"…I wanted to update this sooner, but things got in the way ;( . You should know that I tried reposting The FBI's Pawn numerous times, but they just won't let me! I WILL write another CM/WC fic, but it won't be until next year. Hope you guys like this final chap! R&R…?"

An Acquaintance-Chapter 3

Things Change

4-5 Years after 'The Split'

Spencer Reid had been in college for close to two years before he heard the knock on his door that would change his life. As the young teen opened the door, he frowned.

"Hello, sir. My name is SSA Jason Gideon, and I work for a unit of the FBI called the BAU, the behavioral-"

"The behavioral analysis unit." Spencer nodded. "Yes, I've heard of you before. I actually attended a lecture you attended on-campus a few weeks ago." The younger man moved out of the way so Agent Gideon could enter his dorm room.

"Spencer, I think you know why I'm here." Gideon smiled.

Spencer smiled back as he sat down opposite of the older man. "So, how much am I worth to the FBI? I've been offered more jobs than I thought even existed with steep paychecks and easy enough work…."

"But it isn't about the money with you, is it?"

"It doesn't take a profiler to figure that much out." Spencer smirked.

~ *AA*~

A Few hours later, Gideon left Spencer's dorm room on a 'good note'. The college student seemed interested enough in the job and he had much potential. He was sure that he could get him to join on his own will, and he walked away smiling because of it. The only issue they had was the age. Spencer wasn't even 18 yet, but he was positive that he could get Spencer in to the BAU a bit earlier if necessary.

Suddenly, a man with a black fedora and piercing blue eyes accidentally bumped into him. The younger man quickly apologized, so Gideon weaned off any suspicion. The man continued on his way casually until he was out of sight from Gideon. He brought out the piece of paper he had lifted from his pocket and flipped it open. A soft laugh escaped his lips as he read the note to himself. Finally, he reached his final destination, and he rung the doorbell.

A skinny young man with longish, curly hair answered the door with a tight smile on his face. When he realized whom the other man was, his smile grew more genuine, and the blue-eyed man entered the dorm room.

"So little Spencer's joining the FBI?" Neal smirked. When he saw the questioning look on his old friend's face, he tossed him the paper he had lifted from Gideon. "Congrads; you must have made quite an impression on him. You're number one on his recruiting list."

"Yeah, well, things changed." Spencer nodded. "I've been out of crime for a while now, and I have some changes to make with my life." He paused for a minute and looked over his friend's new look. A more classic Neal compared to kid Neal, he supposed, but even as a child Neal always dressed up a little more than the rest of them. After sizing him up, Reid started up again. "How's Kate?"

"In and out." Neal sighed. "It's hard for us to stay together these days, but we're making it work. We're still in New York, but she left for a few weeks for a, uh, business trip."

"But you two are still together, right?" Reid called as he entered his kitchen to get a glass of water for his friend to drink. A few seconds later, he reentered and Neal silently thanked him.

"Yeah, we're still together." he nodded. "Like I said, it's hard, but we make it work."

There was a comfortable silence between the two friends as they sipped on their water and silently observed each other, although neither of them would admit to the latter. Finally, Spencer cleared his throat and Neal looked up.

"I suppose you want to know what this is about?" Neal guessed.

"You've called before- emailed, sent letters…. But a face-to-face is risky for both of us. This has to be important." He nodded.

"You always were smart." Neal smiled, but his grin quickly evaporated. He couldn't afford to waste any more time, and he knew that all-too well. The sudden change in behavior immediately caught up to Spencer, and he straightened up his posture, obviously afraid of what Neal might say. 'With good reason,' Neal thought. "Something's happened to Mozzie…. And I need your help."

"What happened?" Spencer asked. He was worried now; Mozzie was a good person, and he owed him a lot. If he was in trouble, he'd do anything he could to help his friend.

"He's in the hospital right now. He… he caught a bad case of pneumonia a few weeks ago, and the doctors treated him for it. He's better now, and he can be released, but they're starting to ask questions. Mozzie told me to stay a safe distance away from the hospital; he didn't want anyone recognizing me or looking me up in the system. They won't release him until they find family, though, and if they start asking around, something's bound to spill up. We can't risk that, and we need your help making sure that doesn't happen."

Neal didn't want to drag his friend into his mess, but he knew he didn't have any other options left. Spencer was trying to create a new life, a better life, and Neal could understand and appreciate that. He felt horrible for asking Spencer to come back to New York with him after how hard he had worked to get to where he currently was, but he also knew how much Mozzie meant to the younger man.

Spencer knew that he didn't have to help him, but he wanted to. Mozzie had been so good to him when he was a child, and it was the least he owed him. He nodded at his friend and told him that he would help. Since he had the rest of the week off from school anyways, he wouldn't have to worry about missing any lessons or tests. In fact, Neal's timing was perfect- right now was the only time in the foreseeable future where he could go fly to New York.

"Thank you Spencer; you don't know how much this means to me." Neal said.

"Mozzie's my friend, too. I want to help him." Spencer nodded. "What time is our flight?"

"In two hours." Neal smirked.

"Jerk." Spencer muttered as he rushed to his bedroom.

His pouty behavior only caused Neal's smiled to widen, and he called back, "Better pack fast!" When he received no answer in return, Neal just continued smiling, and for the first time in a long time, he realized how much he had missed Spencer…

~* AA *~

The flight had seemed shorter than usual as Neal and Spencer talked about what had been going on in their lives. They caught up, chatted about various things, told stories, and laughed throughout the whole flight, and they were almost positive they were the happiest two people on the plane. The flight ended too soon, and Neal was barely able to catch Spencer up to the plan before they got off the plane.

Neal and Spencer took a taxi to Neal's current 'home', a high-class, ritzy hotel that Spencer was positive neither of them could afford. Being a crafty conman, Neal had certainly found a way to pay for it, Spencer supposed.

"Tonight, we're going to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, we'll have a quick breakfast and head over to the hospital." Neal said as he repacked his suitcase.

"Sounds like a plan." Spencer nodded as he quickly changed into his pajamas. Neal turned around as he did so; he remembered how 'shy' Spencer was as a kid, and he figured that wasn't something he grew out of. Spencer nodded gratefully at his friend, and Neal nodded back. With a final round of goodnights', they headed off to bed….

~* AA *~

Spencer Reid walked into the building with a grim frown and a stack of papers. He even managed to fake a few tears as he neared the information center of the hospital. The nurse behind the counter frowned when she saw the young and distressed man walk up to her counter. He sat down the stack of papers in front of him and sniffled.

"How may I help you?" she asked.

"My… my father… he's a patient here." Spencer choked out. "He had pneumonia a few weeks ago, and they said he was admitted last week. I… I couldn't get here any sooner; I was in Las Vegas on a business trip! No one told me about what had happened until yesterday, and I ran as fast as I could back home. Why wasn't I notified sooner?" He begged miserably.

"I'm sorry sir." She frowned. "No one could find your number, or his records, for that matter. I'm assuming those papers in your hands could help us out….?"

"Yes, of course." He nodded. "His name's Michael Shultz, and I am his son, Jasper. I was told he could be released as soon as they found someone to take care of him. Can I…. Can I take him home?"

The secretary flipped through the files, nodding her head in approval. "Everything seems to be in order. I'll have a nurse prep your father to leave, and you should have him back in a few hours."

"Thank you." Spencer sighed, wiping tears from his eyes. "I haven't seen him since I moved to Vegas for my architectural firm- that was six years ago." He sighed. "It's been so long." He laughed nervously.

"Well, I'm sure everything will be fine." She reassured. "Go sit down; I'll be back with you in a minute." With a nod, Spencer sat down in the waiting room with his fake tears gone and a smile on his face…

~* AA *~

"Thanks Spencer." Mozzie said as he walked side-by-side with Spencer out of the hospital. "I hate hospitals."

"Yeah, I know." Spencer smiled. "I missed you, you know."

"Yeah, I do know, actually." Mozzie frowned "I've missed you, too. Things haven't been the same without you."

"Things change." Spencer nodded.

"Like you joining the FBI, for one thing."

"Neal told you?" he frowned.

"Don't worry Spencer; I'm not going to lecture you on why you shouldn't become a suit. You're a big boy now; you can make your own decisions."

"Thanks Mozzie; I appreciate that."

The rest of the short trip to the hotel room was made in silence. Unsure of what to say to each other, the two men decided not to speak at all as they made their way into the hotel room, where an anxious Neal waited for them.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Everything went according to plan. She believed the documents were real, and she really did think we were related." Spencer replied.

"Good." Neal smiled. Then, he turned around and produced a bottle of wine and three cups. The three men shared a mischievous look before sitting down at the small kitchen table. Neal cracked open the bottle and started pouring the glasses full of the substance.

Throughout the night, the three men talked on and off about various things until they grew silent again. Spencer would have to leave tomorrow, but none of them were ready for him to leave. They had missed each other's company over the years, and now that they were together again, they were all determined to stay in touch more often.

As Spencer fell to sleep that night, he thought about all the things that Mozzie and Neal had provided him with, and he frowned when he realized all that didn't matter any more. He was going to be an FBI agent; if he wanted to stay in contact with two criminals, he would have to be careful. If he was caught, he knew that he would lose his job and ultimately be sent to prison.

Spencer sighed as he turned over in his sleep. He was dreading tomorrow, but he knew his departure was inevitable. Finally, he allowed his eyes to fully close and his mind to be set free. As he let an unsettling sleep set over him, he heard footsteps sneaking out of the room and the sound of a door closing. If he had been more awake, he would have tried to stop his friends from leaving, but he knew it was best. Spencer had to wake up alone in that room tomorrow, and they all knew why quite clearly.

'Things change, so let go and move on before someone gets hurt.'

"….Well, not what I wanted. ;(. Ah well. I hope you guys enjoyed this story! Thnx for sticking with it! I love you all…!"