Three weeks came and went. Reid returned to work, stitch free. During his time off, at various time, he'd picked up the phone to call Riley, but he just couldn't bring himself to finish dialing. He didn't know what to say to her. Thank you; I love you; I'm sorry I was a moron. The possibilities were endless.
While the rest headed to Albany, Reid and Garcia worked the case from the unit. The second day of the case, he arrived at 8 a.m., heading to her office. He had to admit, working from home had a lot of down time and could be extremely boring. He looked forward to being able to travel again in a few weeks. His thoughts were disrupted as he entered the office, startled by the sight.
Riley was there, in mid-conversation with Garcia. Her face was almost completely clear. Her wrist was still bandaged. She looked just as alarmed when Reid walked in, standing up to greet him.
"Hi," she said nervously.
"Hey," he said, just as edgy. "What are you… what are you doing here?"
"Just talking to Penelope while waiting for you."
"What for?"
"Oh, thank you very much, Reid." Garcia said.
"I meant why is she waiting for me." He clarified. "Why are you?"
"Well, I knew you were back at work and… I just wanted to talk to you really quick. We haven't gotten a real chance… you know, in awhile." She paused, swallowing her nerves down.
She stepped closer to him. Both noticed Garcia pretend to busy herself on the computers. "Should we go in the hallway?"
"No, this is fine," he said, pulling her away slightly. "There's less people to eavesdrop, here."
"I'm not eavesdropping," Garcia said quickly, pretending to look through her papers.
They both smiled and went back to their conversation. "You look so much better," he said.
"You, too," she agreed.
"Still pretty sore?"
"Yeah, mostly just the broken bones." She replied. "They wanted to give me Tramadol, but I don't like to take it, it makes me really sleepy."
"Yeah," he answered. It sounded stupid, but he didn't really know what to say.
"Hotch told me he talked to you… that he… explained everything."
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
"Because… I hate nepotism and… I know that part of the reason I work for the F.B.I. is because of Aaron. I try to keep that part hidden so I don't get ridiculed by those who think I don't belong here in the first place."
"I thought he was the reason you… didn't want to… you know, be with me."
"No, that wasn't it. Believe me, I did want to… Really, I did. It was just the situation we were in… we couldn't."
"Yeah, I know that now."
"But I'm starting a new job." She said, changing the subject.
"Yes, I did hear that. Congratulations."
"I don't think I could stay in that place anymore, anyway. What with Andrews being obsessed with me and beating the shit out of me… it's just something I don't need to be reminded of when I'm drinking my coffee."
"You mean you're battery acid?"
She laughed at that. It was the first real laugh he'd heard out of her in ages and he couldn't even deny to himself how much he missed it.
"So… all your patients…?"
"Transferred, to other doctors. They're even discontinuing your therapy, so you won't have to worry about it. I guess they figured you'd been through enough."
"So you won't have any… professional connection… to anyone? At the B.A.U. I mean?"
She nodded, smiling slightly, "None whatsoever."
It was a moment that could have gone on forever. For a moment, Reid completely forgot Garcia was even still in the room. Finally he could have everything he wanted, had spent nights dreaming of and days trying to force from his mind. But something held him back. Maybe they had just been through too much to make anything work.
"That's great." Was all he could say.
"Yeah, it's really great." She agreed, looking a little disappointed.
An awkward silence followed. He watched Riley's tongue absentmindedly moisten her lips. It drove him crazy, but he controlled herself.
"Well," she continued. "I should go. I'm still on leave, so I really shouldn't be here."
"Yeah, get better."
"You, too." She answered. Her fingertips lightly touched his stomach for a moment, sending a tingle through him. Taking a deep breath, she reached up and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his neck. Reid held her close to him, resting his head on her shoulder. He could have held her forever. Realizing he was holding his breath, he inhaled deeply, taking in her perfume.
Sadly, Riley at last pulled away, lingering only long enough to kiss his cheek. "Thank you…" She whispered. "…for everything."
"You're welcome." He answered.
Without a goodbye, Riley headed out the door, closing it behind her. Reid stared at it. He had to let her go. This was for the best, after all. He was crazy to believe it would ever have worked, even from the beginning. She was better off without him. Taking a deep breath, still with the feel of her lips on his cheek, her smell lingering on him, he turned back to Garcia.
"What did you find out so far?" he asked.
Garcia was beside herself. "What was that!" she exclaimed.
"What?" he asked.
"You're just going to let her walk out of here? I thought you loved her."
"I do. You have no idea how much I do, but… Garcia, it's just better this way, okay?"
"How is it better not being with the woman you love?"
"She's better off without me, trust me."
"But she loves you! From what I just saw and heard, she is crazy about you. I can see that, why can't you?"
He did not want to have this conversation. "It's more complicated than you think."
"You're not even going to try? I can't believe this; you're really going to let her go?"
Reid stood his ground. He had a look of pure determination and sincerity. Her expression went from stunned to appalled. "You're really letting her go." She huffed in disbelief. "Reid, I never thought I'd say this to you, but you are the dumbest person I've ever met."
And with that, Garcia turned back to her keyboard. "Well, anyway… I managed to track down the three men on the suspect list Morgan gave me. Now, according to this-" She turned to point out her findings to Reid, only to find she sat alone in her office, the door standing wide open. A pleased grin spreading across her face. "Go get her, Tiger."
…
"Damnit," Riley said, dropping her keys for the second time. It was hard to unlock her car with a non-dominate hand. Driving was easier. Her eyes were starting to water, but she didn't want to start crying until she was safe in her car. When she could leave this place behind… and everyone in it.
Maybe she was stupid to have come here. What was she expecting, that he'd take her in his arms and forget everything that had happened? She'd lied to him, hurt him, and all but killed him. She had put him through hell. It's hard to come back from that.
"Damnit!" she said again, her keys clanging on the concrete again. She kicked her car in frustration. Now, not only was her wrist aching and her side throbbing, but her foot hurt as well. Probably the only place on her that hadn't been bruised. Taking a deep breath, planning on a cigarette the minute she got in her car, she bent down to pick up the keys, surprised when someone beat her to it.
Reid had managed to sneak up on her and took her keys in hand. "I think you dropped these."
"Thank you," she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to ask you a question." He said. The keys disappeared in the pocket in his pants.
"Oh," she replied, not what she expected. "Okay."
"When was the last time you had a really good kiss? I mean truly, sincerely… good and kissed? The best kiss of your life?"
"Wow," She seemed a bit surprised by this, but thought for a moment. A moment longer than Reid suspected. "I guess… Ian Courts, Harvard/Yale game… sophomore year."
That was not the answer Reid was expecting, but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to screw this up. "Okay," he replied, leaning into her.
In a quick moment, before Riley even knew what was happening, Reid had swept her into a kiss. His one hand resting on the side of her face, the other placed on her hip. Everything he had in him, his love, his compassion, his lust, his need, everything went into that kiss. It was certainly enough to knock any girl off her feet.
The kiss lasted for over thirty seconds before he finally pulled away. His hazel eyes locking with her brown ones, waiting for her response. This was it.
In an instant, she reached up and kissed him back, longer and more enthralling. She wrapped her good arm around him, the bandaged one enveloping him at the waist, pressing his body close to hers. Reid's fingers moved, tangling themselves in her hair.
At last, the kiss broke and Riley's lips curled into a smile. She leaned up, pressing her forehead on his, looking deeply into his eyes. "I was hoping you'd come after me."
"I love you, Riley." He sighed blissfully.
"I love you, too, Spencer." Her voice soft and content.
"You… you were just… kidding about that Ian guy… right?"
"Oh yeah," she said, laughing, pressing her lips to him for another round.
