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Bailey

The next few days were horrible.

Bailey raced home from the office, too nervous to talk to Stella about the picture. She threw herself into her bed and cried. She cried harder when she noticed one of Spencer's shirts tossed into the corner. Bailey thought the only way for her heart to stop hurting was to see as little of Spencer as possible.

Unfortunately for her shattered heart, Spencer seemed determined to be seen. The Doctor lurked in the corner of her eye, always appearing whenever Bailey got up to take a break from her desk. He never said anything at first, just watched her with critical hazel orbs.

It pained her to see him, but unable to speak or touch. She hoped if she apologized, Spencer would understand and stop haunting her every step. Bailey's apology was shaky and faded out after a few broken words.

Spencer stood before her, unamused and frowning. He lent forwards until they were eye level. "I am not stupid nor blind. You're hiding something."

Bailey's lungs stopped working, and stayed frozen until Spencer took the elevator back to his floor. The DVU team had begun to notice the blonde's strange behavior. Ollie eyed her suspiciously, running his fingers over her arm in a quiet comfort. Bailey appreciated it, she felt so alone and it hurt so badly.

Spencer, on the other hand, was getting frustrated. Garcia and JJ opted to give Bailey a few days before they descended on her. The time seemed to inch by for Spencer. Whatever Bailey was scared of; whatever game she was using to cover up her fear, she was keeping her secret to herself. Spencer just couldn't figure it out.

After a week of strange behavior, Stella approached Bailey.

Bailey asked her boss if they could speak privately. Stella, who adored all her agents, agreed, happy to be finally getting an understanding of Bailey's strange behavior. She led Bailey up to her office, where she closed the doors and blinds. Silently, Bailey opened up her phone and slid it to Stella.

The older woman scrolled through the phone, her eyes widening at the risqué picture, and narrowing at the messages that went along with it.

"I…I am so sorry, Stella. I let you down." Came Bailey's broken reply.

Stella hissed in anger before dashing around her desk to grab Bailey into a hug. Confused, Bailey lent into the embrace.

"Is this why? This scumbag has got you scared?" Stella asked, shaking the phone. Bailey nodded, her eyes red from tears and lack of sleep.

"You do know that this is blackmail of an agent, and this…Dominic can, and will, go to jail for a long time." Stella announced, slamming the phone onto the desk.

"W-what?" Bailey asked, looking up at Stella in awe. Why wasn't she being fired?

"This is an emotional, mental, and sexual attack of a government agent! He is going down!" Stella raged, quickly typing out a message on her own phone. Bailey sat there in awe.

"…I…I get to keep my job?" She whispered, earning a shocked look from her boss.

"Of course you do, idiot!" Stella said, frowning at her phone. "Everyone does something stupid. This photo is clearly old, you don't even have any tattoos yet, and it is illegal that he is using it against you."

Bailey felt her eyes filling up. She wasn't going to have her life ruined over a stupid choice that she never even wanted to make. There were frantic knocks on Stella's door, startling Bailey.

"Get in here!" Stella ordered. The door swung opened and three agents that Stella had just texted crowded in. "Ollie, I want you to contact police and have this boy jailed. Garcia, I want you to dig up some dirt on him. Doctor Reid, please explain to your woman how stupid and stubborn she is."

Stella stood from her seat and fixed her skirt before sashaying out of her office. She shouted something along the lines of 'No one goes after Momma Bear's cubs!' before entering the elevator. Ollie and Garcia smiled at Bailey before rushing off to do their duties.

Bailey starred Spencer down, who was standing in the doorway.

"…You were right." Bailey relented. "I…I didn't want to break up, but I was scared."

Spencer dashed forwards, kneeling at Bailey's feet and placing his hands on her thighs.

"Why?" Spencer questioned hurriedly, his fingers pressing into Bailey's legs. Bailey was shaking from the remainder of her fear. She still couldn't believe that she wasn't going to lose her job. How was she supposed to explain to Spencer the reasons behind her too-swift actions?

As she did with Stella, Bailey wordlessly placed her phone in Spencer's hand. Spencer was confused; Bailey was usually never one for few words. Her silence was beginning to worry him. Spencer looked down at the phone, eyes narrowing as he read every butchered and misspelled word.

The picture made Spencer's head snap back. He wasn't expecting that. Bailey's cheeks turned a rosy pink as Spencer analyzed the photo. His hand that wasn't holding the phone was tapping his fingers against her knee.

"This is at least…" Spencer glanced up, hazel orbs narrowed in thought. "Three years old. Your facial structure has matured and your hair is longer. Your hips are now wider as well."

Bailey pursed her lips as Spencer went back to the messages and re-read the poorly written text. What should she say? What could she say? Sorry for smashing his heart over a scanty picture? It all seemed so silly now…

"I was…I was afraid that once Stella saw the photo…that I'd be fired. And since you and I were together-"

"You thought that something would happen to me?" Spencer said softly, locking the phone and placing it on the desk. Looking up at him through her lashes, Bailey nodded slowly. Spencer sighed, his shoulders drooping in relief.

Eventually, Spencer lifted his head up and pushed his hair back. "I have gone over every possibility, and every bad scenario. I had thought that I had…I had done something wrong."

"No." Bailey stopped him. "I'm the one that did something wrong."

Spencer frowned, and shook his head. "No, you didn't. You have every right to take pictures of yourself, whether you be dressed or not. This person had no right to abuse your trust. He is in the wrong, not you."

Bailey's cheeks flushed rosy. "I…I was talking about what I did to you."

Spencer's cheeks turned red, one hand going behind his head to fiddle with his hair. "Oh..that…I mean…I-it's alright."

"No, it wasn't." Bailey said, frowning at the red cheeked genius. "I should have been honest with you. I panicked and I wasn't thinking about every possibility-"

The genius pressed his thumb against the blonde's lips, his fingers tucking under her quaking chin. He scooted closer to her; ignoring the burn the carpet was giving his knees. Slightly panicked cornflower blue met calm and serene hazel. Bailey felt her heart slowing at the docile gleam in Spencer's eyes.

"You are honest, you are one of the most honest and true people I have the privilege to know." Spencer whispered softly. "Bay…you were scared. Someone manipulated you and blindsided you. What you said to me hurt…it hurt horribly."

Bailey cast her eyes down, but Spencer tapped his thumb over her lips to gain her gaze once more.

"It hurt, it's still sore, but I can understand your actions. You and I can mend, but please never say that you don't love me again…unless you've changed your-"

"No!" Bailey yelped, dislodging Spencer's thumb from her trembling lips. "I-I still feel…I love you."

Spencer's eyes widened. Sure, Bailey had said she loved him before, but it was different now that they were back together. Were they together? Spencer's mind began to spin nervously.

"T-to be sure…we are still…going to be a couple, right? We're still t-together?" Spencer rambled nervously. Bailey smiled, leaning forwards and pressing a chaste kiss against his lips.

"Only if you're stupid enough to take me back."

The grin that split Spencer's face was a breath of fresh air to Bailey. "That's not a stupid choice. You're the best choice I'll ever make."

Bailey

The next few days were spent getting back to our normal routine. Spencer was back at the house and Stella had given me a few days off. She had taken my case personally and was working with the police to convict Dominic. Stella didn't want me to worry about the situation though, saying that it was an "open and shut" case.

Hoping that she was right, I threw myself back into my life. That night after revealing the situation, Spencer followed me home. We spent the entire night talking, filling each other in on what had been missed in our short time apart.

Spencer was doing very well with his drug treatment. He'd been feeling urges, but had been sober since he began treatment. Spencer also told me that he was worried about Gideon, who had begun isolating himself.

I felt myself feeling bad for Gideon. He'd lost his girlfriend, Sarah, like how I almost lost Spencer. Her life was taken simply because Frank knew that Gideon was connected to her. I felt for the man, anyone who couldn't was heartless.

According to Garcia, Gideon hadn't been back to his apartment since the murder. Not that I blame him. I would never be able to see my home the same way again after someone was murdered inside. A home was a place of safety, but his safety was taken from him.

While in thought, I wiped the kitchen counter down, breathing in the fresh air that came in through the opened window. Spencer had stepped out to talk with Gideon. The old man apparently had a small cabin a few hours away. I offered to make the trip with him, but Spencer told me to stay home and relax.

I was not surprised when Spencer didn't come home until much later that night. He looked exhausted, dropping his keys to the floor as soon as he came in the door. I was napping on the couch, having chosen to wait up for him. I hurried to the door, sensing that all was not well with the profiler.

"Gideon's gone." Spencer sounded like a lost child. From the inside of his coat, he pulled a few crumpled sheets of lined paper. I quickly read the note as Spencer stripped off his coat and shuffled towards the bathroom.

'I knew it would be you who would came to the cabin to check on me. You must be frightened; I apologize for that. I never meant to cause you any pain…When my dear friend Sarah was murdered, it tore a hole in me. …I really don't understand the world anymore… …They believed in us. They believed in me...the way Sarah believed in with me. And, as with Sarah I believed that I led them right to the slaughter…'

I had to stop reading for a moment. That poor man, feeling so broken and hardened by the world. I managed to skim the rest of the note, my eyes tearing up at the last line.

'I'm sorry.'

Poor Spencer, he must be crushed. First his biological father leaves him, now his surrogate father does too. Spencer was currently in the shower, probably trying to mentally sort out the loss of Gideon.

Unsure of what to do, I hurried into Spencer's room and gathered him some sleeping clothes. I then made some tea and heated up some cinnamon bread and brought the snacks into my bedroom.

"Here's some clothes, Chief." I said, opening the bathroom door and placing the sleeping clothes in a pile on the counter. I snuck a peak at Spencer, his form very visible through the clear pane of glass that acted as my shower door.

Spencer was standing listlessly under the spray, but let out a hollow hum to let me know that he had heard me. I left him alone, returning to my bedroom. I curled up on the bed, sipping at my tea for a few more minutes until I heard the bathroom door open.

"Bay." Spencer called weakly, shuffling into the hallway. "Goodnight, Bay."

"Nuh huh! C'mere." I hollered, knowing that Spencer was going to come kiss me goodnight. The lanky man came into my bedroom, instantly noticing the second mug and the extra space that I wasn't taking up on my bed.

"Come talk. If you want. Or just shove your face with tea and cinnamon bread. Both are good routes to take." I smiled, not wanting to push Spencer. He let out a relieved sigh before smiling goofily. Gingerly, he took a seat beside me and picked up the other mug from the other bedside table and took a deep sip. We were quiet for a few moments, happy with the silence.

"I…feel like every time I trust someone and look up to them…they leave me." Spencer muttered quietly. "My dad…Ethan…now Gideon."

I wrapped my arms around Spencer, who hunkered down and pressed his face into my shoulder. I felt a few silent tears soak the shoulder of my shirt. The mugs and bread were placed on the night stands before we got comfortable in bed.

I flicked the lights off before crawling back into bed with Spencer. We curled around each other, the blanket keeping us warm as we sought comfort in each other's arms. I fell asleep quickly, lulled by Spencer's heartbeat and the smell of his soap.