Holding Scarlett

Chapter 1

"I think we can work something out…"

Spencer overheard part of Scarlett's conversation while he finished off the rest of his paperwork. Things had been blissfully quiet at work for the past few weeks, and although he wasn't complaining, he knew that being stuck in the office instead of out in the field was beginning to grate on Scarlett's nerves.

She'd jumped on the chance to consult with the state of Colorado's Department of Child Welfare about a 911 call they had received from a young girl who alleged that she was being sexually molested by an adult member of a Libertarian sect in La Plata. The compound was called Liberty Ranch, and from what Reid had overheard, it sounded a bit like a cult.

He listened to Scarlett finish the call and looked over at her when she hung up.

"What are you working out, crazy girl?" he asked, meeting her eyes.

"The woman who is heading their case, Nancy Lunde is asking for more help with the process. She's going in to interview the girl- actually all of the girls, so she doesn't single anyone out- on Monday. She wants to know now if I can come out there to help her."

"Go undercover?" he asked. "If you go in as FBI it will send off warning bells through the compound…"

"Right, yes, exactly," she agreed. "I'd be going in as a Child Welfare Interview Expert from the state. That's Nancy's official title."

"The department won't let you go in undercover on your own," he reminded her.

"No- but I was thinking maybe I could talk you into coming with?" she asked sweetly, knowing she'd need to convince him. Undercover wasn't Reid's thing.

"Come on, farm boy- you could pass for a case worker, probably better than me- and I'm going stir crazy here…" she complained, giving him a pleading look.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Let's talk to Hotch," he sighed, giving a small laugh when she jumped up from her desk with a bright smile.

"Yay! No more paperwork!" she wiggled her hips a bit, dancing in place as Derek came up behind her. He grinned at her back and caught Reid's eye.

"What did I miss?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Spencer just agreed to go undercover with me for a child welfare consult in Colorado," she told her brother. "We've got to get it cleared with Hotch, but it's a few days out of the office, thank God!"

Derek saw her gaze travel around the walls and could see she was feeling closed in.

"Lucky you," he lamented his own fate of desk work. "Do you need a third?" he asked jokingly.

"No, but you have PT instruction all week anyway… the Bureau can't spare you," she reminded him.

"Yeah, at least there is that," he agreed. "Have fun," he told Reid as he continued to his own desk.

Hotch answered Scarlett's knock with a quick call. "Come in…"

"What's up?" he asked the couple, seeing the question in Scarlett's eyes. He listened as she explained the situation, and asked permission for them to do a personal consult.

Hotch looked over to Reid before answering.

"You don't usually do undercover work," he mentioned, sitting back in his chair and regarding Spencer thoughtfully.

"No, but things are quiet here, I'm not needed for the team at the moment… and I could pass for a case worker," he stated, using Scarlett's earlier argument. "It shouldn't be that difficult. And we can help the state workers by getting them a profile of the leader of the sect, also. It sounds like the ranch may be a fringe cult or something…"

Hotch nodded, taking his time before making a decision. He pulled up the information that Scarlett had entered into the computer, looking it over. It seemed to be an innocuous case, and may be a good way to allow Reid to further his experiences.

"Okay, I'll write up the paperwork for you two to leave Sunday… However…" he eyed Scarlett up as he noticed her bounce slightly in place. "Agent Ryan- I will have you take the lead in this, since you are the experienced undercover field agent," he stated, then looked over towards Reid. "You will follow her instructions…"

"Of course," Spencer said easily. He didn't see where that would be a problem.

"And I'll expect your cover to be platonic… The State of Colorado won't know that you two are married…" he reminded them. "Some agencies would still see a couple working together as a conflict in interest."

"Right, separate rooms," Scarlett grinned, excited to be doing something. "Gotcha…"

"Okay," Hotch bit the inside of his cheek at the scowl that had moved onto Reid's face. "Are you in agreement?" he asked.

Spencer nodded, although the frown didn't leave his face.

"I'm alright with it," he agreed. "It could be interesting to add 'undercover' to my file transcript," he told Hotch.

"Good. I'll call the DA and have JJ set up your covers with the state. Anything else?" he asked.

"Can I give Morgan the rest of my paperwork to finish?" Scarlett asked cheekily.

"No," Hotch grinned. "I expect to have your reports finished by tonight…"

Spencer shook his head at her groan and tugged her out of the office.

"Come on, darling," he led her back to her desk. "I'll help you finish off your reports and maybe we can get out of here early enough to catch a movie before dinner…"

"Hmm. Sound good to me," she agreed. "What's playing?" she asked, knowing his taste in movies leaned towards eccentric.

"The Hillside is playing Guillermo del Toro's 'El Laberinto del Fauno' uncut in its original Spanish format…"

"Really?" she said excitedly. "Pan's Labyrinth? That sounds freaking awesome!"

Spencer grinned. "It's not subtitled," he told her. "You'll have to translate most of it for me..." he warned.

"Hmm, a reason to sit closer and whisper in your ear for two hours," she teased, seeing the reasoning behind his suggestion. "I bet I can make you squirm by the time it's over…"

"Uh, probably?" Reid laughed, taking most of the files from her desk. "Let's get this done so we can make it there in time," he told her.

Scarlett smiled at him, looking forward to the distraction, and got to work on what was left of her reports.

Once they were completed, Scarlett checked her watch, seeing that it was getting close to five.

"You want to head right over to the movie so we don't miss anything?" she asked him, picking up her purse and following him through the office doors.

Spencer led the way, taking her hand once they were outside the agency. "I think we should," he agreed. "We can walk to the Hillside from here, so we don't have to find parking…"

Looking up at the sky, Scarlett felt the light breeze lift her hair and smelled rain in the air. "Sounds good to me, but we might get wet on the way back," she warned him, letting him turn her towards the street. They walked the few blocks together, hand in hand, talking about anything that came to mind.

When she moved closer, tucking under his arm, Reid leaned over and kissed her temple.

"Norie is asking to come home after school ends for the summer," Scarlett mentioned. She looked up and caught Spencer's eye.

"That sounds good to me, I miss having her around. It's not the same just talking on the phone every night," he said, hugging her shoulders.

"No," she pouted slightly. "Even with video chat, I still feel like I'm missing out," she sighed.

"So, we'll make the arrangements," he told her. "Even if we catch a case, odds are Penny won't have to come along in the field- and she's already said Norie can stay with her if that happens, so we don't need to worry so much about her having to turn around and fly back to Chicago…"

Scarlett closed her eyes, thinking a moment about having Norie with them again. "I'll tell her later tonight," she smiled. "After I double check with Pens…" she told him as they entered the lobby for the movie theatre.

They chose a seat off to the side, away from some of the other people who had come to see the movie. Spencer sat hunched slightly in the seat, as Scarlett leaned against him, translating the story for him. Halfway through the movie, she noticed him moving uncomfortably in his seat and giggled.

"Told you I'd make you squirm," she teased, offering him some more popcorn.

"Hush," he grinned easily, nipping at her lips lightly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It's not my fault you have a sexy voice," he told her. "And that you are translating with a definite accent…"

"I am?" she asked, not noticing that she'd been doing that. "Huh…"

Spencer regarded her seriously. "It's true… you sound like you are speaking English as a second language. It probably has something to do with how your mind is following the story," he offered as an explanation.

"Hmm. Maybe…" she thought about it. She grinned evilly as she continued the conversation with the accent.

"Ah, so, the accent makes you hot, yes, mijo?"

"Yes…" he kissed her quickly, shifting again. "Brat," he called her, pulling away a bit when she bit lightly on his earlobe.

He heard her husky laugh in his ear and felt his body respond. Scarlett saw him squirm against the seat and relented a bit, turning her attention back the movie once again.

After the movie was over, they walked quickly back to the car in the light rain and drove home.

Scarlett went directly into the kitchen to start something for dinner, while Spencer headed into the bedroom to change out of his work clothes.

She put together a salad and made some fried chicken, picking her head up when he entered the living room in gym clothes.

"You going to get in a work out?" she asked him, looking him over. She grinned when he flexed a bicep.

"I thought I might have some time," he told her, heading into the spare room that doubled as an office and a gym. Scarlett's altar was also in this room, set into a corner, out of the way. He looked back over his shoulder at her.

"Do you think we should start looking for a bigger place?" he asked her, noticing how space had become scarce recently.

Scarlett shrugged, taking a bite of salad from the plate as she turned the chicken. "I'm still okay with it," she told him. "Besides, I like this place," she told him. "Why? Are you feeling crowded?"

He watched her for another moment before turning into the room. "Not really, I was just thinking there isn't much room to grow here…" he stated, waiting to see if his words made her think of anything in particular.

Scarlett tilted her head a bit. "You interested in expanding really soon?" she asked, watching his face.

Spencer blushed, looking away, not wanting her to see the question in his eyes. He still wasn't sure if she was pregnant… and was waiting to see if the idea occurred to her as it had to him. But Scarlett remained un-phased with the conversation.

"Not necessarily," he said, noncommittally.

Scarlett scowled slightly, raising her brow as he continued into the room. She shook her head as she heard him start using the equipment, lifting weights…

Okay, she thought idly as she finished making dinner. As the chicken cooled, she went into the room to watch him work out.

Scarlett stood in the doorway, noticing he'd removed his shirt as he worked up a sweat. The muscles in his back stood out as he moved in quick repetitive movements, working his shoulders and trapezius muscles. She bit her lip as she moved up behind him to touch the area lightly with her fingers.

Spencer twitched, feeling her stroke his back and turned his head to look over his shoulder at her from his seat on the bench. The look in her eyes had him instantly aroused.

"Dinner done?" he asked innocently, pulling the earbuds out of his ears.

"Hmm-mmm, it's cooling now…" she said, running her hand over his shoulders as he turned around. She noticed he'd been picking up muscle lately, but seeing him covered in sweat and working that muscle gave her a tingle in the pit of her stomach.

Scarlett slid onto his lap, straddling him on the bench. Reid grasped her ass, pulling her closer, rubbing her against his erection.

"Any objections about adding to your work out?" she teased, reaching behind him to grasp one of the handles of the weights, pulling herself to stretch over him. She heard his grunt as the angle pressed her body against his…

"No?" she asked.

"Hell, no," he agreed, tugging at her pants to remove them.

When she shifted off of him, stripping off her clothes, he did the same. Returning to her position back over him, she groaned as he lay back against the bench.

"God- okay… this isn't going to take long," she said huskily, using her feet on the floor for stability and rocking against him. She saw a cocky grin move across his face as he let her do the work from her position, riding his body, drawing the pleasure out for both of them.

Scarlett leaned forward, caught up in the grip of the orgasm that ripped through her. She felt Spencer reach for her hips, pulling himself into a half sitting position as he came also.

Reid held her as she caught his shoulders, pulling him up closer to her.

"Jesus," he breathed out heavily once he got his voice back. "Maybe I should consider adding that into my work out every day," he teased her, catching the stain that blushed across her chest. When he moved slightly and she tensed, he looked into her eyes.

Scarlett felt her body respond to his and rocked against him again. "Dinner is going to get cold," she said, catching his self-satisfied smile.

He caught her lips with a kiss. "Cold chicken tastes better," he told her in a low growl, moving his hips once more. The sound that came from her throat made his blood heat in a flash.

Spencer watched as she came again, more slowly this time. He squeezed her hands as she grabbed a hold of his, raising his arms above his head. When she dropped forward across his chest, wholly spent, he chuckled lightly.

"You're getting too cocky for my ego, Spence," she teased him, stroking his sides lightly as she lay draped over him.

"Mmm- is that a complaint?" he asked, kissing her hair.

"Not hardly," she grinned, pulling herself back up to a sitting position. Her stomach growled loudly and he laughed when she blushed.

"I think that was though," he said, pressing a hand to her abdomen. "Let's go eat something…"

When she scooted from his lap to gather her clothes, she missed the soft look that had moved across his face.