Oatmeal raisin ones this time. :)
"Austin…" Reid squeaked when the lights went out.
"I'm right over here."
Lightening lit up the dark café as Bo raised his head and licked Reid's hand. He whined when the rain fell more heavily still and Reid patted his head nervously. It lashed against the window like pebbles in a hurricane.
"Don't fret!" A loud female voice said over the rain and thunder.
A light, golden and comforting, came through the darkness followed by Nancy. She placed the candle on the table.
"T-thanks," Reid stammered.
"Honey, you don't look so good."
"I don't like the dark or storms."
"It's okay, sweetheart. There's nothing there in the dark that ain't there in the day time."
Reid opened his mouth at the same time Bill said, "Leave the poor man alone."
"You never mind." She smacked him arm and he looked down at her as though the sun rose and set over her. "Now come with me. I'll show you up to your room."
---
Austin came back into the bedroom from the bathroom down the hall. The room was fairly small and dominated by a huge bed made up with a patchwork quilt and two pillows with white cases. The white painted dresser in one corner was topped with a vase of wild flowers. The other corner boasted a small round table and a couple of wicker chairs painted white to match the dresser.
Reid was lying on his side, facing away from the door and to the candle that Nancy had left. Austin carried a flashlight Bill had gone to fetch from his truck.
"It sounds like the storm might be over."
Nancy had taken them up to the third floor of the building, and the sound of the rain was much muffled. The thunder and the lightening had lessened and sounded far away now.
"The storm front must be moving very fast. Did you know that some storms can from in minutes and break up -?"
Austin had crawled onto the bed and reached over to put a hand on his mouth. "Why don't you tell me what's bugging you?"
"It's nothing."
"Hey…" She pulled on his shoulder and he rolled over on his back. "We agreed to leave everything behind from your work and my issues behind on this trip and enjoy ourselves."
"Yeah…"
"So what is bothering you?"
"It's nothing!"
"I'm going to keep asking you till you tell me. What's bothering you?"
"Austin…"
"Spencer!"
'Fine, I'm afraid of the dark. Are you happy?"
He glared up at her in the dark. She stared back with a grin on his face. She was so beautiful that he wanted to just forget his stupid irrational fears and kiss her.
"What's wrong with that?"
"You're dating a wimp who doesn't like the dark."
"Don't you ever say that about yourself again."
"But I'm supposed to be the strong man that takes care of you."
"Spencer Reid, I can't believe you just said that. You're the strongest man I know. You've been through more in the last two years then anyone could imagine."
"But -"
"You're still alive though all it and it's made you stronger then anyone I know. You saved my life--or did you forget!?"
"No, but -"
"No, I'm not going to let you wallow. The power will come back on. In the morning Bill will get the tree cleaned up with the help of his buddies and Donnie will fix your car. Then we'll be on the road!"
He hugged her and kissed her soundly on the mouth. "How did I get so lucky?"
"You did magic and I was hooked. You're never getting rid of me."
"Okay…"
"Good, now get your pajamas on, go to the bathroom and come back. We're going to listen to the rest of the showers wash our cares away."
"Yes ma'am!"
----
"Spencer!"
"Five more minutes," came a muffled voice from under the patchwork quilt.
"Wake up my love!"
He opened one eye and looked at two beautiful brown eyes that were staring at him. "I dreamed that a very large angry bee was chasing me."
"Oh, poor baby… Get up and have some breakfast. You'll feel better."
"I doubt it! No coffee, remember?" He bitterly complained.
"You'll survive. Look out the window."
He turned over and winced at the bright light coming in through the window. He turned back over and threw the covers over his head.
Someone poked him. "Come on, you wake up to a sunny day and all you can do is go back to sleep. "
"Yes, there's no hurry."
"Do you hear that sound?"
He listened and heard the buzzing noise from his dream outside the window. It was pretty loud. How had he not heard it once he had woken?
"What's that?" He inquired.
"It's a chainsaw. Haven't you ever been to a horror movie?"
"That explains the bee in my dream."
"What?"
"Nothing," He decided to get up and get dressed, but only because his bladder was distended.
Austin was changing out of a tee shirt and a pair of his boxer short. "Hey, what's with wearing my shorts?"
"You used my pajama bottoms to stabilize your muffler. Don't you remember?"
He rubbed at his eyes and swayed a bit on his feet. "Oh, right."
"Hurry up… I'm hungry!"
"I'm coming," he replied, stumbling out of the room with his bag in hand.
---
Austin was in the same booth they'd had last night with a plate of waffles with fresh strawberries. Nancy was just putting a plate of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and a glass of orange juice in front of Reid's place setting.
Bo was sitting next to Austin. He grinned up at Reid and gave out a joyful bark at the young man. "He sure does love you, kid," Bill said from the bar stool at the counter. He and Austin were trading stories while she ate and he drank coffee. The tree outside looked about half dismantled.
"Can I please have some coffee?"
"No, you lost the bet, you have to pay up."
"Austin!"
"Spencer!"
"Please," He looked up at her with his dark eyes and she narrowed her eyes back at him."
Bo barked at Austin and Reid laughed. "He agrees with me."
"He's a dog and you won't get what you want with those eyes."
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Yes you do! It's that thing you do with your eyes that makes you look like a helpless little boy that needs to be mothered."
"She's right, son." Nancy said as she warmed Austin's coffee.
Reid looked up at Bill and the older man said, "Don't look at me. I'm stayin' out of this."
"So, are you ready to admit that you do it on purpose?"
"No, I don't know what you're talking about."
Austin threw a sliced strawberry at him. He responded by flipping back some bacon which slid off her plate and into Bo's waiting and happy mouth.
"Now you've done it. He'll never leave you alone now." Bill warned them.
He was right. Bo was standing up and barking loudly at Austin and Reid. Reid gave him the rest of his bacon and Bo lay down with the last piece next to his left paw. He chewed happily before gulping down the last piece.
"Come on Bo…"
The dog left with his master very reluctantly. He kept looking back at Reid was though he was losing his best friend.
"Come on; let's go get ready to leave." Austin said. "Bill said Donnie told him the car would be ready in a couple of hours."
"I don't make my eyes do anything special." Reid grumbled as they hiked back up the stairs to their room.
"Yes you do and before this trip is over, I'm going to prove it to you."
---
Two hours later, Austin and Reid were standing next to his ancient Volvo. Bill and Bo were there too. Nancy had said goodbye at the café after giving them a huge thermos of coffee, some chocolate layer cake and ham and cheese sandwiches in a huge paper bag.
Bo waited unhappily at Reid. "He's not happy you're leavin'"
"Oh… um, well boy...um, we can't stay." Reid patted the dog awkwardly on the head.
Bo whined and there was the snap of a camera taking a picture. "Don't worry Spencer. I saved this moment for posterity."
And for blackmail! What would the guys at the office say about this?
Reid went red and Bo whined softly. "Don't worry boy. We'll come back and see you some day." Austin said.
The dog watched them get in the car. He ran along side the car till the reached the outskirts of the tiny town, and then he just sat down and howled.
"Wow," Austin rolled up her window. "You sure have a way with animals."
Reid glared at her. "Very funny! I don't think that will be the norm from here on out."
"You never know!"
"Can we just get back on schedule?"
"Yeah, I think we've had our adventure for the trip. Washington State, here we come!"