I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. I only own Becca and any of the other original characters or storylines I come up with.

Headfirst

Realization of what he'd just done hit Reid suddenly as he walked back to the BAU offices after escorting Becca to the OPA offices. He'd just asked the girl of his dreams out to coffee. He may have stammered and fidgeted a bit but he still did it. He asked her and she said yes.

She said yes...

The thought brought a smile to his face and put his apprehension to the background of his mind. She'd said yes without an ounce of pity or irony in her tone. Her acceptance to his request wasn't some cruel joke like those times in college when the attractive girls had toyed with him. No, this was sincere. She sincerely liked him and wanted to spend time with him. His smile stayed on his face as he made his way to his desk where paperwork was waiting for him. He didn't miss the anticipatory looks on the faces of the team as he sat down.

"Look at the ladies' man. When's the date Don Juan?" Morgan asked and Reid felt a bit of heat rise in his cheeks.

"We're...uh...we're going for coffee after work as long as there's not a case." He opened a file at the top of his stack and started reading but the others wouldn't let him be.

"I suggest you take her to the Red Dragon Teahouse instead. She loves their oolong." JJ suggested as she leaned against his desk and he made a mental note. She was JJ's friend, they'd worked in OPA together for a while before JJ got assigned to BAU, he knew he could trust her judgment.

"Really? I was going to suggest that he take her to Cafe Cadenza, best espresso con panna in the city." Rossi recommended and Reid could feel his head starting to spin. There was so much to consider, what if she didn't like where he took her, what if she had a horrible time? He was no stranger to rejection but he wasn't sure he could handle it if she rejected him, not after the sincerity of their exchange. JJ saw the panic in his eyes and gave the others a warning look.

"You know what Spence? Take her anywhere and you'll have a great time. She's crazy about you." She smiled and moved off his desk, silently warning the others to give him space. Garcia and Rossi understood and wandered back to their respective offices while Emily and Morgan sat at their desks. They worked in silence for a few minutes before Reid lifted his head and spoke to anyone listening.

"By the way, what was the bet you were huddling over?" He asked and Morgan looked up and shook his head.

"You don't wanna know kid, believe me." Morgan said as he shared a look with Prentiss. They would take this secret to their grave.

…

"This way." The server said as she led them into the further reaches of the teahouse. Reid had decided to take JJ's advice and bring Becca someplace she liked. From the smile on her face he could tell that he'd made the right decision.

"Doumo." Becca said with a nod to the server as she sat in the proffered seat. Spencer sat across from her suddenly frozen in fear. This was as far as he'd made it in his planning he didn't know what to do.

"Here are your menus, I'll be back shortly." The server announced as she placed the menus in front of them. Spencer quickly grabbed his and started reading as he thought of what to do.

"I suggest their Iron Goddess oolong, it's got this deep earthy flavor and it goes well with the red bean paste mochi. We can get the pot and share, unless you'd like something else." She offered as she set down her menu and took him in. He was so handsome; she'd never known a more handsome man. More than that he was sweet, an actual genius and socially awkward in a way that was cute and endearing but not unnerving. Becca wasn't ashamed to admit to anyone that would ask that she'd had a thing for Dr. Reid from the moment she met him. Normally that would have been enough for her to at least approach him but there was something intimidating about the scope of his intelligence that held her back. That and she didn't want to scare him off. Now she didn't have to worry about that, he was the one who asked her out and there was no way she was ever going to turn him down.

"I was actually thinking of the LiChee. The mochi sounds good though." He offered quickly and Becca just nodded, waiting for him to continue but he shut down again. She was going to have to go slow with him.

After that they sat in companionable silence and ordered when the server arrived. They only had to wait a few minutes before their tea arrived and Spencer was glad. It gave him an excuse not to talk; he still had no idea what to do. She was there and beautiful and looked at him in a way that was expectant without being impatient. It sent his head on a tailspin. After he poured himself a cup of the rich black tea he began his usual routine of spooning copious amounts of sugar into the mixture. As he got to scoop four he heard Becca tut-tut him from across the table. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"My soba would slap your knuckles for adding so much sugar. She always taught me that it was best to just add a bit of honey and let the tea's natural flavor seep out." She smiled wider and brought her tea to her lips. As she breathed in the scent she got this blissful look on her face and he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her, but suddenly his neurons fired as they registered an unfamiliar word.

"Soba?" He asked and Becca set down her tea and plated two of the mochi for Spencer and two for her.

"It's the affectionate term when talking about one's own grandma in Japanese." She took her chopsticks from her tray and picked up a mochi, popping it in her mouth. "When I talk to her I actually call her obaa-chan."

Spencer looked at her and found himself trying to find marks in her appearance that spoke of Japanese heritage but he couldn't. Even her dark hair and hazel eyes bespoke of European ancestry. As he was searching her she swallowed her treat and looked at him, when their eyes met he was sure they shimmered.

"You're trying to find the Japanese in me aren't you?" She asked and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before sheepishly nodding. She laughed sweetly and this time he was sure her eyes shimmered. "Don't be embarrassed, everyone does the covert search when I talk about my soba. She's Japanese, my grandpa's second wife. She raised my father and for a time she raised me. I guess you could say that she raised us to be Japanese, even without the blood in our veins."

"Did she also teach you the language, or just a few words?" Spencer asked as he watched her body language. He had built a profile of one Rebecca Hughes over the years since they first met and this didn't fit into it. He needed to know more to create a more complete profile.

"The language, I'm fluent. I even worked as a translator to help pay for my Masters degree." She blushed a bit before she continued. "Sorry, I know that sounded like bragging and I didn't mean to."

Her response made him smile and he felt himself losing some of his tension. It appeared that she wasn't always so confident. Her insecurities made her much less frightening.

"Tell me about working as a translator. I find the disconnect between the person being translated to and the translator fascinating. It's like the facilitator of the conversation is invisible. I've done my own translating before but never to the point where who I was translating to lost track of me." He was so animated that Becca wanted him to go on forever and was so entranced that when he stopped she was jarred a bit.

"Oh, umm, well...In my training I was taught that a good translator is invisible. If you're doing your job correctly the communication will be seamless." She beamed at him, proud to have his undivided attention. "In Japan it's different though, there the onscreen translator can achieve celebrity status, but that's just a facet of Japanese culture. The culture is a celebrity driven culture so it doesn't always take much to earn it. That's my interpretation of it anyway."

Reid nodded along, interested in the stories she was telling. As they made it through their pots of tea and two more orders of mochi they continued to talk. Their conversation turned to everything from the going salary for translators to the symphony's summer session. He found out that she was more of a Bach fan but loved Beethoven and she discovered that the rumors about his technophobia weren't just rumors. Before they knew it the teahouse closed and they were standing outside the doors. After a few awkward moments she smiled and had to admit to herself that now was the time to leave but she couldn't seem to get her feet to move. Reid was having the same problem.

"So..." She said shyly as she ducked her head.

"So..." He responded in kind before he took a silent but deep breath. "I have two tickets to the symphony on Saturday. I was going to go with Emily but I'm hoping you're free."

He looked at her hopefully and she couldn't seem to stop the grin that split her face. She composed herself before she answered him though; fully aware that too much exuberance could be enough to scare him off and that was the last thing she wanted.

"I'd love to go, that is if Agent Prentiss wouldn't be too disappointed." She said, knowing that showing his friend respect was a good move and she really did respect Agent Prentiss.

"Emily will understand, so...um..." He said shyly and it took everything in Becca's power not to hug him.

"Listen, here's my phone number." She took out a card and wrote on the back and handed it to him. He held onto it for a second, smiling before he put it into his pocket. "Call me or text me and we'll make plans. I don't drive so if it would be easier to meet there I'll be there. If you want to go out beforehand that's ok too. Whatever works for you."

"I'll..uh...I'll call you." He said almost uncertainly and stood awkwardly so Becca took control of the situation and turned to face him.

"I'll see you Saturday. Oyasuminasai Spencer." She bowed low as a show of respect and he bowed with her.

"Have a good night." He said less awkwardly before she turned and hailed a cab, knowing that they weren't to a stage where touching was appropriate yet. As she got in she waved and he waved back, pleased that he didn't have to go through some ritual that made him uncomfortable or cause their relationship to become awkward. As her taxi went out of his line of sight he walked to the nearest metro entrance. It wasn't too late for him to go home but as he walked he programmed her number into his phone. He knew he'd be calling her later. There was still so much for him to learn.

...

Author's Note: There we are, the first chapter down. Thanks to the wonderful response I decided to expand upon the idea. In my timeline this takes place during Season 4 since I'm really far behind so if something is wrong I apologize but this will have elements of an AU, characters will be missing, some events will be downplayed and scenes will be added. This story will not be a procedural or a case-driven fic. Becca will not be kidnapped or raped. This is an exploration of a relationship between a man with a laundry list of problems and a woman with issues of her own. If you need high-melodrama this isn't the story for you. I hope those of you that stick around enjoy it.

Additional Note: As part of Becca's characterization she will speak Japanese and teach Reid bits and pieces of it. I do not speak Japanese and the most contact I have with it is from the films/anime I watch and the pop songs I listen to. If something's wrong I apologize since I get the translations online. If anyone speaks Japanese and would be willing to translate properly for me please PM me and I will give you credit, lots of credit and free internet hugs.

Thank you all in advance for coming along on this journey! :)