Three weeks had flown by and thankfully, Spencer and Lacy had fallen into a peaceful groove. It seemed that his act was feeding into her ego enough that she was mostly pleasant. Not to say she didn't still want her way. He just didn't argue about it anymore. Whatever she wanted, she got. He was putting his full trust in the team.
It wasn't easy though. He still yearned for Emily and knowing she was dating other guys tore him apart. He didn't expect her to wait for him. He knew that wasn't fair, but he would be lying if he didn't hope she still wanted him as badly as he wanted her.
He was daydreaming at his desk when he heard a loud sound. He jumped and looked to see Derek staring at him with concern. Spencer realized the sound had been Derek kicking his desk to get his attention.
"You good, kid?" Derek asked.
"Yeah, fine. Sorry. Just thinking," Spencer said straightening up.
"Clearly. Hotch just called us to the conference room, and you didn't even react," Derek said before lowering his voice. "Everything alright with Lacy?"
"Yeah, I mean, as good as it can be. I promise, I'm fine," Spencer assured him standing up to walk to the conference room.
"It'll be over soon. Just hang in there," Derek said patting his back.
(xxxxx)
The case was local, so Hotch requested the team work from out of the office. Spencer had set up a map and was marking some spots with different colored markers, while J.J. read through the report and wrote some notes.
"Any patterns?"
Spencer looked over his shoulder to see Hotch looking at his work. Spencer turned back to the map and sighed.
"Not yet. It's a large comfort zone and right now, it appears to be random."
"Do you think you can handle going to the ME?"
Spencer looked at Hotch and nodded.
"Yes. I promise," he said confidently.
"Alright, you and J.J. head over there. See what you can find."
(xxxxx)
Spencer leaned over the body of the young woman. Her body littered with bruises and stab wounds. She had been found in a small clearing off a running trail.
"This is incredibly personal," J.J. said as she tried counting the stab wounds.
"56 stab wounds," the ME said looking at her chart. "One of them was directly through the heart. My guess is that was one of the first few stabs. She died quickly."
"Overkill," J.J. said.
"No defensive wounds," Spencer stated as he laid her hand back down on the table.
"No," the ME confirmed.
"So, how does he inflict so much damage without her reacting?" J.J. asked.
"Anything in her toxicology report?" Spencer wondered.
"Nothing."
"Maybe the first stab was to the heart. I need to see the crime scene," Spencer said standing up straighter.
(xxxxx)
After talking it over with Hotch, Spencer was allowed to go to the crime scene, where Emily and Luke were still investigating. When J.J. pulled the SUV up to the scene Emily walked toward them with a furrowed brow.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked, knowing Spencer wasn't supposed to be in the field.
"I spoke to Hotch. I really need to see the crime scene. I have a feeling I might know what's going on," he said to her.
A smile slowly slid across her face.
"Welcome back, genius," she said as she led the way.
Luke was talking with one of the officers when they approached. Emily pointed out where the body had been laying. Spencer looked around the area. His eyes scanning each tree and bush in the area. He knelt in the dirt and started lightly brushing at the leaves surrounding the blood-stained ground. It took a few minutes, but his eyes lit up as he felt what he'd been looking for. He lifted the small whitish fragment and showed it to Emily and J.J.
"What is that?" J.J. asked.
"Wax. She didn't have defensive wounds because they were here on a date. She didn't see it coming," he said as Emily waved over someone to put the item into evidence.
"Emily, lay down," Spencer ordered.
"What?" she said scrunching her face in disgust.
"I need a visual," he said.
Emily sighed loudly but she found herself laying in a non-contaminated section of the wooded area. Spencer observed her as he lifted his hands and made a rectangle out of his fingers. He looked up at the sky and then back down at Emily who quietly watched him.
"They came to view the stars but have some privacy. Sex was clearly part of their plans. Otherwise, they would've chosen a more opened area. She felt comfortable with him. You certainly aren't going to have your first date in the woods," he said more to himself.
"At some point he gets over her," he said as he stood over Emily before kneeling, his legs straddling her body.
He looks above her head and then back to her chest. His hand reaches behind his back, and he fakes pulling something from his pocket, plunging the invisible knife into her chest. His hand rubs at his chin thoughtfully.
He then hovered over Emily's body. His arms braced on either side of her head. He looked down at her to find her staring wide-eyed at him.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Mmhmm," she said as she nodded.
He bit back a smirk before continuing his thought process.
"He's over her. They're probably kissing. He has her relaxed. Her eyes are probably closed. He's probably touching her. Making her feel good. Safe," he said in a soft, sensual tone.
He told himself he was getting into character but in reality, he saw her dilated pupils and he wanted to push it further. He wanted her to be thinking of him. He wanted her to miss him and want him again. He wanted to turn her on, despite the fact that this was a crime scene.
"And then bam!" he said making Emily jump in surprise. "He stabs her in the heart. She never sees it coming. She is gone before he even starts on the fifth stab."
He got up and held his hand out to Emily, who reluctantly grabbed it. Once she was on her feet, he gave her a small smirk.
"Thanks for helping," he said.
"Yeah, sure, no problem. Let's take this information to Hotch," Emily said as she walked off toward the car.
Spencer looked to J.J. who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a grin.
"What?" he said furrowing his own.
"What was that performance?" she said with a small laugh.
"I was reenacting the crime," he said playing dumb.
"If you say so," J.J. giggled as she headed to the SUV.
Spencer let out a small chuckle as he followed behind her.
(xxxxx)
It was well past midnight as everyone started yawning. Hotch finally called it a night, asking everyone to report back to work at 7am. Spencer made his way to his car when he heard his name being called. He stopped to see Emily jogging toward him.
"You ok?" he asked her as she reached him.
"Yeah, I just wanted to tell you, you did a great job today. We've made a lot of progress because of what you figured out," she said as they walked side by side to his car.
"Thanks," he said with a smile. "It felt like old times."
"Yeah, it did," she said returning the smile.
"You really seemed to enjoy my process," he said trying to rile her up.
"Yeah … wait … what?" she said shaking her head as she tried to manage her thoughts.
Spencer let out a laugh as he reached his car. He went to open his door, but Emily's hand shot out to pull on his arm.
"No, hold on a minute, what was that supposed to mean?" she said again.
He looked at her with amusement.
"Exactly what I said," he replied.
"I don't know what you're insinuating, but I was just doing my job," she said as her arms went to her hips.
He made an 'if you say so' face.
"If anyone was bothered by your … show, it was you," she said trying to turn the tables.
"Emily, I don't think I hide the fact that I want you. So, that's not really a strong defense," he said with a chuckle.
"We've been through this, Spencer. I've moved on. I have to move on," she said angrily.
"You say that, but your body language tells me otherwise," he said. "Your eyes are dilated … again might I add. You're starting to sweat a bit and your breathing has increased since our conversation began," he pointed out.
"Yeah, because you are infuriating!" she said throwing her hands up in the air.
Spencer ducked his head momentarily before stepping forward. Emily went to step back but his hand shot out and gripped her hip. Their bodies were nearly touching. She could feel the heat burning between them. She stared at him shocked. This was such a drastic change from who he'd been just three weeks ago. And as much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, it was incredibly sexy.
"I know we can't do anything right now," he said as he used his free hand to brush her hair behind her ears. "But the second I am free from the spawn of satan, I am coming for you hard Emily Prentiss. If I have to fight to win you back for the next thirty years, I will come swinging every single day."
Tears built up in Emily's eyes as she absorbed his words. No one had ever loved her and wanted her the way Spencer did. She heard every trick in the book when it came to men wanting to "woo" her. When they were all just superficial and looking for easy access to sex. But with Spencer it was genuine. She could see it in his eyes. She could feel it in her soul. He wanted her for everything she was and loved her unconditionally.
She tried to blink back the tears that threatened to spill. She swallowed hard and licked her lips as Spencer kept her close. Too close. It was hard to step away.
"I should go," she whispered as her voice quavered.
Spencer let go of her and stepped back. His sudden burst of confidence shattered. Maybe he had gone too far. He watched her walking away with dread that he had crossed a line when she suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at him.
"Spence," she said though she knew she had his attention.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to hold you to that promise," she said softly but enough for him to hear her.
A smile stretched across his face.
"Goodnight," she said as her lips pursed into a small side smile.
"Goodnight Emily."
(xxxxx)
A/N: what did you think of this chapter? I know it seemed to go from super sad to super flirty, but it all goes with what is going to come. Plus, I thought we needed a little happiness for Spence.
We are nearing the end! Hopefully in the next week or two we can wrap it up! Thanks to my readers and followers and huge thank you to my commenters! You guys make me want to keep writing. It's the boost I need to keep going. You help my creativity, and I am so grateful for that! xoxo