Jane Howard once said "Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

0~0

Reid was uncomfortable. That was an understatement. He was also stressed, jumpy, and prone to irritation because of the smallest things. For example, Emily coming by to swipe a pencil from his desk, squeaky noises coming from those who liked to rock back and forth in their chairs, and the constant ringing of phones made him want to snap. Usually, he could handle these things. Usually, he didn't have to handle these things. Sure, he would pick up on the smallest details, but they were deemed insignificant. Now, they irked him. The minor headache wasn't helping either. His knee bobbed up and down at a quick pace as his fingers drummed against his computer desk.

The rest of the team had noticed his behavior. Of course they would. Profilers, he worked with. It must have been obvious. All of them, including Garcia, had come to him, trying to figure out why he was 'snappish.' In his defense, he did try to avoid the topic of his behavior, but as the days went on, it escalated to the point where even Morgan stopped his usual teasing remarks. Reid rubbed his forehead with all eight of his fingers while his thumbs massaged his cheeks. He leaned back, squeezing his eyes shut.

It was almost time. It would be another half an hour before he would have to leave the comforts of his desk and travel into the unknown. Reid sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was Friday and the workday was ending. He almost wished JJ would call the team to the conference room with an urgent case, which would take them to the other side of the United States. Almost. If he had to choose, he would rather not see that disappointed look again. For a moment, his eyes closed. Reid pinched the bridge of his nose. One month later and he still regretted it. It wasn't like she had brought it up again either. Still…

A hand suddenly clamping down on his shoulder caused him to jump. Exasperated, Reid turned to the person. Emily Prentiss reared back with wide eyes. "Calm down, Boy Wonder, I was only going to ask if you wanted to grab a bite to eat," she muttered, holding her hands up in mock defense. "Morgan, Garcia… Even JJ's going this time." The frustrated young profiler swiveled back around. He gathered up a few folders, and then made a grab for his bag. "Reid…?"

"Sorry," he murmured, distracted. "I have plans already." The bag was placed in his lap and the folders were slipped in. He couldn't believe he had lost track of thirty minutes. Reid paused. Then again, this week had gone by quite quickly, hadn't it?

"Oh…? With the girlfriend?" Emily's eyebrows literally wiggled. Odd, he didn't think it was possible to move the eyebrows independently of each other in rapid succession. He had seen it in a couple of animated films, though. Reid tried to keep the grimace from his expression as he nodded. Judging from the smirk on his coworker's face, she hadn't noticed. She was too busy leaning against his desk, clearly wanting to know more.

"Uh… I'm… We're meeting her… um… family tonight," Reid explained. Her eyebrows shot up, disappearing behind her bangs.

"So that's why you've been on edge lately!" Emily was quick to come to the correct conclusion. That's when Derek Morgan sauntered over, wanting to know about the topic of the conversation. Reid sighed heavily. Here it comes… "Reid's got a very serious meeting with his girlfriend's family tonight!"

"Ooh! That's some serious stuff!" Garcia popped up beside Morgan. He would never understand how she did that.

"No wonder you got that boy band haircut!" Morgan commented with a chuckle, not the least bit surprised or perturbed that Garcia had come from literally nowhere. Emily didn't seem to notice the tech's sudden appearance either. Reid reached up and touched his shorter hair. Honestly, he didn't get the haircut because of the family meeting. Truly, he had been mistaken as a girl one too many times in the men's bathroom. Kelly had gotten quite the kick out of it when he had told her. He opted not to tell the team about it. Who knew how long they—especially Morgan—would keep teasing him about it? Weeks or months would be his guess because there would be a constant reminder. That was something he did not need, not when he was so anxious. "I can't believe you're still with that girl. What's it been—a year?" His subtle frown caused Reid to frown as well.

"Actually, it's been eleven months, three weeks and two days," he corrected. All three of his coworkers rolled their eyes. "And just because you two don't like each other doesn't mean I'm going to stop seeing her." Morgan opened his mouth to protest, but Garcia's dramatic gasp interrupted him.

"Someone doesn't like Chocolate Thunder?" Her palm hit her chest as if the very thought was-"Blasphemy!"

"It's those darn first impressions, right, Morgan?" Emily smirked.

"That was a misunderstanding-"

"Both times?"

Morgan unenthusiastically glared at Emily while she only chuckled. "Look—it's not my fault the woman can hold a grudge, okay?" he grumbled. His dark eyes turned to Reid. "Anyway, you need to be careful." At his confused expression, he continued. "With the way she is, there's no telling where she comes from her. Her family might be…" He trailed off, but the implication was clear. His serious look transformed into grin.

"You know, this isn't really helping me," Reid said. "In fact, it feels like my nerves have been stretched and torn."

"Oh, it won't be that bad, sweetie," Garcia tried to reassure him. "I could do a quick background check if it makes you feel better!" Now, it could have just been the lenses of her black-rimmed glasses, but Reid could have sworn her eyes gleamed a bit. "What type of dirty secrets do you want to know?" She seemed eager.

"That…" He was a bit hesitant. Having information beforehand would be great. "Won't be necessary," he finally said. However, Reid was sure that Kelly would not appreciate having her family profiled. Behind her back, at least. His girlfriend was devious. Speaking of devious, he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. His eyes widened as he fumbled to pull his phone out before the ringtone started. Unfortunately, he was too late.

I'm so addicted to all the things you do when you're going down on me in between the shee-

Finally, his finger pushed the call button, silencing his phone. Reid didn't have to look at his team. He already knew what their reactions would be. Shock, and then amusement. Already, he could hear the snickers. The ringtone wasn't really a problem seeing as how Kelly did not call him when she knew he was at work. His team had distracted him and he did not leave the building yet. Wishing he knew a bit more about how to work technology, Reid put the phone to his ear. He stood up, bag strapped over his shoulder and walked away from his desk and his chortling team. "Hey, Spencer…" Despite the discomfort of having prying eyes on him, hearing her warm voice put a smile on his face.

"Kelly," he returned. The genius cleared his throat, and then lowered his voice. "When are you going to change this ringtone back to normal?" he whispered. His eyes looked back to the group by his desk. Morgan winked at him. Reid almost rolled his eyes as he returned his focus back to the person on the other side. It took a moment for Kelly to respond.

"It's almost been a year. Now you're saying something?" She sounded incredulous. Before he could explain the situation she had put him in, she gasped. "Don't tell me… Your team… They didn't…?"

"Yes, actually, they did."

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Kelly didn't sound very apologetic due to the fact that she was laughing. His girlfriend was most likely waiting for this moment to happen. Her only regret would be that she wasn't here to see his mortified face and the expressions of his coworkers. "I'll change it as soon as possible." She was still laughing. Finally, her laughter faded into chuckles. "Okay, I'm outside. Come out when you're ready."

"Mm." Reid nodded his head. "Give me a few minutes."

"Alright, take your time. I'll be waiting. See you in a bit."

"See you in a bit," he repeated. She hung up, prompting him to the do the same. Reid sighed heavily. A simple conversation with Kelly had calmed him down somewhat, but there was still some anxiety left. He hoped she wouldn't notice. There was no need for her to become upset because of his nerves. Family was a very important component in Kelly's life—an extension of herself. If she knew that her boyfriend was slightly afraid to meet them, she wouldn't be happy about it. "It's only for a couple hours," Reid thought. "I can do this."

"I like her already!" Garcia appeared. This time, he only twitched. "Glad the girl's gotta sense of humor. I can't wait to meet her in person."

"Wh-What? In person? No!" Reid hurriedly tried to get to the exit. However, the computer specialist grabbed a hold of his arm. "Garcia…!"

"What's the matter, Reid? Do we embarrass you?" Emily teased with a grin.

"Yes, actually, you do—especially Morgan."

"Hey!" said person protested while the others laughed at his expense. "We're not that bad, kid."

"But there's a chance we might be late meeting her fam-"

"Now's the perfect chance!" Garcia was ignoring him. "You're meeting her family. She can meet yours, too!" The woman nearly dragged him towards the exit. He could hear other footsteps—belonging to the other members of the team—in tow. Reid slumped in defeat. There was no use arguing with Garcia, and with the others backing her up, it was impossible. This was going to be more incommodious than it should be.

0-0

As he thought, this was turning more troublesome as the seconds passed. Heading to the elevator, the group had nearly collided with Hotch and JJ. Immediately, Garcia explained that they were all going to meet and greet Kelly Holloway… personally, this time. As usual, Hotch's facial expression didn't change. However, JJ looked absolutely delighted with meeting his girlfriend. At the moment, she, Garcia, and Prentiss were animatedly holding a conversation as if he wasn't in the elevator with them. Even Morgan had put forth his remarks to their chat. Several squeals came from that corner of the elevator. Hotch had remained indifferent to the whole situation. Sometimes Reid wished that he had that level of emotional control. Why did he have to be born a blinker?

The elevator dinged, signaling that they had reached their destination. It was a quick walk to the entrance, mostly because the women of the group were rushing and pulling him along. Upon reaching outside, Hotch stated that he was going and told them—them meaning Morgan, to which he looked insulted—not to cause trouble. After saying goodbye, the rest of the team tried to scope the entire parking lot, looking for Kelly. Reid almost rolled his eyes as he walked down the steps. He had spotted her car. However, she was not in or around it. The young profiler took out his cell phone and quickly dialed her number.

I bet that I can make you believe in love, and sex, and magic!

His personal ringtone sounded close. Reid turned his head to right. To his right, there was a tree, large enough to provide shade despite losing its leaves. Of course that's where she was. She didn't like wasting gas and it was a bit hot for a day in September, so she would not be in her car. As he thought, Kelly came from behind the trunk. She smiled, silencing the ringtone. "Spencer…!" She walked towards him, placing her cell phone in her back pocket. She lifted her black sunglasses before completely removing them and attaching them to the front of her shirt. It was her favorite. A long-sleeved, form fitting, black and purple shirt, which showcased her chest, yet covered her cleavage. Equipped with low-rise jeans and black Chuck Taylors, she seemed the opposite of how he had been feeling. As a greeting, she kissed his cheek. It was a bit odd. She had done this action many times, and yet her welcoming lips still caused a warm tingling feeling to come about within him. Reid mirrored her smile, and then shut his eyes and leaned forward to kiss her as well. He felt her grin. "Did you miss me?" Her nose rubbed against his. Two weeks had gone by since he had seen her face. The last case had been long and exhausting. Well, there was of photo of her in his wallet, but that only went so far. Reid nodded his head and kissed her again. Kissing her took some of his nervousness away.

Then the obnoxious sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted. It was probably Morgan because the rest of them were giggling. Reid pulled away from Kelly. Both turned their eyes to the entrance. Most of them were smirking. "Hey, Pretty Boy, don't forget about us." Morgan gave him a rather mischievous look. For a moment, he had forgotten about them. Kelly clicked her tongue. Without fail, she would do that whenever Morgan had something to do with the situation. Reid cleared his throat.

"Um… This, as you may have gathered already, is Kelly Holloway, my girlfriend," he introduced. Garcia was the first to come down to their level, and then the others gathered around. One by one, they introduced themselves. Kelly nodded politely at all of them except Morgan. The handshake that was exchanged between them was a bit rougher than the others' handshakes. Reid supposed that the two would never truly get along. "So now that we have introductions out of the way, I guess we'll be going!" He tried to guide Kelly away, but Garcia was having none of that.

"Oh no you don't!" Her authoritative voice caused him to halt. "We all want to apologize to her about what happened the last time she was here!" Kelly turned back towards the group. Her shoulders shrugged.

"It's in the past. No big deal," she said.

"My ass," Morgan scoffed, which caused Kelly to glare in his direction.

"Anyway, it's kinda hard to not be forgiving when I know you were only worried," she continued. Her arms folded under her chest. She gave the team a grin. "Besides, Spencer speaks highly of all of you… even the gung-ho jackass." Emily snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. Morgan turned narrowed eyes at her. She immediately became straight-faced, but the mirth was still there. "Still, with that experience, I'm sure most of you know a lot about me already. But I hope that we can properly get to know each other at a different time. Since we have plans at the moment." With her last statement, that uncomfortable feeling came back. Reid noticed that Kelly glanced at him, but she quickly focused back on the team without question. "Have a nice day." She waved, and then took his hand, leading him away. Her pace was quick, causing him to stumble to keep up with her.

"Can you imagine what their offspring would look like? So cute!" He heard Garcia gush.

"I wouldn't mind if Henry had a few playmates," JJ remarked. Once again, his nerves were completely shot. Offspring…? Why were they even thinking about that in the first place? There was no way that would be possible if this meeting didn't go well. In fact, he might possibly lose the ability to produce offspring in the first place. As highly unlikely as it seemed, the thought still made him cringe. The fact that Kelly told him her brothers knew karate put these certain thoughts into his head. If he kept this up, he would probably experience a nervous breakdown.

Kelly released his hand, telling him that the door was unlocked. Absentmindedly, Reid nodded and slowly walked to the passenger side of the car. She entered just as he opened the door. He placed his bag in the backseat before getting in himself. Her set of keys was pulled from her pocket. However, she only put them in the ignition. She did not turn the car on. The young profiler furrowed his brow and turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were elsewhere, though. Her hands rested on the wheel. "Spencer," she finally said. Her head turned as well.

"Yeah…?"

She didn't answer. Her body turned slightly towards him as she reached a hand up. Pushing back his bangs, she raised an eyebrow. Reid could only blinked in confusion. Then his confusion faded. How could he forget? When he had showed up to her house with the new haircut, she was at a loss for words. That entire night, he had felt her eyes on him. They had exchanged only small talk. Finally, she had spoken. Her eyes had turned to him. He had been on her bed, reading, at the time while she had been writing on her laptop. With a serious expression she had said 'Spencer, this haircut is… Haah… I'm going to have to get used to how sexy you look now so I won't randomly attack you in public.' At his startled expression, she had only laughed. Then she had climbed into bed with him. She had spent the entire night running her fingers through his hair. Reid had fallen asleep with his head in her lap. Gradually, she had overcome her urge to 'attack' him in public. However, there were times that she still liked to play with his hair like now.

But Kelly took her hand away too soon. She didn't even reach his hairline. The puzzlement had come back. She then reached down toward her purse. The novelist fumbled through the small bag until she finally pulled out a single Hershey Kiss wrapped in gold foil. She handed him the small candy while placing her purse where it was. Now, Reid was even more confused. Kelly just didn't willingly part with her favorite snack. As this was her favorite snack—dark chocolate—it came as quite the shock to have her place it in his hand. "I'm sure you already know this, but dark chocolate reduces stress hormones like cortisol and other fight-flight hormones. It's not really my favorite snack. My therapist said I should start eating it so I would stop hurting other people." His head snapped in her direction again.

"What was that?" he asked. Kelly only grinned. Reid rolled his eyes. Of course she was only joking. His girlfriend didn't have a therapist, and she certainly would not have one either. One, she felt it was unnecessary to pay a stranger to listen to her problems when friends were free. Two, on some level she still believed that therapist equaled the rapist, so she stayed clear of them. Actually, there was some logic in that. Therapist usually poked and prodded one's mind when it's clearly unwanted.

"You're obviously stressed, so go ahead and eat it," Kelly said. Reid opened his mouth. "Don't deny it. When I mentioned we had plans, you made a noise. It was small, but I heard it." That would explain why she looked his way then. "Also, that spot on your forehead where you usually get acne is kinda bad right now." And that would explain why she felt his forehead. "It's okay to be worried, Spencer, but you shouldn't stress over it… to the point where you get headaches."

"I know…"

"Eat the dark chocolate," she advised. "You'll feel better." Reid stared down at the candy for a moment. He then fixed his gaze on Kelly. She tilted her head to the side. "Wha-" He quickly kissed her lips. Seven months ago, she would have recoiled. However, she readily accepted his sudden kisses now. He repeatedly kissed her, randomly switching from light to deep. Eventually, her hand rested against his cheek and she reared back, stopping the enjoyable onslaught. "May I ask why?" She smiled, clearly not upset.

"You said to eat the dark chocolate," he answered with a nonchalant shrug. Kelly averted her eyes for a moment, chuckling.

"My, my, Spencer Reid… Your tactics at seducing me are going to make me melt," she remarked. Her finger lightly rubbed against his cheek before she captured his lips. She pulled away a few seconds later, leaving him to want more. "But I don't consider myself dark chocolate—milk chocolate definitely."

"You're better than any chocolate."

As expected, Kelly's eyes expanded a bit before her sight focused to another place. She may have liked to tease him with her comments, but there were times when she would be the one to become embarrassed because of his—honest—observations. His girlfriend cleared her throat and turned properly in her car seat. "Okay… I know what you're doing, but it's not going to work, you manipulative little genius!" Reid smiled, watching her start up the car. He definitely felt more relaxed now. She scoffed. "Vegas people, I swear…" she muttered, strapping herself in with the seatbelt. There had been a time where Kelly didn't wear her seatbelt. Every time they were in her car together, after he noticed, Reid would tell her statistics on fatal crashes. Eventually, it got to her. Now, he didn't have to say a word about it. He chuckled as put his seatbelt on. The car slowly eased out of the parking space.

Reid unwrapped the foil. "You know, chocolate's melting point is just below the human body's temperature," he stated. He licked his lips before popping the candy in his mouth. "That's the reason it melts in your mouth. Melting chocolate in the mouth raises brain activity and heart rate more intensely than passionate kissing. And lasts four times longer. That's why many believe chocolate is an aphrodisiac." He saw her eyebrows rise, and then she grinned without looking at him. She snickered.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"… Did I just give her an idea…?" Reid thought. He found himself flushing. Whenever Kelly got that look in her eye, things became a bit… different… But before he could go down those memories, he suddenly remembered something. "Oh hey, did you finish those comics I lent you?" he asked.

"I think I have to read through five more. I finished most of them on the flight," Kelly answered. "Do you want them back?"

"Ah, no, I just wanted to know your opinion."

"Honestly, I don't know how you read these things! The art is so bad that it takes away from the stories. I find myself struggling to get to the next page! And for something called a comic, it barely has any humor involved."

"What?" Reid had to keep himself from shouting. "That series is one of the best in my collection! And comic doesn't mean funny!"

"Well, you need to get a new collection then, don't you? I'll give you something that will really blow your mind!"

They began to argue about graphic novels. She actually said Garfield was better. There was a lot of fast-paced talking and wild hand gestures coming from the both of them—to which Reid had to tell Kelly to keep her hands on the wheel. However, it wasn't malicious. She had not stopped smiling. She wasn't faking either or just smug. Genuine smiles are produced by the unconscious part of the brain. Since different portions of the brain generate both real and fake smiles, the muscles groups that create them also vary. In a real smile, the muscle groups move involuntarily. Mouth muscles contract, along with jaw and cheek movements which crease up the eyes, also known as crows feet. The creases were clearly visible. He understood why she had done this. She wanted to get him to a place where he was comfortable. And when he was comfortable, she was legitimately happy. More than likely, she would apologize later on. "This woman…" he realized. His beating heart sounded as if it had moved near his eardrum. "She's amazing…" Riling him up just to calm him down—she was brilliant… in a twisted sort of way.

"You've stopped talking. Finally realize that I'm right?" Kelly's voice asked with a hint of haughtiness. Reid chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"No, but I've realized that it is pointless to argue with a woman who thinks she can argue with a genius."

"Finally caught on, did you?" The genius shook his head. "Oh yeah, by the way-" The car stopped and shut off. Reid blinked, and looked around. They were currently parked in a driveway. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared out of his window. There was a two story house, sky blue in color, equipped with white shutters and one garage door. Judging from the structure, there were, at least, four bedrooms. This place was practically a mansion! Kelly grew up here? "Spencer!" Reid turned his eyes back to his girlfriend. "Did you hear me?"

"Sorry, I was distracted by your large house," he admitted.

"Heh." She took her keys from the ignition. "It was a nasty divorce. Dad shouldn't have hidden that younger woman from his attorney."

"Um… How old were you when your parents divorced?" Reid asked.

"I don't know," Kelly answered with a shrug. "Seven, I think." That would explain her complicated feelings for the male species. "Me and my brothers told her to sell the house and get something smaller since we don't live with her anymore, but she says she won't move out of the house her cheating ex-husband graciously gave to her. Really, I think she gets a kick out of the fact that she has a constant reminder that she won nearly everything he was worth in the settlement..." Reid's lips parted. Just what type of woman was Tina Holloway? Based on Kelly's words about her now, he could assume she was a passive-aggressive type. Reid mentally shook his head. What was he doing? He shouldn't be profiling the woman. She wasn't a criminal. "Anyway, what I was saying before—it was a warning."

"Wa-Warning?"

"I'm not talking anything dangerous, Spencer," Kelly rolled her eyes. "There's a simple unspoken rule that you must eat everything that's put on your plate."

"Is your mom a terrible cook or something?"

"Nope, just something to think about," she said, and then pushed the button for her seatbelt to come loose. She then made a grab for her purse again. "Other than that, you've got nothing to worry about." Her door opened, and then she moved to get out.

"What about your brothers?" Reid unstrapped himself and quickly got out of the car.

"Oh… yeah," she murmured. "Them." She appeared pensive, but then she smiled… and walked away.

"Ke-Kelly…?"

Reid hastily followed the giggling novelist as she made her way to the white door. There were two steps made of stone. Kelly only went up one before she knocked on the door. There as a doorbell, but she had ignored it. As they waited for a response, the young profiler cleared his throat several times. The door began to open, which caused his body to freeze. His hand was grabbed and he was yanked to Kelly's side just a woman appeared in the doorway with a smile on her face. She appeared to be in her late forties, dressed in an ivory sheer matte halter dress with hanky hem. The high waistline, directly below her bust, was adorned with beaded jewels and so was the straps connected around her neck. She didn't wear any shoes. Kelly didn't like to wear shoes either if she could help it. The two women really did share a vague resemblance. Both were of average height for women, both were—as Kelly said—milk chocolate in skin tone, and both were… beautiful. Their smiles were alike as well. However, where his girlfriend's hair was long and straight, her mother's hair was short and curly—a bit wild. Reid inaudibly released the breath he had been holding while the two women embraced one another.

"Here it goes," he thought, swallowing hard.

They pulled away from each other. Reid tensed up. Kelly turned and gestured to him. "Well, this is him, Spencer Reid," she introduced. He tried to smile—really, he did. However, with the furrowed brow from the older woman, he knew he had messed that up.

"He looks constipated. Does he get enough water? He's so skinny, too!" Tina exclaimed, raising a brow. Reid lowered his eyes to the ground, feeling his cheeks grow hot.

"Mo-ther…!" Kelly almost screeched.

"What? It's true, isn't it? Such an awkward smile," the older woman continued. She turned, beckoning the two to come in. Kelly sighed heavily. "And take your shoes off," Tina called from inside the house.

"Spencer… Don't mind her," his girlfriend advised. He lifted his head up. "She's just at a point in her life where she… doesn't give a fu—um… a crap about people anymore."

"Do I really look constipated when I smile?"

"What? No!"

"… Really?"

"… Well…"

"I do, don't I?"

"Only when you're not used to the person."

"I do?"

"No—I'm kidding!" Kelly placed her hands on his shoulders. "Look, Spencer, you're amazing and my family is going to love you… eventually. You'll be fine."

"You are so encouraging," Reid muttered. She smiled in response, and then lightly touched his lips with hers. As bad as she was at encouraging him about impressing her family, Kelly did have a knack for soothing his discomfort. "Okay… I'm fine."

"Yeah…?"

"Yeah," he assured. "Let's go." Her smile widened, and then she led him inside. As he thought, the house was very large. The downstairs alone was wide and spacious. Reid shut the door behind him. Kelly removed her shoes before strolling into the house, leaving him behind. The young profiler slowly released a sigh. He then took off his own shoes. Staring down at his mix-matched socks, he couldn't help but think he should have worn matching socks on this day. Brightly colored orange and green socks—great choice, Reid. Ironically, they were socks that Kelly had gotten for him. With another sigh, he moved further into the house. To his right, there was the dining area. To the left, there was a bedroom. The door was opened. "Kelly…?" he called. He passed by two doors, opposite of each other before he stepped into a larger room.

There she was, sitting on a grey comfortable couch with three large cushions. There was also a coffee table, two comfy chairs, matching the couch in color, and a flat screen on the wall. The remotes were on the table. This was the family room, obviously. His girlfriend's eyes were closed and her arms were crossed. One leg was over the other. "My brothers aren't here yet, so you can rest easy for awhile," Kelly stated. She breathed out through her noise. "I can rest easy for awhile. Mom's in the kitchen, finishing." Her eyes opened and she gestured to a large opening, leading to the kitchen. Reid shoved his hands into his pockets. "Still feeling nervous?"

"I think we both know the answer to that," he answered. Chuckling, Kelly stood up and took a hold of his arm. "What?"

"Come on, I want to show you something," she stated. He was pulled towards the stairwell in the corner of the room. Up the stairs they moved, stopping at the top and turning left. Kelly opened a door, which led to a bedroom. "This used to be my room."

"Really…?" This was a surprise. The room was void of anything personal. No stuffed animals, posters, or anything showing that someone lived in here except for the bed, desk, and full-body mirror. The walls were muted in color. So was the carpet. It was clean, too. It was just a desk and a bed with shades of blue as a cover set. This was not the Kelly he knew. Could this really be where she grew up? "You moved in here when you were seven and moved away when you were twenty, right?"

"Yeah, I took everything," she answered. "Yikes, this place looks like a luxury prison cell, don't it?" The novelist sat down on the bed, and then lied back. "Oh, hey… The stars are still there." Her eyes were focused on the ceiling. Knitting his brow, Reid looked up as well. He squinted, noticing the lime green stars stuck to the white ceiling. Well, at least, he knew why the room seemed barren. The genius lied down beside Kelly. "I guess I forgot about those even though they glow in the dark—haha."

"Kelly," Reid turned his head towards her. She merely made a noise to indicate that she was listening. "What were you like in high school?" Her head snapped in his direction. She had one eyebrow raised, clearly wanting to know why he had suddenly asked her that. "Ah, I just had a thought… What would it have been like if we had met earlier?" She blinked once.

"I would have ignored you," she said simply. Reid almost laughed. Kelly wasn't one to fantasy unless it had something to with her books. Then again, he wasn't one to fantasy about useless things either. "I was a different person then. I only cared about my family at that point. I wouldn't have approached you, and I imagine you wouldn't have approached me either. I had an unapproachable face, after all. No one else mattered to me."

"There was no one?"

"No one," she emphasized. "Besides, didn't you graduate when you were twelve or thirteen? I'm pretty sure I wasn't even in high school." Her dark brown eyes turned back to the ceiling.

"What… What made you that way? You speak of high school like its insignificant, yet at the same time there is something that makes me believe that that's not true." Kelly abruptly sat up, causing Reid to do the same.

"You wouldn't be… trying to profile me, would you, Dr. Reid?" she asked. Before he could attempt to explain, he saw her crack a smile. He had to learn not to take her too seriously. His girlfriend thrived on humor. Every single one of her novels had humor involved not matter how serious or angst the whole story was. "It started in middle school." Her eyes stared down at the floor. "It was there that I realized that children are too cruel… and so are adults. To be bullied and having the teachers simply ignore it in order for the school to look good—it made me understand how the world works at a young age." Kelly leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. I began to see other people as things to use, and in high school, I utilized my lack of remorse and manipulative skills to my advantage. To get what I wanted, I used my classmates like pawns. I was absolutely heartless, and no one had a clue." She suddenly sighed. "If I hadn't reunited with my best friend in college, who knows what I'd be doing now? The thought scares even me, which is why I'm glad I didn't meet you earlier on."

"Your best friend…?"

"Yeah, the one that got married recently, Jessica. I still can't believe that type of woman settled down," Kelly explained. "She and I went to the same middle school. We were the smartest in our class, academic-wise. Jessica was a bit of a dumbass when it didn't come to school stuff, though. But when she left, I was left alone. The rest of them believed me to be vulnerable, and so… they ganged up on me and the teachers turned the other cheek. After that day, I didn't cry again because of sadness. Either they were crocodile tears or tears of-"

"Laughter," Reid guessed. His girlfriend grinned widely. "You were bullied, and so you made yourself stronger mentally and physically."

"That's correct, my profiler genius," Kelly confirmed. "If something like that ever happened to me again, I wouldn't have forgiven myself. I was basically the definition of a sociopath."

"Yeah, you were… and your best friend broke you out of that cycle? That's extremely rare. Normally, sociopaths remain sociopaths for their entire lives," Reid said.

"I said basically, Spencer. As sociopaths are incapable of loving, and I loved—just not people outside my family—I wasn't really a full blown sociopath." Her back straightened, and then she leaned on Reid's shoulder. "If I was, then I wouldn't have begun caring for others… like you." Did she trust him this much? This type of past—most would consider it shameful and would want to hide it.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Reid questioned. She shook her head. So no one else knew…? Not even her family? The young profiler found himself smiling. Really, he shouldn't feel this way about something like this, but it felt good that Kelly had told him a secret of this magnitude. He swallowed, and then turned his head. "Kelly," he murmured. She tilted her head upward. "Can I kiss you right now?"

"Since when do you ask?" she smirked.

"Well, this is your mom's house. I…"

"Oh, such a respectable man," Kelly commented, placing her left hand on his right cheek. "In that case, no you can't." His brow furrowed. "I wouldn't want to taint that image. You innocence would be flawed!"

"That's funny. I could have sworn my innocence was flawed the night I met you."

For a few moments, Kelly didn't reply. Then she sucked in a breath and took her hand away. "Hush you…!" Her arms crossed again and she turned her face away. "Technically, it was morning." Reid pressed his lips to her cheek. Her body relaxed. Then suddenly, he found his back against the bed with Kelly on top of him. "God, you make it hard to control myself."

"Your lack of control is not my fault. Actually, a person with a lack of control usually-" She put a stop to his explanation by kissing his eye. "Ow! You actually touched my pupil!"

"What? I'm not into that pedophile stuff. If you have a student-" Reid interrupted his girlfriend's sarcastic remark with a mocking laugh. "Heheheh…" She grinned, and then lowered her torso. Her lips hovered over his. "On some level, you enjoy this, right?"

"I enjoy you."

"You smooth talker." Reid couldn't wait anymore. He wanted to kiss her so badly, and she knew that. Lightly, his lips touched hers, and then he pulled back before going in for another, longer kiss. Kelly moaned his name from her otherwise occupied mouth. His hands slid down her back, coming to a stop at the hem of her shirt. She gasped and reared back, feeling his fingertips brush against her lower back. It had been quite awhile since he had discovered her most sensitive area. Smirking, his hands went further up her back. Shuddering, Kelly lowered her torso again. She really didn't like when he did that so suddenly. "You…" she panted out. "You know… I can't stand… when you do that… so quickly!"

"But that… sound you make… I like hearing it," Reid replied with a shrug.

"Don't you try to pout your way outta this!" She half-heartedly glared, and then smirked. The novelist nuzzled his cheek. Then she turned her head slightly and went for his ear. A cross between a gasp and groan erupted from his lips. "How's that? Should I keep going?" she asked. Her lips gently pinched his earlobe.

"Ah…!" He had tried to hold that in. "Ke-Kelly!" He bit his own lip again as her tongue glided over his skin. "Two m-m-minutes…!" Reid panted out, grasping her hips. His girlfriend nodded her head before resuming her pleasing torture. Both knew the time before the blood completely rushed down. In two minutes, it would become painful to bear. But they couldn't do that here, right? Kelly wasn't honestly going to- "AH! Mmm!" She had slowly pulled away from him, straddling his midsection. Reid cracked his eyes open to see her smiling face.

"Okay, I understand. The sound is quite delightful," Kelly agreed. He sighed out, rubbing his forehead with both hands. "Oh, did I give you a headache?" The young profiler closed his eyes, not answering her. "Omo! Are you ignoring me?" She gasped in an overly dramatic way. "This is domestic abuse, isn't it? You're abusing me domestically right now, aren't you?"

"Domestic abu-" Reid sat up, holding her in place with his arms. "I don't think that's the right term." Kelly scoffed and turned her head away again. He was starting to think she did it on purpose just so she could have a kiss. After a quick peck to her cheek, she smiled and returned her eyes to him. "Are you a bit masochistic then?"

"Pfft…! Yeah right. Everyone knows you're mine."

"Really?" It was his turn to scoff. "Is that right?" Kelly nodded her head, showing her teeth in a grin. "I seem to recall-" He kissed her. "-that you-" He kissed her again. "-can't resist me-" Another one was given. "-when I kiss you."

"I never-" She didn't finish her sentence since she was too busy wrapping her arms around his neck and returning the kisses with a deep one of her own. She really couldn't help herself, could she? Then again, he couldn't help himself either. Kissing her like this—no, any kisses that were exchanged made him feel great. Better. He was happy.

"Aww…! Sookie, sookie now!" The kiss abruptly ended. Kelly craned her neck towards the door, while Reid shifted his torso to the side. His eyes widened, mortified. He had forgotten where he was! Apparently, there was a downside to the kisses as well. Standing in the doorway was a tall man—5'8'' most likely. He was darker than Kelly and her mother with a short beard around his mouth. His hair looked to be freshly shaved, yet he wasn't bald. For a skinny man, he sure did like to wear baggy clothes. He wore a large red sweatshirt hoodie. As the hood was unzipped, the large silver chain was visible along with the white beater. His jeans were a size too big and looked to be handing off his bottom… He had come across this look many times, and most, if not all, were gang affiliated. Kelly didn't mention that… The man, looking to be older—in his thirties—grinned and slid off his white-rimmed sunglasses. "I see lil sister's trying to put it on 'em!" he exclaimed. Reid quickly snatched his hands from under Kelly's shirt. This was really embarrassing.

"Kev, did you just get in?" His girlfriend, however, didn't seem the least bit concerned about their current positions. Kev—it was probably just a nickname for Kevin—leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. Kevin Holloway was the middle child of the family, being the second oldest. "Is André downstairs?" Kelly still had not removed herself from his lap. Should he just remain still like this?

"Nah, I just showed up myself. You know how he do—always so damn late," Kevin said. "If it was possible, that fool would show up late to his own funeral." His dark eyes shifted to Reid. Of course, he froze. "This yo new boy toy?"

"Don't be stupid," Kelly muttered. Finally, she stood up. Reid quickly stood up as well. "This is Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Doctor…? Kells, you're a gold-digger fo sho!" Kevin chuckled.

"Shut up, moron!" She actually jumped at him, and he literally fell down with a squeal of fright. Kelly snickered as he stood, pointing a—non-menacing—finger and giving her threat's that he would never carry out. "And stop talking like that."

"What? I always talk like this, home girl!" He did a lot of weird and exaggerated movements as he made his way over. Kevin reared his hand back. "What up, cuz?" Okay. Okay. Kelly told him about this. He was initiating a handshake that was more than a handshake. Fortunately, his girlfriend was kind enough to show him ahead so he knew how to handle this. Expectedly, the handshake was complex—at one point, they bumped shoulders and spun around—but it was over quickly. "Whaaaat? Kelly got herself a Blood brutha! Where yo red at, cuz?"

"Um—what?" Reid turned to Kelly, who looked mildly exasperated and a bit amused, too.

"Don't listen to this T.V. dinner thug. He doesn't know what he's talking about," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Say that to my face, Kells! Come on! You think you bad now because you got a boyfriend with a gun?" Kevin taunted. Once again, Kelly jumped at him and he flinched. "Man, that shit ain't funny!" he shouted as Kelly led him around the older man and out of the room. "Wait till—I'ma tell mama!"

"Ooh, I'm scared," she sarcastically muttered. The two reached the ground floor. "Don't worry about him. For some reason, he gets a kick out of intimidating white people. You should hear his British accent. He'll stop soon." Reid's eyebrows furrowed. "Thank God he wasn't wearing a grill."

"A grill…?"

"Heh—I'll explain it later."

"What about your older brother? You didn't tell me anything about him," Reid stated. Kelly suddenly stopped and released his hand. He suddenly had a feeling of dread.

"Oh snap! She didn't tell you, cuz?" Kevin walked by the couple, laughing. The feeling increased ten-fold. Kelly sharply raised a hand, causing her brother to move a little bit faster, calling for his mother. Once he was gone, she lowered her arm. Reid cleared his throat.

"So sho-should I have a warning about… um… André?" he asked.

"… Maybe I should have said something…" She turned to him. "But I thought maybe you would be less willing to visit my family if you knew about him."

"What do I need to know?"

"…" Her eyes dropped to the floor. "Um, he was in the military. He had some military training." Well, that didn't seem bad. "And he's fiercely overprotective of me." Reid's lips parted. "If he had been the one to catch us upstairs, it would have been extremely bad." Kelly hesitantly met his gaze.

"How bad… exactly?"

"Bad as in your life would be on the line bad."

"… Oh. That's bad."

"Yeah, so you should probably not kiss me or hug me tonight. Don't even attempt to hold my hand."

"Well, that doesn't sound good."

"It's not… You know what? You probably shouldn't even look at me when he's in the same room."

BOOM—the sound of the front door slamming open caused both Reid and Kelly to flinch.

"Where's the mofo at who put his hands on my sister?"

The uncomfortable feeling came back with no restrictions.

0~0

This is only part one. Hopefully, I'll update with part two soon. Thanks for reading! And I hope you review, critique, or comment.