Chapter Thirteen: The Car Heart

A/N: Oh, heyy... it's been what? A month?! I'm the worst human in the planet. I could blame this all on sickness, family drama, school work, work work, but I won't! SO I AM SUPER SORRY FOR THE WAIT. I keep saying it won't happen again, but with how crazy my life's been Lord knows when I'm going to get this all through.

Lettuce Pray,

blueoleLavanderIsAPrettyColo r

Derek

Emily finished, "Rossi may be a lawyer, but… he's got connections in the FBI. Hotch said he once worked for them and wrote all of these secret memoirs with a nom de plume that made him rich."

JJ gasped and held her fingertips to her throat, "The FBI?! Is he a secret agent or something?"

Emily laughed, "I don't know! Maybe he is! Wouldn't that be crazy?"

Will asked, "What's a 'nom de plume'?"

Spencer added, "It's the French term for 'pen name' and is used as a buzz word for writers whom publish works under a name that isn't their own for privacy purposes. Many authors use them up to and including Mark Twain, but he was quite the mysterious fellow, so who knows why he really used one and—"

Will interrupted, "Okay! Thanks, Spencer. I got it. It's kinda rad."

Kevin leaned over Garcia's shoulder, "Kinda rad?! That would be fucking hep, man. Wouldn't it, Penny?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Penelope replied distractedly, grabbing the kitchen phone off of the hook, "How about we call the man so Derek can get back in school and be one glorious step closer to knocking on my door in a sexy cop uniform asking me if I've evaded the law?"

Derek shook his head and snickered, taking the phone from her, "Your wish is my command, baby girl."

The large group of kids huddled closely around Derek's corded kitchen phone as he dialed in David Rossi's phone number, all hoping that the man will take their case. Crossing her glittery fingers, Penelope squeezed Derek's shoulder in anticipation as the phone rang. Derek turned back around to tap his forehead against hers comfortingly as the static of a pick-up sounded.

A woman spoke in a bored tone, "David Rossi's office, how can I help you?"

Derek cleared his throat, "Um… hello, ma'am. I wanted to know if I could speak with David Rossi."

She let out a shallow scoff, "Oh, really? That's the first time I've heard that. What's the nature of your call?"

Derek spoke simply, "I think I have a case that Mr. Rossi might be interested in hearing about."

"You and everybody else, kid," she chuckled sourly before sighing, "I'll ring you through." Her voice grew distant as she seemingly shouted over her shoulder,

"Hey, Dave, we've got another hopeful! Want me to put him on hold?"

'Dave' must have decided against it, because moments later, the phone was ringing again. Spencer leaned against Derek's side nervously and Derek reached down to tangle his fingers through Spencer's. Spencer looked up quickly as he did so, eyes motioning to the other kids in the room, but Derek shrugged it off and held tighter onto his hand. A warm, Italian accented voice spoke into the phone, "David Rossi, how may I help you?"

Derek asked, "Well, I… I'm an associate of Aaron Hotchner, and—"

Dave let out a hearty laugh, "You work with ol' Hotch? You sound a bit young."

"Not technically…" Derek paused and looked at Emily in a moment of panic.

Emily chimed in quickly, "Hi, I'm Emily Prentiss! I babysit his son!"

"Well then," Dave replied with mirth in his voice, "You have your work cut out for you, don't you, little miss?"

Emily continued, "Look, man, this is Derek on the phone right now. You know, that high-schooler Hotch told you about?"

Dave added, "Oh! Yes, Derek Morgan. The first colored boy to go to an all-white school in Virginia! Boy, was that was incredible! I'm guessing you've gotten expelled if you're calling me, though?"

"I have been," Derek replied, "I mean, it's okay if this isn't really the type of case you want to get into. Honestly, I wouldn't blame you if you hung up on me right now what with all of the trouble this could make for you. It's an honor just to be talking to you, Mr. Rossi."

Dave laughed once more, "Don't be silly! I've done everything from divorce court to killer prosecutions! This right here? What you've got is fresh, kid, it's new! This kind of stuff is the type that gets people to listen. And that's what we need right now, correct? We need people to listen. This segregation stuff is archaic, that's what it is. It's time for a new era, you know? An era where it doesn't matter what you look like, where you came from, what you do for a living and who you do on the side, if you know what I mean…"

The BAU kids let out mirthful chuckles.

Dave said quickly, "Whoa, kid, we got an audience? I hope my wife isn't there."

Derek replied with a smile, "You're all good. It's just my support system."

Will and Kevin leaned over to pat Derek's shoulders and the girls gave Derek fond hugs. Spencer gripped Derek's hand and leaned against his arm. Boy, was that true. Even though he was standing in his kitchen with a bunch of white kids from the school that just chucked him out, he knew that the six in this room cared deeply about him and they weren't letting him go for nothing. Even though he would never say it out loud, he was more comforted by that thought than they knew.

"It's good that you have one of those, kid, keep 'em close," Dave spoke with a serious grunt, "Now, I would like to have you in my office Derek. You as well as your mother if that's alright. We need to talk about the best way to enter this situation. I can fit you in my schedule at nine fifteen tomorrow morning. Bring as much paperwork as you can, alright?"

Derek nodded, "Yes, sir."

Dave replied, "Good. Soon, we're going to win ourselves a case."

Derek asked quickly, "Um… speaking of cases… how big a case is this going to be?"

"District. Maybe state, but nothing more. We just want to scare the school board a bit. Trust me, kid, they'll bite," Dave shrugged off, "Now, I'll see you and your mother tomorrow, and we'll get you back in school, okay, son?"

Derek answered, "Hep. Thanks, man."

Dave replied with a smile that Derek could nearly hear through the phone, "Anytime."
Then, the phone cut off and the dial tone set in. The children all gathered around the phone looked at each other for a moment in silence before Emily started to clap, "We've got a case with David Rossi, alright!"

The BAU began to cheer and grin and hug each other in glee. Derek, himself, was feeling a great weight off of his shoulders. If this all panned out, he wouldn't have to go to the South. He wouldn't have to send his paychecks up to feed his sisters. Most importantly, he wouldn't have to leave them all, especially Spencer. He couldn't leave Spencer if he tried. Hell, beyond hurting himself, Derek knew he couldn't do that to Spencer. Every time he loves or gets close to someone, they leave him. Once, Spencer told him of a kid named Ethan who befriended him in middle school for a while before moving away. That was the last person Spencer truly trusted before curling into his shell, keeping his head down, and abandoning everything but his school work and his mother. But, Derek seemed to break through those defenses somehow and he was given a chance to fall deeply and ravenously in love with Spencer. If Derek was correct,

Spencer was beginning to feel the same way. If so, losing Derek might kill him.

Giving his gangly boyfriend a side eye as he was pulled into the crowd, Derek chose to enjoy this brief moment of happiness in a day full of clouds. From where he could see him, Spencer was being hugged and smiled at and included in a way he most likely had never been before. And his answering smile was one of the most beautiful ones Derek has ever seen him give. It was wide and crooked and toothy, but, by God did it make Derek's heart thrum.

Maybe his mother was right. Love does change and grow over time, and the way he felt right now about every soul in this room is a feeling of love he never thought existed. Derek couldn't have possibly imagined it. In saying that, he joined in the hugging ceremony. He ruffled Kevin's hair, patted Emily's shoulder, tapped Penny's nose, winked at JJ, wrapped an arm around Will, and kissed Spencer on the cheek right in front of everybody.

Will whooped happily, "So, it's true, huh? You two?"

Spencer leaned his head on Derek's shoulder and smiled up at him as Derek said, "Yeah. Us two."

Derek

"Hey, chin up, kid," Penelope replied, patting Derek's back as they waved off the group whom were all piled up into Kevin's mom's station wagon to get driven to their respective homes. Derek looked after Spencer as he walked off. He watched the slim line of his figure move easily in those blue slacks that he never told Spencer he liked so much. Spencer has so much faith in him—they all did. It was hard for Derek to watch them all walk along supporting him, loving him, fucking following him like lemmings off of a straggled cliff. Derek is not at all one to roll over and comply, but he admits that he prayed that they would know when to give up on him if the time comes to do so. The color of his skin had condemned him enough. He doesn't need to see it seal the fate of the few people whom actually showed him kindness in this world.

Penelope, knowing him for so long, could see through him like his eyes were made of glass. He knew this, but let it happen anyway. There was no use hiding from her. She would do nothing but try to make him feel better, and that's nothing to berate her for. Penelope laid her head on his shoulder and watched the car fill up with their friends and said nothing. While he admired her bubbly attitude, fierce loyalty, and sunny disposition this right here has to be his favorite thing about her.

She knows when to shut up and let him think himself out.

And that's just what he did.

Derek stared forward and smiled faintly as the group of kids called out to him from the car. Will and Kevin threw him thumbs up. Emily waved, JJ blew kisses, and Spencer looked up from the backseat and grinned up at him. Derek's faint smile grew a bit more genuine after seeing that. He couldn't explain what happens to him when Spencer smiles, but for some reason, the world grew less dark, the sun shone brighter, the weight pressing upon his shoulders was lessened, and in those few moments, he was not afraid to love him. As the rest of the kids turned, Spencer kept his eyes trained on Derek and he raised his hand to his heart and pointed at Derek.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up a second. What does that mean?! Is Spencer trying to say something to him? Spencer's heart. Derek. Spencer's heart. Derek.

Derek ran out as the car started away, feet thumping against the grass as he yelled out to the station wagon, "Wait! Does this mean you heart me?!"

Spencer gave him a mysterious smile and rolled up the window and didn't answer as the BAU started to laugh and chit chat. Derek stood there alone and watched as Spencer left him wordless and confused. He was trying to say that he loved Derek, right? He loves him? He totally loves him! Oh, my God. Derek walked backwards toward the house as the car zoomed out of sight and turned to Penelope as he approached the door, "Did you just see that?"

"See what?"

Derek added, "Spencer! Did you see Spencer?!"

Penelope began to laugh, "No shit, Sherlock. We just said goodbye to him."

Derek closed the front door and locked it, "No, baby girl, I mean just now! I think he told me he loved me."

Penelope paused and asked quietly for a moment and asked, "Whoa… how did he say it? Like did he grab you aside and whisper it?! Did he shout it from the rooftops?! Did he kneel down on those god-awful corduroys and beg for your hand?!"

"No, none of those. He touched his heart and pointed at me from the car just now," Derek replied, "Besides, his ass looks fantastic in those cords. I won't have you speaking bad about the star of nearly every one of my naughty dreams."

Penelope winked, "Ooh, naughty, you say? Tell me more, tell me more."

Derek waved his finger at Penelope with a smirk, "Girl, you know you're wrong."

Penelope laughed, "You wouldn't have me any other way, Sugar Ray."

Derek gasped and feigned a faint, "Sugar Ray… like 'my baby daddy' Sugar Ray?"

"Isn't he stell though?"

Derek grinned, "Yeah, he's good wank material, but he's no Spencer. I'll tell you, that kid may not look like it, but he's a monster in bed."

Penelope giggled, "Gross."

He added, "He's super kinky too."

Penelope raised her hands and waved them around, "Oh, God. Enough! I've heard enough!"

"You should see how hot he gets when I quote British works from the 1600's when we're fooling around."

Penelope replied, "You're not serious."

Derek laughed, "Yeah."

"You're right.," she replied, "That's kinky as all fuck"

Derek added, "It's pretty sexy if you see it in person and hey, it does give me motivation to study for my exams."

Penelope shrugged, "Well, I'm glad for you, and usually I would want the details, but the fact that it's Spencer is squicking me out a bit."

"Why? What's so squicky about Spencer?" Derek asked confusedly, "Dude's a fucking flutter. And when I say flutter, I mean legitimately 'H-O-T, meow, Hello Nurse, unga unga' flutter."

She looked over at him with a pause, "I don't know, for a while he was just some kid, but now… he's kind of like the little brother that I didn't know I wanted. It's not like you and him are weird, but I just cannot physically think of him like that. He's all gangly, and bundie, and Spencer-y, and just… eww."

Derek winked, "Well, don't worry about that, baby girl. I got enough thoughts about him for the both of us."

She asked hesitantly, "Not naughty?"

He answered, "Not naughty."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Okay fine," Derek chuckled and replied, "Sometimes naughty."

Spencer

He got home at a reasonable hour for the first time in a while. It was 4:30, and out of fatigue, Spencer decided to take a nap. If things went well, maybe he'd go into his mother's room and let her read him something off the grand bookcase.

Locking the door with his keys, Spencer fondly remembered the brief moment he shared with Derek before Kevin drove him home.

Staring out toward the old house, Spencer locked eyes with Derek as the large group huddled into the station wagon and waved to Derek and Penelope. Spencer watched as the group's enthusiasm lightened up his sorrowful expression and he began to smile back at him. Derek's smile grew wider and Spencer wanted nothing more than to jump out of that car, run back to him, and stay by his side for as long as was possible.

Derek looked back at him with something in his eyes that he couldn't quite understand. Come to think of it, that's the way he usually looks at Spencer nowadays. Spencer wasn't sure what Derek was trying to say (or trying not to say) but the night before, Spencer could have sworn he heard Derek whisper softly that he loved him against his lips. It may have been an accident, meaningless words spun off from the passion of their kiss. Why, Spencer says all the time; over and over in his head to Derek every time he sees him.

But, that's normal, right?

Everybody thinks 'I love you, I love you, I love you' to their object of affection without it actually changing feelings or emotions.

The fact that he has an internal voice that screams love doesn't mean at all that Spencer actually loves Derek. That just means that he's 'in' love with Derek.

Loving someone and being 'in' love with someone are two different things. It has to be. Spencer's never loved anyone the way he loves Derek—he means… the way he's 'in' love with Derek—or loves Derek—or wants Derek to love him back—or isn't loving him at all—or loves him so much that he can barely breathe when he thinks about it.

Spencer is so confused and Derek is still looking at him with those transparent eyes. He couldn't help but to press a hand to his own heart as he looked at Derek to quell the workout it was getting beating so fast. It felt as if he was running a marathon, or riding a bike down a steep hill, or reading the ending of The Iliad. Spencer pointed at Derek partly to warn him that he was the cause of his cardiac unease and partly to remind him never to stop.v

Derek's eyes widened and he ran out of the house, yelling out at him when he got close enough to the station wagon as it started to travel, "Does that mean you heart me?!"

Spencer held back a laugh and smirked at him as the car pulled away.

The answer was yes.

Spencer smiled quietly to himself and leaned against the door for a moment before walking to his room and pulling his jacket off so that he could toss it aside.

He yanked on his tie, loosening it as he kicked off his shoes and headed to his mother's room to check on her. Spencer knocked lightly on the door four times. If he knocks thrice, she gets a little upset. His mother spoke from the other side of the door, "Spencer? Is that you?"

Spencer replied, "Yep, it's me, Ma."

"Come on in!" she added quickly as he opened the door, "Do you have time to help me with my seminar?"

Spencer smiled fondly and opened the door to see his mother surrounded by papers, "Sure, Mom. What do you need me to do?"

In a big pile of books, notes, and folders on the floor sat his mother in the center as she leafed calmly through the chaotic mess she had created with her glasses perched slightly askew on the top of her nose. Spencer began to laugh and asked, "Mom, what's all this?"

She replied dismissively while flipping the pages of a book, "It's Shakespeare Week at the university. I'm thinking about grouping all of the common works and setting them aside. Or, I could pair a comedy with a tragedy. Or, I could focus on the sonnets. I do like sonnets."

Spencer kneeled beside his mother and picked up a worn paperback to turn it over and examine the cover. He had chosen Romeo and Juliet. Lifting the book,he interjected, "You know, Mom, Derek quoted Romeo and Juliet at me a few times. He likes Shakespeare as well."

Mrs. Reid murmured, "Who's Derek?"

Spencer's eyes fell, "You know… that guy you saw me with last week. Derek."

"Oh, do you mean that little colored boy I caught you smoochin' with?" Diana spoke simply.

Spencer blushed, "I wouldn't say we were smooching…"

She snorted with a smile, "Neither would I."

Spencer paused, "Well… I'm sorry you had to see that."

His mother replied, "It's fine. You interrupted a lot more than that when you were a baby."

Spencer made a face and covered his ears, "Mom, come on, eww."

She laughed, "Hey, at least he wasn't cornball enough to quote Romeo and Juliet at me."

"I like it when he quotes Shakespeare," Spencer replied, "It's not just the plays with him. It's the sonnets, the essence, the accent, you know? It's just really… I don't know… romantic."

Diana picked up a big folder with the words KING LEAR vs. MERCHANT OF VENICE on it and grinned, "Oh, this would be fantastic. Don't you think, baby?"

Spencer looked over the folder with a grin as he thought of how good a lecture on that topic would fare, "Yeah, it would be."
Now that he's thinking about it, he's more excited than ever to get to University. Just the idea of all of those seminars and classes is making him excited. All of that information was out there just waiting to grab Spencer and wrap him in its arms. His mind is just itching to be stretched, teased, tested after all of these years of a stifling education. He can't wait to be in a classroom full of intellectual equals and hear their beautiful, beautiful minds hum beside his.

He decided to ask, "Do you think you could give me an overview of this one? I'm really interested in King Lear, especially if you tie it into the Scottish Play."

She laughed, "Honey, you don't have to call it the Scottish Play if we're not in the theatre."

He chuckled, "So, I can say the 'M' word today?"

Diana nodded with a snicker.

Spencer let out happily, "MACBETH!"

She smiled, "That's my boy."

A/N: See you next week, I hope...