For what seemed like the happiest minutes of his life, Maggie and Spencer stood together she tucked neatly into his arms, safe against his chest. It was almost as if the horrid events of the previous night hadn't happened at all. Maggie yawned against him.
"My heavens. I guess I'm not as young as I used to be. All that drama really does me in."
"Did you just say 'my heavens'?"
"Yes. Why?"
"It just makes me laugh that you can be so demure and proper but I know that you could just as easily string together enough cuss words to make a sailor blush."
Maggie laughed and looked up at him with her dancing, smiling eyes. They were indeed sparkling again. For that moment everything was once again right in Spencer Reid's world. He knew it wouldn't last. She was tired and needed her sleep. He had seen the damage done to her body (by him!) and she needed rest to heal. He didn't want to let go and be banished to the guest room but it was the right thing to do. No matter how badly he wanted to just stand there forever holding her, he had to put her needs first. He let her go after kissing the top of her head tenderly.
"Good night my fair maiden."
"Good night, Sweet Prince."
Maggie squeezed his hand lightly before turning and walking out of the library. It suddenly became clear to Spencer that he was also exhausted. There had been a lot of emotion throughout the day and that had worn him out. He reached over and gave Barrett a quick scratch behind the ears before turning out the light and leaving the room. He made his way down the hall only taking brief notice of the fact that Maggie's door was open and started into the guest room.
"A bit turned around, are you dear?"
Spencer turned at the sound of her voice with an admittedly dumb look on his face.
"That's the guest room, baby. You're not a guest. You live here, remember?"
"I thought…"
"And how many times have I told you to stop that thinking stuff?"
"Maggie, it's so soon. I don't want to frighten you and you need your sleep. You have a lot of healing to do. I don't want you awake all night because you're afraid Mr. Hyde will show up again."
"Well, I don't see how I'm going to get any sleep at all without Dr. Reid. Get in here and quit arguing with me. It's not midnight yet and so it's still my day where you have to do what I say. Get in here before I rethink the whole braiding your hair idea."
Spencer gave in, as if there was any doubt that he would. How could he say no to her? He couldn't before this had happened and now he really felt he could not deny her anything. If she asked for the moon, as little sense as that made, he supposed he would try to get there and bring as much back for her as he could. Once in her room, he started to crawl into the bed.
"I'd ask if you usually sleep in a shirt and tie but I already know that you don't. It won't offend my girly sensibilities for you to change…you remember which drawer is yours?"
He nodded and walked to the dresser. Once there he pulled out pajama bottoms, slid off his pants and quickly redressed before discarding his tie and shirt. Once again he started climbing into the bed.
"That's better."
"Are you sure about this, Maggie?"
"Yes, and I'm sure that I'll hit you if you don't quit asking me that."
"I just really don't want to make you feel unsafe."
Spencer lay down and before he could react, Maggie's head was on his chest, her hair splayed across his shoulder.
"Mmmmm…now I think I can sleep."
He didn't know what to do with his hands. It was worse than the uncertainty of their first sexual encounter where he didn't know what to do to not appear clumsy. He felt the same fear except that he didn't want her to think he was trying anything.
"Spencer, hold me."
Okay, she was nothing if not perceptive. She could have been a profiler. He draped his arms around her careful to not brush her anywhere that could be interpreted as taking liberties.
"Don't be so tense, my love. Nothing is happening tonight except that you are comforting me and making me feel safe. I don't even care how irrational that sounds. All I know is that I love you and I feel better when your arms are around me. Just keep it PG, Fella"
"Yes, ma'am."
They just lay together like that for a while until eventually Maggie stirred a little and spoke.
"The bruises and stuff, pretty bad, huh?"
Spencer really didn't want to even think about it knowing that he had done that to her but she asked and it was her body and she certainly had a right to know.
"Yes. I don't want this to sound like an accusation but when I asked you the first time last night if I hurt you, were you trying to protect me? There had to have been bleeding."
"The pain was pretty bad but I hadn't changed my panties yet and didn't know there was blood. When I saw the blood earlier today, I didn't want to admit that it was related. There was tearing then?"
"There is. Your labia suffered small tears."
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
"The bath probably helped you."
"It did."
She snuggled her head deeper into him and he could feel her breath against his neck. Under any other circumstances he would be straining at his pajama bottoms but something kept him from seeing her as a sexual thing right now. She was in need of something else from him and somehow his body knew the difference and he was able to just hold her a little tighter and let her drift off to sleep.
