Life Goes On – chapter four

March 2015

The following week, they were in the darkened theatre watching the black and white grainy episodes of Doctor Who. Spencer's eyes were on the screen, but his senses were taken over by Helen's presence next to him. He snuck a glance in her direction and found her staring intently at the screen. He turned back to the screen himself, thinking she hadn't realised he had looked at her, when out the corner of his eye he saw her shoot him a small smile. Spencer smiled shyly, his gaze still on the screen. He tried not to react when he felt her head drop on to his shoulder. His heart raced when he snuggled closer to her, taking in her warmth.

It was the early hours of the morning when they got out of the movie theatre, walking down the street towards Spencer's car. "How is the preparation for the new exhibition coming?" He asked as he held the passenger door open.

Helen grimaced slightly as she thought of it, feeling the nervousness setting in. Spencer saw her unease with it the change of topic. "What's wrong?" He asked as she stood between him and the car.

"My boss asked me if I would be able to give a talk about one of the exhibits on opening night," Helen explained.

"Do you want to do it?" Spencer asked gently. He knew how much she loved the exhibit she was working on, knew she was torn.

Helen sighed as she looked up at him. "I do but I'm scared." She paused. "My therapist said that it will be good for me, the next step in my therapy."

"I think it would be," Spencer told her. "You've come a long way."

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Getting it wrong…people laughing…that it's going too fast and I'm not ready," she explained.

"The people who will be there want to be there, and they want the person with the most knowledge on the subject to be giving them that information," Spencer smiled. "That's you. They won't be looking for you to mess up; they will be fascinated by what you have to tell them. Your boss obviously has the confidence in you, and so do I." Helen blushed lightly, looking down at the ground. "You'll be great."

Helen looked back up him, the pink twinge still colouring her cheeks. "Will you be there?"

"Of course."

…

The next Thursday, Spencer stood at the back of a small crowd in front of one of the exhibits. Helen was stood at the front, beside the artefact, point out some of the features. He saw her shake momentarily as she addressed the crowd once again, her hands clasping in front of her, fingers intertwining. Helen's eyes found him and he could see the nervousness masked in her eyes. She stared at him for a beat longer, before taking a deep breath and continuing with her speech, the audience around her captivated as she spoke.

Spencer barely heard a word she said, the rhythm of her words washing over him as he watched her, but he already knew it word for word, as he had helped her rehearse on Sunday evening. Her eyes danced as she referred to one particular aspect, she was drawing to a close.

She asked if anyone had any questions, and fielded the answers seamlessly as she focused on that person. Once the crowd fell silent, Spencer saw the anxiety creep back into her face, but Helen's boss stepped in between her and the crowd, leading them in applause as he thanked Helen. Spencer smiled as he clapped with the gathering watching as Helen ducked away, her cheeks flushed as everyone was still focused on her.

Her boss said a few words to the crowd, covering her retreat. She managed to make it to the back of the crowd. "I can't believe I did that," she said excitedly as she reached Spencer.

"You were amazing," he told her as her hand lightly touched Spencer's forearm. Helen beamed up at him, the adrenaline still coursing through her.

"Thank you for being here," Helen said her breathing calming down.

Before Spencer could reply, Helen's boss appeared from within the crowd. "Helen!" he said loudly as he approached. "You were fantastic. I knew you would be, but I didn't realise that you would exceed my expectations." It was at that moment he realised he was interrupting them, immediately he turned apologetic. "Oh I'm sorry; I didn't know your boyfriend was here."

Both Helen's and Spencer's eyes widened at the term and before Helen could correct her boss, Spencer shook the hand he was offered. "Doctor William Carrington, this is Doctor Spencer Reid," Helen made the introductions.

"Nice to meet you Doctor Carrington," Helen was surprised when Spencer didn't correct him about his misunderstanding.

"You too Doctor Reid," he looked between the young couple. "What field are you in?"

"I work in the Behavioural Analysis Unit with the FBI," Spencer told him. The older man seemed shocked, looking Spencer up and down. They made small talk for a few moments and Doctor Carrington excused himself to talk to some of the museum's donors, leaving them alone once again.

There was an awkward silence for a minute before Helen spoke. "Um, do you want to go? I don't have to stay now that the talk is done."

Spencer nodded and he helped her into her coat that he had been holding. A short while later they were walking along the Mall, their arms brushing. The street lights reflected off the water.

"I've had a wonderful night," Helen said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around giving that talk."

"You were great. You must be proud of how strong you were to face your fears."

Helen nodded bashfully as she thought back over the evening and the preparation she had made before she started, fighting off the panic as she felt her heart begin to race. Spencer's encouragement to concentrate on her material had echoed through her mind as she spoke to the audience.

"Why didn't you correct Doctor Carrington when he referred to you as my boyfriend?" Helen asked shyly.

Although he heard the curiosity in her voice, he couldn't hear any annoyance in her voice. Spencer wasn't sure what to say. "Did you want me too?" He wanted to make sure he was reading the signs from her correctly.

They walked a few paces in silence as Helen thought about her answer. "No," she answered finally. They had known each other for a few months now, and with the increasing amount of time they were spending together, both of them were reluctant to part. "I like spending time with you," Helen admitted.

Spencer smiled as she moved closer, and he wrapped a hand around hers. "That's good, because I would like to continue spending time with you," Spencer told her.

Helen laughed gently as her head dropped to his shoulder and Spencer pressed his lips to her forehead gently. They walked towards where Spencer had parked and he opened the passenger door for her. She stepped into his space, and he felt a soft pressure on his lips as she kissed him. His eyes closed as his hands went to her waist. The kiss ended and they stayed in each other's embrace.

"I had a wonderful time," Helen said, a little breathlessly. "Thank you for encouraging me to do it."

Spencer kissed her lips chastely again. "Thank you for letting me be a part of it."