A/N: Sorry for the wait! It's been a busy couple of weeks. Also, I know this is short but the remaining chapters will likely be short, more like little one-shots in chronological order. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks to the reader who suggested the content for this chapter. If there is something you would like to see, let me know. :) In other news, I'm probably going to start posting for Harry Potter soon, so be on the lookout for that if you're interested.


The rain was different now. It had become not a cold autumn rain with the promise of winter, but rather a cool rain that brought the promise of summer. It felt altogether different, yet it brought Spencer a sense of nostalgia about the rainy day that he'd met Katie. On this particular day, Spencer was gazing out the window of his apartment, his fingers wrapped around a warm mug of coffee. He had invited Katie over and was waiting for her anxiously, wondering what her reaction might be to the question he had for her.

They'd been together for six months, and Spencer wanted her to meet his mother. He'd already been planning a trip to Las Vegas to see her, and he desperately wanted Katie to come with him. He'd never been so willing for anyone to meet Diana before, but something told him that she and Katie would get along well. He knew without a doubt that Diana would wholeheartedly approve of Katie, and he had high hopes that Katie would see his mom the way that he did. She was easily one of the most accepting and loving people he'd ever met, and he felt sure this quality would carry over into her feelings toward Diana. He wasn't really worried about her reaction, if he was being completely honest. As time had passed, Spencer had steadily become both more comfortable and more familiar with Katie. He couldn't imagine a scenario in which she wouldn't be willing to meet his mother. He just couldn't wait for his chance to ask her.

When Katie arrived outside Spencer's apartment, it was with a dripping rain coat, covered in little rivulets of water as a result of the fine mist outside. She smiled brightly at Spencer, and he couldn't stop himself.

"Do you want to meet my mom?" he asked, before she was even in the apartment. "I'm going to visit her in Las Vegas soon, and I would really like for you to come with me."

"Of course I want to meet your mom," she said. "Is it okay if I come in now?" she asked him with a bemused smile.

"Oh, right, of course," he said, sounding positively giddy as he started to chatter to her about all the plans for their upcoming trip.


It wasn't until they approached the building that Katie began to get nervous. She'd been so caught up in the preparations and excitement of the whole thing that it had somehow not occurred to her that she was meeting Spencer's mom. She was moments away from meeting the woman who had been a key part of creating the kindest, most intelligent, loving human being she had ever met. She knew that Diana Reid was not an ordinary woman, but it was not her disease that made her that way. It was the fact that she had given the world something as special and wonderful as Spencer. Truth be told, Katie thought to herself, she was a little wonderstruck.

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked, jarring Katie from her thoughts. She offered him a smile and nodded her head, hiding her nervousness. Spencer probably would have picked up on it if not for how excited he was. Katie knew that it wasn't easy for him, but it made her feel warm to see how happy it made him to take her to meet his mom.

"There she is," Spencer said, and continued to hold Katie's hand as they approached the woman with short blonde hair, who was sitting in a chair by the window.

"Hi, Mom," Spencer said happily and Diana looked up at him, a small smile appearing on her face for a fraction of a second as Spencer let go of Katie's hand to hug his mom.

"Spencer," Diana said, and Katie was surprised by her warm, gravelly voice. Suddenly, her eyes landed on Katie and then flickered back to Spencer.

"Who's this?" she asked. Spencer slipped his hand back into Katie's.

"This is my girlfriend, Katie," he said proudly. Diana looked her up and down and Katie felt a little twinge of worry-What if she doesn't like me?-but then Diana smiled at her son.

"She's prettier than your other one," Diana said.

"The other one was never my girlfriend, Mom," Spencer said.

"Well, at any rate, she makes you happy so I like her," Diana said matter-of-factly. Spencer beamed.

"Hi, Mrs. Reid," Katie said.

"Hello. Sit," Diana invited. Katie got the feeling that even before her schizophrenia became too hard to manage, Diana was a very commanding presence in all the right ways; impressive and strong-willed.

As Katie and Spencer sat down together across from Diana, Katie could already tell that coming to Las Vegas with Spencer had been a very good decision.