AN: I wanna say thank you for the most reviewed chapter, on chap. 5, and it made me so happy. So I thought I'd update a little earlier than usual cause of it. One review kind of brought something to my attention, but story takes place between seasons 4-5 right before Spencer gets shot in the knee. Cause I wanna make it something was already know well enough and possibly make a second part and yea. So - Maeve doesn't exist. This is season 5 Spencer - with his beautiful shoulder chocolate locks. But will say the shop that Maeve and Spencer meet in, was my inspiration for what Mitchells looks like, but a little bigger. Sorry for not clearing that up earlier, any way, on with the Chapter.
Chapter Seven
Further Action
Spencer called his team the moment I was done explaining everything that had been happening the entire week he'd been done. He frantically spoke into the phone, before the two of us rushed to the BAU offices. I suddenly felt ashamed for not telling him sooner, and listening to my sister for once. It was like his body wasn't able to rest to entire drive, his finger strumming along the steering wheel, or tapping his foot the whole ride up to the BAU floor.
"Spencer," I spoke softly, but he still wouldn't look towards me "Spencer, please talk to me."
"I...I don't even know what to say, Shai." He spoke, his voice tense "This went on a whole week….a whole week and you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't wanna worry you, Spencer, you were doing your job"
He turned towards me quickly "Well now I'm worried. Because this went on for a week without anything being done about it. I understand not telling me, I can understand that, Shailene. But not even the police?"
Before I could speak, the elevator doors opened, and he nearly ran out into the lobby. Timidly, I walked behind Spencer and through the double glass doors into the bullpen. I followed him up a ramp and over towards a conference room, where the door was left open. He stood in the doorway and waited for me to catch up, before I walked in. A group of people were waiting inside, who I immediately knew were to be his team. But the only person I was able to recognize was JJ, seeing as she was the only person I had met briefly. Spencer let out a deep sigh from behind me, before stepping forward and placing a comforting hand on the small of my back.
"Guys, this is Shailene." He spoke, his voice losing the tense anger from moments ago "My girlfriend"
A man to my right stepped forward, a sten and authoritative look on his face. His tall frame was dressed in a fitted suit, and already I knew for this to be Aaron Hotchner from the description that Spencer had given me once before.
"I'm SSA Hotchner, and we're going to help as much as we can." He spoke "But first, we need to make sure that this is in fact a stalking case before we move forward with just a suspicion."
Spencer pressed me forward, with the hand on the small of my back, and having me sit in one of the chairs that surrounded the table. I had the feeling that you get when you're in the principal's office, feeling as if you'd done something wrong, even though you know that you haven't. JJ walked over and took a seat beside me, and gave a comforting smile, and pulled out a pad of paper, giving me her full attentions.
"Let's start from the beginning." She started "How did this all start?"
I shifted in my seat slightly, trying to find a way to relax in the chair, but it wasn't happening. Spencer must've sensed my discomfort, because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it slightly, as a way of encouraging me.
"First it started with flowers," I sighed "At first I thought it was just someone sending them to the wrong address. There really wasn't a name on the cards, so...I didn't know what to. Kept the flowers and just thought they'd stop."
"How long till the gifts changed?" JJ asked
I paused "Beginning of last week. I got the flowers, but months had gone by since the last one came to the store. Same message as before, thought nothing of it."
"Wait," Spencer interrupted, causing us to look towards him, "Was that the same day that I'd come to see you before we left for Oregon?"
I nodded my head "I didn't think anything of it. Just thought the same as I had before. It wasn't till the girls and I were walking out to my car that the box was waiting on top of my car."
"Ever received a box in the past?" A gentleman asked, He stood tall with his arms crossed at his chest and stern concentrated look across his strong features.
"No," I blushed lightly and smiled "I thought it was a gift from Spencer. Something he'd out there before he left. But it wasn't. Inside was a box full of dead butterflies."
"Was there a note this time?" Aaron asked
I shook my head "But the next night there was another box, different type of butterfly, but with a note."
"What did it say?" Aaron asked, walking closer to us, and crossing his arms at his chest.
"Thing between us will change, just like these butterflies. Only this time you won't fly away from me" I recited "The same message is on all the boxes that I get"
"There's no doubt this is a stalking case, Hotch. The person is obviously inciting her, and won't stop."
Aaron nodded his head "Seems it's getting worse with every turn down gesture." He looked towards Spencer "You said another box had been delivered when you were at her office today?"
Spencer nodded "It's still there. Didn't wanna disturb whatever was inside."
"Derek, you and Emily go to the office and retrieve it," Aaron spoke, causing the gentleman from before and dark haired woman to rush out of the room and leave the rest of us. "JJ, take Shai to your office to finish up the statement. Here we will set up, we're going to need everything we know about this from start to finish."
Aaron walked off out of the room, and JJ stood from her seat, and I followed her lead. But before I could follow off behind her, Spencer grabbed at my wrist lightly, stopping me in my tracks.
"JJ, give us a second?" He spoke softly, causing the blonde to nod her head, and leave the room. Giving us privacy, she closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry for...snapping at you earlier."
I slowly nodded my head "It's ok, I should've told you, and I'm sorry that I didn't. I just didn't want to worry you,"
"I know that, just…" He sighed deeply "I care for you Shai, and I don't want anything to happen to you"
I blushed lightly "I care for you too, Spencer"
Spencer reached forward and tucked a strand of my hair from my face, before tucking it behind my ear, before bending down and kissing me sweetly on the lips. I reached forward instinctually and placed my hands on his waist, and attempt to pull him closer. When he pulled back from me, his forehead rested against mine, as he held me closely to chest.
"We're going to get him," He spoke softly his brown eyes connecting with my blue "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, that I will promise to you, Shai."
I nod my head slowly, believing every word he spoke "I know you wont. I believe you"
He kissed me once more, before pulling back, letting me walk to follow JJ, who was waiting right outside the door. Looking over my shoulder back towards him, I couldn't help but feel my heart break as I saw the saddened look across his features.
~ {}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{} ~
"How many gifts would you say were brought to you over the last six months?" JJ asked, as the two of us sat inside her office.
I shrugged "I don't know. Over thirty? After a while they stopped. Maybe three months ago? It was just the flowers with some message about how my beauty was greater than the flowers. I would just throw the card away, and place the flowers in the cafe or something."
JJ wrote down what I told her into the notepad before her, before turning back towards me. "You said three months ago they stopped, and then they started up again?" I nodded my head "You and Spencer have been dating for how long?"
I counted back the days, and felt my heart drop "Two months about"
"It's going to be ok, Shai. We'll work on this till everything gets sorted out."
I chuckled softly "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Making a big...spectacle out of all this. You guys should be helping someone who really needs it"
JJ looked towards me, confused "You don't think you need it?"
"No. All I got were weird gifts and that was it. Yes, they scare the living jesus out of me. But it's not something to make a large thing over."
"Spencer cares for you, Shai. Everyone can see that, every time he looks at you." JJ spoke kindly "And we've dealt with cases like this before. It starts off seeming to be harmless, but soon it turns out to be deadly."
I nodded my head, before looking down towards my lap, as my hands started to shake. JJ stood up from her seat, before she walked towards me and took a seat beside me on her couch. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder, in a comforting manner, as I finally broke down. A loud sob ripped through me, as I bent forward and collapsed within myself. My small frame shook against JJ's as she comforted me, rubbing my back soothingly.
Spencer's P.O.V
"You know that you can't officially be on this case?" Aaron spoke towards me as I stood before his desk "But unofficially…"
"I need to be here. I….I need to be able to solve this before it gets worse, Hotch. We've seen what happens when stalker cases go unsolved. 81% become victims of assault and 28% of victims go under witness protection if the stalking increases or becomes violent, and I'm not going to let that happen to her."
"Reid, I know this." Aaron sighed "But you have to look at the probability of that happening. It's been almost a year, given the timeline Shailene has given us. We might have to wait it out in order for this to be taken under our jurisdiction"
I looked down towards him in shock "So you're just going to let this continue before something actually happens? To her, or to someone else for that matter"
Aaron stood from his seat "Reid, given the factor that you personally are involved with the victim is clouding your judgement right now. You knew if it was anyone else, that we wouldn't be brought on unless a physical violation occurs."
"If anything happens to her, I will never forgive you" I spoke sternly towards Hotch, before turning and leaving his office completely.
He called after me as I left the room, but I walked quickly out of the door, before walking away towards JJs office, where I knew Shailene was waiting. But when I got to her office, the door was left closed, knocking softly, I opened the door to see gone, but Shailene on the couch, lying on her side, and softly sleeping.
Softly I closed the door behind me, before moving forward and kneeling down beside her. Her face was twisted as if she were in pain, and her fists clenching tightly together. Gently I brushed her hair back, and sighed heavily when I saw the tear streaks stained on her pale cheeks. Her nose slightly red, and her eyes swollen.
"Shai," I whispered softly, rubbing my thumb across her cheek, slowly rousing her from her sleep "Come on, wake up."
She moaned softly, before whispering "Spencer?"
I smiled softly "Yeah. Come on, let's get you home."
Her eyes opened towards me, and my heart clenched slightly as I saw how red they were. I helped her stand from the couch, before wrapping my arm around her waist, her head resting against my shoulder slightly as we walked out of JJs office. Slowly the two of us walked out of the BAU offices, before finally making it back down towards my car. Shai rested in the front seat of my car, while I drove back towards my apartment.
"They aren't going to do anything….are they?" She whispered from beside me, her eyes focused on her window.
I sighed heavily, and reached across to grab her hand "Hotch said they can't, because at the moment it's just harassment and it's not in our jurisdiction." Shai nodded her head, and squeezed my hand softly, slightly shaking as she sat there beside me. "I'm keeping my promise, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."
She just nodded her head, and it broke my heart to watch as the tears started down her cheeks.
