Impossible to Reid
Criminal Minds Fan Fiction
Sequel to Tortured Expression
Chapter 1: Reid's POV
Reid unlocked his door and entered his house, carrying a bag of groceries. He smiled as he looked around the once empty and dreary kitchen. Things had certainly changed since he'd started dating Paige. His house actually looked lived in and he looked forward to his days off. He actually bought groceries now, instead of relying on take out to live. Paige enjoyed cooking for him, which he didn't fully understand. He found cooking to be unpleasant and a waste of time, but he did like eating what Paige cooked for him.
He finished putting away the groceries and walked aimlessly into the living room, not sure how he should spend his time until Paige got out from work. She'd called to let him know she was going to be late. They'd planned a special dinner for their two month anniversary, and he was looking forward to it. He decided that he was going to do some of the paperwork he'd brought home. He'd started bringing work home more and more instead of staying at the office later. His coworkers often teased him about it, asking him if Paige helped him with his homework. He knew it was well-intentioned and not malicious, and to be honest it didn't bother him at all.
After a little under an hour of mind-numbing box-checking and report writing, he heard a knock on the door. He practically flew to the door and after double-checking through the peephole, opened it.
"Paige!" he said happily. He waited, somewhat impatiently for her to put her shoulder bag down, then grasped her gently by the arm and pulled her into his embrace, moving his hands to the small of her back and tenderly crushing her to his chest, enjoying the feel of her warmth and softness against him. He kissed her and savored the taste of her mouth. This was the reason why he came home as often as he could. She made him feel human.
He reluctantly let her go after a moment. She smiled up at him, her face easy to read. She was happy to see him. She'd missed him...and she wanted him.
"Hey Spencer," she said, and leaned in for another kiss. That was one thing he loved about her. She always wanted one more kiss. "C'mon," she said, moving past him towards the kitchen. "If I don't start cooking dinner we won't be able to eat until midnight."
She set him up with something safe to do, in this case slicing cucumbers for the salad. It amused him that he was trusted to carry a gun and conduct interviews with serial killers, and yet if he even looked at the stove she panicked. Despite her worry, it only took them an hour to make dinner. They made salad, steak, mashed potatoes, and Spencer watched, amazed as she pulled a fully made and frosted cake from her shoulder bag.
"Did you have that in your bag all day?" he asked incredulously. She laughed.
"I picked it up from my place on the way over," she said. "I wanted it to be perfect." She pushed her curly brown hair behind her ears the way she always did when she was nervous.
"You're nervous," he informed her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I guess that's what I get for dating a profiler," she murmured. "I'm nervous because I have something to tell you, and I'm not sure how you'll react." Reid felt a stab of panic. Could it be...was she...?
"I'm not pregnant," she said with a chuckle. "So you can stop looking like a deer in the headlights." He relaxed. "Let's sit down," she suggested, and they sat down at his kitchen table to eat. It was delicious, and Reid greatly enjoyed it.
"I have something for you," he said suddenly. He pulled a box out of his pocket. He looked up at Paige. Her face was a mixture of horrified and pleased. "Um, it's not an engagement ring," he clarified. Paige took a deep breath, and then nodded. He slid the box across the table to her. She picked it up and opened the lid, revealing a key to his apartment, attached to a custom-made diamond key chain. She picked it up carefully, almost reverently.
"Spencer," she breathed. "The key to your apartment?" Reid nodded, glad that she was so pleased. "Oh my God, the key chain is so beautiful! You shouldn't have."
"I'm given to understand that when someone says 'you shouldn't have' they really mean that they feel undeserving of the gift and therefore the person receiving the gift finds it to be of value to them." She smiled at him.
"Yes," she said. "I find it to be of value." She got up and walked around to his chair. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed the back of his neck. "Thank you," she murmured into his hair.
"You're welcome," he said shyly. She sat back down and resumed eating her dinner. He was pleased to note that her eyes kept darting to the little box beside her plate. She really did like her gift. He was so relieved. It had taken him a long time to pick it out. He wanted her to have the best. He leaned back in his chair and just looked at her, almost forgetting his dinner entirely.
"What would you think about me getting a dog?" he asked her, suddenly. She looked at him quizzically.
"To me that sounds random," she said. "But I know you're just thinking much faster than I am." He smiled at her very accurate assumption.
"Well, I've always wanted a dog, but I've never been able to have one because of my job. Now that I have you and you have a key...I thought maybe when I'm away you could take care of it." Paige smiled, but then the smile faded and her eyes slid down to her plate. Reid felt a little alarmed at her sudden change of mood.
"That reminds me of what I need to talk to you about," she said. "My internship is ending in a couple weeks." Reid's stomach twisted.
"What does that mean?" he asked. "I mean...for us?" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, a sign of stress that he hadn't seen very often.
"Unless I find a job...I don't have the money to keep living here. I've been living on the stipend from the newspaper. I can't afford my apartment once the internship is over." Reid's mind was racing, grasping at ways to make her stay.
"We'll find you a job," he said, trying to sound confident but thought he sounded desperate. "And you can live here." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.
"That's not the only problem," she said quietly. "My mother called me today. I haven't seen my family since Christmas and they want me to come home...permanently." Reid swallowed around the lump in his throat. She was looking at him, trying to see what he was feeling. He wondered if she could see the anxiety coursing through him.
"Can your parents...control you like that?" he asked. "They can't make you stay," he said feeling angry all of a sudden. Why would they take her away from him? She was very nearly all he had.
"My plan is to visit them for a while, long enough for them to get sick of me and then break it to them that I want to live in Washington. Then I'll come back and be with you." She attempted to smile and Reid knew she was trying to comfort him. He took a deep breath and tried to control his swirling emotions and racing mind.
"No one could get sick of you," he said, trying to smile back. "At least...I know I couldn't." He took another slow breath. "What if I took a week off?" he asked. "I could go with you to Maine, meet your parents, show them that you're happy and then take you back with me. What do you think?" Paige hesitated, obviously thinking hard.
"Actually...that sounds like it might work," she said, and for the first time he could see hope in her face. "My parents always were pressuring me to find a man and settle down," she said and her smile was real this time. "Who could be better than a handsome successful FBI agent? They'll love you." Reid felt calmer now that he had a plan.
"Are you sure Hotch will let you take a week off?" she asked, concerned. "He was very adamant that I not interfere with your work. This would be a major interference." Reid set his jaw.
"Who cares?" he said resolutely. "I'll deal with Hotch." Paige looked at him askance.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked. "You're not usually this...aggressive." Reid tried to put his feelings into words. All he knew was that he couldn't lose her and would do anything to keep her. Before he could phrase it, she interrupted him. "I like it," she said and when he looked up he saw that she was surveying him from under her eyelashes. He felt a flash of heat through his body as he could tell what was on her mind.
"Um, the dishes," he said. "Shouldn't we clean up?" He looked over the table and over by the sink, where all the dishes were piled up from cooking. However, one look at Paige told him that this wouldn't be negotiable.
"We can wash them in the morning," she said. She got up from her seat and started walking towards his bedroom, shedding clothes as she went. He watched her walk, unable to help himself.
However, as he followed her he couldn't help but think that they hadn't really finished their conversation. He guessed that their talk, like the dishes, would have to be taken care of in the morning.
"But they'll be harder to clean in the..." his voice trailed off as she poked her head back around the corner, the naked curve of her hip visible. She raised her eyebrows and he stood up, loosening his tie as he walked towards her. "Never mind," he said and she smiled.
