We Will Always Be Best Friends

Rainbow Haired Girl

Summary: Spencer Reid had only one best friend when he was growing up and he lost in contact with her after he had left when he had turned 18 years old. Little does he know that she is closer than he thinks. She knows that he works there, but pretends that she doesn't know him. Spencer Reid/OC

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. I do own Juniper Evans, Roxanne Evans, and Robert Evans.

Authoress Note: This is starting before Season one of Criminal Minds. It gives some history of Juniper Evans and Spencer Reid's past of how close they were before he left for good from Las Vegas, Nevada. It will give some history to Juniper's time in college as well trying to keep in touch with Spencer, but it doesn't work out real well. This is going to be many scenes. Dates will change during the story. Trying to get up to the point that Juniper and Spencer see each other for the first time and he is trying to place who she truly is. Will Juniper tell him who she is or will she let him deal with not knowing who she is? I was going to try to post this on the third of July, but I hadn't really had a chance to because the chapter actually took longer to write than I thought it would have. Plus I had to make sure that my power wouldn't go out by the time that I posted this. Plus not only that I had to make sure that I had this right. I fixed minor errors. Please enjoy.

Chapter 1

Things Change When You Grow Up

July 4th, 1999

17 year old Juniper Evans sat with her best friend Spencer Reid alone in her back yard. Her parents were busy preparing for some big shindig and she wanted not to be a single part of it. Her parents had invited Spencer over to keep her busy while they were preparing for the big party that they were going to have. It was like this almost every year on the 4th of July.

She leaned against the tree that they were sitting under. Her shocking blue hair was tied back in a braid, and she wore a pair of jeans that had holes in the knees and a white tank top that had red and blue designs on it.

Spencer sat next to her and worse a pair of jeans, a button up shirt, and mismatched socks and a pair of shoes upon his feet unlike Juniper.

The two of them were reading from a book that the both of them loved a lot by a man that they knew little of Edgar Allen Poe. The two of them loved reading stories and poems by him and they usually read them out loud. It was her turn to read.

"It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she live with no other thought than to love and be loved by me. I was a child and she was a child, in this kingdom by the sea..."

"Juniper honey!" Roxanne Evans, a blond haired blue eyed woman, her mother called for her.

Juniper's eyes shot up from the book that sat upon her lap. She was surprised to hear that her mother was calling for her. "What mom?" She asked, as she slowly got up.

"I'm going to need you and Spencer to help out for a minute."

Juniper looked at Spencer. "I guess we should go in and help." She said as she dusted her back of her jeans off from the dirt. She held out her hand to her 6'1 friend and hoisted him up to his feet.

"I wonder why she needs help normally she doesn't ask." Spencer said, looking at his best friend.

"I don't know why. Maybe it is because this party is getting far too close to us now and people will be showing up shortly." She said, as they walked inside. She walked up to her mother and noticed that she had everything together. "You want us to take those out for you?" She asked looking into her mother's blue eyes.

"That would be correct." Roxanne told her youngest daughter.

Juniper picked up a heavy bowl that had salad in it.

"Spencer is your mother going to be joining us?" Roxanne asked the slightly older boy.

"I'm not sure Mrs. Evans." Spencer said, licking his fairly dry lips. He had to admit he was nervous being around Juniper's parents since he had grown to love her over the years since they had gotten to know each other a lot better. He didn't want to ruin what they had and he knew that she probably wouldn't feel the same way about him as he did with her. He quickly picked up another bowl that had potato salad in it and carried it out.

He watched Juniper out of the corner of his eyes and realized how much he truly cared for her. He loved everything about her and was glad that she wasn't going to change. He loved that she changed her hair color at random it was just who she was. He tried not to look at her curvy, slim, tall form. He still towered over her by at least 4 inches. She was beautiful in his eyes. She was more beautiful when she had her natural hair color which was very rare that she had it since she had the chance to color it. When she moved it was like she was dancing, but she wasn't. She was really graceful. He wished he could tell her that he liked her... no scratch that maybe even love her. He didn't want to ruin the friendship that they had. They were each others rock.

He would go to her when he had problems with his mom and stressed his worries to Juniper while Juniper did the same when her parents wanted to put her into talent shows, beauty contests, and pageants. She wasn't one for those. She never really quite fit in with that. She wasn't someone to be in competitions like that. It just wasn't her. She was more of the 'I rather read at home' type of person.

X * X * X * X * X * X

October 31st, 1999

Spencer looked at his best friend as they sat in her living room while her parents were out. Her parents trusted them not to do anything stupid since they knew better. They were watching some horror films with the lights on.

Juniper's head was on his shoulder as they watched the movie Halloween. Her bright orange hair hung loosely in a ponytail over her shoulder. She wore a black shirt that had a Halloween design on it and a pair of jeans.

Spencer wore a button up orange shirt and a pair of jeans. His mismatched socked feet were on the coffee table stretched out. He had something important to talk to her about, but he wasn't sure how she was going to react. He was committing his mother into an institution and he was leaving to go to college another round of it. He didn't know how she was going to react. He wanted to tell her that everything would have been ok, but he knew that things were going to be strained between them.

Juniper looked at Spencer. "Is something wrong Spence?" She asked, worried about him. She didn't like worrying about him because it made her heart hurt a lot.

"I'm sorry Jun." He said softly.

"Sorry about what?"

"I have something important to tell you." He told her softly. He bit the inside of his lip not knowing if this was going to be easy to tell her.

"What is it?" She asked, sitting up more. She was really concerned now. What could he have to say to her.

"I am leaving..." He said softly.

She pulled away from him. "What?" She asked, softly her eyes watering.

"I am leaving... I put my mom into a home to be taken care of better than I ever could." He said softly. "I am going to be going to school."

Juniper gasped. "You're leaving me?"

"No, no not at all Jun. I'm not leaving you. You start college in the winter and it isn't the same as mine." He said softly. "We will still be able to call one another." He told her.

"When are you leaving?" She asked softly not breaking her eye contact from him.

"The same day that you are leaving."

"Oh..." She said softly. She knew that she was going to miss him.

X * X * X * X * X * X

January 2, 2000

At the airport Spencer and Juniper were about ready to say good bye to one another while they both went off to separate colleges. Neither one of them would see each other again unless one of them wanted to make the trip to go and see the other, but how possible would that be? They didn't know.

Juniper looked at him. "You will write to me won't you?" She asked softly.

"I will..." Spencer told her softly.

"Be sure to send your first letter to my parent's house... they'll send it to me and I will send you a letter once I get it." She said softly.

Spencer nodded his head. "I will I promise."

X * X * X * X * X * X

December 25th, 2000

Juniper picked up her letter that Spencer had sent her. She opened it up and began to read it.

Dear Juniper,

I hope this letter gets to you in good health. I just wanted to tell you that I've been working harder on my school work now and it has taken a lot longer to reply to you.

How is school for you? Me it's been nothing, but me hitting the books. I was hoping that I would come and see you at Christmas time, but I know you told me that you had something to cram for. You are certainly an overachiever. I hope that you that you become what you told me that you wanted to become to be. You would make a wonderful Forensic Scientist.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Your best friend,
Spencer Reid.

X * X * X * X * X* X

May 2nd, 2003

Juniper was busy finishing the last amount of school work that she had. She hadn't heard from Spencer in two years. The last time that he wrote was the start of her second year of school in 2001. She was actually typing up a large final report for her degree. She was to become a forensic scientist. She didn't know what her friend was up to now. The last that she heard was that he had finished at the school that he was at and was on his way to another one.

"Hey Juni." Said Juniper's room mate Rosaline, who had long blond hair, big blue eyes, and sun kissed skin.

Juniper looked up from her computer and looked at her room mate. "Yes?" She asked, as she ran her fingers through her short haircut, which was a pixie cut style. Her green eyes were tired as if she was working hard on this paper which was due in just a few short weeks in order for her to graduate from college.

"Did you ever hear from that friend of yours again?" She asked curiously.

Juniper let out a sigh. "No, I haven't heard from him since 2001." She said softly, as she looked away from Rosaline.

"Oh honey you still miss him?"

"Miss him every day." She said softly. "I know I am not going to see him again." She looked down at the keyboard and went back to typing her paper."

"Honey you really should try and find him."

"No... He's a busy..." She said as she typed.

X * X * X * X * X * X

July 5th, 2004

Juniper's 1988 Ford Mustang pulled into the parking lot of the BAU department even though she would be bouncing from place to place when it came to figuring out how people died. She was 22 and well qualified for the job that they had hired her for. She wouldn't say no to working for the FBI. It was something that she always wanted to do. She walked into the building with a little bag over her shoulder that was just big enough to carry what she really truly needed for the day. She wore a white lab coat and her id was on her lab coat as well. She walked past Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gidson, Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, and Spencer Reid.

"Looks like we got a newbie to our crew." Said Garcia with a huge smile.

"It looks like it is true baby cakes." Morgan said eying the young woman who had Fuschia Shock pink hair that was braided into pigtails. He never saw someone come into the work place that colored their hair bright colors. Maybe the FBI was being easy on her since she was not a special agent. "But I don't think that I have seen someone wear something like that."

"She is our new Forensic Scientist." Gideon told the group, he knew who she was because he was there when they hired the 22 year old female.

"Oh really what's her name?" Asked Garcia curious of the pink haired woman.

"She goes by the name Jun." Gideon said, with a smile.

"No last name?" Asked Morgan, looking at Gideon.

"She didn't want anyone to know her last name just her first."

Spencer looked at her as she walked by them. Something was familiar about the young woman that was now here, but how did he know who she was? 5'9, pink hair, green eyes, black clothes underneath that white lab coat that she wore.

"She's going to help us figure out the patterns?" Morgan asked, watching the girl disappear into the lab where she was to be working at.

"Yes, she is the best of the best. That's why they want her working with us. She'll probably be starting today with us since we have a new case to work on. Morgan go and get her please."

"Yes, sir." He told Gideon and he walked towards Jun's new office. He knocked on the door.

Juniper opened the door. "Yes?" She asked, looking up at him slightly. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

"Gideon said that he wanted to see you once that you were all settled in baby cakes." He said with a smile.

"Oh... alright. I take it you guys got a case?"

"That would be correct."

She smiled. "Alright I will be right there." She said with a giggle. "I just got to grab my glasses is all."

"Alright baby cakes." He said, as he walked back to the group.

Juniper slipped back into her office and grabbed the small glasses case that concealed a pair of small black rimmed reading glasses. She came out with a note pad as well with a pen. She walked over to them.

"Every one this is Jun." Gideon said with a smile. "Jun these are special agents Aaron Hotchner, Dr. Spencer Reid, and Derek Morgan and our Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia."

Juniper looked at Spencer out of the corner of her eyes. A name that she knew so well. He hadn't talked to her since 2001. She felt anger rage through her, but she wasn't going to show it. "So what's this case about?" She asked as she slipped her little reading glasses on her eyes.

"This is from Florida. Three women were found, but we don't really know the cause of death." Hotchner said.

"Hm... did they run autopsy?" She asked as she looked at the three pictures that were up on the board.

"Yes, and we are waiting for the autopsy results." Said Gideon.

"Hm..." She got up from her seat and got a closer look at the pictures that were on the board. "Was there any needle marks?"

"None were found... why do you think that someone might have missed the needle marks?" Asked Hotchner.

"It is possible." She said as she looked even closer. "Hm... yes, it looks like they did."

"What do you mean?"

Juniper pointed on the girl's arm. "There's a bruise there and in the middle of the bruise is a little needle mark." She said, looking away from the photo. "I think that they might have been drugged... or the drug killed them..."

Hotch got up and looked at the pictures a bit closer. "Huh... it would appear that you're right."

Juniper nodded her head. "Sadly there hasn't been a toxicology report done yet. I can go with you and do the toxicology reports if you want me to."

"That would be perfect." He told her, with a small smile.

"Alright when are we going?" She asked looking at him.

"We're on the road in thirty minutes."

Juniper nodded her head. "Alright." She said with as smile. "I'll go gather my gear up." She bowed her head and left the group.

Spencer watched her leave the room.

"You alright kid?" Asked Morgan looking at Spencer.

"Huh? Yeah... I'm fine." He lied. He was trying to figure out if he knew this girl. If he did who was she? Did he grow up with her when he was living in Las Vegas Nevada?

X * X * X * X * X * X

Juniper was busy gathering her gear up. She was making sure that she had everything that she needed. She had done quite a few toxicology reports and had formally worked in cold cases. She wanted to make sure that these cases that looked all the same didn't turn cold. "Spencer you will be cursed the day you forgot me."

X * X * X * X * X * X

That is the end of chapter 1. Basically kind of a history of Spencer and Juniper's relationship as friends. What can possibly happen during their time working together. Will Juniper ever tell Spencer that she actually knows who he is or will he figure out that he knows her?