Title: Diana.
Author: BelleCat.
Rating: T
Pairing: Spencer Reid/OC.
Summary: He is surrounded by people trained to identify his feelings; but she seems to empathize with them.
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds do not belong to me. The OC in this fanfiction however, Diana, does.
Warning: Relationship with large age gap explored.

׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×

It seems sometimes the impossible does occur; Dr Spencer Reid is at a loss for words.

They introduce him to her at exactly 15:00 PST, a few hours after the team has arrived in Sacramento. The case they are working on shows a pattern of women being violently killed in pairs of mothers and daughters, with the daughters raped and their mother's eyeballs left in their mouths. It disturbs Reid slightly that this is not a gruesome case in comparison to the other countless sights he has seen during his time at the BAU, but he doesn't ponder this for long. Reid never ponders; when you can read 20,000 words per minute, there's no real need to. That is why he doesn't think too much of the girl he will meet, the one that escaped the pattern, the key to solving the case. The survivor.

When they do come face to face, this doesn't change. Because despite his doctorates in mathematics, engineering and chemistry, despite the fact he graduated high school at the age of twelve, despite the fact that he has been found a genius, Spencer Reid's mind goes blank. He can figure out numbers and puzzles and words and minds, but Reid had never been able to figure out girls. Especially the pretty ones.

She's beautiful. She's impossibly small, and her hair is a mess, but she's beautiful all the same. Reid simply watches her, tongue tied, letting the Deputy's words wash over him as he introduces the team to her. She keeps her eyes on her feet all the time, and it is only when Hotch calls for Reid's attention that she looks up at meets his eyes directly. They are brown, clear and dark and reflecting shadows beyond her years. He stares into them, and realizes that they are the same eyes he sees in the mirror.

"My mother's name is Diana too." It is the first thing he can think of to say. He knows, he feels the incredulous looks that his team members give him, but he doesn't care. She continues to stare at him curiously as Hotch asks her permission for JJ to speak to her.

"I would prefer if Dr Reid did, actually." Diana's voice is soft and hoarse, and she looks as if she is about to break.

So Dr Reid does the interview instead.

׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×

During his time in Sacramento, Reid hardly works on the case at all.

Diana has been a huge part in making progress in catching the unsub, and this is why Reid has dedicated so much of his time to her. She deserves this, after all she's been through. This is what Reid says to himself anyway, to justify his actions. He doesn't want to think about the way that his chest clenches tightly when she looks over at him. Doesn't want to aknowledge what, despite all that his logic is telling him, he is feeling.

He most certainly does not want to contemplate that Diana is barely seventeen.

׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×

"Do you want to hear something funny, Spencer?"

"Sure," Reid looks over at his companion. They have been in California for three days now, and yet he hasn't adjusted to the heat, or his irresponsible feelings towards this vulnerable young woman. The interview only took a few hours on the first day; and yet he has barely spent any time apart from her. Reid knows from Hotch's stares that his actions will be questioned when they get back to Virginia, but for now, it doesn't matter. The way that Diana has slowly been recalling vital details allows Reid to pretend that is the reason he has been joint to the hip with her, and not anything else.

"In mythology, Diana was a Roman goddess who was patron of virgins," She turns her face to him, and he is horrified to see the tears spilling down her cheeks, "Ironic, hey?"

Reid pulls the brunette into his arms, the one who is nothing like Lila but he is beginning to develop the same emotions for, and this is how he learns of Diana's rape.

׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×

The night that they catch the killer finds Reid and Diana in the back of a car.

"I'm scared." She whispers, and he doesn't hesitate to swoop her under the crook of his arm and into his chest. She quivers there, twitching slightly, as if shivering even with the unbearable heat in the cramped conditions.

"They'll find him," Reid promises, and he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. He barely knows this girl; they have been acquainted for mere days, but he feels a connection with her. Perhaps it is because of the darkness in her eyes, or the way she shares his mother's name, or even that the mother she lost was a schizophrenic too. Although she is bright, she is hardly in the same league, but she still fears what her mind could manifest into too. Reid is surrounded by people trained to identify his feelings every day; but she seems to empathize with them.

"Thank you," Diana whispers, and her breath is suddenly warm against his face, "for everything."

And then she kisses him.

And he kisses her back.

׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×

Spencer Reid never thought he would be involved in anything like this.

Inevitably, the team has to leave, and they share a passionate goodbye away from the eyes of his team members, and the people that know her.

"Spencer," Diana murmurs against his lips, pressing paper into his palm, "Keep in touch."

He says once last goodbye reluctantly and vows to see her again.

׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×׺°"˜"°º×

This turned out worse than planned :/
but I don't have the heart to delete it, so I'll just leave it up.
Hopefully this can act as a vague introduction to Diana, and I'll write something much better next time.
Sorry for this pointless story, but I LOVE Reid and wanted to write him some romance.