You head towards your apartment door, the knocking echoing throughout the room. You open the door with one hand, simultaneously adjusting the sling that hugs your other arm with a shrug of the shoulder. A brief sense of pain spirals out but seems to disappear once you see who's outside, awaiting an invitation in. A smile spreads upon his face and immediately you smile back, always happy to see him.
"Spence, what're you doing here?" You ask, stepping aside so he can come in. He approaches the dresser that sat right inside your door and sets his leather bag down.
"I wanted to come see how you're doing." He said, the corner of his mouth turning upwards and into an awkward little smile.
"You don't have to do this." You say as you walk towards your kitchen. You pour a cup of coffee and bring it out to him. You sit down on your couch and he follows suit.
"I know, but I wanted to. I mean, I owe you that much after what I did..."
"Spence, this wasn't your fault." You reassure him. Judging by the look in his eyes, he doesn't believe that.
You can't help but think back to yesterday morning. Four middle aged women had been strangled and dumped within inner city Detroit. The case was relatively easy, and the profile had been quickly assembled. The unsub was a Caucasian man in his mid twenties with a menial job. The bodies had been hidden and remained undiscovered for a long period of time due to the unsub's decent knowledge of the city's layout and an average idea of traffic patterns. Garcia had narrowed down the viable suspects and just one remained; Shaun Vicellio, a young taxi driver. The profilers, along with a SWAT team, had blocked all the exits to Vicellio's house once they had confirmed he was in there. You and Reid had he back door covered, and on Hotch's order, you were to go to in.
Reid opened the door in one quick motion and you headed down the stairs to the basement. Your gun was steady as you descended, Reid's footsteps faintly following behind. You turned the corner and immediately laid eyes upon the unkempt man, who was holding a pistol against a woman's head. His eyes darted between you and Reid.
"One step and I shoot." He shouted. "Put your guns down!"
You look to Spencer, nonverbally signaling that you were going to holster your weapon. He gave a slight, almost unnoticeable nod. You slowly slid the gun onto your belt.
"Shaun, I'm Supervisory Special Agent (Y/L/N). This is Dr. Reid. Put the gun away, Shaun. Let's just talk." You said in a calm, even tone.
The unsub's eyes darted around the room. The team had speculated on whether he was having a psychotic break, but hadn't come to a conclusion on account of how quickly they had found Vicellio.
Shaun muttered something to himself and paused. It was inaudible what he had said, but this repeated a few times before he withdrew a shaky breath. Instants became liquid minutes, and Shaun's actions, although fast, slowed in front of you as time froze.
He rose his gun to you, pulling the trigger. His alerted eyes peered into yours as a bullet entered your shoulder. The force of the blow pushes you against the wall behind you, and you slide down to the floor. You clutch your shoulder. As you had fallen, Hotch, along with Morgan and some SWAT agents, had filled the room. The unsub laid on the floor, a hole through the center of his chest. Rossi slid the gun away from the dead man's hands. You looked down at the red trickling onto your hand, trying to process what had happened. Reid bent down in front of you, holding your head in his hands so you look at him.
"Are you ok?" He says over the buzzing sound that filled your ears. You nod groggily, still slightly shocked from the sudden turn of events.
Morgan helps you up and leans your uninjured side against him. He helps you up the stairs, Reid following just behind.
The paramedics bring you to the hospital, Reid insisted on riding with you. He holds your hand as you approach the hospital. JJ called Spencer and said the team would meet them at the hospital after everything was handled back at Vicellio's house.
You wake up in a hospital room, gauze wrapped around your shoulder. The bullet had been removed. As your mind returned, you looked around and saw Spencer at the side of your bed, looking down at you with a concerned smile. His eyes crinkled as he saw you wake up. You rub your eyes.
"Hey," he whispers.
"Hey." You reply, your voice coarse as a result of just waking up. He looks towards the chairs in the lobby, five of them filled up by the team members.
"How are you feeling?" Spence asks.
"Like I got shot." You laugh, and the corner of his mouth twitches upwards as he chuckles.

You snap back to the present as Spencer starts talking again.
"I- I could have stopped him. I could have talked him down, or if I had reacted faster..." He trails off as he stares into his coffee, absently stirring it with a spoon.
"It really is ok," you reach out and put your free hand on his. "It's just a scratch." Your voice is even and sweet. You can see he still blames himself, but for the life of you, you can't figure out why.
"You could have died." He says so quietly you can barely hear. His eyes grow red as tears welled up in his eyes. He withdraws his hand from yours and angrily wipes at them. Your lips parted, awaiting words to be spoken, but nothing comes out. You just close your mouth and frown slightly.

"I was supposed to protect you. Partners should have each other's back. If he had aimed just a little to the left, you wouldn't be here right now. I don't know what I would do with myself, knowing you'll never walk through the doors to the office anymore."
"But Spence, he didn't-" you try to counter, but he cuts you off.
"What I realized from this whole thing is that we don't have as much time as we think we do. So I figure that I better tell you what I feel while I can." He pauses. "(Y/N), I- I love you." He bites his lips and anxiously awaits a reaction, but before he can profile one, you wrap him in a warm one-armed hug. He presses into you, and the moment feels so perfect. The pain of your shoulder isn't even noticed as you whisper back,
"I love you too, Spence."