The First Test
Spencer and Carrie sat in Garcia's office on Carrie's first day back since the hospital, both dreading their meeting with Strauss but trying not to let it get to them. Strauss had sent them each a not-so-friendly email demanding their presence in her office Tuesday morning, together. They were laughing and arguing when Garcia walked in, spotting Carrie eating a Pop Tart in her chair, with one foot propped on Spencer's good knee.
"Well good morning, you two," she chirped. "Glad to see you've made yourselves at home." Spencer turned to her.
"Garcia," he started, laughing, "please tell Carrie that Spock wasn't in love with Leila Kalomi." Carrie snapped her fingers.
"Yes he was! Hello...'This Side of Paradise!'" She gave him a smug look.
"He was under the influence!" Spencer argued. "He had never returned her affections before, and wouldn't have otherwise!" Carrie rolled her eyes, breaking off a piece of her Pop Tart.
"Oh Lord," she sighed, "if I had a dollar for every time I'd heard the 'under the influence' excuse..." she launched the piece of Pop Tart at Spencer.
"Hey, don't get violent with me just because you don't like being wrong," he grinned, picking the Pop Tart off the floor and tossing it in the trash can. Garcia just watched them, laughing. Carrie broke off another piece of Pop Tart and hit Spencer square in the nose this time. He leaned forward and grabbed her hands, trying to wrestle the rest of the Pop Tart away from her. She couldn't get much leverage because of her awkward position with her foot still in his lap, and his elbow digging into her thigh, right above the knee.
"Oh my goodness," Garcia chuckled. Spencer and Carrie looked up at her, like two kids who just got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "You two are SO a couple!" She accused them with laughter in her eyes. Spencer let go of Carrie's hands and sat back, and Carrie placed her foot back on the floor.
"No, we SO aren't," Carrie retorted, sitting up straight and pulling the hem of her skirt down.
"It all makes sense to me now," Garcia sighed, batting her eyelashes. "And it also explains why Strauss wants to see you both, together." Carrie groaned.
"Penny, please don't do this right now," she pleaded. Spencer kept quiet and avoided making eye contact with Garcia. Carrie stood up, allowing Garcia to take her seat.
"I won't say anything," Garcia huffed, frowning at Carrie, "but you kids are a couple. The sooner you accept it, the easier it will be, sweet cheeks." As she finished, the door opened again and Hotch appeared in the doorway.
"I've been looking all over for you two," he frowned at Carrie and Spencer. "Strauss is ready to see you."
"Why didn't you call?" Spencer asked, following Hotch into the hall. Carrie trailed behind.
"Callahan starts this morning, I've been making arrangements for her in-processing," Hotch answered, and started off toward his office. "You two just...don't make me look bad." He gave each of them a warning glare as they turned and headed in the direction of Strauss' office. Carrie took a deep breath and smoothed the front of her shirt as Spencer knocked on the office door.
"Come in," Strauss called out, her voice icy. Spencer opened the door and led Carrie into the room, closing the door behind him. They took the seats Strauss offered them, and Carrie folded her hands in her lap.
"I've heard some interesting stories about the events surrounding and following Dr. Scarlet's abduction and stay in the hospital," Strauss started. Carrie and Spencer remained silent. Strauss continued,
"I'm well aware that this team seems incapable of following the Bureau's fraternization policies. However, I'm going to give you each a fair warning. If you are, in fact, involved with each other, you will not be able to work together on this team." Her voice had an edge of a threat to it. "I would hate to have to let one of you go." Her eyes fell on Carrie, who sat chewing her bottom lip. Spencer straightened up protectively, looking Strauss straight in the eye.
"If either of us is guilty of breaking a Bureau policy, then we both are," he started, firmly. Carrie raised her eyebrows at him. "If this is a threat, Chief Strauss, let me assure you that if you fire one of us from the team, you'll just have to fire us both." He stared her down, and shock passed over her face briefly.
"Is that so, Dr. Reid?" She narrowed her eyes at him but he sat patiently, refusing to buckle under her glare. She broke eye contact and looked down at a file on her desk.
"Either way, you're assigned to the crime lab for the next two weeks, Dr. Scarlet. You won't be travelling with the team until you've been cleared by your physician and a psychological evaluation." She gave Carrie a condescending smile. "I assure you, it's standard operating procedure."
"If you're finished with us, Chief Strauss, we should really get to work." Spencer was more than ready to leave her office. Strauss nodded at him.
"That will be all for now, Dr. Reid. You can both go," she set Carrie's file aside. "But you can be sure I'll be keeping a close eye on the both of you."
Spencer opened the door for Carrie, then followed her out without another glance at Strauss. Hotch and Rossi were waiting in the hall. Rossi met Spencer's scowl with a smirk.
"It went that bad, huh?" He chuckled, patting Spencer on the back. "Don't worry about it, Reid. She can't afford to lose either of you and she knows it." He placed a hand on each of Carrie's shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"Don't let her get to you," he said softly, squeezing her shoulders. "You're an invaluable asset to this team, Right Hotch?" He looked at Hotch for affirmation.
"Absolutely," was Hotch's distracted reply. He looked up from the file he'd been scanning to check his watch.
"You two get to work, we'll be up in the bull pen after I introduce Strauss to your new team mate." Hotch ordered. Spencer started to lead Carrie back to the bull pen, but she stopped him.
"I should just go on to the lab," she said, turning in the opposite direction. Spencer glanced at Strauss' closed door before following Carrie.
"I'll walk with you," he said, easily catching up. They fell into step, Spencer staying so close to her that the backs of their hands brushed as they walked. When they got to the lab, Spencer followed Carrie in and made sure they were alone before closing the door behind him.
"What's wrong?" He asked her. She'd walked with him in silence all the way to the lab.
Carrie shook her head, then pulled her hair back and tied it with a ponytail holder from her wrist. She shrugged, turning away from him and slipping into a lab coat.
"I don't know, Spencer. I really don't want to be fired from the FBI. I'm only 23, and that really won't look good on my resume." She wouldn't look at him as she spoke, instead focusing on a report sitting on the counter.
"Carrie, she's not going to fire you, I promise," Spencer walked up beside her, pulling her into his arms and resting his chin on top of her head. "She's just trying to scare us out of being together." Carrie pulled away from him and finally looked into his eyes.
"Are we?" She asked, squeezing his hand.
"Are we what? Scared?" He wrapped his hand around hers, holding firmly.
"No, are we together?" She looked down as she spoke the words, embarrassed at asking.
"Carrie, I don't know about you," Spencer started, "but I'm absolutely crazy about you. The past few weeks have been some of the happiest of my life." She looked up at him shyly.
"Really?" She whispered.
"Yes, really." He answered. "I want to be with you." Carrie's heart skipped a beat hearing him say the words.
"Ok," she didn't know what else to say. A boyish, lopsided grin spread across Spencer's face, and Carrie couldn't help smiling back.
"We don't have to announce it or anything," he assured her. "If you don't want anyone to make a big deal out of it." Carrie nodded, relieved that he understood. Spencer's phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out, answering. Carrie got lost in her thoughts as he took the call. She wondered how things had worked out this way. It amazed her that something so good, so fulfilling and right, had come out of those two torturous weeks of drama and pain. Spencer spoke and broke her from her reverie.
"I have to go upstairs," he told her. "I'll text you, ok?" Carrie nodded, still speechless. As Spencer started to walk to the door, Carrie turned back to the table and scanned the report. Suddenly Spencer was beside her again, turning her around. He took her face in his hands, and pressed his lips against hers, catching her off guard and taking her breath away. She leaned back against the cabinets as he kissed her, slowly and gently. She clung to his vest, pulling him even closer and returning his kiss, releasing all the stress and tension she'd felt since she found out about the meeting with Strauss. When Spencer finally pulled away from her, they were both out of breath, their faces flushed.
"If we're going somewhere, I'll come see you before we leave," Spencer promised, planting a quick kiss on her lips, then another. He stepped back, straightening his vest. Carrie grinned, wiping some shiny lipgloss from his lips and around his mouth with the sleeve of her lab coat.
"I'll be right here," she told him. He headed out, turning at the door and giving her one last warm smile before he shut the door and headed back to work, unable to shake the grin off of his face.