Their flight was scheduled for early the next morning. Reid decided not to pack until right before they left. By this point in his career, he was an expert at packing at a moment's notice. Riley was getting things ready throughout the apartment for their absence while he finished gathering his things.

His bag sat next to him ready to go as he sat on the bed. Once again, the red box was in his hands. Reid opened it and looked over the contents. No, it wasn't a spectacular piece of jewelry; after all, he didn't make a lot of money. But Riley wasn't concerned with fancy things. She wasn't interested in jewelry. That was the only difficult part when it came to deciding on it.

Their first four months together had been a honeymoon: when the entire relationship consisted only of blissful conversations and making love. Close to the end of the four months, as the first initial flame was beginning to burn out and they were getting comfortable with each other, Reid had begun considering the rest of his life. He was beginning to realize he could never feel for anyone the way he felt for Riley.

Honestly, Reid had never wanted to get married. His life was academics and criminology. It was a productive life and he felt no need nor desire for the added confusion of a serious romance. But Riley had changed everything. He realized he wanted the other side of life, too. He wanted to be a husband and maybe even a father. He wanted to have the life with a house and family… as long as she was there.

But then Riley ran to Seattle battling with her internal demons. All Reid's hopes of that happy ending dissolved into seven months of pain and misery. They were then reunited to hunt down a deranged killer. One week and a near loss of life gave them a real understanding of their feelings. True happiness seemed to outweigh doubts and fears, and so they reconciled.

An amorous reunion took place that night, eventually migrating to the floor of Reid's bedroom. There they made plans for Riley's return from Seattle. Since she had no place to live, Reid convinced her to move in with him. As they talked on that floor next to the bed, tangled with him in the bed sheets, her wild hair spread around her and the morning sun lighting up her face as it streamed through the window, Riley had never looked more beautiful to him. He knew right then he wanted to marry her. When she left next week to fetch her things, he bought the ring.

But that was thirteen months ago. Reid wanted to wait awhile; he didn't want to scare her. Though she had a greater faith in their love now, moving too fast could put her off to the whole idea for a very long time. Once he decided enough time had passed – and the ring was paid off – he began to consider the right time to pop the question. Nothing seemed right. Reid didn't have any experience with this and unfortunately neither did most of his friends. Another reason why he wanted to speak to Hotch, in hopes of getting a few pointers. But Vegas would be perfect. Riley had been nervous about the inevitability of meeting Reid's mother. He was sure his mother would love her, though, which would make Riley so relieved and happy. It would make his proposal all the more wonderful… another story they could tell their children and grandchildren about.

"We're not even engaged yet and I'm already thinking about grandchildren." Reid said, still admiring the ring.

"Did you say something?" Riley said from the doorway.

Quickly, he snapped the box shut and shoved it into his luggage before Riley could see. He stood up quickly, nervous; unaware she had been so close.

Even in jeans and an oversized lavender sweater, with her curly black hair loose and her glasses on, she looked so elegant and classy. Reid smiled at her innocently; looking her over did nothing for his heart rate.

"No," he said quickly. "I didn't… say a word."

"Why… are you… so nervous?" she asked, suspicious. Her arms folded over her chest.

He shrugged. "I'm just… anxious about seeing my mom."

Riley smiled and rolled her eyes. "That's supposed to be my job."

"Right, sorry," he grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. "Ready?"

She nodded, heading into the living room. He watched her as she pulled on her coat and gloves and grabbed her bag from the couch. Reid held the door open for her before locking up. Heading out of the building, they went to catch a cab over on the busy street a block over. They walked in silence. Reid put his arm around her to protect her from the cold, feeling her arms wrap around his middle and her head rest on his shoulder. Reid looked her over. Her eyes were closed as she let Spencer's protective form lead her down the street. His lips pressed against her forehead, and Reid couldn't understand how he could have waited this long.

Everyone has a specific city they love and admire; New York, London, Paris. Regardless which it might be, everyone holds a special spot for the town they grew up in. No matter where you go, that city is always home.

Reid was not immune to this either. Arriving back in Vegas, like every time before, gave him a feeling of familiarity. For many years, he had often thought of returning here when his career was over. It wouldn't be for decades, but he could definitely see retiring back home. He wondered now how Riley would feel about that.

Reid and Riley decided to waste no time. Neither one believed this was something that deserved a lot of worry and concern. The sooner they faced this, the sooner it was done, and – since they didn't need to be back until Sunday – the sooner they could enjoy their weekend together. After checking into the hotel, Riley prepared her questionnaire while Reid immediately called his father. They spoke for only a few moments.

"My dad's in the middle of a meeting, but he agreed to meet us in the lobby at five for dinner." Reid said, hanging up the call with his finger, the receiver still in hand. He prepared to make another call. "I'm going to call Bennington to let them know we'll be there in the morning."

Riley nodded, making notes on a legal pad. He listened to the rings, noticing when she gave a light laugh as she wrote. "What is it?"

"Oh, I was just thinking… I wonder if your mother is going to show up two hours late like her son did when he got his evaluation." Her eyes flashed at him.

Reid smiled, his mind flashing back to when it all began. He stared at her a moment, remembering the first day he laid eyes on her. Even now, after all this time, he never had told her the truth about that day.

"What?" Riley asked when she realized he was still looking at her.

It was a long story, and there would be a better time for it. He shook his head. "Nothing," he replied, turning away. Someone had apparently answered, "Yes, hello, this is Dr. Spencer Reid, I'm-… yes, that's right, Diana's son." He listened for a moment. "Yes, I am in town actually. I'm planning on stopping by tomorrow to see my mother… yes, I understand I don't need an appointment, but I'm bringing another doctor with me tomorrow… no, this has nothing to do with her treatment. The psychiatrist is Dr. Riley Parker; she's also with the FBI. This actually pertains to a case Dr. Parker and I are working on that my mother may have some knowledge in. She just wants to get an evaluation on her, maybe speak to her doctor about her recent behavior." He listened for a few moments. Riley stopped her working, waiting for his response. "Alright, ten sounds perfect. We'll be there. Thank you."

He set the receiver down. 10 am, Reid was already dreading it. Usually the worst he felt on these visits was guilt. He carefully turned around, his eyes fell on Riley. Laying on the bed in her stocking feet, the legal pad resting on her denim lap as she wrote. Her glasses had nestled on the edge of her nose. Reid loved when she sported the sexy librarian look. It might not be a bad idea to explain to Riley beforehand just how much his mother knew about her… or how little.

Unsure of how to bring this up, he walked over to the unused side of the bed. "What have you got so far?" He asked, climbing next to her.

"Well…" she indicated some of the notes on her page. "I want to start out with just a few broad questions. For someone with paranoid schizophrenia, it's important to attempt to gain trust from the very beginning. You already knew that. Now, depending on what kind of medication she's on, I'll be able to question her about the dreams. If the medication makes her mind too foggy, I can attempt a memory exercise on her subconscious…" she trailed off into silence.

"What's wrong?" Reid asked.

"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with this." She explained. "I mean, I've never even met this woman, I'm dating her son, and I'm supposed to walk in there and analyze her? What if I make a mistake?"

"Don't worry, you'll do fine." He assured. His one hand routinely slipped onto her inner thigh, just above the knee, as it often did when they sat like this, talking with each other. The other hand wrapped into hers.

"I can't help but worry, Spencer. This is important to me. I can only imagine what she thinks of me now. I want to make a good impression."

Reid didn't know what to say. Riley sat in wait, expecting further words of encouragement. "Your silence is a bit disturbing."

"Look, it doesn't matter what my parents think of you." He stated plainly. "I love you, that's what's important. That's all that should matter."

"True," she agreed. "But I'd still wouldn't mind a positive opinion from them. God only knows what opinion she's already formed about me."

Reid cleared his throat, quickly thinking of a change of subject. For someone so smart, he was making a dumb choice, but all he wanted to do was ease her anxiety. "My dad already likes you. He thinks you're lovely."

She huffed a chuckle. "Well, I've got him fooled."

"Riley, look… my mom is going to like who she's going to like. All you can do is be yourself… that's the girl I fell in love with."

Those words finally made her smile. "Well, if Diana Reid is anything like her son, she'll love me."

Close to five they headed downstairs to meet Reid's father. Riley had changed into her usual apparel, wanting to look more presentable this time. The lobby was busy, the earliest of guests heading out for a night on the town. The sounds of the hotel's casino was heard nearby.

They sat in silence, waiting for his arrival. Reid watched the entrance anxiously; Riley sat with a novel in hand. Reid wished he could get lost in the pages of a book right now, but he was too apprehensive about seeing his father. Even after everything, he was still amazed that seeing this man made him so stressed. But almost two decades of estrangement isn't something a person can get over in such a little amount of time.

Reid checked his watch, situated over his sleeve as usual. It was going on 5:30. "He's late," Reid said, not sounding too surprised.

"He did say he was in a meeting," Riley said, looking up from the pages of her book. "He probably got held up."

"Yeah," He muttered, annoyed.

Riley closed her book, giving Reid a knowing expression. "I think you're just looking for an excuse to be angry with him."

That didn't help his attitude. "Please don't be a therapist right now, okay? Just save your analysis for tomorrow."

His tone stunned her. Reid himself had been surprised that he'd let that escape. Taking a deep breath to calm down, he said, "I'm sorry."

She understood, reaching over and taking his hand. Reid had to remind himself this wouldn't last long. He just needed to get through this. It would be a struggle, but he'd make it. Seeing Riley's face when she saw the ring would be enough of a reward.

Reid squeezed her soft hand in his. His eyes immediately caught the sight of Will Reid entering the lobby. His stomach seemed to knot itself as he stood up. Riley followed suit, watching her boyfriend closely.

"Hello, Dad," Reid said as his father approached.

Immediately, they both noticed the grave expression on the man's face. "Hello, Spencer, Riley…" his voice trailed off.

"Something wrong?" Reid asked.

Will couldn't seem to answer at first, almost like he were having trouble breathing. "I'm sorry I'm late… I… after my meeting, just before I left I received a call from Pamela Williams."

Reid remembered her, from his childhood. "What did she want?"

Riley was curious, but kept silent. There were times, regardless how interested, one knew to just keep quiet.

Will hesitated. "When was the last time you spoke to her son, Ethan?"

"About four years ago." Reid explained. He turned to Riley and relieved her desire. "Ethan's a friend of mine. We were rivals growing up, and we met in New Orleans when I was working on a case."

Riley nodded, understanding. She remembered Spencer talking about him a few times. Reid turned back to his father. "Did something happen? Is Ethan in trouble?"

Again, he seemed reluctant to continue. "Ethan was killed last night, Spencer."

At those words, the world seemed to get blurry. Reid couldn't even focus for a moment. Anything he had suspected happening this weekend, learning this was not one of them. His throat went dry and his tongue seemed to stick to roof of his mouth.

"How did it happen?" Riley asked. Reid was thankful she knew to speak up.

Seeming almost upset as his son, Will struggled to find the words. "He was murdered. Last night in the club he works in." Will Reid had to pause. He was in no way accustomed to death and murder; this was difficult for him.

Reid looked to Riley, wondering if she were coming to the same conclusion. It was possible this was just by chance. But they were too experienced in these situations to presume it was coincidence.