Author's Note: I'm really sorry I haven't updated in forever. I really dropped the ball on this one. There's no excuse I can give, so I'm not even going to try. Thanks to everyone that is still following my story, event though I'm probably the worst updater in the history of history. I'll try to make up for the long wait with a really long chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter Eight – Chocolate and Friday Morning Pancakes
Spencer snapped his phone shut as we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building. He looked over at me apologetically, but I could see the slight spark of excitement in his eyes.
"Hotch said you could stay with me instead of going into protective custody. I thought you may want to pack some of your own clothes, seeing as you may not be able to come back here for a while."
"I thought it was a crime scene, how am I going to get in?" I asked, confused. He just gave me a look. "Oh right. FBI. Nevermind, stupid question," I said with a small laugh. I stepped out of the car and he led me to the elevator. I braced myself when we reached my floor and the doors began to slide open. I saw the crime scene tape on my door and sucked in a breath. My hand flew out, almost on its own, and grabbed Spencer's. I needed the comfort. He just gave me a small smile and led me to the door, rubbing soothing circles into the back of my hand with his thumb.
I stood in my living room, surprised by how normal it looked. There were a few numbered markers near the bookshelf, but other than that it looked untouched. I walked into my bedroom and retrieved a small duffel bag from under my bed before proceeding to cram it full of sweatpants, jeans and t-shirts; which made up the bulk of my wardrobe. I ran into the bathroom and grabbed my toiletries and a few feminine necessities; because I was pretty sure Spencer wouldn't keep those lying around. I zipped my bag shut and walked into the living room, where I found Spencer waiting patiently on the couch.
"Ready as I'll ever be," I told him, swinging the bag over my shoulder. He smiled at me as he stood up.
"Then let's go get you set up," he told me, walking towards the door.
The ride to his apartment was silent. I was nervous about moving in with a man I had only met a few days ago, but one that I was very quickly falling in love with; and that worried me. Surely I wasn't supposed to fall in love that quickly. But I was.
I smiled as he parked the car. The old apartment building he lived in matched his car perfectly. I couldn't imagine him living anywhere else; it just seemed to fit him. He took my bag out of the trunk as I slung my messenger bag across my chest.
"Follow me," he said with a smile before walking into the building. We walked up the two flights of stairs that led to his apartment, because there wasn't a trustworthy elevator. I wasn't looking forward to carrying groceries up those stairs…
He unlocked his door quickly, before opening the door, letting me walk through first. There was a small living room, every wall covered in bookshelves that looked to have exploded. There were books piled everywhere. On the coffee table, end tables, and on top of the old TV, which looked like it hadn't been used in a while considering the thin coating of dust on the screen. There was an equally small kitchen, with wooden cabinets and old white appliances, similar to the ones in my mother's kitchen. Again, books were piled on the counter tops, and I saw a much loved coffee maker nestled in between two stacks of books.
"You can set your things down in the bedroom," he told me after I had finished taking in his living space.
"But where will you sleep?" I asked, turning around to face him.
"In here," he said with a vague gesture towards the living room, "The sofa is a pull-out."
"No, I can't kick you out of your own bedroom," I argued.
"You're not kicking me out if I'm the one telling you where to sleep," he countered. I tried to come up with a decent comeback, but failed.
"Well, okay," I sighed. I felt bad about his sleeping on the couch, but I definitely wasn't ready to share the bed with him. I walked into the bedroom and found it was just like the rest of the apartment; covered in books. The walls were covered in bookcases and there was a small end table, decorated with even more books and a small table lamp. I set my bag on the bed and walked back into the living room. I sat down next to Spencer on the couch and cuddled into his side, resting my head on his chest. I closed my eyes as I felt his arms wrap around me. I stayed quiet for a long time, just listening to his heartbeat, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his breathing before I finally spoke.
"You're going to catch him, right?" I asked, finally voicing my fear. He started running his fingers through my hair before letting his hand fall to my shoulder.
"We'll catch him, I promise. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," he stopped and looked down, meeting my eyes, "I'm going to protect you. You're far too special to let anything happen to you." I gave him a small smiled, touched by his devotion. I held his eyes and waited. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. I kissed him back, letting my eyes fall closed.
BDBDBDBDBD
I was standing in the kitchen, mixing pancake batter for breakfast, thinking about how drastically my live had changed in the past week. I looked over to the living room and smiled when I saw Spencer curled up on the couch under a brown throw blanket, with the most peaceful expression on his face that could only be seen when he was sleeping. I was surprised by how easily I adapted to living with Spencer, and I often stopped and laughed silently about what a domestic I was becoming. It didn't take me long to realize that Spencer had no real food in his kitchen, so I was promoted to grocery shopping and cooking duty, and I have to admit, I liked the role of homemaker. I've only been living here for three days, and it already felt like home. I missed my friends, of course, but I was just glad they're safe in Georgia. I convinced them to extend their visit until Michael was caught, much to their dismay, but they finally agreed. I started pouring the pancake batter into the pan when I heard Spencer beginning to stir.
I put down the bowl and lightly walked over to where he was sleeping on the couch. I crouched down in front of the sofa, so I was at eye level with him, and reached out to shake him awake when he whispered my name. I froze, my hand hovering over his shoulder.
"Manda…" he breathed again, almost inaudibly. I smiled, and pulled my hand back to my side. I leaned towards him and gently pressed my lips to his. After a moment, his lips began to move against mine and I pulled back, smiling.
"Morning dear," I whispered, meeting his hazel eyes.
"Mmm, I could get used to waking up to this," he whispered before kissing me again. I kissed him back before standing up.
"C'mon, breakfast is almost ready," I told him before skipping back into the kitchen and grabbing a spatula.
"You made breakfast?" he asked, walking up behind me.
"Of course, it's Friday, and that was always pancake day in my house. I thought I'd continue the tradition," I said, spinning around to face him. That's when I noticed what he was wearing. Or more accurately, what he wasn't wearing. His plaid pajama bottoms hung low on his hips, and his lack of a shirt was proving to be very distracting. "Ahhh…would you like anything with yours? I always had mine with chocolate; my mom ate hers with blueberries…?" His eyes lit up at the mention of chocolate and I couldn't help but laugh at his childlike expression. "Chocolate it is then," I declared, walking over to grab the bag of Nestle's from the pantry before sprinkling the chips over the batter.
I flipped the last pancake onto the plate I was holding before calling Spencer to the breakfast bar that separated his kitchen from the rest of the apartment.
"I can't believe you did all this," he said, sitting down.
"Well believe it hun," I smiled, laughing quietly as I leaned against the counter opposite from him, grabbing a plate, "eating chocolate pancakes on Friday morning is a tradition I hold near and dear to my heart," He laughed and leaned over to give me a quick kiss before digging in.
BDBDBDBDBD
"I really do have to go," Spencer breathed between kisses, "I'm gonna be late, and it will be on your conscious." I could feel the smile on his lips as he kissed me again.
"I'll find a way to deal with the guilt," I said, pulling him back down to me by his tie as he began to pull away. I wove my fingers through his hair as he began to surrender, and smiled against his mouth when he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. It was only a minute later when he began to pull away again, but this time I let him go without too much protest. "Bye hun," I whispered, "go catch some bad guys." He smiled, leaning down to give me a quick goodbye kiss.
"Goodbye Mandaleigh," he whispered as he pulled away. I smiled at him as he walked out the day.
"Off to save the world," I whispered as the door closed. I stood there, grinning at the fact that I was the one lucky enough to have Spencer Reid as a boyfriend.