December 22nd, 2012
Reid/Maeve
"Spencer?"
"Hi, Maeve."
"Hi!" He smiled at her excitement. "Good to hear your voice, as always."
"Good to hear yours, too."
"Did you have a nice flight to Vegas?"
"Yeah, for the most part. A little bit of turbulence going over the mountains, but nothing too terrible. I barely even noticed it, actually."
"I'd imagine you're probably pretty used to that by now," Maeve joked, and Reid laughed in response. He'd told her about their flight to Kansas for a case, and how freaked out Rossi had been the entire way.
Silence fell between them for a brief moment before Reid spoke. "I really do like this, you know? The days when we're able to talk outside our usual time and date."
"I do, too," Maeve said softly. "Especially now, at the holidays, it's nice to be able to talk to you."
"Yeah, it is." A thought crossed his mind then. "Are your parents going to see you?"
He could almost hear Maeve nodding on the other end. "Yes, they'll visit on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."
Reid breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't bear to imagine her alone on Christmas. "Good."
Another bit of silence. "I sent you something," Maeve continued, a lightly teasing tone creeping into her voice.
"Oh, did you?" Reid matched her tone, smiling once more. He loved it when she was like this. It made him feel so much better to imagine her in a purely happy mood.
"Yeah. I sent it to where your mom's staying, since I know that's where you're going to be. I hope that's okay?"
"That's fine," Reid reassured her. "Thank you, I look forward to getting it. I sent you something, too. It's not much…" Not as much as you deserve. "…but hopefully you'll like it anyway."
She chuckled. "Spencer," she interrupted, easing his quick rambling. "It's okay, I trust whatever you sent will be fine." Her voice sounded so gentle, so comforting. "I can't wait to get it."
Reid felt that familiar ache in the pit of his stomach. Why did their phone calls have to be so short?
"Well, anyway, I just wanted to call you and let you know I made it to Vegas okay. And to wish you a merry Christmas. I should be back by New Year's, so…maybe we can talk again then, too?"
"That sounds good. Hope you have a nice time with your mom, and a safe flight back."
"Thanks, hope you have a good time with your parents, too." He paused. "Take care of yourself, Maeve, okay?"
On her end, Maeve felt a flood of warmth through her. She really did love the protective side of her Spencer. "I will. Merry Christmas, Spencer."
"Merry Christmas, Maeve."
"What's that?" Diana asked later that night, nodding towards the small package.
"It's a gift, Mom. From that girl Maeve. Remember her?"
Diana looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, right. The girl you've told me about in your letters. Yes, I remember her." She smiled as she watched her son holding his gift so carefully, noticed the faraway look in his eyes. She'd gotten the sense that this girl was special to Spencer when she'd observed the way he wrote about her, but seeing the look on his face right now made her fully realize just how deep his feelings truly were.
Reid was so tempted to want to tear open the gift right then and there. I should wait, though. I bet she'll wait until Christmas to open hers.
"You can open it if you want," Diana said then, chuckling as Reid blinked his eyes and gazed at her.
"What?" he asked, sounding a bit dazed.
"The present. You can open it if you want to."
"You never let me open gifts when I was a kid, Mom," he pointed out, a light laugh escaping his lips.
Diana shrugged. "This one's different." She winked at him.
A mother really does know, Reid thought, his face turning a light shade of red as he began gingerly prying away the brown wrapping. Inside he found a small box full of new magic tricks, as well as a new letter and a card.
He set the box and letter on the table, pulling the card out of the envelope. Diana took a moment to let her son read the card, wanting to hug him when she saw his expression change. He looked touched, and there was a hint of longing in his eyes.
"May I ask what it says?" She didn't want to pry, but she'd never seen Spencer like this before. Diana couldn't help but be a little curious.
Reid handed her the card, seeming a little embarrassed at the thought of reading it aloud.
Spencer –
You may well already know every magic trick in the book, but in case you don't, here's some new ones to try. Rather fitting you like magic, as I would say this past year could be called "magical".
I've loved getting to know you and talking to you. Thank you for your concern, your time, and most importantly, your affection and humor. I hope you know just how important all of that has been to me. Merry Christmas.
-Maeve
Diana looked up at Reid. "I like her," she said.
"So do I," Reid responded. "Very much."
Back in the Washington, D.C. area, on Christmas Eve, Maeve sat with her parents. They were curious about the present she held in her hands.
"What did you say this boy's name was again?" her mom asked.
"Spencer," Maeve answered. "He's a nice boy, Mom. I think you'd like him."
Her parents studied her, noticing how her eyes lit up as she talked about this Spencer person. She'd never looked like that when talking about any other boy she'd dated.
Maeve found herself a little amused at how he'd remembered to send his gift to her in plain brown paper wrapping. She knew that, in any other circumstance, he would've sent it in the most Christmas-y-looking wrapping paper imaginable (he'd told her about his penchant for colorful, mismatched socks, after all. She had a feeling that whimsical part of him showed up in other areas, too).
The latest letter he'd sent her fell out onto her lap, as did a card. She grinned upon looking at the DVD. It was a science documentary he'd been gushing about in a recent discussion, one he knew she'd find absolutely fascinating. She'd sounded so excited just hearing about it.
She picked up the card and opened it.
Figured a letter and a movie would help keep you occupied. Maeve bit her lip, shaking her head in amazement. Always thinking ahead.
Merry Christmas, Maeve. I don't know that I can begin to tell you just how special this last year has been to me, but it has been. Thank you for all your help, but also, thank you for being there. For being so understanding and caring and…just for being you. It's been wonderful getting to know you. - Spencer
She looked back up at her parents, her voice wavering a little. "Yeah. I think you two would love him."
