x reader #ellie williams smut #james potter angst #james potter angst fluff #james potter x reader #ellie williams fanfic #ellie williams x female reader #spencer reid x reader #sub!james #dave lizewski x reader #sirius black x reader #hazel callahan #hazel callahan x reader #hazel callahan smut

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fortheloveofwonderland · 11 months

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Somewhere to Belong | 1/3 | S.R

Gif does not depict the child’s appearance

A/N - this will be a three parter, written for @imagining-in-the-margins Family Challenge.

Part 2 | Part 3

Summary - You and Spencer have only been dating a few months when he drops the bombshell that he wants to start a family and it throws you into turmoil. And that’s only made worse he meets five year old orphan Wren Briar and is determined to do whatever it takes to adopt her. Even if that means destroying your relationship.

Pairing - Spencer Reid x BAU Fem! Reader

Warnings - found family, very brief mention of past addiction and Maeve storyline, post prison arc, age gap between consenting adults (Spencer is late 30s and reader is mid 20s), typical CM case related stuff, child losing her parents, crying child, arguing, swearing.

WC - 8.3k

Part 1

If Spencer Reid were perfectly honest, he’d never wanted for much his entire life. He’d grown used to just accepting what came his way, never letting his expectations or hubris desire more than he was given.

Wanting for things only led to great disappointment. For example, wanting a mother who wasn’t sick and a father that didn’t walk out on them. Wanting to not have a drug addiction, or the weight of potentially developing schizophrenia.

He wanted to not have witnessed his first love being shot to death in front of him before he’d ever had a chance to hold her.

Maeve allowed Spencer for the first time in his life to want for something tangible. A relationship. A wife. A family. But that was snuffed out along with her life at the hands of Diane Turner’s bullet.

He’d always liked the idea of having a family, the idea of it almost like a guilty pleasure to the young genius. It seemed so far out of reach, out of the realms of the possible for someone like him to accomplish.

All he’d ever really wanted was somewhere to belong, something more than his mother could offer him; something deeper than the BAU could provide. Somewhere where he fit like a missing puzzle piece.

He’d always been an overachiever, never having much trouble reaching the goals he set for himself, but that seemed to be one ideal he would never make a reality.

He allowed himself the fleeting dream of having a family with Maeve but yet again it had been squandered, the flame of possibility extinguished before it really had a chance to burn.

He’d spent years watching Hotch with Jack and JJ with Henry and later Michael. He’d witnessed Kate and her niece and then the birth of her own baby. Even Morgan with Hank. And later came Matt with his array of children so large it didn’t seem fair.

As time drew on Spencer found himself growing more and more resentful towards his friends simply because they had achieved something he was sure he never would.

And time was ticking on for him, he was much closer to forty now, his thirties slipping away in the rear view mirror, soon to vanish entirely from his vision.

Perhaps it was his incarceration that put everything into perspective for him; maybe in some twisted way Cat had done him a favour by having him arrested. It was entirely plausible that if he hadn’t gone through that ordeal prior to the case that took place in Woodbridge, Virginia, just fifteen miles outside of Quantico, it may not have ended in the way that it had.

It was his first day back after thirty days off and admittedly he was grateful to be returning to the BAU. He loved teaching, loved imparting knowledge but it didn’t compare to the rush of fulfilment he got when he worked with his FBI family.

Because that’s what they were, right? Family, at least the closest thing to one Spencer really had. Of course he had his mom, his biological family, but what he had with the team was different.

In a strange way Emily and Rossi were like the parents, while Matt and Tara were like auntie and uncle and JJ, Garcia and Luke were his twisted siblings.

Which left you. You who’d joined the team around the same time as Matt not long after his release from prison. You who had slotted into the BAU family as if you’d been there all along.

You who he couldn’t look at like a sister the way he did JJ and Penelope without it being incredibly bizarre given how attracted to you he was.

You’d shined a light on Spencer’s dark existence, giving him hope for the first time since Maeve.

And maybe years ago he never would have even considered crossing that line with a coworker, maybe wouldn’t have even had the confidence to pursue you in the first place.

But a funny thing happened to Spencer while he was incarcerated. In having his walls completely and utterly torn down, leaving him as little more than a foundation, he was able to rebuild, recraft and manufacture a whole new facade.

This new appearance was more self assured, the walls he’d erected had locked his old insecurities out in the cold.

Less was the innocence he’d once possessed but instead replaced by assertiveness. He wouldn’t wait around for what he wanted and hope it would fall in his lap. He would go after it and grab it with both hands.

And that’s exactly what he did with you.

He’d told you in no uncertain terms that he thought you were beautiful and effervescent and that he wanted to take you for dinner. It wasn’t a question, he didn’t ask if you wanted to go to dinner, he told you that’s what was happening.

You’d found his confidence to be dizzying and electrifying, and also arousing. You hadn’t even stopped to consider the ramifications of going on a date with your colleague.

It had been the furthest thing from your mind after dinner, when Spencer kissed you outside of your apartment. You hadn’t given it a second thought when you invited him upstairs where you became privy to the true extent of Spencer’s dominance.

It had been several months of this and as far as you were aware the rest of the team was none the wiser.

Spencer lavished you with both expensive dates and also afterwards in the bedroom. He was a gentleman in the streets and a wild animal in the sheets.

But he wanted more from you than you were able to give, that much became apparent two days ago when you were lying in a post coital bliss and Spencer had mumbled absent mindedly, “I want to have a family.”

He was on the cusp of forty, it was understandable that he would be thinking of those things. But you were still young, close to fifteen years his junior and a family was the last thing you were thinking about.

What had ensued had been a painfully awkward conversation which you would have rather had with more clothes on. A resolution hadn’t been reached, the discussion simply ended when Spencer told you he needed time to think and proceeded to leave your apartment.

And you hadn’t spoken in two days.

With all of it whirring around in your brain you had completely forgotten Spencer was due back today and so when he strolled into the round table room, ten minutes later than everyone else and not apologising for that fact, you tried to hide your surprise by staring at the tablet in front of you.

He took the last remaining seat between you and Luke and flipped open the case file leisurely.

“Nice of you to join us, Reid.” Emily rolled her eyes as she spoke.

“Hmm.” He didn’t look up. “What did I miss?”

“Uh, well, as I was saying,” Garcia shook off his slightly abrupt tone and continued her presentation. “Mister and Mrs Briar are the second couple to be killed in their home Woodbridge, both shot in the head, point blank. A week ago, Mister and Mrs Logan also met the same grizzly fate.”

“And the police think they are connected? Doesn’t seem like a very specific MO.” Rossi frowned, sitting back in his chair.

“There is one piece of information that ties the two families.” Garcia clicked a button on her remote, casting away the crime scene photos in lieu of two pictures of two little girls. “Both the Logan’s and the Briar’s had a daughter who witnessed the whole sorry thing but were gratefully left alive.”

Spencer skim read the file in front of him before looking up at the screen and the images of the two kids who had gone through something no child should have to.

His eyes gravitated to the photograph on the left of a little girl with rosy cheeks and a bright smile. She had curly dark hair and expressive green eyes and Spencer felt as though she was looking right at him, maybe even through him.

“This is six year old Freya Logan,” Garcia pointed at the blonde girl on the right. “And five year old Wren Briar.”

Wren, cute, he thought.

“Woodbridge is nearby, so we’ll work the case from here.” Emily pushed herself to her feet. “Y/N, Tara and I will go to the county police department and speak to the sheriff. Luke, Matt go to the latest crime scene. Garcia I need you to find the kids and get them brought in, they may have seen something that could be of help. The rest of you start digging.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and started off on their separate ways. Emily mouthed to you and Tara to give her a minute before she left the room.

Spencer left soon after and without meaning to you found yourself on your feet and following him.

You trailed him to the kitchen when he grabbed his mug and started up the coffee machine. He had his back to you when you entered behind him but somehow he knew you were there.

“Why were you late? You’re never late.” Your voice was so unsure, like you weren’t even certain you were allowed to speak to him.

He turned slowly, leaning his back against the counter as he regarded you with his gaze.

“I overslept.” He shrugged.

“You never oversleep.”

“Yeah because I usually get a decent night's rest. But for two nights I’ve been tossing and turning and when I do actually sleep, it’s fretful at best.” His tone was something akin to frustration, frustration that was clearly directed at you.

“You can’t just drop a bombshell like that and walk off. I haven’t been sleeping either, Spencer.” You lowered your tone to a whisper in case any prying ears were around.

“I didn’t realise wanting a family with my girlfriend would be such a bombshell.” He folded his arms across his chest, not being quiet with his words the way you were. At least the coffee percolating helped to mask his voice.

“I didn’t even know I was your girlfriend! We’ve never once talked about what we were, let alone having a family. We’ve been dating for a few months, I’m not sure I understand when this got so serious.” You mirrored him and folded your arms too.

“Relationships are only ever going to end one of two ways, Y/N. They either eventually run their course or you spend the rest of your life together. I was just letting you know my intentions.”

“Spencer, I’m still young. Marriage and kids is not something I’m thinking about right now.”

“Well that's all I think about. And if you don’t want that then there really is no point in us being together. I’m not wasting my time with someone who doesn’t want the same things as me.”

The coffee machine clicked, its sounds starting to fade out. Spencer turned his back on you and shoved his mug under the machine and hit a button.

“That’s what this is to you? A waste of time?” You let your arms fall to your sides, feeling the weight of his words crash down on you like a tidal wave.

“You tell me.” He shrugged, not looking back at you. “I’ve made my intentions clear, Y/N. It’s up to you what you want out of this. And if it isn’t a family, then I guess yeah, it was a waste of time.”

You opened your mouth to speak but closed it again quickly. You repeated this several times as Spencer turned with his mug of coffee in hand. He strolled past you without so much as a glance and you dumbly watched him go.

You couldn’t even go after him if you tried as soon Emily found you and motioned for you to follow her and Tara towards the elevators.

***

“She won’t talk to me,” JJ sighed exhaustedly, running a hand through her hair as she looked between Spencer and Rossi. “She keeps asking for her daddy. I think she’d be more open with a male.”

The three of them stood in the corridor outside of the small disused office where Wren Briar and a woman from social services were situated. Her eyes stopped their back and forth and landed on Rossi.

“Don’t look at me.” Rossi scoffed. “I’m old enough to be her grandpa.”

JJ pulled a face that told him she agreed before turning to Spencer.

“You are around her dad’s age.” JJ gave him a shrug. “And you’re great with Henry and Michael.”

“And Jack. And Hank.” Rossi added.

“Boys,” Spencer shook his head. “They are all boys. I have no idea what to say to a little girl. A little girl whose parents have just been murdered no less.”��

“Spence, you’re great with kids. I think she would really open up to you.” JJ was pleading with him with both her voice and her eyes. Spencer always did have a hard time saying no to her.

He glanced passed JJ through the window and on the side of the five year old’s face. Since he’d seen her photograph this morning he had felt a strange emotion bubbling in his chest which he couldn’t quite place.

Maybe protectiveness? Did he feel the need to safeguard this little girl from harm? And if so, why?

He’d had dealings with hundreds if not thousands of kids in his years at the BAU and never felt like this before. He wanted to cushion her, wrap her in bubble wrap and take away all of her pain.

But he didn’t understand why.

He looked back at JJ and sighed louder than necessary to convey he wasn’t pleased about this.

“Fine, but you owe me.” He rolled his eyes, stepping further forward and taking a deep breath before entering the room.

Her astute green eyes snapped up as the door opened, little eyebrows knitted together as she took in the man walking towards her. She seemed wiser than her years, the way she seemed to be curiously regarding him, sizing him up and assessing his threat level.

Spencer offered the social worker a smile before focusing back on Wren. He crouched down when he reached where she was sitting on the couch so he was her height.

She clutched a stuffed toy to her chest which appeared to be some sort of dog, maybe a cow, maybe even a panda. It was a dirty off white with splodges of black and long tatty ears. It was slightly ragged and threadbare and clearly a favourite with this little girl.

“Hi,” he spoke softly, calmingly. “My name is Spencer, can you tell me your name?”

Of course he already knew it but he needed an excuse to get her talking.

“Wren,” she sucked in a breath. “Like the bird.”

“Wow, that’s such a pretty name.” His smile grew of its own accord. “You wanna know something cool?”

She rolled her thin bottom lip between her teeth thoughtfully before nodding her head, her nearly black curls bouncing around her face.

“Y-yes.” She whispered.

“Wren’s eat spiders and insects that they find while hopping along the ground.” He wiggled his long, slender fingers towards her and to his surprise and delight Wren started to giggle.

“Eww!” she shook her head frantically. “I don’t want to eat spiders!”

“I’m afraid with a name like that, you might have to.” Spencer laughed, her innocent giggle sending shockwaves through his whole body.

It melted him from the inside out, as if he were made of chocolate and her laugh was a hot flame. He wanted a child more than anything in the entire world and it was killing him not to have one.

“Noooo!” She shook her head so frantically it was a wonder she didn’t make herself dizzy.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Spencer lowered his voice, leaning in a little closer to Wren. “If you can help me find out what happened to your mommy and daddy, I promise no one will ever make you eat a spider.”

She pouted dramatically, her lip jutting out so severely it looked almost painful. She loosened her grip on the stuffed dog-cow-panda, patting its scruffy head before gripping its ears in her little fingers.

“This is Rover,” she turned him so Spencer could see his face and confirmed it was in fact a dog.

“Hi Rover, I’m Spencer. Do you eat spiders?” He cautiously took hold of one of the dogs paws and shook it.

“Eww!” Wren giggled again, wrapping her arms tightly around the dog again and wrinkling her tiny nose. “Dog’s don’t eat spiders.”

He wasn’t going to argue with the little girl that given half the chance most dogs probably would eat spiders. Instead he nodded in agreement.

“You’re right, I'm sorry Rover.” He half-smiled at the stuffed dog. “Did Rover see what happened to your mommy and daddy?”

Wren once again held the dog tighter, nodding sadly as her eyes downturned.

“The man made us go into the closet. I closed my eyes but Rover saw everything.” A tear trickled from her large green eye and Spencer couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and gently brushing it away.

She didn’t shy away from him, didn’t even flinch. And when he moved his hand away she grabbed one of his fingers in her own petite little hand.

Her fingers wrapped so tightly around the digit, her fear evident in the small gesture. Her eyes were filled with tears making her already bright irises even more vivid. She looked Spencer in the eyes, keeping a firm grip on his finger.

“He shot them. He killed them. My mommy and daddy are dead.” And with that a damn broke and her tears cascaded down her rosy cheeks.

She let go of Spencer’s finger and fell into his arms where he knelt on the ground, nuzzling her little face against his chest, her tears soaking into his shirt. Tentatively he wrapped the girl in his arms, stroking back her raven head of curls and cooing to her that it would be ok.

His eyes glanced up towards the window in the door where JJ and Rossi were staring right at him. Wren blew her nose on his tie and he shrugged lightly at his coworkers.

“Damn, he’s good.” Rossi spoke on the other side of the door.

“You expected anything less?” JJ smiled wistfully.

***

When you returned to the BAU later that afternoon with Emily and Tara you were surprised to find the rest of the team, Garcia included, swarmed around Derek Morgan’s old office.

The three of you approached curiously as the other members gathered around the lone window, clearly staring at something inside.

“Uh, do we not have a case to be working?” Emily’s voice garnered the attention of the five other agents who spun to face her guiltily.

You and Tara looked between their faces while they clearly decided who was going to be the one to answer.

“You need to see this.” Luke spoke with amusement ripe in his voice.

They parted like the Red Sea to allow the three of you to get to the window. You, Tara and Emily slowly stepped closer until the room beyond was in view.

On the couch sat Spencer, head forward to his chest and eyes closed tightly. In his lap was a head of dark curls equally as unruly as his own, and a small body curled up next to him, clutching a stuffed toy. Both appeared to be sleeping, Spencer’s limp hand resting on the girl's shoulder.

“That’s the Briar’s daughter.” JJ filled you all in. “Spence is the only one she would open up to.”

“The social worker got called away and he said he’d stay with her. How long they’ve been like this is anybody's guess.” Rossi added.

“Isn’t it the most precious thing you’ve ever seen?” Penelope gasped happily.

She wasn’t wrong. It was utterly adorable. And it warmed your heart and froze it in equal measure. Spencer looked so at home with the little girl, it was only then it occurred to you what an amazing dad he would be. But it wasn’t what you wanted. You weren’t ready for a family, for a child, not like he was.

You took a few steps back from the window, feeling your heart ripping apart in your chest. You were crazy about Spencer, you weren’t ready for your relationship to come to an end. But if this was how he saw his future, you weren’t sure you could be a part of that.

No one seemed to notice you slip away, too busy watching the man and child sleep peacefully.

***

Wren took a shine to Spencer in the way no one ever had before. Sure he was good with kids, but with her he didn’t even seem to need to try.

Over the next few days he learnt that she was incredibly smart, smarter than any five year old he’d ever met before. He wondered if her parents ever had her IQ checked because he would be willing to bet she was gifted.

She was inquisitive, curious about the world around her. At her instance he’d told her more facts about her namesake, moving onto other facts about other animals and then just facts in general.

She hung off of his every word, asking questions if she didn’t understand and probing for more knowledge.

She was gentle and kind and even despite the trauma Spencer could tell she was a happy kid. He was sure if anyone could bounce back from an ordeal of this magnitude it was her. Wren was resilient.

And the more time Spencer spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her.

She liked it when he read to her so he went out and brought a ton of her favourite books and would sit in Morgan’s old office and he would read.

He brought his chess set in, thinking her curious mind would enjoy the challenge. She did. A lot. Even if she struggled to grasp the game, she was only five after all.

But his heart swelled every single time she cautiously lifted a piece, looked up at him with her electric eyes and whispered, “can I move this thing over here?”

He adored the little names she gave the pieces and stopped correcting her after a while. He preferred her names for them anyway. The prawn. The horsy. The pointy head. The pretty Queen and the brave King.

She also loved cartoons so after a quick lesson from Garcia on how to operate a tablet and download Netflix, he would sit with Wren and let her watch her favourites on the device while she rested her head on his shoulder.

He held her when she got sad and missed her mom and dad. He let her shed her tears against his shirt and blow her nose on as many of his ties as she needed.

He had learnt long ago not to want for anything in life but he couldn’t help himself. This small child had in the space of a few days completely wormed her way into his heart and he never wanted to see a day where she wasn’t a part of his life.

One more couple met the same fate as the Logan’s and Briar’s before they caught the guy responsible three days later.

Wren clung to him as the social worker tried to get her to leave, small arms wrapped around his waist while she sobbed into his side and begged Spencer not to let her take her away.

“Spencer, don't make me go!” She sobbed and screamed at the top of her little lungs. “I don’t want to leave you!”

“Hey now,” he whispered, crouching down to her height and wiping her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “It won’t be forever ok? I just need to talk to Miss Carol real quick ok?”

“I heard her talking on the phone, they want to take me away from you.” Her little lip quivered and it shattered his heart.

“Wren, I promise you I will not let that happen ok? You just have to be brave for me and go with JJ for a moment. Can you do that?” He tucked her messy hair behind her ears.

Wren looked up with watery eyes at JJ who was smiling at her from behind Spencer.

“You like books right, Wren?” JJ held out her hand. “I can read to you. Time will fly by.”

Wren sniffled and looked back at Spencer who was trying to smile encouragingly at her. She suddenly flung her arms around Spencer’s neck and held him tightly as if he were her stuffed dog. He held her too, praying to gods he didn’t believe in that it wouldn’t be the last time.

When she let go she reluctantly took hold of JJ’s hand so Spencer could be left alone with Carol, Wren’s social worker.

Once JJ left the room with Wren, Spencer stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked at Carol.

“What’s going to happen to her?” He scuffed his toe on the worn carpet.

“She doesn’t have any living relatives.” Carol shrugged.

“So she goes into the system?” Spencer felt his heart plummet.

“I’m afraid so.”

“She’s been through enough.” Spencer swallowed, his eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“Unfortunately that’s kind of a prerequisite for foster kids.” Carol sighed.

“What, uh…what if I could take her?” His words surprised even himself despite the fact it wasn’t the first time he’d considered it. He’d been thinking about it pretty much non stop since he met Wren, but this was his first time saying it out loud. “I know I can’t just take her now, I did the research.”

“You did?” Carol frowned curiously at him.

“Last night.” He nodded. “I mean I’m an FBI agent so presumably the background checks and stuff would be easy and I know I would need to buy a bigger place with a second bedroom but I started looking at places near Woodbridge, so Wren could still be near her friends and go to school.

I know there are applications and home studies that would need to be done and I know it’s arduous and expensive but I don’t care. I know it takes time but I can wait. I can wait if it means at the end of it all she’ll get to come home with me. I’d even quit the BAU so I could be home more often. I teach in my spare time at the university, much more stable hours, no travel. I am willing to do whatever it takes.” He was rambling and he knew it but he couldn’t stop.

Carol listened intently, taking in his every word and looking at him curiously.

“Doctor Reid,” she sighed a little. “I’m not sure all of that would be necessary simply to foster.”

Spencer suddenly frowned at her, not angry necessarily but frustrated that she misunderstood his intentions.

He cleared his throat, stepped forward and removed his hands from his pockets. He straightened his back and looked Carol dead in the eyes. He needed her to know how serious he was about what he was about to say.

“I’m not talking about fostering.” He shook his head. “I want to adopt her. I want to be her father.”

***

As it turned out, adopting a child was even more hard work than Spencer ever anticipated.

That night after his talk with Carol and after promising Wren several hundred times he would see her again really soon, he went home and delved deeper into the ins and outs of this particular venture.

The easy part was the fact she’d been orphaned and there were no relatives to have to give over parental rights. That was where the simplicity started and ended.

Adopting a child could take anywhere from six to eighteen months. Not to mention the fact it could cost him anywhere up to forty thousand dollars.

He’d need a bigger home, that much he already knew and a job with more stable hours which was easy enough to achieve.

He would have to fill out applications, go through home studies and up to thirty hours worth of parental training. He’d need health exams, proof of income, references from several people close to him.

All relatively achievable.

But he would also have to undergo a criminal background check. Although he had been cleared of all charges, his time in prison hadn’t been expunged despite Emily’s attempts. He would have to explain that he spent three months in a federal facility for a murder he didn’t commit.

Also there was the very real possibility that being a single male would hinder his chances of adoption. From what he’d read it shouldn’t be used to discriminate against him, but it certainly wouldn’t be in his favour.

If the state thought they could place Wren with a family with two parents instead of one, they were more likely to do that than allow a single man in his late thirties to adopt her.

If there was ever a time for him not to want for something desperately, with his entire heart, it was now. But for the life of him he couldn’t stop himself.

But the most important thing he needed to do was talk to Wren.

She might have enjoyed spending time with him, it might have helped take her mind off of watching her parents die, but that wasn’t to say she wanted to live with him. He needed to stop getting ahead of himself.

He took a personal day from work and drove out to the halfway house she’d been placed in for the time being. If everything went to plan she wouldn’t have to be here too long.

The second she saw him her entire face lit up, not just her dazzling green eyes. A huge smile plastered on her tiny face and she ran at full pelt towards him.

Her wild mane of dark curls was tied back into a ponytail and flew behind her with her speed. When she reached him, Wren threw her arms around Spencer’s waist and squeezed him as tightly as her little body would allow.

“Spencer!” She snuggled against him while he in turn enveloped her in a tight embrace. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, pumpkin.” It was true, he had and it had only been one night.

She let go of him before taking him by the hand and marching them both over to a nearby couch. She plopped down on it, he now noticed she had Rover dangling from one hand.

Spencer sat next to her and she shuffled close to him, as though being near him offered her some kind of protection.

“I don’t like it here.” She whined a little, choking the stuffed neck of her dog in tiny hands.

“It'll only be for the short term.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “But you do understand that you can’t go home, don’t you Wren?”

Her bottom lip pouted in that over dramatic way he’d grown used to. Tears sprung to her eyes as she nodded her head.

“I miss my mommy and daddy.” She sniffled.

“I know you do, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head on his rib cage.

“I don’t want to live here forever.” She whimpered.

“And you won’t.” He squeezed her gently. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

She raised her head so she could look at him, those large, emerald eyes seeing right through to his soul.

“How would you…do you think you might…” he trailed off, words failing him. “I was thinking, if you’d like to, maybe you could come and live with me.”

She blinked several times at him, watching, reading him. It was sometimes hard to believe she was only five years old.

“I can do that?” One of her little eyebrows raised curiously.

“If you’d like to. Only if you’d like to. But I would love to have you live with me, Wren. Have you heard of adoption?” He tucked another stray strand behind her ear.

“No.” She shook her head.

“That’s ok, I can explain it to you.” He smiled softly. “So when a child like you, loses their parents, they need somewhere to go. At the moment you’re in foster care which is temporary. There are foster families you can stay with but it won’t be like your real home. You might get moved around between different families from time to time.

Adoption is permanent and that’s what I would like. If I were to adopt you I would become your legal guardian…your dad I suppose. You’d live with me at least until you turn eighteen, maybe longer if that’s what you wanted. You’d have a home for as long as you needed one, a family with me. It isn’t an easy process but one I would very much like to go through if that’s what you want.”

Again the girl blinked him, probably only really understanding half of what he was saying.

“I had a dad. He died.” She frowned.

“I know, and I’m not…you don’t have to call me dad. I’m not trying to replace your dad. But I would be responsible for you.”

“Would I have a new mom too?” Her frown deepened.

“Uh, no. No mom, just me.” He shrugged. “Look Wren, I think you are a wonderful little girl and I would be absolutely honoured to be your adoptive dad. But I want what’s best for you and if you don’t want that then-”

“Can we play chess if I live with you?” She cut him off.

“As often as you’d like.” He smiled.

“And will you read me bedtime stories?”

“Every single night.” His smile grew.

“Can I have a My Little Pony bedspread?” She started smiling too.

“I don’t see why not.”

“What about Rover?” She suddenly gasped, clutching the small dog tightly.

“What about him?” Spencer frowned.

“Where will he live? I can’t go without him!” She was suddenly beside herself with panic and Spencer couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s a good job I’ve got room for him too then, isn’t it?”

Her eyes lit up again and sparkled in that innocent way that fed Spencer’s soul. Her lip twitched at the corner.

“Really?” She bounced a little in the chair.

“Really.” He felt tears gathering behind his eyes.

“Ok!” Wren nodded. “I think we would like that.”

Spencer wanted to collapse into tears at those words. If Wren wanted to live with him he would do everything in his power to make that happen.

He knew as he looked at her sparkling eyes and tiny pure smile, he would go to the ends of the earth for this little girl.

He already loved her with his entire being. And no matter what the adoption process threw at him, he would make it through. He would do it for her.

***

When he handed his letter of resignation to Emily a week later and explained his reasons for leaving, she’d quite rightly been shocked.

But she’d also been incredibly encouraging of his newfound love of an orphaned little girl.

He glowed when he spoke about her, happier than she’d seen him in such a long time. And although she hated to lose him from the team, she knew it was for the greater good.

The next step was a new home, a family home, one big enough for him and Wren. Between looking at houses and starting to pack up his own apartment, he hired an attorney to aid him in his adoption battle.

Although it was the more expensive route, Spencer decided to go down the path of independent adoption. It would mean he would have to do the work an agency would normally do but he always had been a control freak. And he was far more invested in the outcome and would therefore work harder to get Wren home.

He visited her every day. He took books and his chess set and they spent hours together in the halfway home. He showed her pictures of the houses he’d seen and asked her what she thought.

One in particular was a cute three bedroom suburban home with a canary yellow picket fence and a green front door. Her little eyes had sparkled when she looked at it and she jabbed her finger at the printout.

“I want to live here.” She got a little shy as she vocalised it.

He wondered if it was because she knew.

The house in question was less than a block from the home she’d witnessed the death of her parents in. She probably walked it past it frequently.

He wasn’t sure that living so close to a place that held so many bad memories for her would be a good idea, but he also thought it might allow her to feel close to the family she’d lost.

“Really?” He asked tentatively. “Do you know where it is?”

He nodded defiantly.

“Near mommy and daddy’s house.”

“And you want to live near their house? Won’t it make you sad?”

“I'm always sad.” She confessed, pouting her lip drastically. “Except when you’re here.”

His heart doubled in size, practically leaped right out of his chest. God he didn’t think it was possible to love her anymore than he already did but she kept proving him wrong.

“You mean that?” He smiled, tears brimming in his eyes.

“Yes.” She nodded again. “You make the bad go away.”

His emotions betrayed him and a few tears fell from his eyes causing Wren to gasp.

“Oh no! Why are you sad, Spencer?” She grabbed one of his fingers in her hand and squeezed it.

“I'm not sad.” He smiled. “These are happy tears. I’m just…I’m just so happy I met you. I wish I could make everything better for you, I wish I could bring your mommy and daddy back, I do. But I promise you, as long as I’m alive, you have a family ok?”

With her free hand she reached for Spencer’s cheek and brushed his tears the same way he did to her. Her little fingers were soft and a little damp.

“I miss my mommy and daddy all the time.” She whispered as though it was a secret. “But I think they would be happy that you want to be my new family.”

God she was so smart. Way smarter than her years. He really would need to have her IQ tested.

“I hope so, pumpkin.”

“Why do you call me pumpkin?” She sat back, looking at him curiously.

“Because I love Halloween.” And I love you.

“I love Halloween!” She clapped her hands together. “Can we go trick or treating?”

Spencer chuckled, yet again tucking her rogue hair behind her ears and off of her little rosy face.

“We can on Halloween. But right now it’s March, we have a few months before October.”

“But can we go trick or treating on Halloween?”

“Of course, pumpkin.”

Seven months. He had seven months until Halloween. Seven months to bring her home.

He hoped he wasn’t making promises he couldn’t keep. The last thing this little girl needed was more disappointment. The last thing he needed was more disappointment.

After that he spent the next hour watching Wren draw pumpkins and witches and ghosts in crayon while he told her facts about Halloween.

He left with a picture she’d drawn for him.

It was of the house with a canary yellow fence and green front door. In front of the house was Wren and Rover who was drawn wildly out of proportion.

And then there was a tall, slim man with crazy curls holding Wren’s hand.

In the bottom corner she’d scrawled in her childlike handwriting: my new family.

***

That same day Spencer called his realtor and made an offer on the house in Virginia whilst putting his own apartment up for sale.

He knew buying a house took time but it was time he didn’t have. He’d sent off his adoption applications and the background checks were in full swing but without the house he couldn’t start his home studies which at minimum took three months.

At least once the background checks were out of the way he would be able to take Wren out of the halfway home for a few hours at a time, supervised by a social worker of course but it was better than nothing.

He was prepared for the questions about his incarceration and had already discussed as such with his attorney. He had transcripts from his therapist who had cleared him for duty, citing him mentally sound.

He had Emily write a letter explaining the whole situation, how he was framed and all the gory details surrounding the case and the proof of his innocence.

He also had letters regarding his character from people who knew him well and could vouch for the fact he would be a great dad. One being from BAU co-founder David Rossi, a name that garnered respect everywhere he went.

And in the capacity as a mother, Jennifer Jareau who talked at great lengths about how Spencer was the worlds greatest godfather to her boys and how amazing he was with them.

Emily, Rossi and JJ were three great people to have on his side.

He’d done everything he could for the time being and for the most part it was now just a painful waiting game.

His house sale and purchase seemed to be moving smoothly so in his free time when he wasn’t teaching and he wasn’t with Wren, he continued packing up his apartment so he would be ready to get into his new house the second the sale was finalised.

His apartment was mostly boxes these days, sad, taunting boxes filled with his possessions while he waited for the phone to ring.

On his last visit to see Wren she’d told him exactly how she would like her new bedroom so some boxes contained flat pack furniture and paint cans.

She wanted her walls to be orange and when he’d frowned and asked her why she simply replied, “because pumpkins.”

He couldn’t very well argue with that.

He managed to talk her down from a bright and garish orange to more of a burnt autumnal colour. She picked out her bed along with a My Little Pony bedspread, and wardrobes from magazines Spencer had shown her and he’d purchased strings of pumpkin shaped fairy lights.

At her insistence, he’d also brought a dog bed for Rover.

He may be jumping the gun, wasting his money on such things when he still had a long road ahead of him before he’d be able to take her home.

And there was also the very real possibility he may never be able to take her home.

Honestly, Spencer couldn’t let himself think of that. If he let himself consider that outcome he would crumble.

In such a short space of time Wren had become his entire world and he couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t lose her.

He was packing up the last of his books when there was a knock at his apartment door.

He spun to look at it, boxes piled so high it was like a labyrinth just to get to it. He frowned, mentally trying to ascertain a path but coming up empty.

“Uh, who is it?” He called, trying to clamber closer.

A stretch of silence met his ears and in the meantime he stumbled over a box and narrowly avoided landing head first in another.

“It’s Y/N.” You spoke eventually, sounding exhausted.

He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose. In all the stress surrounding him, he hadn’t given you a second thought.

Fuck, I messed up.

“Uh the door should be unlocked.” He called back and a moment or two later it opened.

You took a step inside, eyes quickly scanning the disarray in the room before finding Spencer’s face, poking out from between two piles of boxes.

“Marco,” he joked but you didn’t laugh.

“Were you ever going to tell me you quit the BAU?” You folded your arms over your chest, staying put by the front door. “And moving by the looks of things. Was I going to be the last person to find that out too?”

“I’m so sorry.” He shrugged meekly, knowing he owed you more than a simple apology. “Everything is happening so fast. I needed to move quickly, the faster I get things sorted the faster she can come home with me.”

Your frown deepened and he could see the confusion rolling off of you in waves.

“What are you talking about? Who’s coming home with you?”

He inhaled sharply, exhaled heavily. Of course Emily, Rossi and JJ knew of his adoption plans but he had asked them not to tell the rest of the team. If it didn’t work out he didn’t want them to be privy to his failure.

But truthfully he expected them to spill the beans. He knew you’d all have a lot of questions regarding his sudden departure from the team and thought at least one of you would get it out of them. It appeared not.

“Well, uh, I’m in the process of trying to adopt a little girl.” He shrugged and braced himself for your reaction.

Your arms fell to your sides and your eyes doubled in size as you glared at him as though he’d told you he was going on a killing spree and not that he was adopting a kid.

He supposed both would be equally concerning.

“I’m sure I didn’t hear you right.”

“No, you did.” He tried to step closer to you but he seemed to have boxed himself into a corner quite literally. “You remember the couples that were killed in Virginia? I kinda bonded with one of the kids. Wren. Wren Briar. She’s in a foster facility at the moment but I’m working on adopting her.”

Somehow the more he explained the less you understood.

“Are you serious?” You scoffed.

“Very.”

“Jesus Christ, Spencer.” You shook your head in disbelief. “You bonded with a kid on a case and now you want to bring her home? Play happy families with a child who lost her parents?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do.” He tried to shuffle between the piles of boxes but was once again thwarted.

“Do you realise how insane that sounds?” Your tone was incredulous.

“Why does that sound insane? She needs a family and I’ve always wanted one.” He frowned at you.

Of course he understood why you may be concerned but he hadn’t expected this reaction.

“So you meet someone, you get married. And when the time is right you start a family.”

“I have tried that! I’ve tried it the “normal” way and that’s never worked out for me. I am thirty nine years old, I don’t know how much longer I can wait.” He was growing angry.

“So you’re just skipping to the end? Spencer this is not how you dreamed of having a kid!”

“No, you’re right, it’s not!” He suddenly raised his voice, shoving over a pile of boxes in his way so he could get closer to you. “I dreamed of having kids with Maeve and then she was killed in front of me. Then I dared to dream of having a family with you but you shot that idea right down. It’s not ideal, I am aware of that. But goddammit I love that little girl and I will give her a home. I will be her family and she will be mine.”

“Spencer,” you softened, his eyes wild and scaring you a little. “She’s what, five? She’s already on her way to becoming a fully realised human being. Her personality is already formed, she’s had five years of life where you weren’t a part of it and you just expect her to fall seamlessly into the role of your daughter? Have you ever even considered how hard it’s going to be for her? She lost her parents, they are dead. You really think you can just swoop in and pretend to be her father when she watched her real dad die?”

“Get out.” He spat harshly. “Get the fuck out of my home.”

“Spencer I-”

“No, don’t. If you’re not going to be helpful then you can leave.”

You shook your head in sadness at him, sighing deeply.

“I might not be ready for a family right at this second but I didn’t once say I wouldn’t want one someday. But you’re so determined to rush this, to skip to the happy ending. We could have had that one day.”

“That’s not good enough for me.” He finally lowered his voice. “I’m in love with you Y/N, I know I’ve never said that before but I am. And I don’t want to wait to start a family because I love you. But if we don’t want the same things then we have no future. I’m adopting Wren, no matter what it takes and if you can’t be happy for me then walk away.”

And without another word, that’s exactly what you did. You walked away.

In another scenario, maybe even in another life you would have told him that you loved him too.

Instead you simply walked away.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x fem! reader #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction

823 notes · View notes

costacostak · 2 months

Text

SPENCER REID

Fluff

Bombshell!Reader 2

Imagination

Pregnant!Reader

Late Night

Late

Diffrent

Nipple piercing

Dumb

Aftercare

Jealous!Spencer

Cover up

Just my Type

Interrogation

Red Lipstick

Doctor who

Profissionalism

Lovely

Glasses 2

Smitten

Pretty boy

Tennis Skirt

Badass!Reader

Pinning

Secret

Wedding Ring

Hot wife 2

Angst

Guilt

Maeve

In love with JJ

The Archer

Stitching

Visitor's list

Smut

Virginity

Shower

34+35

Special show

Elevator

Too much

Face

Instict

Devotion

Friends with benefits

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fluff

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sweatervest-obsessed · 8 months

Text

Salvia Splendens Means Forever Mine - Part 1

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

WC: 8.5k

TW: Guns, S2 E14/15 ie Revelations (lmao sorry gang), guns, police (acab), torture, character death, mentions of death, dead bodies, rabid dogs, loooots of bible talk, mentions of kissing, brief reminiscing of potentially more sticks to canon pretty closely meaning if you have issues with the Episode Revelations, then this might not be for you, neediness, crying, lack of crying, internalized emotions, mentions of cheating, mentions of past relationship trauma

A/N: So I'm pretty sure this reads as gn! Reid does quote a proverb that references women, but that's because the bible wasn't big on inclusivity when it came to shaming people who enjoyed sex...anywho! I love any and all feedback! Enjoy!

You, Emily, Hotch, Derek, Gideon and the Sheriff sat around the computer, staring at a woman tied up in a barn, in her slip dress, mouth duct taped over. A figure, who had hidden his face, was reading out a passage of the bible. Your eyes were glued to the screen.

A portion of Jezebel shall dogs eat the flesh of.

“No. no.” You turned around, not wanting to watch what was happening on the screen, just hearing it was almost too much.

“Jezebel’s Death.” muttered Gideon, his voice filled with solemnity.

“My god.” Emily turned away from the screen, copying your actions.

Finally, Hotch told Emily to turn it off, but not before the Sheriff jumped up. “Wait.”

You all looked at him, confusion written all over everyone’s faces.

“You hadn’t seen enough.” Derek quipped.

“Those dogs. Those three dogs attacked someone a couple of months ago. I would’ve had them impounded but the victim knew the owner.” The sheriff was sure about it, more sure about this than anything he had seen in his life. “A neighbor, he didn’t want to press charges.”

Gideon stared at him. “You sure?”

“As god as my witness.” The sheriff scrambled for his notebook, flipping to find something. “Three mangy mixes, I knew those dogs looked sick. I called in animal control, but I don’t know if they ever followed up on it.”

“Here it is.” He looked up from the page.

“You have the owner’s name?” Hotch leaned over glancing into the notebook.

“Hankel.”

Your eyes went wide. “Hankel?”

“Tobias Hankel.”

“That’s where Reid and JJ are.” You looked over at Hotch, who watched several waves of emotion fly over your face, trying to control all of them. He nodded and looked at everyone. “Alright let’s go.”

The sheriff yelled out for people to grab their gear while you asked Hotch for a second outside. He nodded and followed you outside to the parking lot. It was cold out, only because of the night breeze, allowing yourself to enjoy the lack of sun and heat.

Hotch was the only person who actually knew about you and Spencer’s relationship, not because you didn’t trust the team, but because the less people that knew about it, the better. You had watched agents lose their loved ones over and over, being used as pawns against one another, and you were terrified of that happening. The team knew you two really liked each other, and you would hope that it showed since you had been dating for almost a year.

You were the team's newest addition, right after Elle, younger than Spencer by a year, but still boasting your own PhD. The two of you clicked right away. And to a room of profilers, it was obvious that you two would work perfectly together, and you did.

So when you started dating a couple months later, you had kept it a secret, just to test things out, not make it public before you were sure. But then the whole “Fisher King” incident happened, and then Elle disappeared, which meant Emily had just joined, causing there to be really no time to just drop another bombshell on a team.

You didn’t mind though. It meant that despite the teasing, you got reassurance that Spencer absolutely had a crush on you, regardless of relationship status. Morgan teasing him over glancing at you one to many times had definitely boosted your ego a bit, but a little confidence never hurt anyone.

You looked up at Hotch, really trying not to freak out, counting your inhales and exhales, timing them so your heart wouldn’t give out. “Hotch if they aren’t…”

“I know.”

“I’m not asking you to promise me that everything is okay and he’s going to be fine, because we honestly have no reason to believe anything is wrong in the first place, but I–I just need to know that whatever might go down, I’ll have your support because…”

He nodded and put a hand on your arm, giving it a squeeze. “I know. I’m going to give you another minute out here, but then we need to go.” He went back inside, letting you close your eyes, breathing in the air, letting the coolness still your chest.

It was hard to only have Hotch know at times like these, or at least confirm his suspicions. You had been alone for about thirty seconds when Derek came out to greet you, bringing you your vest.

“Stressed out there Girl Genius?”

You nodded and accepted the vest, sliding it on, remaining silent.

“Hey.” You looked up at Derek who held his arms out, and you gratefully accepted the invitation. “Everything’s going to be okay. Maybe he’ll finally admit that he loves you if something bad happens.”

His joke landed but not in the way Derek thought. You scoffed. Derek sighed and pulled away a bit. “He really does like you Y/N, you just have to be patient with him.” You almost felt bad for not telling Derek the scoff was because you already had told one another, quite recently actually.

“Maybe Derek. Maybe. But for now, I want to make sure they’re both okay, and I’d rather it be sooner than later.”

The police pulled up to the Tobias household, sirens wailing, lights flashing around. You jumped out the car, gun in your holster, following Derek and Emily.

The sheriff stopped Morgan and told him about the barn in the back, and the three of you moved to the back of the house. You took out your gun and slowly followed behind Morgan and Prentiss, watching the door of the barn swing back and forth slightly in the wind.

Derek clicked on the flashlight, and you two did the same, following behind him as he took the lead into the barm. You shined a light through the empty stalls, rocking back and forth between each side, looking for any sign of either Spencer or JJ.

Emily’s light landed on one of the dogs, dead—shot. You swung your light the opposite way, finding another dog. Just then Derek took a step back, having found the mattress in which the remains of that poor woman was, or at least all of her blood soaked through the entire fabric of the mattress. You immediately turned away, not being able to look at it. You had a very strong stomach, unusually strong since you worked with the FBI and had seen plenty of inhumane things no human should be capable of, but something about this particular scene was unbearable to look at.

“Damn.” Derek whispered before you all whipped around when you heard someone scream “F.BI.”.

JJ. Her hair was matted, eyes wide, chest heaving. She was shaking, eyes running between the people standing in front of her.

“JJ!” Derek yelled her name as everyone had swiveled around to her, all twisting your aim to JJ. .

“Don't. Move.”

“JJ it’s us–Morgan. Prentiss. Y/L/N. Don’t Shoot, it’s okay” He slowly moved towards her, trying to calm her down, get her to put down her weapon. “Don’t shoot. It’s okay. Are you hurt?”

She lowered her gun, eyes quickly moving from each of you, you could watch as her mind tried to calm down, letting the adrenaline dissipate. You approached her, getting close, trying not to startle her.

“It-Tobias Hankel is the unsub.” She let out, eyes still quickly scanning around her, almost searching for something.

“We know.” Emily exhaled, as she placed a hand gently on JJ’s arm. The sheriff leaned over and informed Derek that they were going to call an ambulance for JJ.

“W-W-We just thought he was a witness…” JJ holstered her gun before watching as Morgan looked around as the dead dogs surrounded all four of you.

“I had to kill them.” Her eyes had glossed over.

“JJ, where’s Reid?” Derek spoke, looking at her expectantly, but eyes filled with worry.

“They just completely tore her apart. There’s nothing even left–”

“JJ. Look at me.” You grabbed her hand, causing her to look up at you. “Look at me. Where’s Reid.”

“We–We split up, he told me he was going to go around back.” JJ started to panic again, realizing he wasn’t with you. You also started to tremble, pulling your hand away slightly, exiting the barn before you could hear another word, gun drawn.

You could hear as Morgan followed you, almost running to the back of the barn. You stopped once you turned the corner, slowly creeping forward, eyes scanning across the corn, but also listening in for potentially any sound coming from behind the barn. You saw some trampled stalks, and turned to look at Derek.

“He followed him into the field Derek.”

Derek saw your thought process, and the conclusion you reached as you reached it, which was a matter of seconds. As you went to dash into the field, following the very faint trail, Derek grabbed your arm and stood his ground, meaning you fought against him, and he struggled a bit, but ultimately won. “If you think for one second I am about to let you go into that field, you’re crazy.”

“Dere–”

“That’s clearly a sign that someone got dragged. He’s not in there.”

You huffed, biting your lip. You were trying so hard not to break in front of Derek, but every second you thought about what Tobias Hankel had been doing to people, meshed with every other second you thought about that happening to Reid, it was a miracle you could still even listen to Derek.

“Go inside with Hotch.”

You nodded slightly, holstering your gun, and running your hands down your face. “You’re not going to leave me alone until you watch me walk away from the cornfield.” You grumbled out, looking up at him.

“Yeah.” He sighed and pulled you into a quick hug. “Look. I don’t know what has actually occurred between you and Boy Genius, but you charging off into a field we know he probably isn’t in, won’t help us find him. I’m going to talk to Prentiss and JJ.”

You nodded and pulled away, running your hands through your hair, quickly walking towards the house as Derek moved towards the ambulance, not fully taking his eyes off of you. He was curious as to what the team didn’t know about you two, but pushed it aside since clearly pestering you about it wasn’t going to help any of you find Reid.

The next morning, You had not slept, and were only slightly avoiding JJ, basically walking laps around the outside of the house, trying to let your brain get some oxygen and calm down. Or, you would be standing around a table with the team, sitting in front of the computers, and your leg would bounce, you would tap your hands against your arm, anything to keep yourself from breaking down.

Obviously the team all picked up on it. It’s not even like they were microexpressions, you were just visibly anxious. All your brain could think about were flashes of Spencer, and whether or not he was still alive, completely unaware of his whereabouts since the lead from last night turned out to be a dead end. Hankel was smart, which made you nervous.

You were currently walking around the living room, wearing a circle into the rug, which was barely holding it together, reading Tobais’s diaries, trying to find anything. You heard JJ welcome in Garcia, and you paused to look up at Garcia with a brief smile on your face before continuing. Once they got her set up, Hotch tilted his head, requesting you come a bit closer so you all could talk.

“So, I’m guessing nothing new since I left.” He started.

“Not but,” Emily started. “The good thing is this guy documented everything second of his life. The bad news is we’re still unpiling.”

“From the looks of it, he hasn't left this place in years.” JJ sighed and stared down at all of the notebooks and papers strewn across the table.

“He knew he could pretend to be looking for a motel and throw us off his trail.” Emily looked up at Hotch, but Gideon interrupted.

“No no no, it’s more than that. Sheriff’s office, 911 calls. Every time he engages the police and gets away with it, he reassures himself. God’s on his side not ours.”

You just walked into the kitchen and lightly dropped the notebook you had been reading onto the table, brushing past Hotch. “I need some air.” You mumbled to him, shoving the rickety screen door open and quickly hustling down the steps.

You ran your hands through your hair, trying to breathe, trying to fight the urge to burst into tears and let yourself just lay on the ground. The only reason you hadn’t done so yet was because the urge to find Spencer was so much stronger.

After a moment, you heard the screen door open and someone come down the steps. “Emily I’m fi–”

“Y/N,”

You looked up and made eye contact with JJ. Her hair was flatter, less knots, but you could still see she had been shaken up. It didn’t matter. You were trying, desperately trying to not blame JJ for Reid’s disappearance, and you knew she was struggling with it too, but the fact that they weren’t together meant that he got dragged off somewhere, technically on her watch.

“JJ now’s no–”

“Please let me—”

“JJ.” You cut her off, arms crossed over your chest. You were only truly able to make eye contact with her for a couple seconds before you had to avert your eyes upwards. “Seriously. I’m fine. Go back inside.”

Your voice was curt, and running along the line of unkindness, but you were restraining yourself, trying to give your coworker, your friend, someone who had become your family, an out in this moment, but she just wouldn’t take it.

“You won't even look at me!” That got your attention back to her. “You haven’t spoken to me since the barn, and you’re avoiding me. I-I know what we did wasn’t…”

You huffed, now only staring at her, challenging her. “I’m listening now, JJ. That’s what you wanted right.”

She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I know you blame me. I blame myself. But I can’t stand you being so distant and I–”

“Look. JJ.” You cut her off again. “I am doing everything in my power not to scream at the top of my lungs how stupid it was, for the both of you to split up.” Your voice was low, and steady—it was unnerving to hear since you had always spoken with such character, such lightness. “But right now, I can’t yell at Spencer. And I really do not want to yell at you. I think it is one of the stupidest decisions either of you could have made. But blaming you for a decision you both made, doesn’t help us find him any sooner. So please. Just leave me alone right now.”

You brushed past her, not making any actual contact with her, since the next person who touched you might actually be the reason you start sobbing. JJ was absolutely shocked, frozen in the yard, trying not to cry herself. You didn’t want JJ to cry, you really didn’t, but she was pushing on something that is usually completely surrounded by walls and locks and gates.

You blinked away your tears and walked back into the house, towards the kitchen. Hotch and EMily looked up at you, both noticing JJ wasn’t next to you, and your face somehow managed to seem more frustrated and anxious than before.

Spencer had bought you a necklace for your one year anniversary. It was a very simple chain, with a small pendant on the front. Inside it was a pressed flower, a small, pressed, red salvia in the center of the clear pendant. You loved flowers, it was very obvious from the way that you always had a small vase of a few fresh flowers in the corner of your desk, or you had a signature pair of floral converse you always wore when you went out. It took Spencer all of three seconds to figure out that you loved flowers, and all of one question later to find out if you knew, and liked, Victorian Flower language; of course you did. When you two had started secretly seeing one another, you had been updating the flowers weekly. It was a part of your regular schedule, so no one questioned it. But suddenly you were becoming deliberate in your mini bouquets, hints of longing (pink camellias), with pops of devotion (heliotrope), or secret adoration (gardenias) sprinkled with I think of you (blue salvia), eventually turning to bouquets of ever-lasting love (baby’s breath) and sunshine in his smile (yellow tulips). Every time you would update the weekly bouquet, the team would comment on how the new bouquet looked so beautiful, the colors brightening up the place. But when Spencer walked through the door, you loved watching his eyes immediately dart for the flowers, decoding the message for only him. The red salvia on your chest was proudly proclaiming forever mine, for Spencer, and no one was the wiser.

When you wore it happily the day after your anniversary, exchanging the previous bouquet for a new one filled with yellow lilies, Spencer cou;d’ve known right then and there that you were over the moon, if you hadn’t already told him, and shown him, the night before. When Derek watched you fiddle with the necklace all day, he had made a joke that clearly you have someone in your life and “Pretty Boy needs to step up his game”, he had misread your slight smirk as a tease on Spencer, and not on himself. It was not a month later that you were fiddling with it in Tobias Hankel’s kitchen, your biggest tell of all, that you were nervous about something. But to most of the profilers in the room, you were nervous and fiddling with your necklace, to Hotch, it was a clear sign that he needed to keep you at a slight distance to make sure your head stays clear. If any of them had been thinking clearly, they might have made the connection from the necklace to Reid, but no one really was.

JJ followed a minute later, and quietly went back to her seat. It was clear she had been crying, or trying not to, but so were you, so it honestly didn’t make you feel as bad as it probably should have.

“Hey guys.” Emily’s voice cut through your thoughts. “I have got a list of Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Someone’s name and number is written on it, but it looks to be about twelve years old.”

“Try it. There are no bad leads.” Gideon answered.

You sighed, but watched curiously as Gideon stared at the wallpaper. He peeled off a section of it, revealing what seemed to be the same phrase over and over and over again.

“Honora Partum Tuum.” He read aloud.

“Honor thy father.” You finally spoke up. For much of the team, it was the first time they had heard your voice in hours.

Gideon looked over at you, realizing in his eyes, nodding.

“Hey guys. I think I got something.” You heard Derek yell, which meant all of you rushed out of the house, running over towards Derek. He had his gun out, pushing hay off of doors to what seemed like a storm cellar.

Derek pulled open one of the doors, shining his light into the darkness. “Tobias Hankel, F.B.I!” Hotch gave him the go ahead to slowly move down the stairs, then allowing Emily to follow. Hotch then gave you a small look, giving you the impression that you would not be allowed down into that cellar until it was cleared. You stood back slightly, not having the energy to have a bout in front of the others, still holding your gun, and scanning the surrounding area, keeping an eye particularly on the barn and the fields behind it.

You heard Derek yell out “Tobias Hankel” a couple of times, making your pulse beat faster–maybe they had found him, maybe he was okay. There was no other sound than Derek though. Maybe he was dead. Maybe someone else had spencer. Maybe—Derek came out of the storm cellar, covering his mouth.

You looked at him expectantly and shook his head. “Tobias’s father…on ice.”

You exhaled, a wave of emotions crashing through your veins that only left you more stressed than before.

Hotch came out of the cellar next, and motioned for you to follow him. You knew this conversation was coming, and the fact that it hadn't happened already surprised you.

Once the two of you were out of earshot, Hotch looked at you, not as a friend, not as someone who helped you through some dark moments in your life, but as your boss. “Can you continue, or do you need to sit the rest of this case out.”

His tone wasn’t harsh, quite the opposite. He watched as someone he cared for was slowly crumbling, closing off her walls to the outside, meaning you were more in your own head, than truly present.

You nodded, sighing. “If I’m not here, then I might go out there on my own. I’m not telling you that you’re babysitting me.” Hotch tried to cut you off, but you barrelled through. “But I need to be here, because if a breakthrough happens, if any of us find a location, I need to be in that car Hotch. If we find Hankel, I have a full understanding that however I react is the fate of my job. I am well aware of that. And I love this team with basically everything I have, so I need you to trust me, the way I am trusting all of you to find him.”

Hotch watched you for a moment before nodding. His features softened and he placed his hand on your arm again. It was the most contact Hotch ever really gave, but it meant so much. “Are you okay?”

You shook your head, managing to keep it together. “No. I’d be more concerned if I was.” You tried to crack a joke, causing both of you to smile before he nodded at you. “I’ll see you in there.”

He left you standing by yourself, giving you a moment to collect yourself, before you followed him back into the house, back into the kitchen, back into the journals.

Spencer being gone for so long meant you had a laundry list of things you missed about him. You missed the way he would ramble on about anything in the world that he knew about. You missed his sweater vests, how they never seemed to match his outfit, but somehow always pulled the look together. You missed his dorky smile at you from across his desk. You missed the notes he would leave you in your apartment when he would get up to get to work, knowing you always had arrived before him at work since you lived closer. You missed the feeling of his hands in yours. The feeling of the hand on your back, on your shoulder.

But right now, you missed how fast that son of a bitch could read. Oh my god. If you had to read through one more of Tobias’ notebooks, you might lose your mind. You placed it facedown on the table and placed your head in your hands, giving your eyes a well deserved break.

After a moment, Derek spoke up. “There’s something weird going on here.” He was slowly pacing around the table.

“You think?” quipped the sheriff from across the room, and you snorted slightly in agreement and amusement.

“No seriously, check this out.” Derek looked up at everyone in the kitchen. “This journal is full of religious ramblings. He notates hour by hour. November 15th, 3:17 – if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offering unto the lord, ye shall offer it of your own will. And it goes on and on. 5:04, 7:41, 10:22, 1:42, but then it goes blank for days.”

You removed your face from your hands, looking over at Derek.

“Maybe he got sick of writing.” The sheriff offered up.

“I think I got it.”

“What is it?” Gideon prodded Hotch, all of you watching him.

“Journal entry, December 6th, Father sick. Wants me to put him down. I say thou shalt not kill, he says honor thy father. Must pray for guidance.” Hotch looked over at Gideon.

“So he kills his father as an act of mercy?”

“This is two months ago. Tobias Hankel’s father had been dead for four months already.” Hotch raised his eyebrows, Gideon and Derek starting to realize what he was getting at.

“That’s exactly it.” Derek moved one of the chairs away from the table. “Look at the floor. These scuff marks are fresh. I mean, it’s like two people were moving the chairs constantly trying to fight for control.”

“So?”

“This journal matches Charles Hankel’s handwriting, but it was written after he died. Upstairs, Tobias’ bedroom—it’s got junk piled from floor to ceiling but the other bedroom could pass a military inspection.” Derek was explaining to the Sheriff, who honestly was starting to get on your nerves with some of these questions.

“So you’re telling me one of Tobias’ personalities was his father?”

“Well, Tobias was raised with a strict religious code. Black and white, right and wrong.” Gideon interrupted. “When his father asked Tobias to kill him, something had to give.”

“His brain couldn’t handle the moral contradiction so it split into two personalities in order to keep his father alive.” Hotch looked over at Derek, a conversation between the two of them happening silently and quickly.

“So who is Raphael?”

“My guess, he’s the mediator between the two.” You spoke up, watching hotch and derek before looking back at the sheriff.

“Angels have no human emotions.” Gideon continued your thoughts. “Live or die, they don’t care. As long as it’s God’s will.”

“We need to start profiling Tobias’ father. He may be the one who chose where to take Reid.” Hotch quickly looked at you before looking at Derek.

Derek nodded and started to head out of the room. “I’ll get Garcia on it”.

“Any luck with the rehab contact?” You looked up as Emily and JJ walked in, hoping they would have some answer for you.

Emily sighed. “Well he has no idea where Hankel might be, but we did learn that he has a serious drug problem. Dilaudid.”

“Well that could explain the psychotic fracture.” Hotch nodded over at Gideon.

“What are you talking about?”

Gideon, who had been staring at the photos all along the mirror that they had taped up, looked over at JJ. “Tobias is living as at least three different people; himself, Raphael, and his father.”

“Well this could be some bad news.”

Honestly, to you, it felt like all the sheriff did was bring more and more bad news.

“A computer store was robbed in the middle of the night. A suburb outside of Atlanta Thief got away with four laptops, external hard drives, and a satellite.”

“If it’s Tobias that puts him right back in business.” Hotch cast a quick glance over at you, watching as you tensed up, knowing the images you were desperately trying to keep out of your head. In response, you stood up and left the room, heading over to Derek and Penelope in the next room.

Penelope was sitting at the desk, typing and typing away. Derek looked up as you entered, giving you a small smile. You shook your head. “They think Tobias stole—” Just as you started, your mouth stopped. The screens in front of Penelope had changed, going blank with one cursor in the corner.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Penelope’s eyes were wide.

Spencer filled up every single screen, except for Penelope's laptop, and the one screen she was directly connected to.

“Oh my god.” You yelled, one hand flying to cover up your mouth, the other immediately grabbing your necklace, eyes flitting from screen to screen. This wasn’t real, it wasn’t happening–it couldn’t be happening.

Spencer was tied to a chair, his clothes disheveled, his hair a mess, he was missing both shoes and one sock. The left side of his head was soaked with blood, hair wet with it.

This was your worst nightmare, and yet you could not look away. You watched as his chest rose and fell, giving you at least the calm that he was alive. But tears still pricked the corners of your eyes, breathing was becoming harder and harder, but you couldn’t shut down. Your body wouldn’t let you.

Your yell had the others almost run into the room you were in, all of them barreling into the room, filling it up with bodies. Once they all looked at you, each one slowly realized what you were staring at.

“He’s been beaten.” Emily so astutely pointed out.

“Can’t you track him.” JJ was also struggling to breathe, guilt consuming her entire body.

“Hankel’s only streaming this to his home computer.” Garcia said solemnly, still doing her best to find something, anything.

Hotch turned to look at your face. At this point, most of the blood had left your face, leaving you pale, and nauseous. He tried to calmly gestured for you to leave, giving you an out, but you stared straight ahead, somehow becoming more pale, more sick, when Gideon pointed it out for you all.

“This is for us. He knows we’re here.”

Derek huffed and turned away for a second, trying not to bash the wall in. “I’m gonna put this guy’s head on a stick.”

“Why can’t you locate him?” You could kiss Hotch for staying so level headed in this moment. Your eyes quickly tore away from the screens, looking at Garcia.

“He’s rerouting to a different I.P. address every thirty seconds. I can’t track him.”

Can you really see inside men’s minds?

All of you quickly found a screen to watch as you heard the voice take over.

See these vermin? Choose one to die.

All you could do was stare at his face–his eyes. You had never seen Spencer so vulnerable, so tired, barely fighting at all. You watched as his eyes scanned across something to his right. All of you held your breath, waiting for Spencer to say something, anything.

You choose one to live.

“Oh my god.” You mumbled again as Spencer shook his head slightly, defying Tobias, or whoever’s wishes.

I thought you wanted to be some kind of savior.

“You’re a sadist in a psychotic break. You won’t stop killing. Your words aren’t true.”

The other heathens are watching. Choose a sinner to die, and I’ll say the name and address of the person to be saved.

“I won't choose who gets slaughtered and have you leave their remains behind like a poacher.” Spencer was staring into his eyes, challenging him. But Tobias, or Charles, picked him up by the collar, both hands, and brought his face really close to Spencer's.

Can you really see inside my mind boy. Can you see I'm not a liar. He chucked Spencer back into the chair, causing Spencer to flinch from another bruise you probably couldn't see. Choose one to die, and save a life. Otherwise they’re all dead.

“All right. I’ll choose who lives.” You inhaled sharply, Derek tensing up next to you.

They’re all the same.

You all waited, in silence, as Spencer scanned what you assumed were the laptops that had been stolen. His eyes flickered to the camcorder, shame in voice, looking back at Tobias or Charles. “Far right screen.”

Marilyn David, 4913 Walnut Creek Road

“You got that?”

“Marilyn David. My name is Jason Gideon with the F.B.I. I need you to close your laptop screen right now. Someone has been connecting into your laptop’s camera and watching you. For your safety, you need to close it.

“Raphael.”

The computer screens went black.

“Garcia, get him back.”

Derek turned away, slamming the door against the wall as he stalked out of the room, beyond pissed.

“Garcia, get him back.” You repeated, absolute horror dawning on all of your faces. Your eyes were frantically running over every screen every ten seconds, hoping that maybe one of them would still hold the image of Spencer.

“I’m t-trying.” She whispered, furiously typing away, trying to hack into something, or find Hankel, anything really.

“So now what. Wait for a 911 call?” The sheriff's voice rang out in your ear, and it grated against you. “And hope we get there in time.”

Once you had gotten the 911 call, you, JJ, Emily, and Derek were told to stay at the house with Garcia. You heard Derek and JJ in one of the other rooms, but you were just standing next to Garcia’s chair, not moving an inch. All you could do was stare at the screens, eyes flitting from face to face on unexpecting potential victims.

JJ walked in, looking more like she had in the barn–disheveled, guilty. “Any more signs of Reid.”

Both you and Garcia shook your heads.

“He just posted the last murder online.” Garcia’s voice was grave, eyes dark. “It had over 17,000 hits in the first twenty minutes.”

“I want to see it.”

“No you don’t.” You answered JJ, not turning to look at her.

“Don’t tell me what I want and don’t want.”

You tore your eyes away from the screens and over at JJ.

“If I can’t watch this…I have no business being in the field.”

“J-ge, it’s not a competition.” Garcia whispered.

“I-I need to see it.”

You shook your head and walked out of the room, not being able to watch it again. You walked into the kitchen where Derek and Emily were, discussing something. Derek’s eyes quickly flicked over to you, surprised slightly by the fact that you had left the screens.

“We can trace their whole family history. Here we got happy smiling pictures of Tobias. Report cards all A’s and B’s. But at eight years old, we got nothing.”

“That’s his mother leaving.” Emily shot you a quick, yet sympathetic smile, before looking back at the mirror. “Six months later, on the other side of the board, we have a form from child services saying they paid a visit.”

“Then Charles starts keeping journals about punishing sinners and needing to remove the devil from his son.” Derek continued.

“Which corresponds to Tobias’ drug use. He’s trying to escape.” You watched as Emily and Derek worked through the profile again.

“So wherever Reid is, It was Tobias’ choice, not his fathers.” Derek sighed and scanned over the pictures, trying to find maybe a common location amongst them.

“How’d you figure?”

“Look at these two lives. They’re like inverse graphs. One’s getting weaker while the other ones getting angrier. Tobias would run away while his father would have stood and fought.” Derek looked back at Emily.

She nodded. “Okay so Tobias uses drugs as an escape. I’ll go back through the journals and see if I can find anything connecting his drug use to a hiding place

“Uh where’s Gideon.” You finally spoke up.

“He’s upstairs. Why? What’s going on?”

“Hankel just posted the latest murder.” JJ walked out of the room that you had just been in.

You watched as she quickly called out to Gideon that the newest murder had been uploaded, and as he quickly made his way into the adjoining room. You heard him panicking, trying to come up with a solution to get people to stop watching the videos.

You were fiddling with your necklace, mind lost on the day before all of this started. It had been sunny in DC. Something you didn’t get all the time, especially when you were only there half of the year. You had gone over to Spencer's apartment, picking up your favorite take out on the way over. He had been teaching you how to play chess. You already knew the basics of chess, which pieces moved where, and how to analyze a board on a move to move basis, but Spencer started to teach you strategies. He would explain every single move he was making, and how he was able to predict a check in three. It was adorable. In return, for every game you would learn together, Spencer would watch a movie with you. He would watch movies if you had asked him in the first place, but this time, you gave him what he thought was the most enthralling commentary the entire time. You would put on your favorite movies and ramble on and on about a certain actor getting sick during this shot, or the fact that the two romantic leads hated one another, or even someone breaking their toe during one scene—he adored listening to you ramble, in the same way you loved listening to him. That night was movie night. You had picked cult-classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” you were absolutely enthralled to explain to Spencer the interactive portions of the movies, the screaming at the screen, the details of the pink triangle on Dr. Franknfurter’s smock, the repetition of certain musical themes. You two hands ended up tangled on the couch, giggling about something, drunk on each other’s company—it was perfect.

But the sound of Spencer’s sob ripped through your thoughts. It took you three strides to be back with Garcia and Gideon, watching as Tobias slammed his fist across Spencer’s face. Your hands moved to your mouth as your eyes watered.

You heard as he begged Tobias to help him, bruises flowering across his face, a cut across his lip breaking the once smooth skin.

He can’t help you. He’s weak. Confess. Confess your sins.

You watched as Spencer’s chair was chucked to the ground, while he was still tied to it. Every single atom of air had left your lungs. You could feel the pit of your stomach drop, unable to move, unable to blink. Tears welled up in your eyes as the love of your life was being beaten to death, and you couldn't do anything about it.

Several studies have shown that plants can feel pain. Whether or not they are completely and one hundred percent credible is something you and Spencer have jokingly argued about multiple times. You liked to think that they didn’t considering you managed to bring in a fresh crop of newly cut flowers each week. But these scientists claim that plants can feel pain. They can feel the pain of being cut from the vine or stem, and they can feel themselves dying as you watch them wilt in the vase. You and JJ were quite similar in feeling like you had to prove something to yourself, that if you couldn’t handle what was happening, maybe you shouldn’t be in the field, shouldn’t be in the BAU.

Watching Spencer have a seizure on the ground, unable to run to him, unable to save him, unable to do anything but just watch in horror, made you feel every single ounce of pain you could have ever imagined. When his body stilled, and Tobias exited whatever building they were in, you were still standing there, completely and utterly in shock. Hotch took your arm and wordlessly tugged on your arm, but you couldn’t move. Your feet were cemented to the floor. Even if you wanted to run the other way, you couldn’t. Hotch tried again, but you just stared at the screen, constantly flipping the necklace over and over and over and over again. If you moved, you might start sobbing, you might collapse, you might have just died on the spot.

Spencer's lips were still. His lips would ramble when he had something he found quite interesting to speak about, they would fidget when he got nervous, they would form quirky expressions when he had a moment of realization. But not once have they ever been this still. And it was dissolving your heart. Moment by moment another small section would boil down to dust, not even letting you have the chance to have your heart ripped out, because that would mean your heart would still be together, still be beating, just not with you anymore. Your heart was dying because Spencer was dead.

The first stage of grief is denial. All you could do was hope, pray, anything that this was some sick and twisted joke, that Spencer was okay. That Spencer was alive. That you weren’t staring at Spencer’s body on the screen, not knowing where he was, and if you would ever find him, or his body.

Lucky for every single person in that room, and lucky for Tobias Hankel, you watched as he burst back through the door, dropped down to his knees, and tried to resuscitate Spencer. Your eyes widened as you watched every single chest compression, every single moment of mouth to mouth. After the longest thirty seconds of your life, Spencer convulsed, air filling his lungs, coughing.

“Oh my god.” You almost threw up into the hands that were covering your mouth because you were so grateful for the fact that Spencer was breathing, that his dead body was somewhere you might never have found it.

“Wait. Wait a second.” Emily leaned over to Garcia. “When was the video of the last murder poster?”

“9:23.”

“And what was the time of death?”

“The 911 call came in at 9:04, and the murders must have been moments later.”

“That's only a 19 minute difference.” You spoke up, figuring out what Emily was getting at.

“How long would it take to post the mpeg.” Derek chimed in.

“2, 3 minutes.” Garcia looked over at you all.

“Lets call it 2. You figure a maximum of sixty miles per hour in a residential area, that means Hankel has to be within a seventeen mile radius of the crime scene.” Derek reasoned, looking over at Hotch.

“Garcia, can we see it on a map?” Hotch leaned over Garcia.

“Call Farraday. I want that area locked down like it’s martial law.” Gideon turned to Derek, ready to give more instructions but you interrupted.

“Guys.”

You came back to life.

Spencer was looking up at Rapheal now. The complete shift in tone from Charles to Raphael to Tobias always made your hair stand on edge, but you could hear the anger that Raphael held.

There can only be one of two reasons.

“I was given CPR.” Even after he was just given his life back, he still managed to crack a joke.

There are no accidents. How many members are on your team?

“Seven”

You paused, ready to speak up, but Tobias beat you to it.

The seven angels who had the seven trumpets who prepared themselves to sound. The first sounding followed hail and fire, mixed with blood and they were thrown to the earth.

“He thinks it’s revelations. The seven archangels versus the seven angels of death.” Hotch explained.

“Hotch there are eight of us on this team.” You spoke, this time garnering the attention of everyone in the room. “He’s lying to Hankel, that's considered a sin right? If Hankel finds out—”

You were interrupted by the sound of a chair hitting the ground. Hankel had yanked Spencer’s chair upright, watching as he was jostled around.

Tell me who you serve.

“I serve you”

Then choose one to die

“What”

Your team members choose one to die.

“Kill me”

You inhaled sharply causing one of Derek's hands to find the small of your back. You had already watched him die once, but you can’t give CPR to a bullet through the brain.

You said you weren't one of them

“I lied”

Your team has six other members. Tell me who dies.

“No”

All of you watch as Tobias pulls one bullet out of his pocket, and clicks open the revolver. He placed it in, and spun the barrel, letting it close with a click. Spencer playing Russian roulette was not on your bucket list of things to do this year. Maybe force him to go kayaking with you, let him teach you some other game like Go, maybe even take a few days off for a real vacation and work each other up so desperately. But you could guarantee, this was not on that list.

Each time Spencer refused, and you heard the empty barrel fire, your heart gave out, again.

Choose, and prove you’ll do god's will.

“No.”

Click.

And again.

Choose.

“I won’t do it”.

Click.

And again.

Life is a choice.

“No.”

Click.

And again.

Choose.

Spencer’s pause made everyone hold their breaths. He had a 33.33% chance of getting shot, and luck had to run out, it always did.

“I-I choose…” You all waited, no one truly knowing what he could possibly be thinking. “Y/N Y/L/N.” Derek's hand on your back tensed up, all eyes looked at you, and all you could do was stare at Spencer on the screen. He wouldn’t just hand out your death sentence like that, he wouldn’t do that to you. Right? Right?

“Adulterer, cheating on my for months now. Puts their own needs above others and their feelings.” Your brows furrowed, hand immediately at the necklace you were wearing around your neck. This accusation confused the absolute shit out of you, since you had revealed to Spencer your history with a previous partner who had chea–oh. He was speaking to you.

“Oh my god.” You whispered.

“I would come home to bouquets of crimson roses and rosemary, or there would be begonias and clematis. I've only ever bought red salvias with baby’s breath—their favorite.” Spencer chuckled, putting on an act for Tobias.

“Pen! I need a pen.” You yelled, everyone now concerned you had lost your mind, but Garcia had quickly handed you hers as you tried to write down the flowers Spencer had listed off. Once you had all of them written down, you quickly ran out of the room.

“Genesis 23:4, For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword.”

You only paused for a moment when you heard a gunshot, but you kept going, hoping and praying that you were right. You had found one of the empty pages of Tobais’ journals and wrote down the flowers:

crimson roses - mourning rosemary - remembrance clematis - poverty begonias - beware, watch out

You looked at the list of the flowers, over and over. “Mourning…” You mumbled, when it hit you. Quickly, you grabbed the bible on the table, flipping to find Genesis 23:4.

Morgan walked into the room, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Look I don't know about this potential relationship that you and Spenc-"

“I’m not a cheater.” You cast him a quick look, still flipping to find the page.

Derek started. “He’s not in his right mind Y/n.”

Gideon quickly followed. “Come on, look you can’t think anything of that..”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. Well, yes, it is, but that’s not–”

Hotch cut you off. “He’s panickin—”

“Everyone. Stop.” They all obliged, watching as you picked up the notebook you had been writing in. “What is my worst quality?”

They all just stared at you.

“Okay I’ll start, I can be a total bitch.”

“You miss a concerning amount of briefings.”

“You can get overly emotional sometimes.”

“You’re extremely stubborn.”

“You don’t trust anyone easily.”

“Okay good, I’m all these things, but none of you said that I would ever put my needs over anyone. Especially over other’s feelings. Reid and I had a conversation about two weeks ago about my ex who would repeatedly cheat on me, among other things.” You took a little breath before continuing. “And he knew I would obviously remember a conversation like that. He also knows I love Victorian Flower Language, it’s one of my favorite interests. Some of the flowers he listed off, correspond to flowers you send in mourning, when someone has died, not the flowers you send someone to admit their love or hide it.”

You handed the bible to JJ. “And he also quoted Genesis Chapter 23, verse 4, Read it.”

JJ read out: “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me property, forbear a place among you, that I might bury my dead out of sight.”

“Spencer would never get it wrong unless it was on purpose. He’s in a cemetery.”

“I don’t see a cemetery” Garcia had pulled up the 17-mile radius again, looking between you and Hotch.

“Call up the first time we saw Reid.” Gideon was rubbing his hands together, trying to remember something.

“I won't choose who gets slaughtered, and have you leave their remains behind like a poacher.”

Spencer had looked right at the camera, fucking brilliant man. He had been trying to contact you all since the first time he was on camera.

“Check to see if there are any reports of poaching in the last couple of days.” Hotch nodded at Gideon while Garcia speedily typed out her parameters, getting a response almost instantly.

“Okay uh, a farmer reported two sheep being slaughtered on his property.”

“Where are we talking?” Derek was behind you, watching as Garcia zoomed into a five mile radius around the farmer’s land.

“It would be someone that was old, dilapidated, run down. Clematis is a sign of poverty.”

JJ pointed to a small section on the screen. “What’s that patch of green there”

“Marshall parish, I think it's an old plantation.”

“Wait.” Emily quickly flipped through a journal, trying to find what she had remembered. “Tobias wrote in his journals about staying clean and keeping away from Marshall.”

“Guys. There's a cemetery on the grounds.”

“Alright.” Hotch nodded at all of you. “Let's go.”

As you all headed out, Hotch stopped you, pulling you past the kitchen and into the living room. Derek shot you a sympathetic smile as he and the rest of the team exited the building. The living room would be far enough away from Penelope's prying ears, but it’s not like it mattered anymore—it was pretty obvious you and Spencer were sleeping together, if not dating.

“You’re not going.”

You scoffed at Hotch, expecting nothing less, but still willing to fight him about it.

“I’m serious Y/N. I need everyone out there to be as level headed as possible, and you and I both know that the second Spencer put his life on the line, second time round, you were about to raise hell and earth to get to him. If you can promise me, right here, right now, that your head is completely clear, then I will let you go with us, no questions asked.”

You pinched your eyes, letting out a hefty sigh. “Hotch I cannot be here in case he needs me.”

“If he gets hurt, you will not be able to function as an agent, and that is a risk I am not willing to take.”

Hotch is right. He almost always is.

The porch door swung open with the loudest screech yet, Derek appearing in his bullet proof vest, holding Hotch’s in his hand. “We’re heading out.”

Hotch nodded at you, a brief hand on your arm, before walking to the door.

“Hotch?”

He looked over at you.

“The last flower? Begonias?” He nodded at you, not sure where you were going with this.

“If you were sent begonias…it was a subtle warning that you were in danger. Please, be careful.”

“We will.”

And with that, the door slammed shut, and suddenly you were stuck in a ranch house, wondering whether or not Spencer was okay, and whether or not your team would even make it on time. You clutched at the necklace, twirling the pendant, watching as the headlights faded into the darkness, with the very real possibility, someone might not come back.

Next Part

#spencer reid #x reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid angst #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid oneshot #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x reader angst #spencer reid x reader fluff #spencer reid x gn!reader

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oneshotnewbie · 1 year

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I have no idea if I’ve already requested this. So sorry if I have. But could you do Veronica Hastings with a younger shy reader who is friends with the girls (after high school, obviously not a minor) and the girls find out about their relationship and get upset, so Veronica comforts the crying reader and then confronts the girls ( nobody hurts her babygirl) and it all works out??? I love Veronica and no one writes for her. I feel like she’d call the reader ‘honey’ and ‘baby’, and just be overall protective. I love all your stories❤️

A/n: I got carried away, sorry it's so long. As indicated in the request, the reader is older and about the age of Spencer today (28) so.. not a minor! Spencer lives in her own apartment and not anywhere near the Hastings house. Also Alison is not in the story. I hope it´s okay! :)

---

It was a grey, stormy and rainy day that A had chosen to clear the air with your best friends and drop the biggest bombshell of your life. The rain hit the window panes hard and transformed your otherwise calm demeanor into endless nervousness.

The air filled with silence, irrepressible stillness. A light breeze from the tilted window in Spencer's kitchen blew around you, giving the situation a superbly cold environment and brushing your long grown hair onto your shoulder. Your heart was pounding in your throat, your agitation evident in the trembling of your hands.

"Spencer, say something. Please." you spoke softly into the silence that was so unusual for the five of you. Eight pairs of eyes were immediately focused on you and your fear grew as their pupils dilated in shock. They stared at you wordlessly with their mouths wide open. You had no idea what was going on inside Spencer, quite not understanding the meaning and the truth behind the message that had reached you all recently.

"Is that true?", despite the unplanned incident that had ruined your evening, the one addressed was sitting on one of the bar stools acting calm and trying to understand it all. She raised an eyebrow in a way that sent a chill down your spine. "Why?"

"She´s your best friends mom, Y/n! How could you do that to her?"

You nervously wiped your sweaty hands on your tight jeans, hoping she didn´t notice how you were shaking, not knowing what to say.

What would she think when you would confess to her that you couldn´t think straight when Veronica was around. When your heart was beating as fast as it is now and you were afraid it would jump out of your chest when she stood next to you. When your skin started to tingle whenever her fingers touched a single spot on your body.

Her eyes were beautiful and had this warm shade of brown, a brown like you´ve never seen on anyone. They always reminded you of light chocolate or a warm autumn day. And every time you lost yourself in them when they stared at you with love and care.

"Mrs. Hastings is so much older than you, couldn´t you get someone your age?" asked Hanna and you couldn´t help but roll your eyes. You quickly rotated in your chair and looked at her seriously. "Oh, but Aria can start something with her teacher?"

"This is something completely different, Y/n! Don´t drag Ezra and me into this."

Inside, your encouraged yourself to let your opinion about everything they do and have done out but involuntarily held your breath. Then, you clared your throat and started to stutter, but this was immediately stopped by the raspy voice of the housekeeper. "We´re friends, we trust each other! We´ve been through so much and you´re hiding this from me, from us? How long?"

You tried not to show your insecurity but sighed in agony. Words just wouldn´t leave your lips and you would like to run away at this point.

"You know what? Forget it. I want you out of here. Get out of my house!" Spencer yelled and you jumped so hard that the coffee in your hand spilled over the rim of the cup and spilled onto the marble counter.

The pitch and tone, the way she pronounced every single term, gave each simple word it´s own special touch, a frightening one that made you shudder and jump out of your seat. Packing your bag and a few small things together, you squeezed past Aria and Hanna and disappeared out of the street.

Spencer shakes her head, letting go of her defensive position at the kitchen counter as she pushes herself off and surveyed the three ladies next to her. Hastily, she stroked her wrinkled forehead in disbelief. "I urgently need a drink now, otherwise I will go crazy. You too?"

All three nodded in unison and spread out to carry out glasses and the delivery cards for the food order.

---

It was well past midnight when you barged into the Hastings house and Veronica was sitting in the living room, paperwork in hand as she concentrated on revising a file. You didn´t know where to go at this late hour, you didn´t want to go back to your empty apartment alone, where you had to worry about whether your best friends still wanted to have anything to do with you after all this.

Frightened by the loud slamming of the door into the lock, her gaze turned up to you and looked into your eyes intently while she gave you a loving smile. "Hey, what are you doing here so late? I thought you wanted to spend the night with your girls?"

You didn´t answer and stood there still, the rain that had soaked into your scarf and your coat only dripping lightly on the expensive parquet floor. You ran your cold and shaky fingers through your soaked hair and brushed back some strands that had been blocking her view of your face.

Only when she took a closer look and the light of the dull lamp in the living room illuminated you, she clearly saw that instead of the usual water falling from the sky, real tears escaped your eyes and were running down your cheeks.

Immediately, the printed papers fell onto the table and she pushed herself up from her seat with her hands firmly placed on her thighs. With quick steps, she skirted the corner of the sofa and walked towards you with outstretched arms. You literally fell into her arms, sobbing into her embrace as she hugged you tightly and drew her fingers in soothing circles over your hair. "What´s going on my love?"

"The girls, they figured it out. They know about us." sobbing, you pressed against her and she pulled you even closer before the older one pulled away shortly after and wrapped her fingers softly around one of your wrists. "Come here."

Urgently, Veronica sat down in her previous seat and slapped her thigh with her free hand as a sign for you to sit on her lap. You followed her silent request and took a seat. Resting your head on her shoulder, you hid your face in the crook of her neck and wrapped your arms around her middle.

"From the looks of you, things didn´t go as well, huh?" gentle palms of hands slid from your hips to your shoulder blades, touching them tenderly and very lightly. Goosebumps began to spread over your body rapidly as her touch triggered a pleasant shiver and your stomach started to tingle.

The silence she got back in reply worried her and she pressed her lips together thoughtfully. She pulled away from you for a brief moment and sighed as she whispered your name into your ear. "Y/n." she whispers softly, her lips brushing over your cheek, lovingly.

But your gaze remained downcast and your posture showed no attempt that your eyes would soon swivel up to her. She set about catching your gaze herself and so her index finger pressed under your chin, slowly and carefully guiding your head towards hers. "Look at me honey."

"Spencer kicked me out of her apartment." you started to speak; your voice thick from the tears you tried to swallow. Your heart was racing when your glassy eyes met her maple brown ones and as if by reflex, one of her hands jumped into your hair and pushed you forth against her chest. "Her look was so cold and there was this pure disappointment in her eyes. And the other girls didn´t even say anything about it, they didn´t even defend me or anything. They just stood there and were appalled by me. Even Aria who was dating her damn teacher!"

Veronica had to swallow and couldn´t believe what she was hearing. Quarrels between you were normal, she had noticed them often enough and sometimes even had to separate you personally before you would have strucked each other´s head.

But Spencer had never kicked you out, no matter how bad the argument was. The lawyer was speechless and sighed in disbelief at the behavior of her own daughter. You were inseparable; have known each other for far longer than anyone else and yet she had managed to treat you like that and not stand by your side.

"Listen, I will get Spencer and the others over here first thing in the morning and sort this out. No one has the right to treat my girl like that, not even my own daughter." she hissed under her breath and leaned towards the table to grab her phone. With a quick tap of her newly manicured fingernails on the screen, she rushed a quick message into the text block and tossed it back to her side as soon as she finished.

"Everything will be okay, honey. I will explain everything to the girls tomorrow and everything will be back to normal. You know how Spencer is, she can never stay mad at you for long. You are everything to her."

You looked up at her again and you could see the truth in her eyes. They were like a mirror to her soul and you could see right away what she was thinking or if she was lying. But this time it was different, she meant her sentence and you had to believe her.

She was the last hope of reuniting with your best friends.

"Why are you looking at me like that, my love?" the brunette required; a slight smile playing around her seductive, curved lips. Her sunny smile gave you the warmth and security in that moment. It saved you from the swamp of despair and gave you confidence that things will be better between you and your friend again. "I love you."

"I love you too," her lips started touching your cheeks slightly before making their way to your temples, back to your nose and finally to your lips again. "But now we have to dry and warm you up my love. You are freezing cold."

---

"You took it too far!" you heard a harsh voice screaming from the living room and woke up from your sleep. Opening your eyes just a crack, you felt across the bed for your woman´s warm body, whose arms were usually wrapped around you at all times. But this time the place was cold, the covers thrown energetic onto the side of the bed frame, laying half over the edge and on the floor. "You´re overreacting!"

"We´re overreacting? Mom, you shagged my best friend."

With your elbows supporting you, you pulled yourself up and ruffled your tousled hair. For a moment, you thought about dropping back down and just throwing the covers over your head, but this argument was about you and you knew it would be worse if you didn´t show up downstairs.

"Spencer." Veronica looked blankly at her daughter, her eyes clear and fixed on her younger self as a serious and balanced expression formed on her face. She raised her eyebrows sharply and snorted out in anger. "Be mad at me all you want but leave her out of it."

You tiptoed down the wooden stairs and stopped in the middle of it; the perfect place to have an overview of the whole living room and kitchen. Up until now, no one had noticed you. "Leave her out of it? Mom, she is already in the middle of it!" the brunette suddenly snapped, pointing her open hand in your direction.

You swallowed hard when you saw the sparkle of anger in her eyes, it almost scared you if you didn´t know her better. All eyes were suddenly on you and you would have liked to sink into the ground, but Veronica stopped you, waving her arm as a sign that you should approach her.

You slowly walked to your girlfriend´s side and her hand gently snuggled around your waist. Normally, you enjoyed the warmth, the closeness and the gesture, but you didn´t want to let your best friend and the others get angry with you.

"Spencer, please." you almost sounded pleading and desperate. Tears welled up in your eyes and Veronica pulled you closer, planting a soft kiss on your temple. "I really love your mother. Tell me why you don´t accept our relationship.. what have I done? Do you think I am not enough?

"You could see Spencer wrestling with herself, your words and what you thought she was mad at you for hurt her a lot. Suddenly, she wasn´t sure anymore why she was that at all. Actually, she wanted to be happy for you, especially after the pain and loss you had gone because of A. She was sorry for what she had said to you and how she treated you. The brunette shouldn´t have put all that in your head.

Another minute passed as the girls stood at the kitchen counter, not making up their minds. Spencer eyeing the petite person in her mother´s arms and let her gaze wander over your when she caught your teary eyes.

Spencer could see sadness, fear and disappointment and felt the hurt she had set up in you. The brunette´s gaze automatically softened and a very light, gentle smile graced her lips.

You were her closest friend of all the girls and she could have slapped herself for hurting you. That brought her out of her thoughts and she tried to find the right words in her head, but your big, red and puffed eyes were an awful distraction.

Neither of you had said a word and just looked at each other. It was almost as if you were having a telepathic conversation, which in a way you were. You could see in each others eyes what both of you were thinking but couldn´t put it into words.

The youngest Hastings considered the best way to express herself, but for the first time in her life she seemed to have run out of words and decided to let action speak for itself. She quickly walked around the kitchen island and hugged you tightly. You were briefly perplexed and stiffened in her arms, but returned her hug and relaxed after a short while.

Being close to her was exactly what you needed at that moment. You clung to her and laid your head on her shoulder. You just stood there for a long time and enjoyed each others warmth- you both really missed each other in such a short time. Eventually, Spencer pulled her head back enough to look you in the eyes again, but didn´t let you go out of her grasp. "I am sorry."

She has whispered it, almost breathed it, and you could her the sheer seriousness in her voice. At the same time, it caused a warm shiver through your whole body- a feeling of happiness as everyone would say. You closed your eyes briefly and looked to the side where you saw Veronica´s smiling face. The girls had also had a happy facial expression and were glad that the argument finally came to an end.

You nodded back to Spencer and brought out a breathy "me too" as your voice cracked in the silent house.

Once again, she wrapped you in a tight hug and you tensed up slightly again, but not because you were uncomfortable, but to suppress the tears of joy that came up. The argument had taken a toll on you, more than you thought at first, but now you felt nothing but pure happiness that sucked all the pain from the last few hours out of your body.

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nereidprinc3ss · 2 days

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A very unnecessary rant but am I the only one who is annoyed by the bombshell reader thing? For once I just think it would be interesting to see a reader who is the same as Spencer so I wouldn’t feel like a creep reading the scenarios. I’m a bit like Spence without the IQ. Aversion to touch, introverted, immersed in my own stuff, prob with some autistic traits. At this point I just think that there is definitely something wrong with me, lol.

hello!! there’s nothing wrong with you, but i completely understand the feeling. part of the reason i started the dybmn series is because i felt like i wasn’t ever seeing any accurate representation of insecure!reader fic, like it was all either like uwu!reader or yes bombshell!reader. honestly i love the bombshell fics, i can’t really relate to being that confident but i think the dynamic is cute and i really enjoy them! but there are definitely writers who will complete requests with different dynamics if you specify grumpy!reader or ditsy!reader or literally whatever you’d like! so that or writing your own fic are my best pieces of advice. im 100% sure there are plenty of people who feel the same as you, who knows if you have any interest in writing maybe that could be your niche!

some writers (myself included i think) also tend to infuse the “reader” characters with a strong personal voice because it’s easier to imagine how i would react to spencer reid saying something than to imagine how someone really like… polite or demure would react to it LOL. it’s an unfortunate blind spot but it can also be really cool to see how different writers do it!

anyway that was my tangent… i lost my own thread as so often happens lol

#asks

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luveline · 4 days

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Hiii!! Could I request a bombshell reader x Spencer where someone (a local police maybe) says something rude to her about her appearance or something and normally it doesn’t really get to her, but something snaps and she kinda shuts down/is rude to Spencer until he coaxes it out of her? Sorry it’s long I had an idea and ran w it loollll

ty for requesting angel! confident fem!reader, 1k

Spencer shouldn’t expect his colleague to hold his hand, especially one so confident. What sense would that make, a woman as established as you are, who smiles without a lick of worry nor smugness, wanting to hold his hand?

But you do it all the time, is the thing. In the car on the way to crime scenes, in the hallways of the office, under the round table. It started as a tethering for his distractedness, when one day he’d wanted to talk but hadn’t had the presence of mind to walk at the same time, so you’d taken his hand and led him to the office. You’ve been taking it at your discretion ever since.

Spencer knows something is wrong —you haven’t tried to hold his hand all day. And even if you aren’t interested in him romantically, Spencer has come to crave the touch. He’ll accept platonic hand holding. Anything, really.

“You’re staring very deeply, Dr. Reid,” you mutter, shades from your usual lightness.

“I’m thinking.”

“Aren’t you always?”

“About you.”

“Well,” you smile fleetingly. “You should always be thinking about me.”

“You’re truly humble.”

His joke doesn’t land, it crashes and burns; your smile fades completely into a short, sharp line. Your gaze moves back into the restaurant, waiting for the team's food order in silence once again.

Spencer’s pinky finger twitches across the gap.

“Is everything okay?” he asks.

“Fine.”

You stay quiet, Spencer worries. He takes the bags before you can when they bring your food to the collection desk, two lumps of heat he holds to his thighs as you begin the walk back to the hotel. Tonight, the team will pick at their food together and rehash the same arguments they’ve been making all day, filling in each other's gaps, and tomorrow the work will start again. He can’t have you this unhappy again tomorrow.

“You’re amazing,” he says, watching you turn to him from the corner of his eye, “you know you are, we all do, everyone who meets you. I know you don’t need me to tell you that, or to feel better, but… I’m here for you. If you want to talk. It’s been a hard couple of days, and talking about traumatic events as they happen and directly afterward make them easier to recover from.”

“I’m not traumatised.”

“Upsetting,” he corrects. “Having a shoulder to cry on is good for you, and I can be that shoulder. You know, if you need me to be.”

He can’t know this in the moment, though maybe one day you’ll tell him, further down the line when the hand holding is better defined, but you look at him and you love him. To know Spencer is to love him. Or at least that’s how you’ve always felt. You’d love to cry on his shoulder about what transpired that morning if it weren’t embarrassing to think about, you’re upset over a throwaway comment made by nobody important.

Spencer offers his company earnestly. He stammers. It’s amazingly sincere, as he usually is. He won’t mind if it’s embarrassing, he’ll just listen.

You clear your throat. “I know I’m not to everyone’s taste. I know that the way I… present myself isn’t what most men like. People love confidence, but not when it’s bossy, not when it’s– when it’s vain. And I am vain. I think about my appearance a lot, I think I’m beautiful most of the time, I try so hard to have that be true.” You eye him thoughtfully. “Do you realise that?”

He shakes his head gently, one ear toward one shoulder and then the other, as though balancing. “Sort of. I know you put effort into your appearance, but I also assume a lot of it to be natural.”

“Right, well. It’s not natural. Not really. My natural beauty wouldn’t be all the beautiful to most people. And I’ve accepted that, I know what I like about myself, and–” You’re losing the thread of your point, an upset creeping into your melodic tone and turning it ragged. “When people tell me they don’t like how I look now, I guess it hurts because I know they wouldn’t like me before, either, and I feel defeated because I know I can’t win.”

“Who said they don’t like how you look?” Spencer asks, confused, on his way to annoyed.

“Officer Friendly.” You look to your shoes, watching the steps you take. “Guess he wasn’t as nice as we thought.”

“What did he say to you?”

You shrug. “Same story. He doesn’t like girls who wear makeup. Doesn’t like uppity women.”

“Did he call you that?”

“What are you gonna do if he did?” you ask without malice.

“Morgan’s teaching me self defence for a reason.” You smile at his light joke, though it doesn’t last. He transfers the takeout bags into one hand, the other held out to you, his fingers sliding down your arm to your wrist. “You know you’re beautiful, with or without makeup. And you’re not uppity, you’re out of his league. There’s a difference.”

“You’re flirting with me.”

“No.” He wishes he had the wherewithal sometimes, but this isn’t flirting. “I’m being honest with you. Men like that don’t like you because they know they’ll never, ever have you, or anyone like you. There isn’t anyone like you,” he adds, sliding his hand into yours.

He squeezes all your fingers together twice in quick succession.

“Don’t let a jealous chauvinist halfwit make you think you’re not good enough,” he says.

You curl your fingers around his before he can take his hand back. Slowly, you squeeze his hand. Then, smiling, you let him go.

“I’ve never heard you say something mean like that,” you say. “Halfwit. That’s crass.”

“I was going to say he’s an asshole, if that’s better.”

Your laugh echoes off of the sidewalk. “That’s perfect. Say something meaner.”

The insult he uses next doesn’t bear repeating.

#spencer and bombshell reader #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid oneshot #spencer reid scenario #spencer reid drabble #spencer reid fic #spencer reid fanfiction

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rreids · 2 days

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this isnt particularly a spencer ask but can i ask: what does bombshell!reader mean? ive only seen it on tumblr at this point, i dont remember seeing it in ao3? helpp

i thinkk it's just a categorization for a reader w/ very particular traits. @luveline is the main author i know writing it! but think confident, self-assured, gorgeous, the stereotypical "bombshell beauty"!

#inbox #anon

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rjhamster · 8 months

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Court Makes Bombshell Ivermectin Move; CDC Issues New Nationwide Warning

September 10, 2023 COVID TREATMENTS & REMEDIES Court Makes Bombshell Ivermectin Move Read More Share (Friends Read Free) SHARED 6000+ times What readers are saying about this article: Leftists need to get over their power trip. We The People aren’t stupid. We’re angry. — Spencer Deal Celebrating America’s Backbone: YOU! Dear Reader, At The Epoch Times, we’ve always sought to illuminate…

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iwritefandomimagines · 3 years

Text

All Yours

masterlist

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader

description: when lila archer breezes into town and makes a stop at the BAU to see spencer, you have a tough time staying quiet as you watch her lingering touches, even if spencer tells you it means nothing to him.

warnings: angst, cursing, light hurt/comfort, jealousy, sex references

a/n: I may do a part two with a reversal of this with spencer being jealous of an ex of yours if anyone would like that?

"Hey Spence, I assume you're busy getting started on the case but I'm almost back, just calling to let you know. Speak to you in a--,"

You paused, noticing a blonde woman envelope your fiancé in her arms, a beaming smile on her face. Spencer looked taken aback but didn't shy away, hugging her back as Derek's eyes moved from them to you.

He sent you a small reassuring smile, which you tried to return as you placed your phone back into your coat pocket.

You recognised her. Lila Archer -- Derek used to tease Spencer about her back when you'd just joined the team. Movie star, blonde bombshell, and the last person to kiss your fiancé before you did.

Spencer would shoo Derek away and tell him it had been nothing, considering he never saw her again, but you couldn't help the jealousy bubbling in your gut at the sight of their embrace.

Derek called you over affectionately, doing you a favour that you were incredibly grateful for. Everyone's eyes snapped up to you, and Spencer quickly pushed Lila back from their hug.

"Y/N!" he called, as though he was surprised to see you, "Y/N, this is Lila Archer. Lila... My fiancee, Y/N Y/L/N."

You couldn't help but smirk a little at the fact he introduced you as his fiancee, purely because you'd feared that he'd keep it from her. You trusted Spencer, but you knew his kiss with Lila had been a pretty damn big deal at the time.

"Fiancee? Wow, Spence. You've done well for yourself."

You didn't like her condescending tone, quickly opting to reach up and kiss Spencer gently, "Well, if after five years he wasn't at least considering making me his wife I'd have been worried." you could see Derek and Emily stifling a laugh at the venom in your tone.

"Five years, wow," she feigned a smile, placing her hand on Spencer's upper arm, "I've missed a lot."

"Well..." Spencer began, but you interrupted, "Yeah, well."

"I uh, half expected you to still be waiting on me," she looked down at her feet as though she was disappointed. This bitch was a better actor right now than she'd ever been in any of her movies.

"With all due respect, Lola, you kissed him... once? Years and years ago. A lot has changed, sweetheart," the sickly sweet tone of your voice made her furrow her brows, whilst Spencer bit back a laugh.

You were embarrassed by your petty behaviour, but she was really fucking pissing you off. Spencer, meanwhile, couldn't help the excitement he felt seeing you jealous and possessive.

"Lila," she corrected you, but said nothing more. She just narrowed her eyes at you, to which you rolled yours.

"Right, Lila," you replied, "Well, we've got work to do so uh.. Have you not got some lines to practise or something?"

Even Hotch bit back a laugh, nodding once, "Y/N's right. We've got work to do. I'm glad you're doing alright, Ms. Archer. It was nice to see you, but we'd best get on."

Lila clenched her jaw, leaning up to press a kiss to Spencer's cheek, "Well it was lovely seeing you again. I'm in town filming for the rest of the month."

You couldn't believe her cheek, "Well have fun, we'll be on our honeymoon for a lot of it. What is it they say... Break a leg?"

Spencer couldn't help but actually laugh now, and he pulled you aside by your waist into one of the side offices, "A little jealous, princess?"

You bit your inner cheek, blushing with embarrassing, "I'm sorry baby, I just--,"

"She was being a bitch, Y/N," he shook his head, his hands curled around you. You could feel Lila's eyes on you as she lingered at the exit, "Plus its kinda hot watching you fight for me, even if there's no competition anyway."

You smiled widely up at him, "Can't believe she thinks she can waltz in here just because she's a movie star. She's like... a C lister at best these days anyway. And she's treating you like-like a toy and--,"

He stopped you with a firm kiss, his hands reaching up to your face as he drew you closer. You relaxed into the kiss, running your hands through his hair and tugging gently.

"I'm not marrying Lola," he teased at your mis-naming, "in three days am I? I'm marrying you, I'm marrying the love of my life."

You kissed him quickly again, desperate to show him how much his words meant to you, "I love you so much, Spence."

"I love you too, Y/N. I'm all yours... Always."

He took your hand in his, opening the door and returning to the rest of the team who were half smirking, half irritated by the fact Lila still hadn't quite left, poised watching you.

"Reid, Y/L/N, I've sent you the location of the victim's school. Can you go check it out for me?" Hotch asked, as Lila finally seemed to be stood by the elevator to leave, "The extra details are all in this file," he handed you a file with a small nod, "Just need you to find out more about his last few days alive in school."

You nodded, tucking the file into your bag and linking your arm with Spencer's as you headed to leave, passing Lila with a smirk on your face as you spoke loud enough for her to hear your next words,

"C'mon, baby. Hot, steamy sex in the elevator down?"

"Sounds like a plan, princess."

That made Lila wait for the lift to come back up again, whilst you and Spencer crumpled over in laughter as you descended.

If she was going to play games, you could too.

----------

thank you for reading !! hope this was okay -- here's my masterlist for more and my prompt list for ideas if you'd like to request! <3

#spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fic #spencer x you #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid #criminal minds imagines #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds

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writing-in-april · 3 years

Text

Question and Answer

Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: Garcia gets Reader to answer some questions about their feelings for Spencer.

A/N: Hey heyyyy- here’s the twelfth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April! Oh my gosh 😱 can’t believe how many I’ve posted in a row already- thanks for all the love on them 🥰 This fic is based on this request- Writing Penelope along with Derek as side characters is one of my favorite things about some of my fluffy pieces! Feel free to leave something in my inbox here- I love hearing from all of you! (I promise I don’t bite lol) Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Non at all☺️- though if you see something you think should carry a warning please let me know 😌

Main Masterlist Word Count: 1.8k

When Penelope Garcia got you alone in her office she lovingly called her‘bat cave’ and said she wanted to ‘talk’ there was no escaping it. ‘Talking’ with her usually meant she was going to bombard you with questions, usually linked to some gossip she heard from someone.

It was usually Morgan that fed her curiosity. He was somehow able to be up to date on everything and everyone. A result of that was that Garcia always got to hear the latest thing he had heard. Once Garcia was interested in whatever your answer to the gossip might be, she was without a doubt going to ask.

That’s where you found yourself on one of the slowest work days in recent memory. It had been so slow in fact, that you had been almost about to leave early since you had finished your paperwork. That was until Garcia had called your name in a singsong tone, grasped your elbow delicately with her painted nails, and gently nudged you to come talk with her in the ‘bat cave’.

“Penelope- I really want to go home. Can’t this wait another day?” Your groan perhaps was a bit pathetic as you sat down in a chair, but it had been the first time seemingly in years that you had the chance to go home early. A nap sounded really nice right now and even though you loved Garcia, that was more exciting at the moment.

“Fine fine, yes I’ll let you go soon, quit your bellyaching. And, to answer your other question, no, it can’t wait,” She plopped down into her chair, tapped on her keyboard a few times to close out some files, and then focused all her attention on you, “Just quickly answer my questions- Wait, no! Actually, let’s play a game!”

Another groan, perhaps even more pathetic than the first came out of your chest, while you also let yourself slump down in your chair. Thoughts of your bed danced in your head trying to pull you into a daydream about the nap you had been planning on taking. You then tried as best as you could to keep your focus trained on her for as long as possible. If you were able to focus; it would get done faster.

“Oh hush it’s a quick game that’ll have you out of here faster.” You perked up at that, now suddenly invested in the game that was supposedly going to get you out of here quick.

“Alright- I’ll do it if it gets me out of here quickly.”

She beamed at you for a second, then grabbing one of her decorative pens and a stack of sticky notes. Rapidly she wrote down a list that you tried to peek and see, but she hid the stack with her free hand once she saw you trying to look. Once she had finished she pushed up her glasses a bit, before outlying the rules of the ‘game’, “I want you to answer my rapid fire questions and answer without thinking! It’s supposed to give the most truthful answer from what I read on the website.”

Truthfully, it sounded silly to you, but if it got this interrogation over quick you didn’t mind playing the game. Plus whenever Garcia gave you time to answer she watched whatever your body language was and used that against you to get more information out. She had picked up on how we did our job as profilers over the years. It had become almost as instinctive to her as it was to us whenever we read behavior. Any conversation we had was screaming non verbal behavioral tells at us; it was almost impossible to turn off. So with less time in between questions and answers, it would be harder for her to analyze your movements. Garcia could honestly probably take the classes to become a profiler just as JJ had done, but everyone knew her place was in front of her screen. That was where she worked her best magic.

As soon as you nodded your head, agreeing to start the game, the questions were dropped on you at a rapid pace. The questions had started out simple enough, to get you ready for whatever bombshell question she no doubt had coming. The whole goal of the game was to catch you off guard so you’d answer as honestly as possible.

“What’s better coffee or tea?” She still hadn’t dropped the bomb and asked the question that had the only useful answer to her.

These questions were easy and you were getting comfortable. Each time another question went by the lingering reminder in the back of your head trying to warn you to be on edge slowly slipped away. Mindlessly you answered her without thought, “Coffee.”

“Who’s your favorite superhero?”

“Batman.” That answer might have been biased, when you really thought hard about it. You changed your answer when you realized you chose Batman because you were in Garcia’s ‘bat cave’, “Wait no- scratch that it’s Spider man.”

“If you could be any animal what would it be?”

“A dog.”

“What is your biggest fear?”

Again, you answered without thought even though it was a harder hitting question compared to your favorite drink or what type of animal you would be,“Being alone.”

“Who would you kiss in the office?” By now you had felt comfortable in the short little game, not even realizing how the questions had shifted to what she had been looking for all along.

“Spencer.” As soon as it came out of your mouth you slapped your hand over it. It was no use, the admission had already escaped and made its way into Garcia’s ear.

“Do you like Spencer?!” You opened your mouth in protest, but the look on your face said it all. Garcia knew she had won when you hang your head down with a sigh, in defeat. “Oh! Morgan was right!”

A little squeak by the door of the bat cave then pulled you out of your embarrassment and Garcia out of her celebration. You were already embarrassed before and it then turned into absolute mortification when you turned to see the source of the noise. Spencer was standing there, slack jawed, holding a file he had meant to give Garcia.

His voice then came out with more stutters and pauses than you had ever heard before from him, “H-hey ggguuys ummm I’ve got to go- take a nap.”

You almost wanted to snort thinking that you’d like to take that nap you’d been planning on too. Garcia went to say something, possibly to break the tension or make it even worse, but he was already gone. He bolted out the door and probably all the way home before you had a chance to explain your answer to the question that just led to even more questions.

—-

As soon as you were finally freed from Garcia’s clutches you bolted as well. Except instead of going straight home to your comfy bed you had been daydreaming about you bolted to someone else’s apartment.

“Hi, Doc.” Was the first thing you squeaked out when Spencer had opened up the door to his apartment after your polite yet incessant knocks.

He blinked at you a few times, perhaps trying to convince himself that you were really here. Clearing his throat he then replied shakily,“Hi.”

“C-can I come in?” It was your turn to stutter now, you wouldn’t lie and say you weren’t nervous about what his reaction might be. The only thing you were sure about is that he wouldn’t be outright disgusted by your feelings. You both had worked with each other for many years, becoming closer each day by day as time continued to tick by. At this point you’d call him your closest friend and you knew he wouldn’t call you disgusting for developing feelings for him. If he was going to let you down he would start by saying it’s only natural. Though, you still felt an ache in your chest even when assured that he’d at least let you down gently. Your relationship with him would be forever changed either way this conversation went.

He swung the door open more after a moment of trepidation, gesturing you through the door. You spent no time gazing around at his apartment, you had been here many times before. Instead you made a beeline for the couch, the comfiest spot to sit. You wanted to be at least comfortable if he was about to break your heart.

“C-can I ask you a question?” He fiddled with his fingers as you both sat down on his couch.

You brought your knees up to your chest as you had slipped your shoes off before sitting down. You also made sure to avert your gaze away from him, not sure if you could handle looking at him in the eyes, “What kind of question? Is it the same one as before?”

“N-no, um- well kinda… Yes and no?” The end of his jumbled sentence went up in pitch, making his own answer sound like another question.

You decided to give him a little mercy, doubting that there was any question he would ask that you would be uncomfortable with. And, you already had a feeling you knew what the question would be, “Alright Doc, I’ll let you ask your question. Go easy on me ok?”

Your little joke on the end was supposed to help him feel less nervous, but going by his awkward laugh it might have had the opposite effect. He still was able to get his next words out with a bit of confidence, “Was your answer back at work- umm honest?

Your heart fluttered at his question, beginning to beat harder in your chest as you prepared yourself to give him an honest reply. You were nervous to answer, even though you knew exactly what it was going to be deep down in your heart. Taking a deep breath you then answered the question with a simple answer, “Yes.”

He seemed relieved at your answer, relaxing his shoulders just enough that you noticed. You’d have to thank Garcia later, for finally getting you to answer the question honestly. Though, just by analyzing his behavior quickly you could tell that he still had something to say and/or ask, “Do you have another question?”

He nodded in response, his body language becoming even more closed off then before. His leg was now bouncing up and down as an attempt to soothe his building nerves. You then gave him what he had been looking for after his first question, permission to ask another, “You can ask another question, Doc.”

Tense silence sat between us for a few moments while I waited for him to speak up. He then got his courage back a little, though he still looked at the ground and fiddled with his fingers when he asked, “Would you like to go out on a date?”

It took no time to process the question, the answering instantly coming to the front of your mind. You then spoke with no trepidation, giving him a simple honest answer, “Yes.”

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