A couple months later, Spencer was finally at a point where he was no longer on probation on the job. He was able to check out crime scenes and spend time alone whenever he wanted or needed. He had to admit, he was growing tired of waiting for it to happen, and was extremely relieved when it finally did. After a case that took its emotional toll on everyone, they all went home, ready to forget everything that happened.

When they went back to the apartment, Derek held up a wine bottle to Spencer. "Want a glass?"

Spencer nodded, taking a seat on the couch. "Please."

He poured two glasses, walking out to the living room and setting them down on the table, groaning.

Spencer grabbed his glass, sipping it and sighing.

"Job never goes easy on us, does it?" Derek asked, taking a sip.

Spencer shook his head, tucking his feet under himself and leaning against Derek. "Unfortunately not."

He wrapped an arm around him, kissing his forehead. "Do you need to talk?"

"I'm okay."

"You sure? It was your first case back looking at crime scenes firsthand, if you need to get anything out-"

"I don't, but thank you." He tilted his head up, kissing Derek's cheek. "I appreciate it."

He smiled slightly, running a hand through Spencer's hair as he sipped his wine. "So, Pretty Boy, what do you want to do tonight?"

He thought to himself, finishing his glass. "Pick a movie, we'll watch it."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going to let me choose?"

"I trust your judgment to pick something to keep me awake."

Derek got up and looked through his movies. He finally grabbed one, putting it in the player and taking his seat.

Spencer topped off their glasses. "So, what did you pick?"

"Something I think you're going to enjoy."

Spencer groaned. "Can't you just tell me?"

"You'll see in a minute, now stop whining."

Spencer mimicked him, pulling the blanket over himself and resting his head on Derek's chest.

While the title screen was playing, Spencer gasped.

"Lord of the Rings fan, Pretty Boy?"

"Derek Morgan, I love you."

"You what?"

His eyes widened, realizing what he'd just said. "I- I um… I just… I said…"

Derek smiled, tilting Spencer's chin up and kissing him softly. "I love you too, Spencer Reid," he whispered.

Spencer smirked, blushing, taking another sip of his wine. "Really?"

He kissed his forehead. "Really."

The rest of their afternoon and night was spent watching all three of the movies. Spencer ended up dozing off against Derek's chest, and rather than waking him, he rubbed his back, enjoying the rest of the movie. He had to admit, it wasn't quite the same watching it without Spencer adding in his little facts and tidbits about the comparison between the book and the films. Though there weren't many inconsistencies, he still had his own commentary to add.

Spencer yawned against his chest, and his ears perked up at the current scene, narrating along with the film. "Come on, Mister Frodo. I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you."

Derek laughed softly. "Well, hello there, sleepyhead. How is it possible you can sleep through a Lord of the Rings film?"

Spencer blinked, looking up at him. "It's three movies of wandering Middle Earth, Derek. As much as I love Tolkien's work, they lose me when Aragorn goes off the cliff. It never fails."

Derek smirked, rubbing his arm. "We can go to bed, we don't have to stay up and finish it."

Spencer shook his head. "Nonsense, it's almost over, and we're coming up on the best part!"

"What, when they go off on the ship in the end?"

Spencer rolled his eyes, patting his cheek. "No, the moment when Aragorn is crowned king and he tells the hobbits they bow to no one, and the entire kingdom bows to them. It's my favorite part."

"Why, the smug look on the little dude's face?"

Spencer faked pain, gasping. "You are so lucky you're cute."

That night, after Spencer took Clooney for his final walk, he locked the front door, double-checking the locks, and kicked off his shoes, setting them beside the door. He walked to the bedroom and laid back on the bed. Derek moved over, wrapping his arms around him, kissing his forehead.

"Something wrong, Pretty Boy?"

Spencer shook his head. "Everything's fine." He saw Derek giving him a look. "Really, I promise. I'd talk to you if something was wrong."

He ran a hand through Spencer's hair. "So, you're up to bi-weekly appointments with your therapist."

He smiled slightly. "This next appointment she says if I've made progress, I only need to go once a month. Considering how much has happened in the last six months, I'm optimistic."

Derek kissed his forehead, rubbing his arm. "As well you should be."

"About what I said on the couch-"

"Are you taking it back?"

"What? No!"

"Did you mean it?"

"Every word, and not just because you put in one of my favorite movies."

He laughed softly. "Then you have nothing to explain to me. You meant it, I meant it, I fail to see why we need to discuss it."

Spencer bit down on his lip. "Hey, Derek…"

"Hm?"

"When do we tell the team?"

He rubbed his back as he leaned in, resting his head on his chest. "Whenever we feel like it's a safe time, and neither us nor the team will be penalized for it."

He nodded in agreement. "Think we can keep the secret a little bit longer?"

"I have faith in us." He kissed his forehead again. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, and you can ask me something else."

He smirked. "Have you had any thoughts, you know, in the past few months?"

Spencer shook his head. "As long as I'm surrounded by people, it reassures me that I'm not alone, and that I can overcome any thoughts that even think of popping up."

"You know, I'm proud of you."

Spencer smiled to himself, pulling the blankets up and curling up against him. "I'm proud of me too. I owe it all to you."

"Don't sell yourself short. You owe a lot of your progress to yourself."

Spencer shrugged. "Whatever the case, I wouldn't be where I am today without your help. I never have to set foot in that apartment again. It's sold off to some college kid who can have a lot better memories there than I did."

"So, you're not leaving here anytime soon?"

Spencer glanced up at him. "What, trying to get rid of me?"

"Oh, definitely not. I've got you now, Spencer Reid, and I'm not letting you go."

"Good, because I'm not going to let you."