*Warning – this chapter contains abusive situations*

(xxxxx)

Spencer tossed his bag onto the jet and dropped down into his seat. He was still angry that his date with Brooke had been interrupted and cut short. He was so frustrated he hadn't even noticed J.J. sitting across from him.

"You ok?" she asked, startling him.

He gave her an apologetic smile and fished a notebook out of his bag.

"I'm fine," he said leaning back with a sigh.

"You don't seem ok," J.J. said with narrowed eyes.

"What's going on?" Derek asked as he walked up to sit next to J.J.

J.J. said nothing, but Derek looked across the table at Spencer and a grin appeared.

"Oh, I know that look. I know that look well," he said before chuckling.

"What?" J.J. and Spencer said in unison.

"Pretty boy was on a date and got interrupted," he said.

J.J.'s jaw dropped as Spencer turned red.

"What? Nooo … no, I just have a headache and it's been a bad day," he lied.

Derek laughed harder.

"Kid, come off it. You aren't fooling anyone, so tell us what happened. Trust me, we've all been there," he said.

Spencer seemed to be debating whether to admit to it or continue to lie. Before he had a chance to answer, Hotch boarded and immediately jumped into briefing everyone.

(xxxxx)

Spencer and J.J. walked through the thick grass towards the crime scene. Storms threatened the small town in Kentucky, where they had only hours before arrived.

"So, who is she?" J.J. suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

The team never got a moment to get back to asking Spencer about Brooke, so his mind had wandered to the case and off of his anger. Not that he forgot about her. She was unforgettable. Her long brown hair, those beautiful brown eyes. Her slightly plump lips that were a soft pink. The way she smelled like vanilla and some fragrant shampoo. His thoughts were disrupted by J.J.'s voice.

"I'm assuming Morgan was correct. You were on a date tonight?" she said glancing at him.

Though it was dark, she could still see his features due to the lights that were set up ahead of them. Spencer glanced at her before looking down at his feet.

"Her name is Brooke," he said softly. "It was our first date."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Derek's right though, we've all been there. So, we know how much that sucks. Did she handle it alright?"

"She looked kind of sad initially, but I promised when I came home I would take her out again. It must have eased her mind because she seemed more relaxed after that," Spencer said.

"She probably thought you were trying to get out of the date," J.J. said.

"You think so?"

"I know if I went out with a guy and he told me he had to leave suddenly, I would be worried it was just an excuse to get out of the date," she said.

"Oh," he said with concern. "So, what do I do? I don't want her to think that."

"You could call her and tell her you had a great time on the date. Maybe apologize again for having to leave," J.J. suggested.

Spencer's frowned and stopped walking, making J.J. pause with a questioning look.

"I don't have her number," he said.

"How did you go on a date and not get her phone number?" J.J. said with a furrowed brow.

"Well, I just went to her job to ask her out and when we chose a day and time, we met at the bookstore. So, there really wasn't a reason to call her," he shrugged.

"When we get home, go see her and get her number," she ordered as she continued walking to the crime scene.

Spencer followed quickly behind.

(xxxxx)

"It's all your fault! Look what you did!" the woman screamed.

A hand swung down and slammed into the young girl's cheek. The slap was so hard the child's eardrum ruptured. She fell to the ground with a loud crash. Before she had a moment to recover, the woman's hand fisted in her hand and dragged her across the wooden floor. The girl tried desperately to get her footing, but the woman moved too quickly for her little feet to keep up.

She was tossed unceremoniously onto the cold bathroom tile. Her forehead bouncing off the floor as she skidded to a halt. She heard the bath tub running and began to cry.

"Mama, please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, please! I'll be good I promise!" the little girl sobbed.

"Shut up! It's too late for sorry! Now get undressed!"

The girl stood up shaking as she peeled away the dirty nightgown she was wearing. She was shaking as she approached the tub. She climbed in and was immediately pushed down into the frigid water. This was a favorite punishment of her mother's. She wondered how long she would have to stay in the water this time. Last time, she was able to play "Disney's Cinderella" in her mind, nearly to the end.

"Now, stay there until I tell you to get out!"

The woman turned off the water and stormed from the room. The young girl shivered in the icy water that covered her all the way to her face. Only her nose was allowed to be out of the water for breathing purposes. If she was caught sitting up, there would be extra punishments. So, she stayed submerged as she began to watch Cinderella in her mind again.

(xxxxx)

Thanks for the comments! I hope you are enjoying it thus far! xoxo