A/N: Meeting the neighbours/Cute Slice of Life sort of chapter.

Chapter Thirty Six

Neighbourhoods and Feeling Home

On a morning run with Roxy, the happy dog's tongue out making her look particularly cheery as she jogged alongside her owner, Luke had gradually learned the layout of the neighbourhood and the sight of house after house and the nearby park. The first few walks with Roxy had been slow as she had stopped to sniff everything on their path but now she was better and able to feel at home. Being a dog owner it was pretty quickly that Luke had met however briefly a few of the neighbours and on the walks Spencer joined him on he too had said hello.

As they reached the park Luke slowed for a small breather and let her off the leash for a bit and using her favourite ball to play some fetch. After seeing the energetic pooch running about for a while she got distracted by a pair of beagles, the adorable dogs were cautious of her at first given her size compared to them but quickly they were sniffing and interacting in a friendly manner. The dog's owner was a middle-aged man looking ready to work in an office after walking the dogs and smoking a cigarette casually.

The man was polite and gave a smile before reaching out his hand "hi there, you're the new neighbour, right?" and Luke shook the extended hand with a nod "I'm Jonathan, I'm three doors down."

"Oh well good to meet you, I'm Luke" he replied and gave Roxy a scratch behind the ear for her good behaviour, the dogs getting to know each other as much as the humans were.

"I'd have said hi earlier, I saw you with paint buckets though and figured I'd leave you to the redecorating" Jonathan said with a smirk and took a long drag of the cigarette and aiming the smoke away from them.

"You saw the place before, huh?"

With a chuckle Jonathan replied "only a little of the downstairs, the couple were real nice just uh…well she was really into costume jewellery and he was really into collections, whatever it was, bottle caps, stamps, vases…"

And suddenly things were adding up a little as Luke offered another collection idea "gnomes?"

"Oh yeah, real creepy" the older man replied with a chortle "but some are worth a fair bit on Ebay apparently" he shrugged.

The ex-ranger then decided to elaborate "if you'd seen the upstairs…there's something we call the 'wild cat' room…"

Brows raised before informing "oh yeah they had some pedigree show cat, I think. He had his own room?"

"Oh I don't think 'room' quite describes it, more like a shrine…" Luke added "maybe a dressing room, if it was a show cat" which earned a laugh.

Finally moving on from the seemingly neighbourhood famous decor disaster Jonathan inquired about the newbies "so, uh…you move here with a partner or?"

"Yeah, it's just me, this one" Luke said gesturing to Roxy "and my boyfriend, Spencer."

"Nice," the man said taking that in "sounds good…trust me, enjoy it. I've got the kids running about my feet, then one asks for a puppy, that turns into two and then I've got my sister in law living with me while looking for a place, her chihuahua - wow they can bark…enjoy the peace and quiet" the man unloaded with a smile showing he really wasn't too bothered by the chaos but it made Luke did appreciate how calm a home he and Spencer had.

"Oh, we do when we can, we both work for the FBI so we get dragged away on cases enough to appreciate the down time" Luke said with a smile and the neighbour raised a brow, probably not only by one of the pair being FBI but the idea of an FBI couple caught people's attention like they must have a badass time - which wasn't untrue in some ways.

"Very impressive resume," Jonathan joked "you've got the job as neighbour."

Without missing a beat Luke played along and replied "thank you, I wont let you down, sir" and after some more chit chat and getting to know the man the beagles wanted to run off and they part having enjoyed the conversation before Luke and Roxy started on their run again.

After work the couple were glad to have not been called away on a case, really getting into the swing of both living in the new house and setting up room after room bit by bit. Spencer was cooking their dinner while Luke had a quick shower and got dressed again, his hair wet and towelling it as he walking down the stairs to the delicious smell in the kitchen. He arrived just in time to see the genius putting food in the oven and setting a timer while veg also steamed and he'd expected the brunette to suggest they chill until dinner was ready except the random sentence came "Luke, there's a child in our garden."

"What?" he replied while he processed the words, Spencer was looking out the kitchen window as he cooked and must have seen something, so Luke joined him and peered out at their front yard to see, indeed, a small child walking over the small lawn. The boy was roughly three, with sandy hair and wearing denim dungarees in the front garden dragging a toy caterpillar behind him on a string. Looking around they couldn't see a nearby parent or anyone on the street "I cant see his parents anywhere."

"Maybe we should check on him" Spencer said and just then the boy started walking real close to the road which, while not busy, did have cars passing by at regular intervals, Luke was quick to make his way out the door despite being barefoot and by then the child had started to wander onto the road and no adults were around. Given the situation and a car rounding the corner the agent carefully guided the boy back onto the path and watched the car go passed with a sigh.

Reid wasn't far behind at the front door and both continued to look around, the boy must have wandered off so Luke kneeled by the little thing and said in a friendly tone "hi there, kiddo, where's you're mom?"

The boy just bounced on his toes and toyed with the lead on his toy caterpillar and didn't answer, remaining patient and really just wanting to get the kid home and safe he then asked "what's your name?"

Smiling the child then answered "I'm Cwistoffer" he got out as best he could and it made Luke chuckle a little.

"Hello Christopher, I'm Luke," he said and pointed to himself for emphasis "do you live near here?" and waited for the kid to eventually nod "that's great, do you know which house is yours?" this time he didn't answer and Luke figured he didn't recognise it all too well, luckily just then a passerby came into view. "Excuse me, miss?" he got her attention and she stopped, clearly on her way back from work "you don't happen to know where this kid lives, he's just wandered…"

She smiled apologetically and for a moment Luke thought she was going to be of no help but instead she informed "he's from the one with the blue gate" she pointed out across the road "it's a shame but sometimes his grandma loses track of him."

"Okay, thanks ma'am" she nodded and continued on her way, from the way she walked she looked eager to take her work heels off and relax so they weren't surprised that she didn't involve herself especially given he was in good hands. Letting out a sigh Luke cast a glance to Spencer who had stepped nearer and said hello to Christopher getting a cute wave back.

Reaching up to ruffle Luke's still wet hair for emphasis Spencer said "I'll take him over." Since Spencer was the only one of them not just out the shower and with shoes still on from work it was the best idea and Luke nodded before heading back inside, going straight to the kitchen and watching as his boyfriend took the boys hand and helped him cross the road safely all while the kid walked his toy caterpillar in a cute display.

When Spencer and the child reached the house's front door he rang the doorbell and after a fair wait the door opened to a little elderly lady with thick glasses. Immediately polite the agent said "hello ma'am, sorry to disturb you but I'm afraid I found Christopher in my yard and thought it best to bring him home."

The woman was a little slow to respond, processing the words she then looked surprised before looking down and her eyes widening as she spotted the boy "oh..wh-when did you….I thought you were in your room" she rambled and seemed at a loss. Spencer just smiled politely as she continued, this time looking up at him and said "oh I'm so sorry, thank you so much for bringing him home."

"Ma'am, I'm told this has happened before, if there's anything you need help with feel free to ask" he offered and she paused a moment.

"Well…that's very nice of you, to be honest…" she mumbled a little sheepishly, appreciating the kindness and understanding as she let the boy inside but held his hand to make sure he didn't run off again "I'm not the best for this, when he was little and couldn't open doors it was fine…but my daughters working abroad as a doctor and she comes back in a month so not long now. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Okay, well…my boyfriend's pretty handy around the house, if your daughter doesn't mind a few extra latches about the house he'd be happy to install some" Spencer offered with a smile and for the first time since the elderly lady opened the door she seemed pepped up.

"Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't mind…if it isn't too much bother" she said sweetly and a little surprised by the generosity and the more she squinted trying to read his expression the more Spencer could tell her eyesight wasn't all that great, she'd likely struggle to fit a key in a lock without great effort and he wanted her to have a bit of help.

"Not at all" Spencer smiled "we have dinner cooking right now but how about we help out after, that sound good?" and she nodded, clearly grateful. Christopher walked back towards the front door and this time holding a stuffed toy crocodile as the child made rawring noises which made the genius smile.

When Luke returned from attaching latches and fixing the lock on a gate and saying his goodbyes to Christopher and the grandmother Spencer had cleared up their dinner and Roxy was immediately curious of him and sniffing his jeans. Laughing Luke knelt down and gave her some affection saying "is that the cat you can smell?" while also inspecting the fabric for any little cat hairs he could pick off but overall it wasn't too bad.

After Roxy had sated her curiosity she padded off to find her toys and Luke went to see his boyfriend on the sofa. "How did it go?" Spencer asked as he closed his book he was reading and his partner sidled up next to him

"Yeah, went fine, the kid tries to open everything though so it took a little longer than expected" he explained before placing a kiss to his partner's cheek. "Had a really friendly cat though called Muffin, followed me around the house like a little work buddy."

"Roxy will get jealous" Spencer teased before asking "is she okay around cats?" just curious as it had never come up before.

"Oh she loves cats, she wants to be their best friend and they're not always appreciative" Luke said getting a chuckle. "One of my sisters had a cat growing up, might have been Gabbie, but I just remember that little menace climbing the curtains and ma losing her mind" which earned a chuckle "the neighbours had a koi pond…emphasis on had."

"How many fish did it get?" Spencer asked, knowing full well where the story was going.

"Is 'all' a number, she'd gobbled the lot" and both just had a giggle on the sofa while also sympathetic to the poor fishies "my sister felt so bad she kept asking ma if there was a way to make the cat vegetarian."

Spencer giggled at the ridiculousness and as the resident genius replied "but they're obligate carnivores, they need a lot of amino acids to be healthy" like it was obvious information.

"Ma didn't explain that much to her, I just remember Gabbie trying to get the cat to eat broccoli to test the waters and pops laughing his socks off."

The warm storytelling from childhood experiences continued until there was a ring at the door and Luke got up to answer, to his surprise it was the woman from earlier that had told them where Christopher lived and now she was in a pair of flats she seemed far more relaxed and holding a bottle of wine. "Hi there, welcome to the neighbourhood" she cheered and presented the bottle of nice wine "a little something."

"Oh wow, thanks…I'm Luke" he introduced himself and they shook hands, as Luke heard his partner approach he informed casually "my boyfriend doesn't shake hands."

She nodded as the genius approached and she said "hi, I'm Hattie" and gave a wave rather than reach her hand out.

"Oh hi, I'm Spencer" the genius greeted "thanks so much for letting us know where to take Christopher, got him back safe and sound."

"No problem" she waved off "they're usually fine but one nap and the boy makes a run for it, anyway, I won't keep you - enjoy your wine and I would like to invite you to dinner Friday" she said cheerily before turning to Luke and saying "I think you met my husband Jonathan earlier."

"Yeah, I met him and the beagles" Luke replied but his mind immediately filled with the idea of the man's busy house.

"Well it's at the Fulmer house, not ours" she informed, letting them know it wasn't at their place as she pointed to the property "the one with the fanciest garden," she said and it was obvious which one, "it's just a few neighbours and some chit chat is all."

"Sounds nice, thanks for the invite", Luke said before exchanging a happy glance with his boyfriend "if work doesn't call us away we'd be happy to."

Friday night came and no case yet, there was a funny feeling one was likely was to disrupt the weekend but they just made sure to have go bags ready in the house as they attended the neighbourly get together. The garden was immaculate while the house was plain but from wine being poured and a delicious and generous meal everyone was enjoying themselves. Jonathan and Hattie were just glad to be out of their busy house for the night, the Fulmers were hosting who were a lovely couple called Emma and Ravi with a teenaged son whom only stayed for part of the meal, and finally were Luke and Spencer's own next door neighbours whom they had yet to meet and were a newlywed couple named Javed and Faiza who were very welcoming.

The introductions had been made and getting to know what everyone did for a living, what the homes were filled with and overall people were friendly and telling stories. The natural topic of the house's redecoration had been and gone with many a giggle and eventually Faiza was talking about her chickens, quick to add that they were kept on an allotment and not in her back yard so the couple didn't worry about the noise or if the birds might tempt Roxy. After letting it be known that she is the first to go around the street and offer eggs and baked goods with a big smile she added "I got my students to name the hens," she said having already explained she taught young children "so I now have Tiana, Elsa, Optimus Prime and Pikachu" she listed getting a laugh.

"Just don't let me near them again…" said her new husband looking slightly traumatised "vicious things" which also got a giggle.

Spencer couldn't help the trivia piece from slipping as he said "well that's where the term 'pecking order' comes from" the first bit casual enough he wasn't betraying too much of his genius nature, but as Ravi said a curious "is that right?" it couldn't be held back. "Yes, it was first described by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 under the German terms 'Hackordnung or Hackliste' and introduced into English in 1927 and it's original use was in reference to dominating behaviour in chickens" he said the ramble so easily and Luke smiled, not surprised as the rest of those at the table clearly were.

One of the hosts Emma smiled and playfully looked at him and his hands before asking "are you reading a phone or something?" checking that he wasn't just reading information straight out to them but Luke's smirk and chuckle got them all curious.

Luke replied "no, he's just a genius" like it was the simplest truth in the world "literally…and with an eidetic memory" he added to be clear.

Other guests looked both surprised and impressed, the idea of meeting a real life genius that could do things like Spencer could was not a common occurrence though Jonathan was a little lost as he tripped over one particular word "eidet-what?"

"Here we go…" Luke said with a grin, well acquainted with the experience of people being introduced to the wonderful genius that was his boyfriend working through the steps of disbelief and intrigue. So as the man explained the meaning of eidetic memory in such detail it almost proved the nature of it then came the next flurry of curious questions, and especially as the skills related to his work and daily life.

Jonathan was quick to point out "you know what that means Luke?" getting the ex-rangers attention before continuing "you'll never get away with the 'I think you're misremembering' card in an argument" he teased and that made everyone giggle.

"Oh that's right" Ravi added "or the casual 'did I say that?' because Spencer will be able to say 'yes, yes you did'" and the giggling continued.

"Well I'd just better mean what I say and stick to them" Luke said with a smile "if anything it's really handy" he said about to show off like a party trick "Spencer where did I put my navy sweater you like?"

Immediately the genius smirked too and went through the walk in closet in his mind "master bedroom closet, left hand side railing, hung up…" and he seemed to be counting something in his mind before answering "seventeenth hanger." Jaws slightly dropped, and though he could be making it up from the sincerity and specificity they doubted it.

Javed looked thoroughly impressed and joked "and here I lose my car keys twice a day" making Faiza practically snort in laughter knowing her husband was very forgetful.

"Car keys? You forgot my mother at an airport once" she dropped into conversation and this started another wave of storytelling and fun questions. At some point Spencer and Luke gazed at one another, glad to have been welcomed by the local community so heartily and to be around nice people and Luke reached over and placed a hand on Spencer's sweetly. It was also clear that their good deed around the boy and his grandmother earlier had them well received and considered to be good people themselves. It was a little while later both agents' phones started buzzing and they looked at each other with a sigh before checking the messages though they both knew exactly what it was.

"Uh, duty calls I'm afraid" Luke said and started to stand and the two hosts were about to stand to see their guests out politely but he added "we'll see ourselves out, it's been a lovely dinner and great meeting all of you."

Spencer followed by saying a sincere "thank you for the warm welcome, it's really nice of you."

"Aw no problem" said Emma with a smile "you going off to kick some criminal tail?" she then said joyfully, finding their work very exciting.

Chuckling Spencer replied "of course" and after saying their goodbyes and saying several thank yous and compliments about the food they were on their way to who knows where to do the job they both loved so much. The dinner party likely having a little gossip about them and what they thought of the new couple in town but if the stories and laughter were anything to go by they'd made quite the good impression, and they were possibly speculating about what life as an FBI agent was like.

But there was a nice, calm moment between the pair as they called a sitter for Roxy and were soon enough on their way to work in Luke's car. They just wanted the night sky pass them by along with houses and trees and enjoyed the silence, a strong comparison to the talkative dinner party they'd just left. And in a sweet gesture Spencer moved one of his hands to Luke's knee and caressed it with his thumb mindlessly as both took a deep breath, the peaceful space in the car just for them and as much as they were still learning about their new home, ultimately home was about people. Even if it's one particular person, maybe called Spencer or Luke, and there was room in the heart for a doggy too.

Quote: "For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home."

― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss