prompt

"i'm in the nurse's office a lot with migraines and you're always in here organizing her tongue depressors and i really don't think you go to this school so what gives"

college!Reid

Spencer's skull felt like it was splitting open, and the closest place to go was the Georgetown nurse's office. He ended up there a lot these days, and whatever she was giving out helped make him feel better. As he made his way into her office, the girl was there again.

Everytime he was there, she was too. She would organize the tongue depressors and the cotton swabs and it confused him. He had never seen her anywhere else but there, and he was pretty sure she wasn't a student. If she was, she never went to classes or studied or did much of anything.

"Who are you!?"

His question came out harsher than expected, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Catherine. Who are you?"

"Spencer." He paused and looked at her again. "Is the nurse in?"

"Nope."

"Can you help me then?"

"Maybe. What's wrong?"

"Headache."

"You get them a lot?"

"About three times a week."

"I can give you twice the normal dose of Excedrin and let you go."

"What does the nurse give out?"

"Aspirin."

"Okay then. Can I get the Excedrin?"

"Aren't you a milquetoast?"

Catherine handed him a paper cup with four pills in it and then a dixie cup of water.

"What?"

"Shy boy." Catherine shrugged. "You're in here a lot."

"So are you."

"If you keep getting headaches why don't you see a doctor."

"I was."

"What happened?"

"She died."

"Oops. Sorry."

"It's fine." Spencer swallowed the pills and the water before speaking again. "Are you a student here."

"No."

"Do you work here?"

"That's all wet."

"The why are you here?"

"Oh I can't tell you that, it'll ruin the mystery."

Spencer smiled, and shook his head.

"What are you studying here, Mr. Headache?"

"I'm working on my BA in Philosophy."

"I know a Jane or two doing the same. Workload difficult?"

Spencer shrugged. "A lot of thinking."

Catherine smiled. It was all teeth. "Yeah I'll bet. You should get back to answering all the big questions."

"I probably should."

"Swing on bye if you get some more headaches, okay?"

"Okay. Good bye Catherine."

"'Bye Spencer."

Spencer came back two days later, and Catherine was there again. Today she was just sitting on the exam table reading a book with her headphones on. He didn't want to interrupt her, but his head was killing him and he wasn't in the mood to just let it fester.

"Excuse me?"

Spencer tapped her shoulder and she looked up. As she sat up, she moved over, and he sat down next to her.

"Your head bothering you again?"

"Yeah."

"Did the stuff I give you work last time?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

And the she disappeared to the back, making noise as she pulled boxes off the shelf and the ran the tap. She came back with another pill cup and dixie cup to offer. Spencer gladly took it.

"Can I ask you something?" Spencer looked at Catherine, who was sitting next to him again, ever so much closer than before.

"Shoot."

"Why do you hang out in the nurses office?"

"You seem awful balled up about that question."

"I just can't fathom why somebody would want to be in here."

"The acoustics are just lovely." She joked, and as she laughed, metal flashed from inside her mouth.

Every time Spencer found himself in the nurse's office with a headache, he'd ask her the same question.

He never quite got an answer from her that made sense.

a/n: first criminal minds fic i've ever written. yay!