I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. I only own Becca and any of the other original characters or storylines I come up with.
Establishing Parameters
Reid walked into the offices eager to have a start to the day. He hadn't gotten a call so he knew there wasn't a case, but he almost wished there was. That way the team would be too busy to harass him about the night before. He felt a surge of hope as he saw the near vacant floor. Maybe it would be quiet, maybe he'd get through the door unscathed. Those hopes were dashed when he looked to his desk and saw Garcia leaning against it. He sighed but counted his blessings, at least she was better than Morgan or Rossi.
"Hello my love. Get seated and get settled because you're telling me everything." He sighed but did as she asked. The sooner he told her the sooner she'd leave him alone and that's what he wanted. He wanted to be alone to dissect the events of the night before, to figure out what he did right so he could do it again. Instead he just sat and waited for Garcia to ask. Instead she just stared at him and he knew the only way to stop her would be to tell her.
"We just went out for tea, talked until the teahouse closed for the night then she gave me her card. I invited her to the symphony on Saturday." At the last Garcia squealed quietly and clapped her hands.
"I am so proud of you my beautiful boy. Did Ms. Hughes accept your invitation?" She continued to smile at him and Reid nodded his head.
"She gave me her number too." He took out his phone and looked at his new contact before he looked at Garcia. "I may have a problem though. I invited Emil to the symphony first and she accepted. Do you think she'll be upset that I just gave away her ticket?"
"Believe me, Emily won't mind." Garcia said, thrilled that her boy had the guts to go for it.
"Emily won't mind what?" Emily asked as she set down her bag and removed her coat while Garcia turned to her all smiles. "What's going on?"
"Tell her." Garcia goaded and Reid sighed in resignation.
"I invited Becca to the symphony on Saturday and she accepted. You don't mind if I take her instead, do you?" He asked, not wanting to hurt her feelings. He shouldn't have worried if the smile on her face was any indication.
"No, Spencer, I don't mind at all. I hope the two of you have a wonderful time." She continued to smile as she sat down. "Do you have any plans for before or after?"
"Not now, I was just focused on not disappointing you." He answered honestly and both women shared a look then smiled at him with nearly identical looks on their faces. Great, he was going to have to deal with this three more times and Morgan wasn't going to go easy on him.
…
"How was your night last night?" The voice to her right caused Becca to jump as she looked up suddenly from where she was absent-mindedly stirring her coffee.
"It was good, went out to tea after work, spent some time with one of the agents. It was really good." She smiled. It had been more than good, the night had been perfect.
"Really? Agent Reid didn't bore you to tears?" Her colleague and perennial thorn in her side Drew asked and she felt her hackles rise.
"It's Dr. Reid and no, I actually find him fascinating. Did you know that he has three doctorates?" Drew raised an eyebrow and she felt her eyes narrow. "I have work to do."
"I'm sorry, ok; it's just strange to think of the cylon dating." He tried to soften his obvious faux pas but failed miserably when he referenced the cruel nickname that many of the peripheral staff used for the genius.
"Then don't think about it. Now if you'll excuse me I have a press release to proofread and a departmental website to edit." She turned her back on him and he shook his head. What a bright, vivacious and outgoing girl like her was doing with Dr. Reid was a mystery.
Becca made it to her desk, fully aware of the glances people were stealing and the whispers. She didn't know why this was such a subject of interest. People dated and "fraternized" quite often, especially in the close-knit world of the FBI. When you worked up to 80 hours a week in an insular location it was nearly impossible not to have a romantic entanglement. It had just taken her longer than most to bite into that somewhat forbidden apple. As the thought came to her she made a note in her calendar. She was going to have to talk to her supervisor about the rules for fraternizing outside of your department; she'd do whatever she could to keep Spencer. She suddenly laughed at herself, after one date she was already sounding like a stalker.
"Ok, time to finish this for JJ." She said quietly as she brought up the press release JJ had handed off to her. Coming back from maternity leave had left JJ swamped and unable to find time for the less pressing matters so she regularly outsourced them to Becca and her cubicle partner Riley to do for her. They were the only ones in the communications branch that she really trusted and Becca was always happy to help her. As she finished, she contemplated walking to the BAU offices to hand deliver it...and see Spencer...but decided that discretion was the better part of valor and emailed it to JJ instead. She'd be seeing Spencer on Saturday after all, no need to overwhelm him.
…
JJ walked into the offices and immediately made a beeline for Spence. She had a lot of work to do but she wanted to check in and make sure things went well the night before. She only wanted the best for Spence. As she walked up to him he caught her eye and gave her a slight nod and that was all she needed to see. It went well and he was in a good headspace, if things went badly he'd have his face buried in a file and he'd be stuck inside his own head. This Spence was good, which meant that Becca would be nearly giddy. She smiled at the differing reactions she was going to get and just waved to the three congregating near Spencer's desk before she went to her office. He'd earned a reprieve from all the questioning, especially since Morgan would be in any minute and he was bound to have something to say.
…
As lunchtime rolled around Reid eyed Morgan warily. The older agent's behavior that morning had been unexpected. He'd just told Reid that Becca was a great girl and recommended going out to dinner after the symphony. He didn't tease him, didn't make him feel like a fool, he just seemed to be genuinely pleased for his friend.
"Hey man, wanna go get some lunch?" Morgan asked as he approached Reid's desk and the younger man felt alarm bells go off in his head. This was it...better to get it over with now than to prolong it.
After a nod of confirmation he rose and walked with Morgan in silence that wasn't uncomfortable. As they got to the elevator Morgan stopped him and gave him a smile.
"I'm not gonna mess with you about this right now, but once things get real for you two, no mercy." He smiled wider at the look on Reid's face before he patted his shoulder. He meant it, once Spencer and Becca were together...no mercy.
…
Saturday...
Becca sat quietly next to Spencer as the music filled the hall. So far the evening was going really well. He'd met her at the venue at her insistence since she was having issues with her plumbing and didn't know if she was going to be late. Luckily the plumber had arrived and she'd had plenty of time to get ready and meet Spencer at a decent time. They visited a gelato stand near the concert hall before they went in since it was too late for a pre-concert dinner and he spent the walk to the hall filling her in on the importance of the pieces they were going to hear tonight. She couldn't deny that, as much as she loved hearing him speak, she couldn't always keep up with him. It wasn't really annoying or bad in any way because he tended to bookend his tangents with a review so she could usually find something to comment on. Otherwise she'd just nod along and he could usually be counted on to make another obscure reference and that would start the cycle over again. During the concert, however, he was silent as he got lost in the movements and at one point she saw him close his eyes to just listen. Now he was reading the program and when he noticed her looking at him he smiled shyly and went back to what he was doing. She smiled in return and turned her attention back to the music.
Once the concert was over Spencer hailed a cab outside of the hall and for a painful moment Becca thought he forgot about her but as he waved her over and held the door for her she breathed out the breath she'd been holding and got in. It seemed like their night wasn't at an end.
"Do you know the way to Eli's?" He asked the cab driver who nodded and grunted in that way all cab drivers seem able to and he leaned back in his seat and looked at Becca. She was smiling brightly and seemed to be content with the evening. He was glad; he was really starting to like spending time with her and wanted this to continue. She listened and always had something to say but she didn't tease him...not a lot anyway. He liked that even when she got lost in the conversation she made an effort to let him know she was engaged and he'd found himself ending his discussions with a cliff's notes version of what he said so she could understand. He usually didn't think about the fact that others might not follow along but seeing her smile and bright eyes made him care. He smiled back at her and the ride continued in silence before they stopped at one of his favorite restaurants in town. It was opened all night and the coffee always flowed in copious amounts.
After getting out of the cab and paying the fare Spencer guided Becca into the restaurant and once they were seated with menus he took the lead. He knew this place well.
"I'd get the bottomless coffee cup; they actually have some of the best coffee in DC. They also serve breakfast around the clock." She nodded at his recommendations and looked over the menu.
"I guess I'll give the coffee and pancakes a shot." She set down her menu and gave him another smile. "So what is it that draws the wondrous Dr. Reid to an all-night restaurant and cafe on the outskirts of DC?"
"Insomnia and a desire for coffee." He chuckled a little. "Solitude too, this place clears out after midnight."
"Interesting, I thought I was the only insomniac looking for late night coffee joints along the Metro." Her smile turned teasing and he relaxed a bit. For some reason she could put him at ease.
"If you find yourself unable to sleep and want some recommendations give me a call. I know the best places for coffee, atmosphere and late night people watching." He offered his recommendation and Becca nodded, the smile never leaving her face.
"Thank you Spence. Maybe you could even join me in my wandering." She suggested and Spencer ducked his head. "Though, now that we're on date two maybe we should be discreet with the late night rendezvous. We don't want tongues to wag-"
"First." Spencer said sharply as he cut her off. "This is our first date."
"I'll bite, why do you consider this our first date?" She was confused but willing to hear him out.
"The first night we were just spending time together getting to know each other. There were no expectations of future romance, hopes but no expectations. We could have left without pursuing anything further and not felt awkward. Now we have a new level of expectations for each other." Becca nodded, understanding but he wasn't done yet. "Also, that night was spur of the moment, no planning ahead, just two people in each other's company. I think there has to be a certain level of planning for it to be considered a date."
As he explained the server brought their food and refilled their coffee cups. As Becca unfolded her napkin and placed it across her lap she gave Spencer a considering look.
"Is there a spending cap on dates as well? Like say we end up spending a hundred dollars when we go out after work, no planning, would that be a date?" He looked at her as he considered how serious she was but when he saw that she was he did his own considering.
"It would depend on the circumstances. If I'd planned on spending the time with you throughout the day I'd consider that a date but if we met up in the elevator and just decided at that moment to go somewhere I wouldn't. Also we can't forget the romantic aspects. If I just wanted to spend time with you, no designs for any future romance, that wouldn't be a date." He explained and Becca nodded.
"What if I have romantic designs? If that's the case then this is our second date. I like you Spencer, a lot, and I want to see if this can go the distance. I just don't want to be too aggressive with you, you deserve to be treated with respect and me throwing myself at you isn't exactly the most respectful way to go about things." She picked up her coffee and sipped it, suddenly afraid for his reaction.
"Thank you for that. How about this...We plan dates ahead of time, together, we figure out what we want to do. If we just go out for coffee or a movie after work, no planning then that's not a date, that's just us spending time together." He put up his hands in a plea for understanding and as Becca looked in his eyes she nodded, she got what he was going for. This was overwhelming him and he had to take some control.
"Ok, I'll follow those guidelines. I guess there are a lot of expectations and pressures associated with the word "date" huh?" She asked rhetorically and Spencer nodded, she understood and she just went with it. It made him regret not going to her years ago when he first noticed her looking at him a little too closely and smiling wider when she saw him in a room.
"More pressures than you think, especially on males in this society." He picked up his coffee in a subconscious mirroring of what she was doing. "Now that we're following the guidelines why don't we talk about next weekend? I don't have any plans, unless we get a case."
Becca smiled wider as she thought about another date with Spencer. She had plans for the next weekend but they could definitely be amended to accommodate him.
"I have an idea for next weekend! Since you were good enough to bring me to the symphony tonight, let me take you to the theater next Saturday. One of my friends is playing Ophelia in the Klingon-Language version of Hamlet. I was given two comp tickets. Does that sound like something you'd be interested in doing?" She asked it all in a rush, barely catching her breath between sentences.
"HI jah'." He said with a smile and Becca smiled. Not only was he a sweet, kind, gentle and sexy genius, the man spoke Klingon too. He really was the one for her.
...
Author's Note: I would like to thank Sonatica for her review and the critique she offered. As I said I don't speak Japanese so I got everything online and my stupidly Anglo-centric mind decided to go for the English sounding translations. From now on I'll use the appropriate honorifics, except in places where the incorrect form works. Anyway, thank you Sonatica for both reviewing and offering advice. As far as Klingon goes I do speak it, almost fluently, so no need for help with that :)
Anyway, thank you in advance and I'd be interested to hear which parts of their relationship you'd like to see. I have this plotted out near the end of the fourth season so I'll be delving into Becca's response to some of the harder things Spencer goes through. I'll definitely be continuing this story; my muse isn't giving it up without a fight.
