It was a warm summer day. The air outside was stale and the sun was beating relentlessly on the town. Dr. Spencer Reid walked into the office carrying his brown satchel, sweat already apparent on his forehead. When he reached his desk, he tossed his bag on the floor and dropped into his chair.
Not five minutes later, Emily Prentiss arrived at her desk. She placed her things down and wiped the sweat from her face. Her hair was up in a tight ponytail and she wore a royal blue tank top beneath the white blazer she was peeling off now.
"Good Lord it's hot out," she said fanning herself with a sheet of paper.
Spencer nodded his agreement.
"So, did you have a good weekend or what was left of it?" she asked.
"Yea. You?" he asked as he flipped a folder open.
"Well I slept and then I ate. Then I slept and to break it up a little, I slept," she grinned.
Spencer chuckled before going back to his paperwork. After a moment of silence, he turned his attention back to Emily.
"So, I got a weird invitation in the mail," he said digging into his satchel.
He pulled an envelope out and passed it over to Emily. She pulled the card out and started reading. Her face lit up with surprise.
"Wow, Lila Archer is getting married and she invited you," she said incredulously. "Are you gonna go?"
Spencer shrugged and Emily noticed his awkwardness.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"Yea, I mean it's been a long time since we dated. We still talk every once in a while. I'm just surprised she invited me. Why would she invite me?" he asked.
"Spence, you saved her life. That's a connection that can never be broken," Emily explained.
"But we all saved her. It wasn't just me," he protested.
"From what I was told, you were the one who ultimately subdued the unsub. So, in her eyes, you are the only one who counts," she said.
Spencer was so deep in thought, he hadn't even noticed that Derek Morgan had arrived and was walking toward them.
"Good morning," Derek said as he strutted into the room. "How are my fine friends this lovely day?"
"Whoa," Emily laughed. "What's up with you?"
"What do you mean? Can't I just say good morning to my friends without being questioned?" he said with feigned shock.
"Yea, that would be a no," Emily said teasingly. "Spill Morgan. What caused this pep in your step?"
"Well if you must pry, I had a date last night with a gorgeous woman and it was amazing," he said smiling.
"Don't you always have a date?" Spencer asked.
Emily laughed as Derek shot him a look.
"No, I don't always have a date smart guy. I liked it better when you didn't understand sarcasm," Derek said.
Spencer chuckled and shrugged.
"So, how was she? On a scale of 1 to 10?" Emily asked.
"A gentleman never kisses and tells," Derek said.
"First of all, since when are you a gentleman? Second, I want the bedroom details not the kisses," she said.
"Emily!" Spencer said surprised.
"Hey, it's been a long time for me. I need to live vicariously through others," she said unashamed.
"Woman, you are crazy," Derek laughed as he rolled his eyes.
As he walked off towards the opposite side of the office, he threw his hands in the air and held up all ten fingers. Emily laughed and clapped her hands as Spencer shook his head.
(xxxxx)
As Spencer worked feverishly on his paperwork before him, he was startled when J.J. appeared next to his desk, causing him to jump.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"It's ok. I guess I was really focused," he said.
He rubbed his eyes and placed his pen down, before leaning back in his chair to focus on J.J.
"So, what's this I hear about you being invited to Lila Archer's wedding?" she asked.
Spencer shot Emily a dirty look.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly.
He sighed and looked back at J.J.
"Yes, I was invited and no I'm not going," he said.
"Why? I think it would be good for you," J.J. said.
"Why would it be good for me?" he asked with a furrowed brow.
"Spence, you have sheltered yourself a lot since …" she trailed off at the memory of his previous girlfriend, Maeve's death.
Spencer winced. He still hurt deeply from that loss and it had been nearly a year. J.J. placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I know you care about her and she cares about you. The reason I know this is because she texts me every few months to make sure you are doing alright," J.J. explained. "She invited you to her wedding and that is a big deal. You don't invite just anyone to your wedding."
Spencer looked down at his shoes and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"At least think about it," she softly urged him before walking away.
(xxxxx)
Later that night, Spencer sat at his desk at home staring at the invitation. He ran his fingers through his short stringy hair as he debated with himself internally. Finally, he used his pen to check yes and wrote the number 3 for attending.
(xxxxx)
Three months later, Spencer walked into the reception hall of a ritzy ballroom in Los Angeles, California. He looked around at the ice sculptures and the string of lights that decorated the room. Everything was decorated to the nines and beyond.
Spencer followed nervously behind Derek as they headed toward their assigned table. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder gently. He glanced at J.J. who gave him a comforting smile. They took their seats and settled in to enjoy their evening.
An hour later while Derek and J.J. chatted with people at their table, Spencer felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around to see Lila standing behind him with a big smile on her face.
"Spencer," she said happily.
"Lila, you look beautiful," he said standing up to give her a hug.
"Thank you. I see you cut your hair. It looks great," she said wrapping her arms around his neck. "Spencer this is my husband, Roberto. Roberto, this is the man who saved my life."
"Dr. Reid, it's an honor," the man, with the stunning tan skin and a thick Spanish accent, said.
"Uh, it wasn't just me. My team helped," Spencer said as he gestured to J.J. and Derek.
"He's just being modest," Lila said. "Anyway, I am so glad you decided to come. I hope you are having a good time. Save a dance for me, ok?"
Spencer went to object, but she'd already moved on to hug and greet Derek and J.J. Spencer decided to take this moment and get himself something to drink. He approached the bar and placed his order. While he waited he saw a pretty girl walking towards him. Their eyes connected for a moment, quickening his pulse before he turned away.
A moment later, she leaned against the counter beside him. She glanced his way and smiled. He recognized her as the maid of honor. She had long brown hair that cascaded down her back below her shoulder blades. She wore a baby blue dress that laid perfectly over her body. The thin flowing fabric made her look angelic when she walked in it.
"Having fun?" she asked loudly due to the music.
"Yea," Spencer nodded. "You?"
"Yea," she smiled. "You with the bride or groom?"
"The bride," he replied as he took his drink from the bartender.
"I'm Carter," she said extending her hand to him.
He looked at her hand for a moment before reaching out and shaking it. Her hand was soft and warm.
"Uh, Spencer," he said shyly.
"Wait, are you the FBI Spencer?" she asked turning to face him better.
"Uh, yea," he said as his cheeks turned a shade of pink.
He took a sip of his drink and looked down at his feet.
"Well, it's nice to finally put a face with the name. Lila talked about you all the time after you saved her life," Carter said.
"Ma'am?" the bartender interrupted.
"Oh, sorry. I'll have a rum and coke, please," she said before turning back to Spencer. "So, are you enjoying your visit to LA?"
"I'm not really visiting. I just came in for the wedding and I'll be leaving tomorrow morning," he said as he took another sip of his drink.
"Oh, that's a shame. There's a lot of great places to see in the area," Carter said as she took her drink from the bartender. "So, Spencer, I hear you like to read. Do you have a favorite author or book?"
"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," he responded as his heart skipped a beat with sadness.
"'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth'," she said.
"Are you a fan of his?" Spencer said, surprised.
"I have a book of quotes. When I hear something that speaks to me, I write it down. I use these quotes to help me through tough times and when I'm writing," she said.
"You're a writer?" he asked.
"Sort of. I write music occasionally," she said.
"Are you a musician then?" he said squinting his eyes thoughtfully at her.
"Yea, I sing a little," Carter said with a smile that melted him to his core. "What about you? Besides being a super hero, what do you do?"
Carter flirted as he blushed.
"Uh, well I don't get a lot of free time, but when I do I usually read," he said before he lit up a bit. "Recently I did pick up on keyboarding, though."
"No kidding? I'd love to hear you play sometime," she said. "I play guitar."
Spencer smiled at her as she grinned back at him.
(xxxxx)
J.J. looked at Spencer's empty seat and realized he'd been gone since he spoke with Lila. That was over twenty minutes ago. She glanced around the room and didn't see him.
"Morgan," she said tapping his arm.
He broke away from the conversation and turned to her.
"Spencer's been gone for a while. I think something's wrong," she said nervously.
Derek and she both stood from their seats and began scanning the room.
"Hold up, I got him," Derek said and then started laughing.
"Where?" she said turning towards the direction Derek was looking.
Derek pointed toward the bar where Spencer stood laughing with a beautiful brunette.
"That son of a bitch found himself a girl," Derek laughed.
"Oh my gosh, Morgan! Do you know who that is?" J.J. said excitedly.
(xxxxx)
It had been an hour since Spencer and Carter started talking. He was telling her about the time he and Morgan went on a prank war against each other. Her eyes lit up and crinkled at the edges as she laughed. He liked to hear her laugh and see her smile.
He was about to share the final prank retaliation when a new song came on, catching Carter's attention. Her eyes grew bigger and she started to hop up and down excitedly.
"Oh, I love this song!" she said as she grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the dance floor.
"Oh … I … no," he stuttered as he followed her.
She glanced over her shoulder when she felt him resisting.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I … um … don't dance," he said nervously.
"Please, it's my favorite song," she begged as she tugged on his arm.
"I don't know how," he said with embarrassment.
Carter ran her hand down his arm and gently grabbed his hand. He looked at her and she gave him a gentle smile.
"Let me show you how," she said.
Spencer looked around at everyone surrounding them. He felt Carter squeeze his hand. He looked back at her.
"No one will laugh at you. Just focus on me and I'll guide you," she said.
He stared into her eyes and for some reason that he couldn't explain, he trusted her. He took a deep breath and nodded. She smiled at him and pulled him the rest of the way to the dance floor. When they reached there, she turned to face him.
She took his hands and placed them on her hips. She put her hands on his shoulders. He licked his lips nervously, while she just smiled kindly at him.
"Ok, now mimic what I'm doing," she said.
She began to move her feet back and worth. He copied her stiffly.
"Don't be afraid. Let yourself relax," she encouraged.
At this point, she began to move more fluently in front of him, while he stuck to the stiff move back and forth. When the song ended, a slow song began. Carter looked at Spencer and when he didn't move away, she moved closer, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You did well," she said with a smile.
"Sure, for a robot," he said, which made her laugh.
"Are you always this hard on yourself?" she said sweetly.
"Usually," he said.
She laughed again and he couldn't help, but smile. To his surprise, Carter pressed herself against him and laid her head on his shoulder. He found himself holding her tighter in his arms. He liked the way she felt in his arms. He liked the way she smelled like a sugar cookie and the way her dress felt under his finger tips.
The song ended and the two of them stepped apart. They smiled shyly at one another, when Lila suddenly appeared. Spencer ducked his head as he felt himself turning red.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this adorable moment," Lila said, with a grin. "But we are doing a final bridal party dance and I need you," she said.
"Ok," Carter said. "I … uh, have to go, thanks for the dance."
"It was nice talking with you," Spencer said blushing.
Carter smiled bashfully and nodded before walking off to join the bridal party. Spencer walked back to his table, where J.J. and Derek sat smirking at him. He felt his cheeks turning red.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to come back to the table," Derek teased.
"I guess I don't need to ask if you're having fun," J.J. joined in.
"Alright, enough," Spencer said shyly.
"You ready to head out stud?" Derek asked.
"Stud? Is that what you're going to call me now?" Spencer said as J.J. stood up from her chair.
Spencer grabbed her sweater and held it out for her to put on. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and thanked him.
"You know it, Stud," Derek said slapping Spencer on the back.
They started walking from the room toward the exit, when Spencer heard someone calling his name. He turned around to see Carter jogging toward him. Her dress was held in both hands so she wouldn't trip. He noticed that she had taken off her heals and was barefoot. He smiled at how adorable she was.
"Spencer, wait up," she said as she neared. "Are you leaving?"
"Yea, we have an early flight," he said as he rubbed his neck nervously.
"Oh, well, I had a great time with you tonight," she said sweetly.
"I enjoyed spending time with you as well," he said somewhat awkwardly.
Carter seemed to grow nervous. She had a look of doubt in her eyes.
"So, I don't normally do this, but can I … would it be ok if I called you sometime?" she said blushing.
Spencer was caught off guard, but he found himself nodding. Carter held up her cell phone and added his information. She turned off her phone, stood on her toes, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"Goodnight, Spencer," she said before hurrying off.
Spencer stood stunned. Unable to move.
"Stud," Derek said breaking him from his trance.
"Shut up," Spencer said as he turned bright red.
J.J. giggled as she followed Derek out of the ballroom. Spencer watched Carter walking away. Suddenly, she glanced over her shoulder and a smile crossed her face. He smiled before giving her a small wave. Despite the excitement he felt when around Carter, he also felt afraid.
He promised himself that he would never fall in love again. Not after Maeve. Being with him was too dangerous. He was a jinx or something. Either way, he told himself that he and Carter could be only friends and nothing more. Now if only his head could dictate his heart, because it was clear they were on completely different paths.