Author's Note: I wanted to thank you guys again for your awesome reviews that always keep me going. This chapter is very close to my heart and I hope you can feel it the way I feel it, their little episode in the end, I'm wondering if certain things at the end should be clearer but I think every one got it until now, that Spencer is in one point, very very wrong about Harper. Tell me what you think and sorry for making Spencer a dumb fool for yet another chapter ^^...it will stop sometime soon (hint hint)

Special Shout Out today goes out to FoxPhile for that kind and lovely review!

9 Months

Chapter Fourteen

All Hallows Eve

-Month Six, Week One-

Autumn as always lifted Spencer's mood, he was enjoying all the colors, the soft winds and in his private life, things very getting easier with Harper, not the fact that she didn't love him but dealing with it. He just told himself to be happy with what he had. So what if he couldn't have a physical relationship with her, no matter how much he wanted it, this way, he still had her around, as a friend. Maybe touching her would feel good in a different way but spending nights talking with her was very special and very exhilarating on its own. And it was very intimate on another level; she shared all his secrets with him, there was nothing he didn't know about her, he knew that she was afraid of horses for no obvious reason, that she'd once stolen a CD when she was younger and so ashamed of it that she went back to the store to pay it and they'd talked about another thing she'd kept a secret – though not from him.

"I...I haven't really told my parents about the baby yet", she whispered to him as they sat at the doctors waiting for the ultra-sound to tell them what they were having.

Spencer had asked her what her parents would prefer, if they'd like a girl better because Adrian already had two boys and she'd just stared at her hands and replied very sheepishly.

"Why haven't you told them?", asked Spencer a little edgy, suspecting she was embarrassed that loser-Spencer from High School knocked her up.

"Uh...it's...I don't...know", she stuttered around and didn't know what to say, "it's...sort of...the circumstances...my family is very conservative and as I'm not married...not at all married..."

Her words stung so painfully that he didn't catch the slight disappointment to her voice, the silent hint she gave, like she always did with him being ever so ignorant.

"I haven't told my Mom either", said Spencer a little colder than intended, he didn't know why but he hadn't been able to mention either Harper nor the baby in the letters, probably because he didn't know how his mother would take it that her only son, her perfection so suddenly had two other people in his life that had to be his strongest commitment and responsibility naturally. He had no idea if that would be too much for her and he'd been too much of a coward to find out.

"You know, I'm not going to keep it a secret forever", Harper said quietly, "I just thought...in time..."

He waited for her to continue but she just stared at the wall and remained silent, Spencer was about to open his mouth to answer, when Dr. Walker called for them from the end of the corridor.

The doctor sensed the weird mood around the two of them and tried to loosen the tension with some lame jokes that Harper laughed half-heartedly about, appreciating his efforts with Spencer only smiling mildly.

When they heard the thumbing heart of their baby again, their temporary-resentment flew out of the window in an instant, she grabbed his hand again and looked up to him.

"We're cool, right?", she whispered, "We're going to tell them, our families?"

Spencer smiled back and nodded, his ears keeping track with the baby's heartbeat, he just couldn't be mad at her for long, she'd made it impossible. He squeezed her tiny hand to reassure her and obviously Dr. Walker was more pleased with their friendly intimacy as he just cleared his throat to gain their attention instead of making another awkward joke.

"Are you ready to find out what you're having?", he asked and Harper, after one last look at Spencer, nodded frantically, her smile coming back to her perfect face.

Dr. Walker moved the sensor on the gel and the monitor showed shapes in black and white that Spencer could hardly make out to be his baby, but the Harper squealed.

"That's its feet, right?", she cheered, "They're so cute, look Spencer"

He could see them, too but only so shortly until Dr. Walker adjusted the sensor again and started mumbling to himself.

"Ah, here we go", he said finally, turning his head to the expecting parents, "can you see that?"

He pointed to something on the screen and Spencer saw Harper nod from the corner of his eye and nodded along although he really had no idea what he saw on the scree, to him it was all schemes and lines.

"I think we can be pretty sure that you two", he made a pause for the effect, "are expecting a little baby girl"

Harper gasped beside him and pressed her fingers tightly around his. A girl, he'd get a daughter, a perfect little version of Harper, someone his life would always be entwined with, his flesh and blood, a girl. He was such a whiny person, he thought, when his view came blurry with tears again but he wasn't ashamed, this was a wonderful thing. Not that it would've felt different if they had a boy but knowing now, made it more real, he started imagining the child immediately, how she would look, what she would sound like, how she would be.

"A girl", said Harper under her breath, completely consumed with the picture on the screen, "I get to buy pink jumpers"

Spencer couldn't help the laugh and – other than usually – gave in to the reflex to put his arm around her shoulder but she didn't seem to mind, she'd let his one hand go so it was free to wind around her only to grab the still empty hand and rested her head on his upper arm.

"That's my miracle, right there", she said and Spencer felt that she would start sobbing in a second which she did but silently, completely taken up with her happiness, "our daughter"

Spencer thought about her now, his daughter, as he sat on the plane back to DC with his colleagues. Being away on cases was ever so hard, he missed Harper like crazy and now also the baby so much more since he had this picture of her in his head, of the little red-curl-headed girl with the smile of her mother and her nose always stuck in a book.

He'd told the others as soon as they'd found out, also because JJ didn't let him of the hook, knowing when they'd had their appointment. She'd been thrilled to hear.

"We definitely have to set Henry and her up", she'd joked, "they should go to prom together"

He sat opposite Emily now, who had been reading a book but put it away and looked up to him.

"Do you have any ideas how you'll call her?", she asked and Spencer jumped at her sudden question.

"What? Oh...no, not really", he answered, "we both had some ideas but we couldn't find a compromise that suited both...the closest we got was Celeste"

Emily furrowed her brow, "Celeste?"

"It's sort of French, I like it and she didn't object...but...we didn't find anything better yet", he replied, almost defending himself.

"How about a name with a meaning?", Emily asked, "Something that means something to both of you...I mean...I don't really know about Celeste Reid"

"Celeste Reid?", asked Morgan, pulling a face like the name tasted bad on his lips as he came from the toilet on the jet, "you really want to put her through the same bullyin' you went through, kid?"

"I like the name", Spencer insisted spitefully, "we can name her all how we like"

"But considerate, if you mind", said Emily and pulled out her tongue, with Morgan laughing and taking place beside her.

"Hey, any plans for tomorrow yet, anyone?", Morgan asked into the round, getting faint shaking heads in response, "Good, because Garcia wants to go to this Irish Pub and celebrate Halloween and she said she'll spank me if I don't get y'all on board, Harper and Will, too"

"I don't think we'll find a baby-sitter on that short notice", JJ said and then looked at Spencer, "but I bet Harper's on board"

He had no idea why JJ always had to be so smiley and winky when she spoke about Harper in his presence, like when she sang that song about Penelope and Lynch, totally childish and, in his case, really inaccurate.

"I think she would like to", he said nevertheless because it was the truth, Harper was, just like him, a big fan of Halloween, liking the dressing-up, the dispense of all order and most of all, the being a child again. Simply enjoying yourself for the sake of it, not thinking about how stupid you look or anything, just having a good time no matter what everyone else thinks.

When he told Harper about the plan at dinner that night, she was radiant as expected.

"Tomorrow?", she grinned, when he asked if she had plans, "You mean All Hallows Eve?"

"Indeed", he smiled back.

"No plans yet", she said, "but I definitely want to go out trick-or-treating...or something"

"The team planned on going to the Irish Pub, they have this party and you get free drinks if your in costume"

"Yay", she laughed, "free drinks for the pregnant girl"

"They also have...coke", said Spencer, noticing a second too late that she'd made a joke.

"I guess so", she said, "I'm on board but I'll have to go change my old costume, I'm too big for it"

Matter of fact, her tummy got bigger undeniably, it was really round and wide as well, looking a bit too large for her petite body but she'd also gained some weight around her thighs, upper arms and around her cheeks which kind of fixed the proportions. And, also, it made her only more beautiful, she looked naturally healthy and her inner glow was ever so radiating to the outside world.

"What are you going to wear?", he asked curious but she was mystifying.

"You'll see tomorrow", she smiled, "I guess we'll meet at the bar?"

"No, we'll pick you up, me and Morgan", he said.

"The big man that loathes me?", she asked, still smiling.

"Why should he loath you?", Spencer asked in surprise.

"Well, the way he looked at me, the day I told you about her", she pointed at her belly, "he looked at me like I was the devil in person"

"No, he...I'd told him about High School and he didn't know then, because I didn't, that you weren't what I'd thought you to be", he said uneasy, not really wanting to bring it on again. Thinking about the feelings he had towards her in the beginning, that he'd actually wished for something bad to happen to her now seemed like the ugliest perversion of blasphemy.

"Fair enough", she smiled and he was relieved that she wasn't giving these things a lot of thought as it seemed, "so, I'll meet JJ, Penelope and Emily again?"

"That's the plan", he smiled and then she got up from her seat.

"Oh, wait", she was half-standing with her belly touching the table, "do you have a costume?"

"I have this mask", Spencer said, remembering his Frankenstein-mask, all other costumes took too much time to change into when picking her up.

"Uncool", she stated, "when you pick me up, I'll put you in a costume"

"What", she'd do what?, "what do you mean?"

"I will pick out a costume for you", she smirked and when he didn't look convinced, "please, Spencer, it'll be fun"

--

How did this always work on him?, he thought when he was ordered to sit down on the couch the day after. Harper had set up a whole mess of make-up on the table and was eager to do quick work. She'd promised Morgan, who was having a coffee in the kitchen, to be "like a tornado" with a long-lashed Lolita-wink. Generally, she was a bit too polite to the buff man for Spencer's taste, offering him coffee, food and asking him extra friendly how his day had been. It was almost like she was flirting with him. He tried to ignore the sting of jealousy piercing through him and when she touched him, her fingers covered in the first bits of make-up his insides were torn between an acidic growl, wanting to throw Morgan out of his house and a rumbling sensation in his chest that felt his face burn with every touch of hers.

Although she did work quickly, she took her time putting the paint on him, holding his hair up with one hand and letting the other one travel all over his face, giving him goosebumps. His whole body tingled when she told him to close his eyes and she blew over the places she before placed something that felt rather fluid (she wouldn't let him see what it was, as his costume was a surprise as much as hers). He felt her breath on his face, marking a soft trail that eventually reached his neck and he had to strain every muscle to not quiver.

"Done", she said suddenly and far too soon, he could've sat forever like that, in her hands, "now follow me"

He got up like a trained dog, still too enchanted to not follow any of her orders. She led him through his bedroom into his bathroom, but commanding to keep his eyes shut. To make him find his way, she took his hand and it caused flames where their skin met.

Halfway through the living room, he'd heard Morgan laugh out what made him afraid of what would wait for him in the reflection. When she put him in place in front of the mirror he expected to next see his face painted like a cat or a butterfly, something really un-manly, proving once more that Harper would never see a proper candidate for her in him.

"Open your eyes", she said happily and he nearly jumped in shock.

"A zombie?", he looked at the horror make-up, the fluid that she'd attempted to dry was fake blood and made him look even more scary, it was a remarkable effect for ten minutes of stroking his face.

"I thought it worked well for you", she smirked sheepishly, "and turns out, I was right; you make a handsome undead"

He smiled down, trying to figure out if she was being funny or really meant her compliment but she turned her face away from him as soon as she caught him looking at her.

"I found some old clothes of yours and made them zombie-ish", she said, again higher-pitched than she usually would, and hurried back into his bedroom where some wasted, destroyed clothes lay, "just put that on and we'll meet in costume in five minutes"

He was quicker than her and stepped into the living room to a still grinning Morgan, who was, needless to say in no kind of costume because he was "perfectly happy in his own skin" as he put it.

"Kid, you look scary", he smiled as Spencer came to the table, "she's got it going with the make-up"

"It's not much effort, I guess, I look half-dead almost all the time", Spencer shrugged.

"Oh and she is really a catch, kid", Morgan added and, simultaneously, Spencer's inside crunched into a small ball of hate, "very easy on the eyes, I'm glad for you that she isn't how you thought she was, that would be a crying shame"

The only thing that kept Spencer from jumping onto him was Harper's room door opening. Morgan was one of his best friends, like the bigger brother he never had, but he was talking about Harper here, his Harper. Underneath, Spencer knew very well that the real reason for his sudden rage was, that, if Morgan tried it on Harper only a little, he'd have her in the bag.

Despite his underlying grudge towards Morgan, his attention went back to Harper in the blink of an eye, she stood in her doorway, holding on to the wooden frame like a 60's pin-up, grinning wryly from under her coif. She was dressed up as a nun.

"Funny", said Spencer in face of Harper's joke.

"I know", she grinned back, "if my Mom saw me in this, she would punch me...bad"

"Creative", joked Morgan and Harper turned her eyes to him.

"I hope we didn't take too long", like a little dog, hoping it did everything right, Spencer thought, the toxic ball in his stomach growing.

"You're right we should go", he said, sounding more determined than he had in a while only to find Harper walking to sit in the front with Morgan when they got to the car. He sat in the back, watching his friend pick on his girl.

"So, you're exited for the baby?", he asked with his silky-flirting-voice, now Spencer wished he had told Morgan that he had deeper feelings for Harper, his colleague would never be like that if he knew what it did to Spencer. And he wasn't even behaving that bad, it was just casual playing-around, just a nice, loosen-up conversation but it felt like someone was tap-dancing on the strings of Spencer's composure.

"I can't wait for her", Harper answered, unaware of the raging beast inside Spencer's chest that claimed her for itself, "has Spence told you it is going to be a girl?"

And it went on like that for the next fifteen minutes, they arrived no minute too late, one longer and Spencer would've lost it. When Harper stepped beside him to the sidewalk and Morgan drove off to park the car, like he always did when they drove to a bar, she smiled at Spencer as if nothing has happened. Quick-paced music already escaped the Pub and she linked arms with him.

"I love Halloween"

Right now, Spencer didn't.

Inside they weren't the only ones in costume and it was Harper who spotted Penelope, JJ and Emily on a corner table. Garcia was dressed up like a fairy, a bigger version of Tinkerbell but hundred times as endearing as she waved at them with her usual enthusiasm. JJ wasn't dressed up but for a little golden-metal crown and one of Penelope's pens that had these feathers on it, JJ apparently wanted to sell as a magic wand. Emily wore a cowboy-hat, a checkered blouse and as far as he could see, chaps also.

They stopped in front of the table and Harper waved.

"Guys, you remember Harper?", Spencer half-introduced her again, gesturing towards her and his female colleagues nodded and offered her a chair.

They immediately started jabbering, the four of them, fully engaged in a conversation and he sat next to them in silence, feeling stupid. Whenever he caught something he could comment on, they were already on to the next topic before he'd even taken a proper breath. Like a quackish pack of hens they babbled without stops, finishing each others sentences, at times laughing hysterically and always a bit too loud. Spencer shouldn't have been so annoyed that Harper got on so well with his friends but she was supposed to talk to him, not to them, this was their Halloween, wasn't it?

When Morgan joined them, the women suddenly focused their attention back on the two of them, obviously feeling the need to be less girly around a man like Morgan.

A waitress dropped by, dressed up as a cleaner version of Amy Winehouse and asked them for their orders, Penelope had her obligatory fruit cocktail, Emily and Morgan had a beer, JJ a water as she was driving and didn't take beer as lightly as Morgan and when the waitress turned over to the last two, she looked shortly at Harper and then addressed Spencer.

"A beer for you and an orange juice for your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend", he said without thinking only because it was the one omnipresent thought on his mind.

Still, he immediately caught the change of the mood on the table. It went from frisky to frosty, as if a sudden chill had washed over them. The waitress retreated and when she returned with the drinks the awkwardness, though greatly attempted to suppress by the again-blabbering Garcia hadn't fully worn off. Spencer felt weird, not only because he had no idea why on earth he'd said that and also because Harper seemed very smiley all of the sudden. Her voice had changed to some sort of caricature to her normal one and she laughed different, louder and a bit over the top and although she appeared to be very relaxed, her one hand held on to the other so hard, her fingernails almost drew bloody lines on her skin.

After some time Morgan asked Penelope to dance and Harper, along with Emily over-happily to get away from him, decided to join them.

Spencer watched her, his features frozen into place as she let her full body sway gently to the beat.

"What's wrong, Spence?", JJ asked after some time when he hadn't seemed like taking any notice of his colleague.

"Nothing", he said, wobbling his head back to her while his eyes still rested on Harper.

"You know, she's never going to know how you feel about her if you never even try to show her", JJ said, ignoring his cagey reply.

"I show her alright", he said quietly, with a hint of spite, "I always do what she asks me to, I let her stay with me, I...I do everything for her"

"And I'm sure she knows that...but it doesn't mean that she knows why you're doing it...I mean if you declare in front of us all that she is not your girlfriend...where will she get her clues from?", she insisted.

Spencer couldn't answer. Sure she was right, as always, he didn't really show Harper exactly what he felt but it was...it was just that he didn't dare to. He woke up, horrified at night, when he dreamed of telling her all the things she was to him, shocked and in terror by her reaction. He just couldn't stand her rejection, that would be too much to cope with. Of course he was a coward but he couldn't muster the courage to tell her. Plus, like this, when she hadn't told him off already he could still travel into this little field of hope in his mind where she fell into his arms and kissed him back, because she loved him just as much.

He was just dwelling again in this lovely fantasy, when something caught his eye on the dance-floor that made him cringe. There was a guy twerking towards Harper, and she, as opposed to waving him off, danced along with him and as they were moving closer she smiled at him, over her shoulder, throwing her hair back seductively. If she'd only been friendly with Morgan, with this guy, it was definitely more than friendly, laughing now, shaking her hips just a little bit more. The roaring beast inside of him came back to life and demanded this guys head while his heart broke a bit more, looking at her enjoying herself without him but with this suave stranger with the slick and smooth moves. For heavens sake, she was carrying their daughter under her heart, didn't that mean anything at all to her?

What the hell?

Her face changed the second the guy put his hands on her hips, attempting to pull her towards him and she removed his hands only to have him grab again, this time for her butt, she turned around, bringing her hand up as in saying 'no' but he kept getting closer and that was when Spencer saw nothing but red. He didn't even notice that he'd gotten up but as he was lunging toward the guy he was only driven by his protection-instinct and, admittedly, blind jealousy and rage.

He stroke the guys nose straight in the center of his stupid face, the guy was so taken aback from the attack he stumbled backwards, but caught himself and then threw a punch at Spencer that hit. Spencer tumbled and felt a stinging pain around his lips and tasted iron on his tongue. Reflexively he went towards the guy but he wasn't there alone anymore. Before Spencer knew it, three guys were coming up to him and a second later, he felt a raw hand touching his elbow and pulling him back. The wide figure of Derek Morgan pushed itself in front of him.

"We're out of here", he said to both Spencer and Harper who stood paralyzed in the midst of dance floor, that had gotten still with spectators.

The way out of the bar and to Morgans car, Spencer hardly realized. Harper was walking even ahead of Morgan, many paces quicker than Spencer, who was too buffed out to hurry. He had never hit anyone in the face before and he'd never been hit in the face before. And this sudden rage was new too, it was like someone else had took hold of him, overcame him and made him act due to his lips pulsated with pain and he licked off some blood from them every once in a while.

The doors of Morgans SUV clicked with the remote-key and they got in in silence and drove in silence. Spencer felt like he was sitting under a cheese cover, cut away from the outside world and trapped in his head, processing what had just happened.

When they arrived at Spencer's house, Harper mumbled a short "Thank you" to Morgan and stormed out of the car like a hurricane, not caring to wait for Spencer. What was wrong with her now?

"Man, what was that about?", Morgan asked Spencer, whose eyes had followed her inside.

"This guy was harassing her", he said defensively, buffed out with both his and her reaction.

"Better get your ass in there and tell her that, so she knows", Spencer looked at him in question, "I heard her, she was handling the situation well on her own and that's when you ran in, playing Rambo...dude, if I could guess, I'd say you're in love with her"

Spencer left that one uncommented and got out of the car, heading for the door Harper had left standing open.

"Thanks man, for saving my ass", he heard Morgan behind him, yelling out of the car window, poorly imitating his voice.

"Thank you", he said without turning around.

The door to his apartment was as wide open as the entrance door and when he entered his living room he found Harper pacing up and down in front of the kitchen table.

"What the hell was that about?", she asked tense, almost hissing as soon as she was aware of his presence. She was angry. She was really, honestly angry. How could she be angry? He just tried to help her, only wanted to...rescue her...from this pervert.

"I got myself bleeding for you and you are angry?", he snapped because he didn't understand anything anymore and the physical pain in his face flowed to a little uncomfortable symphony with the psychic pain her anger caused him.

"I didn't ask you to come and play the hero", she said, louder than before, "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself"

"I saw that, the way he grabbed you", Spencer talked back, his voice raised without having planned it, "but maybe you had it coming the way you threw yourself onto him"

Crack. Her face. Like when he threw her out of his bedroom so long ago. Her features fell apart and anger turned into hurt and humiliation when her composure fell to pieces and her eyes glistened threateningly.

"I'm sorry", he said immediately, he'd gone to far, she didn't deserve this, he was just out of line. He made a step towards her but she hold her hands up, stopping and silencing him.

"So you're jealous", she sounded hysterical now, holding her tears back.

"I'm not jealous", he said, in panic to reveal himself tp her, not now, not when she was so angry.

"Then you have no right to do stuff like that", she almost shrieked now, he'd ever seen her so upset, "What do you care anyway? Since I'm obviously so disgusting that you have to make sure no one thinks we could actually be together...that you have to throw me out of your bed, that...you flinch back every time I touch you like I was poisonous...you know what, Spencer, you suck!"

"Harper...", he whispered perplex, his own soul falling to pieces as he saw her starting to cry, "I...I'm..."

"No", she interrupted him, her voice brittle, "I don't want to talk to you, you ruined everything...I don't...like you right now"

With that she turned around on her heel and the next thing Spencer heard was the slamming of her door and then her muffled sobbing.

Spencer Reid loved All Hallows Eve...but not today, because today he stood in his living room and had to accept that he didn't understand anything anymore and that he, proclaimed genius, knew absolutely nothing about anything that really mattered.

And Harper was crying into her sheets next door. How had that happened?