Spencer called her from home the next night to let her know he had not been called on a case. He asked her out for the next night, explaining that he could be called away and may have to cancel. She told him she understood that could happen every time and he didn't have to explain or apologize for that, ever. She just would appreciate if he would text her when he was called away.
They continued to talk on the phone and see each other frequently. He did not tell his team about their relationship. They knew everything about him. He had not been able to keep any of his private live from them. They knew about his mother's illness, they watched him being tortured and knew about the Dilaudid, they even knew that because he had graduated at age 12 he had been tormented all through school. He wanted to keep a little piece of his life to himself.
Chelsea was fine with that. She would have loved to meet every member of his team, but she understood that he wanted to keep his private life private for now. They had become close and gone out together several times a week. When he kissed her good night, she would always tell him to "Be safe." when he left.
The BAU was only called on few cases during January and early February. On January 12th, the team was sent to Sarasota, Florida to help catch a killer that was raping and murdering young girls. The unsub alternated between black and white girls and the police were having a difficult time catching him. The case came up while Spencer was at work, so he slipped away to the restroom to text Chelsea he was leaving on a case. She texted back, "Thanks. Be safe."
After they caught the two unsubs in Sarasota he had been home for another week. Chelsea and Spencer had been out for an early dinner on the 21st when he received a call from Prentiss that he needed to report immediately to the airfield. There was a missing child and they needed to get to Alabama as fast as possible. Chelsea could tell from Spencer's half of the conversation that he had to leave right then. She told him to go; she would take care of the check and get a taxi home. He was torn between staying to get her home and getting to the jet as soon as possible, but Chelsea's expression convinced him she understood he needed to leave.
Chelsea understood Spencer's job and told him that she would never call or text him while working unless it was a real emergency. She knew that there was no way of knowing if he was in a meeting with the team about a case, giving a profile, working on a geographic profile or entering the residence of an unsub with his gun drawn. She never wanted to put him or the team at risk. Spencer promised to keep her informed went he left on a case. He called her every night before bed when they were not together and from the hotel room when he was out of town. She had convinced him that she didn't care what time it was, even if it was very early in the morning, she liked to know he was back in the hotel and safe.
They mostly went out to dinner when they went out. But she talked him into going to the current romantic comedy that was running at the Cineplex. Some of the current culture jokes went over his head, and he thought the entire storyline was unrealistic, but for the most part he had enjoyed it. He took her to the used bookstore he frequented. She loved the smell of old books and was surprised that her mom had never brought her to this particular shop. The owner knew Spencer and showed him several titles that had just arrived from an estate sale. They had spent several hours wandering through the aisles and both had purchased a few titles.
One day in early February, Spencer called really excited. They were showing all six Star Wars movies at the Old Chester Theater on Main in Alexandria. Episodes I, II and III were going to be shown on Saturday, February 7th and IV, V and VI on Sunday, February 8th. He had already purchased the tickets when he realized that he didn't know if she even liked the movies. She had enjoyed them when she saw them, but she hadn't seen them in quite a while and thought it would be an interesting weekend.
The shows were spread out throughout the day and all the staff at the theater dressed in costume. When they arrived, a line was forming and Chelsea thought she really had traveled to another planet. Many of the moviegoers were also dressed in costume from all six episodes. There were booths set up both inside and outside the theater selling memorabilia and Star Wars themed food items. She didn't remember seeing Spencer this excited before and she was glad to be a part of the weekend with him. Luck was on his side and he was not called out of town and was able to go to all six movies. They ate lunch between the first and second movies and dinner between the next on each day. By Sunday night after the shows, Chelsea was exhausted but had enjoyed every second with Spencer. He didn't seem tired at all and was like a little boy that went to the fair for the first time.
On Tuesday, the team was called to Washington state to investigate a missing girl. An embalmed body matching the same description had also been unearthed and the local police had asked for the BAUs help. Spencer was gone the rest of the week. When he arrived home early in the evening on Friday, he called to see if Chelsea was available to go to dinner. When she saw him, she asked her customary three questions. Did you catch the unsub? Were you able to save anyone? How many past victims were there? He was happy to tell her that not only had they caught the unsub, they had been able to find him before the latest victim had been killed. She was going to be fine, physically. This case has practically disturbed him.
Human nature still surprised him and finding two necrophiliacs in the same city had made him a little sick to his stomach. Gideon had once told him when the things unsubs do to people don't surprise him, and he becomes completely complaisant about it all, that's the time to get out. When he had told Chelsea of the case, she focused more on the fact they had saved a girl and brought peace to the families of the three other victims than on the unsub. She liked seeing the good they did and refused to dwell on the horrible things people were capable of doing. He apologized for the unpleasant dinner conversation. She told him to remember that not only had he saved the girl, the families of the other three victims would be sleeping easier.
Chelsea had wanted to go to the Smithsonian with Spencer since she met him. She decided to change the distasteful subject and asked if he would be interested in going the National Museum of American History with her tomorrow. He said he'd love to, but most people hated going to any museum with him. Because of his memory, he knew much more information than presented and usually he annoyed everyone. She assured him she would not be annoyed, she loved history and would love to hear what he had to say.
He came by her apartment Saturday morning and they walked to the Metro station. Public transportation was the best method to get to the National Mall, the location of most of the Smithsonian buildings in DC. They arrived just after it opened and they slowly made their way through the first room. Spencer was full of information and Chelsea was fascinated. As they entered a room with artifacts from most of the US Presidents, Spencer had become quiet. Chelsea asked what was wrong and he said he was sure he was saying too much.
Chelsea laughed and told him that she came to see one of the many Smithsonian Museums at least six times per year. Most of her friends didn't want to come with her because she would spend too much time there. She explained that she loved to join the 8th grade trip classes each spring when they were given tours. The docents of the museum have special stories that they would tell the 8th graders. "I might even know a few things about this museum that you don't." she teased Spencer.
"Like what?" He didn't sound like he believed her.
"OK, did you know that President Taft once got stuck in the tub at the White House?"
Spencer thought she was lying. She just laughed and told him "When he was president, one time when he was taking a bath, he really was unable to get out of the tub. One of his personal staff members had to come and pull the plug to drain the tub. He could not reach the plug himself because of his girth. That released the suction that was keeping him from being able to get out. He then had a new larger tub installed that is still in the White House today."
He looked at her, "You're serious aren't you?"
"Yep. I'm full of useless knowledge like that" she smiled. "The docents want to keep the students awake and learning so they tell stories that are fun and interesting between the hard facts to help them remember."
She continued, "I've actually sat out on the Mall for an hour just waiting for an 8th grade trip group to arrive. I just follow them inside whatever museum they are headed to and hang back and listen. You should hear some of the questions that an 8th grader will ask." She laughed, "Out of the mouths of babes. You can see why most of my friends don't want to come here with me."
For the rest day, Spencer described items in the museum and was fascinated with the unusual tidbits of information Chelsea had learned. They headed back to the Metro station at about 5:00 pm. When they were on their way back to Chelsea's place, he asked if she would like to stop for dinner somewhere.
She laughed and said, "There is no way you can get me into a restaurant tonight. I would like to go and get some take-out food somewhere and bring it back to my place."
He looked at her and she realized that he didn't understand why she had said that. "Think of the date, Spencer. All restaurants are crazy tonight and I swore I'd never go out again on this night."
All at once Spencer realized that it was February 14th, Valentine's Day. He apologized for not knowing the date. "I should have made a special reservation for you or brought you flowers or something. I'm so sorry."
"Please don't be sorry. Today has been the best Valentine's Day ever. I enjoyed going to the museum with you more than anything else I could have thought about doing today. Every year on February 14th restaurants are crazy busy. People linger over dinner, they try and stuff too many reservations for the night, they are short staffed because people call in sick to go out themselves, they take a few of the most popular meals add a cheap glass of champagne and a heart shaped desert and call it a special and double the price."
She paused to take a breath, "Can you tell I don't really like to go out on Valentine's Day?" Spencer found himself laughing at her description. To be honest, he had never been out on Valentine's Day before so he didn't really know what to expect. He was happy to hear her comments, but he was still sorry he hadn't even given the date a thought. It proved to him how socially deficient he was.
They stopped by a take-out Chinese restaurant not far from Chelsea's and took the food up to her apartment. They were both hungry after the busy day. They had grabbed a sandwich at the museum for lunch, but they were prepackaged and not very appetizing. The Chinese food tasted especially good after the long day they had and Spencer appreciated that she didn't laugh at him for using a fork instead of chopsticks. She didn't even seem to notice when he got up and pulled a fork out of her kitchen drawer.
After dinner they were sitting on her couch listening to some music when she told him she wanted to talk to him about something serious. She asked him how he felt about marriage and children. She was quick to point out she wasn't looking for a proposal; she just wanted to know what type of plans he had for the future.
Spencer was afraid this conversation would eventually come up. He was hoping it would be a long time from now. He was honest and told her he never pictured himself married or having any kids.
She seemed both surprised and sad. "You have always talked so kindly and lovingly about children while on a case. I don't understand why you would be against raising your own."
He paused and took a deep breath. "It's not that I don't like children." She stayed silent as he paused again. "There's something about me I haven't told you. Actually it's about my mother." He detailed her entire illness, how it had made his childhood difficult not really having a parent around much of the time, how he had to have her hospitalized when he was 18, he even filled in the details of his visions when he was drugged by Tobias and the real reason his father had left. He finished by telling her that Schizophrenia is genetic. "Although I am past the age that it usually appears I am consistently afraid that I might start to show symptoms. There is no way I could ever have a child knowing that I might pass that horrible disease on to him or her. I would be worried about it until the child was at least 35 and would never forgive myself if he or she were to become ill."
Chelsea sat in silence and listened to the description of his childhood. It hurt her heart just thinking about how much he had to deal with as a child. She wished she could have known him back then and helped him. "Is that why you think you don't want to be married also?"
"Marriage doesn't seem to last around me. My parents were divorced when I was ten; both Gideon and Rossi have several exes. Hotch recently divorced because of this job and most everyone else at work can't even keep a girlfriend or boyfriend past a few months. The BAU and marriage don't seem to go together."
Chelsea decided to approach the child issue first. "You know that having a biological child is not the only way to have children. Did you know that John's oldest daughter was adopted?" Spencer shook his head, no.
She continued, "Katy was 6 years old and in a car with her dad, mom and baby brother on vacation in DC and they were driving through Rock Creek Park. Two warring drug gangs had a shootout that day, and they were caught in the crossfire. Her dad and baby brother were killed immediately and her mother was in critical condition. Amazingly Katy was not hurt at all. The front seats and the baby seat next to her stopped the bullets. John was one of the first cops on the scene and tried to help the mother first. He looked in the back seat and saw Katy crying. As the ambulance pulled up, he looked over Katy and saw that she was untouched by any of the bullets. She had a small scratch on her knee from the window glass and that was it."
"He held her until social services arrived. They wanted to take her to the hospital to have her checked out and hold her until they could reach a relative. John had seen that the family was from Wisconsin and knew that the girl would likely end up in a short term foster home until a relative could be located. Katy had become attached to John during the chaotic scene and cried every time anyone tried to take her out of his arms. John called his wife, Becky, to see if she would be willing to take the girl for a few nights. Becky was an elementary school teacher so both John and Becky had had some screenings for their work. Arrangements were made for an emergency foster care provision so John and Becky could take her after she was cleared at the hospital. The foster system is so overtaxed in DC that the social worker was grateful for the help and got the paperwork pushed through in a few hours. It was summer vacation for the school and Becky was able to stay home with Katy."
She continued, "I was 16 at the time and John asked if I would come over and talk to Katy. I had been 11 when my dad was killed, but John had thought that someone closer to her age that had been through a similar loss might be helpful. Katy's only living relative was a 75 year old grandfather. He loved Katy dearly, but was unable to take care of her himself. When he came to the hospital to visit his dying daughter, he met Becky and John and agreed to let them help keep Katy while he was at the hospital. Over time he decided to move from Wisconsin and stay in DC and let John and Becky adopt Katy. He also became a part of the family until he died 5 years ago. Katy and I have become very close and she is almost like a sister to me. You've heard me mention her, but you would never be able to tell that she was adopted and her brother was biological would you?"
Spencer assumed it was a rhetorical question and let Chelsea finish. "I know that was a long story, but I've always loved that they took her into their home and she became theirs. I have another friend from when I worked at the CPA firm that has adopted two foster kids, both when they were three. I've always known that I would like to adopt a foster child also; there are so many kids out there that need a good home. I really thought that I would not get married, and about age 30 I would apply for the foster program to adopt a child. I think that a child should have two parents when possible, but with so many children that need adoption, I would like to adopt an older child that would likely go un-adopted. I think with my FBI clearance, my income, my flexible hours and that I own my own home, I would be able to be approved fairly quickly."
"Had you ever considered foster to adopt as an option?" she asked Spencer.
He again shook his head no. After a pause he said, "I really planned to be alone and never have children. I can barely keep a plant alive with my hours; no one would want me to have a child."
At that Chelsea laughed. "No one would want you to do it alone. I do hope you would think about it. I would love to see us have a future together."
Spencer started to feel ill. He had spent his whole life expecting to be alone. He knew no one would want to be with him for very long and it was only a matter of time before Chelsea would leave him. His father had. Gideon had. She would also. "I can't think of marriage. I'm sorry." His voice was very high pitched. "I love spending time with you."
Chelsea swallowed hard. This conversation had not been anything like she had expected. She thought hard about how she was feeling and knew that she could not continue a relationship if he didn't want the same future she did. "If there is no chance that you ever would want to marry me, I don't see how we can continue to see each other. I'm not asking for a commitment right now, but if you are sure that you never what to be married, I can't stay around. It would not be fair to either of us. If in a year from now I tell you I am ready to get married, you would remind me that you made yourself clear, you don't want that out of a relationship, where would that leave us?" She was trying to hold back tears now. "You understand what I mean right? It hurts now thinking of not seeing you, but in a year from now if you were to leave me because you didn't want what I want, I couldn't take it."
She sat there for a few minutes, but he didn't respond. She knew she was in shock. She didn't expect him to want to get married right now, but she had been sure that he would eventually want the same things she did. He was so determined that he never wanted to be married or have kids and she didn't believe he was ever going to change his mind. She stood up and started towards the door. Spencer followed, started to say something and realized there was nothing he could say.
As he picked up his coat and scarf she said, "Don't worry about my grandpa. He loves you and this is not either of our faults. We both just want different things." Spencer hadn't even thought of that yet. Bob was going to be as sad as Chelsea was, as sad as he was. It was just hitting him how sad he was to have her out of his life and she was still in front of him. "Grandpa would adopt you if he could, then you'd be my uncle." She laughed a little through her tears. "I'm going to brunch with him in the morning. I'll explain it to him, don't worry; he will not be upset at you. He'll probably give you a call later in the day just to see how you are doing if I know him."
With that he was outside her door and he heard her say "Be safe" as she closed the door. He could hear her crying from behind the door as he waited for the elevator. He wanted to go and comfort her, but he knew he couldn't. This was the right thing to do. He didn't deserve a good person like Chelsea. She was better off without him.
Chelsea ran herself a bath and wiped away her tears enough to call her grandpa. She didn't tell him anything other than she wanted to talk to him alone in the morning and she hoped he had not invited any of his friends to join them. He told her that it was just the 2 of them for the morning. He tried to ask her what was wrong, but she said she was fine and she would talk to him in the morning.
She spent the next two hours in the tub. She had to keep letting out cold water and adding hot to make it comfortable. Somehow it felt better crying in the tub. She kept thinking about the conversation with Spencer and was second-guessing herself. Was she too quick to make him leave? Could she stay in a relationship with a man that never wanted the same things she wanted?
She knew she had done the right thing. She did want kids. Even if she had to adopt them herself. If she stayed with Spencer she would have to give up that dream and she didn't think she could do that.
By the time she got out it was after 1:00 am, she was exhausted and her skin was completely wrinkled. She climbed into bed and cried herself to sleep. When her alarm went off and she first woke up, she had forgotten what had happened and then the conversation sprang to mind and she felt ill. She didn't feel like getting out of bed, but she got up, showered and got ready to go to brunch. She knew she had to do it, and talking to her grandpa always made her feel better.