**WARNING: Child abuse described here. A GAINT trigger for some people.**
Read at Own Risk, you have been warned.
"Oh, honey, that must hurt. I bet I can make the pain go away," Diane took he son's hand and lead him to her and his father's room. And Diane explained what had happened to his dad and they agreed to take away Spencer's pain in the way Diane had mentioned to Spencer.
Spencer looked back and forth between his parents, "What are you going to do?"
"Shh," His mom told him. "Your pain will be gone in a few minutes, I promise." Diane nodded at William and William pulled a knife from the bed side table.
He got up and approached Spencer, "This will only hurt for a second, then everything will fade."
Spencer felt panic welling up and he was wanted to run, but his mom had her hand clutched painfully on his shoulders so he couldn't move. Spencer's parents lead him to the bathroom and sat him down, fully clothed in the bath tub.
Spencer wanted to get out of them, but his parents were blocking his escape.
Diane held his left arm, the one closest to wall, on the side of the tub facing them. William placed the knife to his wrist and Spencer gave a gasp. Of all the things he'd imagined his parents doing, this was not one. This was murder.
"On the count of three, ok?" William said.
"No," Spencer whimpered. "Stop."
"One," William started, ignoring his son.
"Two," Diane added, hold his arm in place.
"Three," William pressed hard on the blade and pulled, leaving a deep gash in his that immediately started gushing blood, a sight that made Spencer feel dizzy and sick, and causing a burning sensation in his wrist that hurt worse than anything he'd ever felt. The belt his dad had used a few times before didn't have much on the pain in his wrist at that moment. The dizzy began to get worse as his mom replaced his cut wrist to his side and grabbed his other one. William handed her the knife and held Spencer's wrist in place as Diane repeated Williams process.
Spencer could hear his parents telling him everything was going to be better as he faded from consciousness and into a dreamless sleep.
Spencer awoke in the middle of the night, his nightmare fresh in his memory. It was just a dream, he told him self as he sat up. But the burn from the fresh cuts his parents had just given him on his stomach and arms told him other wise. He pulled his shirt off as he entered his bathroom and deposited in the dirty laundry pile and faced the mirror. On his stomach there weren't as many scars as his arms, but it was recent that they started cut there too.
Maybe they thought someone start noticing me always wearing my sweater, Spencer thought bitterly as he pressed a piece of clothe to the cut that had pulled open when he sat up. After a moment he removed the clothe and bent down carefully so he look under the sink. In the cupboard part under his sink there were bandages. Spencer pulled them out and wrapped them around his stomach, then his arms. Spencer sighed. It didn't look like he could go to school tomorrow. That meant no Derek.
Spencer walked back to his bed and lay down. He couldn't go to school in the shape he was in, but he really wanted to see Derek. Friends were better than nothing right?
Spencer wrapped his blankets around himself and feel asleep, wondering if he could go to school...
Spencer woke again at 5:30. He internally debated whether he was going to school or not. He thought briefly of how it would get him away from my parents, if only for a little while. His thought's then turned to one's of Derek. How he might panic if he didn't show up at school. How he really wanted to see him, to feel the safe he'd experience last night at Derek's.
Spencer took in a deep breath and considered. He didn't have gym today, so there was no need to worry about that. He could bring spare bandages just in case. And he could always leave sick if he needed to.
Spencer stood carefully and went into the bathroom. Spencer looked at himself in the mirror. He looked pale, possibly because he lost so much blood last night. Yet the mere thought any form of escape from the hell hole he was tripped in and of someone who might care waiting there for him made a determination light in his eye's. Spencer walked back into his bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and his sweater and went down stairs and made himself some breakfast. He was ready and out the door with extra bandages before his parents were even up and he pulled out of the drive way as his parents alarm rang. He sped away, not paying attention to the song that was playing or that he probably shouldn't even be thinking about moving around, let alone be planning on going to school.
Spencer didn't think about where he was going until he was sitting in the parking lot of Janet's coffee shop and watching as they unlocked the door. Was the door was open Janet held the door open for Poppy, then made her way over the Spencer's car. Spencer rolled the window down and watched as Janet studied him.
"What's up?" Janet asked.
Spencer tried his sense of humor out, "Clouds."
"Ha ha," Janet replied, clearly not amused. "Now why do you look like hell?"
"Moriarty and Adler," Spencer replied.
"What happened?" Janet demanded quickly, knowing something bad had happened by how bad Spencer looked and those two 'names'.
"I called and asked if I could stay longer at Derek's last night because they invited me to and they didn't like it," Spencer replied.
"How bad?" Janet asked and Spencer gave her a look. "Right, come in."
Spencer slid carefully from his car and walked towards the front door of the shop. Pausing in the doorway momentarily to debate whether this was a good idea or not, Spencer opened the door and walked into the shop and sat down across from Poppy.
Janet walked over to the counter and put on some coffee while Spencer and Poppy sat in silence. Finally Janet walked back over and demanded, "Take that sweater off."
Spencer carefully removed his sweater and after a moment and a look from Janet made him removed the bandages to reveal the deep cuts his parents had given him the night before.
Janet took a deep breath, then walked into the back for some reason while Poppy studied the cuts.
"Why won't you tell us who did this to you?" Poppy asked after studying the cuts silently for a few seconds.
"Because I can't," Spencer replied as he usually did.
"Alright, then," Poppy said. Then pause for a second before adding, "Now take the shirt off."
"What?" Spencer asked.
"You've been cut on your torso as well, now show me," Poppy announced.
Spencer reluctantly removed his top and the bandages to reveal the ones on his torso. Poppy nodded and Spencer sighed as Janet re-entered the room.
Janet handed Spencer a deep red sweater and a black, long-sleeved shirt, "This will help cover them more." Spencer nodded and took the clothes gratefully. He, however, put the bandages and then his t-shirt back on.
"What's the point in that?" Poppy asked.
"More incentive to keep my sweater on," Spencer replied. "I'm never seen without a sweater on, someone will notice."
"Derek, perhaps?" Poppy questioned.
Spencer looked away, out the window, "Maybe. I wouldn't put money on it though."
Janet shook her head, "You cannot go to school like this. You're half dead for gods sake."
"I have to because the alternative is going home," Spencer replied. "And I don't want to go home. Not now."
"Why?" Poppy asked.
This is getting dangerously close to the truth, Spencer thought before saying, "Because they will find me and I don't know what will happen."
Poppy and Janet seemed at a lose for words and they sat in silent for a minute before Janet got up and poured three glasses of coffee.
Once they all had their coffee, they sipped silently until they'd finished and the first customer's were showing up. Spencer had put his bandages back on and his shirt and the sweater Janet had given him before the customer's had shown up, of course. But the fact they were covered didn't mean they weren't there and Poppy kept glancing at him like she couldn't stop picturing those wounds the people Spencer should look up to the most had given him.
Every time someone looked over and smiled or waved or said hello, it bothered Spencer. They were regulars that stay until long after Spencer had left for school and saw him almost every morning. They were nice but Spencer didn't want their... Help. What he wanted was a way out where his parents wouldn't come and find him and punish him for leaving. An alternative that maybe involved him staying in the general proximity of the high school so he could maybe keep being friends with Derek. And, well, the others as well, of course, they seemed nice too.
"So," Poppy said. "This new, Spencer 'I need to go to school even though I might bleed out' Reid wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Derek Morgan now would it?"
Spencer looked away, "Of course not."
"Sure," Janet replied sarcastically. "Tell me, what was it like at his house last night?"
Spencer blushed, "No fair."
"Why not?" Poppy asked.
"Because I was away from them," Spencer replied. "I could be naked and tied to a goal post and it would still be better than being with them."
Poppy and Janet flinched, but Spencer continued, "We actually got a lot done last night and then they invited me to stay for supper. I couldn't tell them I couldn't even call and ask, so I did and I maybe manipulated my parents into letting stay for a little why longer. So I talked down on Derek's video gaming skills while he did the same for me and then we ate supper and I totally kicked his ass at the video games and, to save his pride, I let him win some of the time. But you know what the worst part was?"
Poppy and Janet shook their heads so Spencer continued, "I knew they wouldn't be okay with this, I knew they'd do something like this to me. But I couldn't help it." Spencer felt tear's forming and begin to fall as he continued, "I couldn't help it, because I felt so... safe there, the first place I've ever truly felt safe. And I couldn't just walk out, knowing what was waiting for me. So I lied. I said we was finished anywhere near as much as we really had. I was being selfish and now I'm paying for it." Spencer broke of, trying to keep his breathing calm as sobs threatened to take over, raking his body until it reopened the cuts and he bleed out. "It was like, for the first time, I was in a place that I was free to be myself in front of someone my age and someone I could consider a friend if I didn't... If I didn't..." Spencer took a deep breath and let it escape him in a sob, "If I didn't feel so helplessly in love with him."
Spencer gave into the tear's and he felt Janet and Poppy wrap their arm's around him, shushing him gently, telling him he was going to be okay. But Spencer knew that was far from the truth. He was never going to be okay, not any more.
It was a while before Spencer had calmed down. Most of the customer's we politely not staring, but there were a few that Janet and Poppy quickly told to fuck off. Spencer knew he probably looked even more like hell than before, but he didn't care.
"Are you sure you can't just hide here?" Poppy offered.
"I'm sure," Spencer replied with a sigh. "They might drive by and notice my car and get suspicious and coming looking."
"We can take them," Janet informed Spencer, but he shook his head.
"They will win," Spencer replied. "They have their ways."
Poppy sighed, "Then you'd better get going, or you'll be late for school."
Spencer nodded and stood. Then he pause before hugging both of us friends, "I'll see you guys later."
"Laters," Poppy replied.
"Bye," Janet said.
Spencer walked out and got into his car. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a moment before driving to school.
Once he arrived at school he planned on waiting for the bell in his car, but after a minute or so he jumped as someone knocked on the window. He looked around to see Garcia standing there, flanked by Derek and the rest of the group.
Spencer rolled his window down, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah," Garcia replied. "Get your skin ass out here."
"And if I don't?" Spencer asked.
"I'll drag you out," Garcia threatened.
Spencer kept panic at bay as he laughed and collected his stuff. His dad had dragged him to his bedroom the night before, up several stairs, before Spencer had completely lost consciousness.
Pulling his backpack on, Spencer stepped from his car and closed and locked his door.
"So, we hear you actually got work done last night," JJ commented.
"More than I assumed we would," Spencer replied."Honestly, he actually did some work as well."
"Hey," Derek protested. "It's not my fault you knew all those facts."
"And it's not your fault I kicked your ass at Need For Speed last night either," Spencer retorted and the girls went ohhhhh and Garcia added a burn on the end.
"I won a few times," Derek replied weakly.
"Because I let you," Spencer said indifferently.
"Bull shit," Derek snorted.
"Want a rematch then?" Spencer offered. "I can guaranty you won't win once."
"When and where?" Derek accepted.
"It'll have to be sometime next week at your house," Spencer replied. "My parents don't like people coming over."
"What's this next week crap?" Derek asked. "You, Spencer 'I-have-no-social-life' Reid is busy?"
"Family stuff," Spencer shrugged and immediately regretted it when a tugging sensation followed by pain was caused. He knew he'd opened the cuts again.
"Oh," Derek replied.
"It's nothing big," Spencer shook his head. "Just my parents wanna go away from a bit, so we're taking a road trip I guess."
"Ah, ok," Derek nodded his understanding. "Where are you going?"
"I don't know, they won't tell me," Spencer replied. Which wasn't technically a lie. His parents wouldn't tell him were he was going. If and when he was going.
"Well, have fun going somewhere then," Garcia jumped back into the conversation.
"I'm sure," Spencer replied.
"You don't think it's going to be fun?" Emily asked.
"I'm not a big fan of road trips," Spencer replied. "Frankly I hate them. But mom and dad want me to go with them and they don't trust me to leave me here alone so I have to go."
"Well that sucks," Derek commented. "But at least you're not going to be at school."
Spencer nodded, "Yeah, that's such a good thing."
The group laughed and Spencer shook his head, "What wrong with you guys? I like school."
The group stopped and stared at Spencer. "What is this witchcraft?" Garcia asked.
"Somebody call Uther," Derek said and while he, Garcia and Spencer fell about laughing, Spencer opening quite a few cuts as he did so, the rest of the group stared at them, causing them to laugh harder.
"You seriously need to get acquainted british television," Spencer commented as he gasped for breath.
"It's hopeless," Derek shook his head. "I've been trying for years."
"We might as well give up while we're ahead," Garcia added in her agreement.
"Oh well," Emily said. "I guess we will never understand the craziness that follows britsh television."
"Craziness?" Spencer asked, forcing faint into his voice. "Craziness? You want craziness, you check out tumblr during a Sherlock two fucking year hiatus." Derek and Garcia nodded their agreement beside him, shaking their heads at their clearly oblivious friends.
"Come on guys," Elle said. "They're clearly in fandom mode. We should go."
"Yes," Spencer agreed. "Go. Before the craziness eats you."
The three started laughing again and Derek gasped out between laughs, "We may be laughing, but we're dead inside." This cause the other two to laugh harder.
"Bye," JJ, Elle, and Emily announced, wasting no time in leaving them to their laughter.
Once they sobered but Garcia went after the girls, leaving two boys alone.
"So," Derek started. "What's really keeping you from kicking my ass at a video game or two?"
Spencer smiled briefly at the end, but it quickly faded with a sigh, "Moriarty and Adler weren't happy with me last night. They'll probably look for any excuse to punish me for a while so I have to stay out of their radar."
Derek nodded, "You shouldn't have stayed."
Spencer analyzed Derek's tone, one of guilt and shook his head, "It's not your fault. I'm the one who changed how the schedule was and I'm the one who manipulated my parents into letting me stay. Do not blame your self."
Derek shook his head, "But-"
Spencer cut him off, "I knew what I was getting into the second I asked to stay longer. You didn't know shit was gonna fly. But I did, yet I still let myself talk my parents into letting me stay. So do not blame your self for what happened. It's all my fault."
Derek paused, "It's not your fault either. You have some sadists in your life and I get that, so don't blame yourself for their shitty life and their abusive tendencies, ok?"
"Did you just ask me if it was ok not to blame myself?" Spencer asked.
Derek shook his head and laughed, "You are something else Spencer Reid."
"Don't I know it," Spencer replied as he started towards the school.
Derek laughed as he followed Spencer. "So, tell me," Derek started. "What exactly went down last night?"
"The same as always," Spencer replied. "Except they were a bit more violent than normal."
"Oh," Derek replied.
Spencer nodded, "But hey, they didn't try to kill me then and there, so I should be ok."
Derek nodded silently.
They walked up to their lockers and got their stuff for class. "I see we have the class classes every morning and then different ones in the afternoon," Spencer commented as they started off for class.
"Yeah," Derek nodded.
They went through the morning relatively silently. They joked around a bit. Spencer made cracks at Derek's attention in class and to his work. Spencer got most of the work the teacher's gave them done within the first ten, fifteen minutes of class so he helped Derek and anyone else who asked him after they realized Derek Morgan, The Derek Morgan, was finished before them.
And lunch was going well, up until Spencer's sleeve was pushed up.
As Spencer reached over for his bottle of water his sleeve was catch on the edge of the table. It was easy enough to cover it back up, but what wasn't so easy was making people unsee it. And Derek had seen it.
Spencer saw him staring at him out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry, I'm going to use the restroom," Spencer announced and left, leaving a few confused girls and one very upset Derek Morgan behind.
Instead of going to the bathroom, Spencer went to the gym and hid under the bleacher's. He sat there for a few minute's before he heard the door open and was joined by Derek.
"So," Derek said after he'd sat down next to him. "That's a 'bit more violent that normal' is it?"
"You don't know the half of it," Spencer replied, caution abandoned.
"Well then explain the half I don't know," Derek offered.
Spencer paused for a moment, thinking of what to say, "You remember that friend I mentioned back on the first day of school?"
"This one that died?" Derek verified.
"That was me," Spencer said. "That was me I was talking about." Spencer took his sweater off and held out his bandaged arms, pointing out the deep scars on his wrists. "Moriarty and Adler almost killed me that night. I have been the same since. I 'died' that night and they haven't stopped since. Digging up my grave over and over again."
Derek was looking at him, a slightly horrified expression on his face. Derek reached forwards, grabbing the end of the bandage on his right arm carefully, pulling it off to reveal the fresh wounds. Then he took the ones off the other arm and took a deep breath. "Where else?" Derek asked.
"I'm sorry?" Spencer asked, confused.
"There's more, where?" Derek asked.
Silently Spencer lifted his top to reveal the bandages on his stomach. Derek looked away and Spencer put his shirt down and put his bandages back on, followed by his sweater.
"They've been doing this to you since you were ten?" Derek hissed out, anger deep within his voice.
"Cutting, yes," Spencer replied. "But I've been their punching bag longer."
Derek gave an annoyed noise somewhere between a growl and a huff, "That's just disgusting."
"Tell me about it," Spencer sighed. "You'd think they'd know better that to beat the crap out of a two year old."
"Two years old?" Derek cried in rage.
"Yeah, that's the first time I remember anyways," Spencer looked away from Derek's obvious outrage at what Moriarty and Adler were doing to him.
Spencer let Derek sit seething for a moment, recovering from what Spencer assumed to be a shock on Derek's part. Then Derek whispered softly, "Who did this to you?"
"Why do you want to know so badly?" Spencer asked. "I can't tell you. They would kill both of us if they had to."
"Because I don't like the idea of anyone hurting the person I l-" Derek stopped abruptly.
"The person you...?" Spencer prompted after a moment, despite the fact he knew like would be the word to fall from Derek's lips.
"The person that," Derek continued. "I think I've fallen in love with."
Spencer paused, staring at Derek. Did that really just happen? Spencer's mind was racing off into it's self and what he'd heard, or what he thought he'd heard.
Suddenly he saw Derek leaning in, a what the hell, I'm in deep now look in his eye's. Then he felt Derek's lips on his, and felt his eye's flutter closed as he kissed Derek back. They kept their hands to themselves, because Spencer was close to bleeding again. They pulled apart after a moment and Spencer sighed.
"They'll find out about you," Spencer said. "And it will mean hell."
"Right," Derek said, leaning back. Spencer took a deep breath as he scooted closer to Derek and laid his head on his shoulder.
"That mean's we'll have to be careful," Spencer pointed out as he felt Derek's arm go around his shoulder's, Derek's hand wrapping it's self around his upper arm, as not to disturb the cuts.
"I can deal with that," Derek nodded and Spencer felt a smile configure it's self on his face and for the first time in his life, Spencer was looking forward to something other than school or studying.
"Thanks by the way," Spencer said.
"For what?" Derek's replied sounded bemused.
"For not assuming that was me," Spencer said, shifting his arms a little.
"You don't seem the type to keep a knife under their pillow to cut themselves with," Derek shook his head. "You don't deserve this."
"Does anyone?" Spencer asked. "But there are sick bastards out there who are doing this and worse to others, even as we speak. It's not right."
Derek sighed, "We should get going, the others are probably worried about us."
"Not Garcia," Spencer replied. "I swear to god, she's been shipping us harder than she ships Merthur."
"How did you know about that?" Derek asked.
"Ah, so she confronted you," Spencer nodded. "She couldn't have made it more obvious this morning than if she'd been chanting 'kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss'. You saw how fast she ditched us after the others left."
"Yeah, well," Derek said. "She's Garcia."
"True," Spencer nodded and they laughed.
After an other moment, the two stood and walked to and out the door, a respectable distance between the two, Spencer wondering what the fuck just happened.
When they got back to the table, the rest of the group was staring at them.
"So," Garcia said after a moment. "What was that about?"
"Nothing," Derek said and Spencer shrugged, pulling his phone out. The group continued to watch them as Derek started eating again and Spencer sent a text to Janet, asking her to have coffee ready and the shop closed for after, explaining he had something to tell them. The staring continued as Spencer put his phone in his bag.
Finally, Garcia seemed to have an idea, "Was it about Moriarty?"
"Yes, it was," Spencer replied.
"What about them?" Garcia asked.
"Stuff," Spencer said a little shortly. "I don't feel like talking about it."
"Why?" Garcia asked. "What happened? What did they do to you?"
"Stuff," Derek replied for him. "Bad stuff."
"But what?" Garcia asked again.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Emily asked.
"Shit," Spencer replied. " And I do not want to talk about it so everybody shut up about it, alright?" The group turned to stare at Spencer, "Every one of you have secrets you don't tell anyone. This is mine and I intend to keep it. Maybe I'll share it one day, but that day is not today and I will explode and leave a bloody mess every where if this conversation continues."
The group continued to stare at Spencer and he was about to say something else when Derek spoke up for him, "If he doesn't want to talk about, he's not going to talk about, he's stubborn like that. So I suggest everyone shut's up now, before he really does explode." When the group turned their attention to Derek, he smiled, "And trust me, it's not pretty. I saw it last night and I can not unsee it."
"That," Spencer announced. "Was acting."
"Well, then, that was some very good acting," Derek replied. "Because you seemed genuinely upset that you lost."
"Yeah, well, wouldn't wanna hurt that ego of yours," Spencer replied.
"Oh shit," Garcia said. "I can't believe you just said that."
"And you don't have one?" Derek said, ignoring Garcia's comment.
"No," Spencer shook his head. "I haven't since I was ten. And even before that I didn't have much of one."
Derek's smirk disappeared and was replace with a frown, "Spencer, why would you even say that?"
"Because it's true," Spencer was somehow still smiling."But one day, maybe it'll fade away along with everything else."
"Bull shit," Derek replied.
"Maybe," Spencer nodded. "But one has to have hope, right?"
"Hope?" Derek asked. "What is this hope you speak of? How do you have hope? I'm surprised you're sane at this point."
Spencer laughed, "I'm not so sure, Sherlock and Doctor Who and hiatus is not a very good combination."
Derek shook his head, "What's wrong with you?"
"What isn't wrong with me?" Spencer countered.
Derek narrowed his eyes for a moment, before bursting out laughing, "Fine, you win for now."
"Da fuck just happened?" Elle asked.
"Shit," Spencer replied. "Shit just happened."
"Oh?" Derek asked.
"Yeah," Garcia agreed. "I'm pretty sure someone that way shit them selves." Garcia pointed behind her and the group started laughing.
"Well," JJ said after a minute. "The bell is about to go, bye." She got up and walk off. Elle and Emily waved and joined her.
"See you guys later," Garcia called as she walked away as well.
Spencer and Derek looked at each other for a few minutes. Then the bell rang. "I guess that's our queue to get to class," Derek commented. They stood up and walked to their lockers. Spencer was about to go in the direct of his class when Derek's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Yes?" Spencer asked, confused as to why he had been stopped.
"I meant what I said," Derek told him. "I imagine you don't hear that a lot and I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."
"I know," Spencer replied. "You don't seem the type to keep that move at hand to fuck with someone's mind."
The two shared a smile, then Derek shook his head, "I'll see you later, Pretty Boy."
"Count on it," Spencer agreed and they walked off in opposite directions, different classes.
Spencer parked his car in front of the cafe and sat there for a moment. They, Poppy and Janet, had indeed closed the shop and were waiting. Spencer got out and walked up to the door. He tried it and it opened so he walked in and plopped down across the table from his friends.
"You look happier," Poppy commented.
"Maybe because I am," Spencer replied with a sigh. "God help me, I am happy right now." Spencer laughed, "Hell is coming, ladies, and I'm happy about it."
"So who died and left you behind?" Janet asked.
"No one died," Spencer shook his head. "Someone was reborn, though."
"So who kissed you?" Poppy asked with the air of a joke.
"Derek Morgan," Spencer replied, a serious look on his face.
"You're kidding," Poppy told him.
"Maybe you were, but I wasn't," Spencer smiled and shook his head, laughing.
"Spill," Janet demanded.
So Spencer told them how they ended up under the bleacher's. He recounted Derek's speech and explain how he'd asked him why he was so protective. He told them how he'd prompted Derek to finish his sentence and explained that Derek had told him he loved him and had then kissed him. Spencer told his friends how his life suddenly didn't seem so bad, at least for a little while.
Janet and Poppy exchanged looks. Janet then said, "You send him in here, we need to talk with this boy."
"So you can give him the shovel talk?" Spencer laughed. "Yeah, don't think so."
"He knows us too well," Poppy leaned over and stage whispered to Janet and the three laughed.
They all jumped when a phone went off, and they all looked confused when it turned out to be Spencer's.
It read: Talking about me?
Spencer shook his head, this was obviously Derek. He sent back: And you are?
A response came almost imediately: Ha ha, guess.
John? Spencer sent back.
There was a bit more pause before the next message came in: No shit, Sherlock. Not going to see Moriarty today are you?
Spencer laughed as he sent back: Maybe, maybe not. I can't tell you.
Spencer could hear Derek's complaint as he read it: Why not? Spencer smirked as he sent back: Because according to some fangirl, we're having an affair, sorry John. I didn't want you to find out this way.
Spencer could Derek laughing in his response: Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Now, seriously, why are you talking about me?
I'm not talking about you. Pfft, what are you talking about?
Bull. I can read lips.
Oh can you now?
I read you gushing about your amazing new boyfriend and your friends there being all like, 'bull shit and 'when did this happen' and 'my baby's growing up so fast'.
Boyfriend? Spencer felt a blush creeping up his neck and across his cheeks.
Oh, I'm sorry. Did you miss the part where I kiss you under the bleacher's and you told me we had to be careful, least your Moriarty and Adler get wind of this?
No, you watched me gush about it.
So you were talking about me.
So you weren't eavesdropping.
Touche.
So where are you?
Outside.
Why?
I'm playing stalker again. It's pretty fun.
Oh? You realize I could call the police?
You could. But you won't.
How do you know?
...
Spencer frowned.
"So, who's that?" Poppy asked and Spencer jumped slightly, having forgotten where he was for the moment.
"My stalker," Spencer replied.
"And that would be?" Janet prompted.
"Someone who's going to get dragged in here," Spencer replied, smiling as he could up and walked out the cafe door.
He walked slowly over to Derek's truck and stop outside the window.
Derek rolled the window down, "Fancy meeting you here?"
"Yeah," Spencer laughed, who'd have thought the person in need of some caffeine would be at a coffee shop?"
Derek laughed, "So, why are you talking about me?"
Spencer shook his head, "I didn't want to, but they knew something was up. Besides they're like family, so." Derek nodded, then Spencer had a thought, "Speaking of family, hows your mom gonna react?"
"She," Derek stated. "Is shipping us as hard as Garcia, if not more." Derek shook his head, "God, she gave me the warning that if I hurt she'll be as mad as you would be."
"You're safe from her rage then," Spencer replied. "Not only do I believe you won't hurt, I wouldn't get mad. I'd try my best to forget it and when that fails I'll drown myself in academics to distract myself."
"Don't count on that happening," Derek said and they smiled.
"So, I give up, why?" Spencer asked after a few minutes.
"Why what?" Derek asked back, confused.
"Why'd you say you love me earlier and why did you mean it?" Spencer asked. "There are some questions that I just can't answer, all of them surrounding you. And now I give up, why the hell would you love me?"
Derek shook his head, a small sad smile on his face, "They sure have done a number on you." Spencer blushed and Derek continued, "God knows why, but when we were ten, you were the only one in the whole class, teachers included, that didn't try to talk to me, didn't try to tell me you were sorry, or that it must have been traumatic. And I guess I found that both interesting and intriguing. It seemed the norm was forcing condolences on me, so I began to watch you. Discretely of course, but still. I'd noticed before that you'd occasionally show up with bruises or something, but the teachers wrote them off and so had I. Then, shortly after my dad died, you disappeared for a few weeks. I thought about trying to track you down, and was about to when you came back, trembling like mad, terrified of everything and I wondered what had happened to you. So I continued to watch as it slowly got worse. You stopped coming in with as many bruises, but there was blood on your sweater or pant leg, and I knew something was up with that. The more I watched, the more I wished I didn't because whenever you were alone you stopped going into trances of some kind, reliving those bad memories, flinching and expressionless. And then everyone started to pick on you, and I began to feel protective. I stopped a few attacks before they could happen and I tried to get the teacher or someone over as fast as I could. But they didn't help. And I knew I couldn't, cause at that time I was almost as skinny as you."
"Hey," Spencer protested.
"Face it kid, you're a stick," Derek laughed and Spencer blushed again. "And I never helped after my muscles developed, partly because I knew the team would get me kicked me off, partly because you seemed accustomed to what they were doing and never accepted help."
"That's 'cause if I do I'm weak," Spencer said.
"No, if you do, you're being brave," Derek corrected. "It takes bravery to ask for help when you need."
"Depends on what you think, I guess," Spencer said.
Derek shook his head, "It depends on who your view has been set by."
"Fair enough," Spencer nodded.
Derek smiled, "I guess you're strangeness is what attracted my attention, but you kept it. From the fact you disappeared around the time my oldest sister was doing her exams and she could have swore she'd seen you to how much courage I knew you had, facing someone else every where you turn and how much strength you had, not letting it break you, not completely. You are why I love you. And I'm sure if you could see you from here, you'd look pretty amazing as well. There is no doubt in my mind, Spencer Reid, that you have gone through more than most people do in their whole life time, and the fact that you are still here mean's you are resistant and amazing. Pretty Boy, my Pretty Boy." Spencer felt a blush creeping up his cheeks and tear forming in his eyes. Derek place a hand on the side of Spencer face gently as he continued, "They have hurt you and they will pay. I will make sure of that. And I am here for you. I love you for you."
Spencer felt a tear fall and Derek wipe it away, "No one has ever ranted about how great I am before." Spencer voice sounded a little broken up, even to him, but he saw Derek shake his head.
"Get use to it," Derek replied. Then he leaned out the window and kissed Spencer. Spencer shifted so he was a little closer to the window and tried not to think of the fact anyone could see him and the fact Janet and Poppy were watching. They pulled apart after a moment and they shared a smile.
"Okay," Spencer nodded. Then looked at the cafe door, "My real stalkers, ladies and gentlemen."
Derek laughed, "Why do they look upset?"
"They wanna give you the shovel talk to end all shovel talks," Spencer explained. "It'll be better to just get it over with."
Derek nodded, "I'll follow you in, you'll say you need the bathroom."
"Sounds like a plan," Spencer agreed.
"Don't leave me alone to long, okay?" Derek asked. "I wouldn't want them to think you'd disappeared."
"And you don't want to be left alone with them to long in case you say something wrong," Spencer shook his head, backing up and opening Derek's door. "After you."
Derek smiled and got out of the car, somewhat reluctantly.