Cat stepped into the hall and her jaw dropped. Red and white streamers decorated the ceiling and walls. There was a table of refreshments and a bar tender in the far corner. Colored lights bounced along the ceiling and walls. The DJ had his headphones on and tapped away on his laptop as music began to play.
"You actually did all of this for me?" she said incredulously.
"Do you like it?"
She turned to see Spencer watching her with a smile on his face. He was finally playing along.
"I love it," she said grabbing his hand and dragging him toward the middle of the room. "Come on let's dance!"
"Oh, no! I … uh … I don't dance," he said.
"It's only me," she said then looked around the room. "And an entire SWAT team and people you work with. But other than that …"
She grinned as she grabbed both of his hands and held them in her own. Spencer ducked his head and shook it slightly.
"What about a drink? Let's get a drink and loosen up a bit?" she suggested.
Spencer shrugged and followed her to the bar tender where they both ordered drinks. Cat was a little bummed she only had one choice in drink, but she pretended like it was exactly what she had wanted and took the glass with a big smile.
"To us," she said holding up her glass.
Spencer clinked his glass with hers and they both took a sip.
"Come on, let's go talk. Get to know each other," Cat said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the table that was set with two chairs.
Once they were seated, Cat took another sip of her drink before setting it down. She smiled at Spencer, who returned it equally.
"So, tell me about your childhood," she said.
Spencer's look of content melted away to irritation. He glared at her. He knew Cat could never be trusted. She never missed an opportunity to bring light to his shit upbringing. He watched as she frowned, and her brows furrowed.
"I'm not fucking with you. I genuinely want to know. I only know your mom was sick and your dad left you, but I don't really know your story," she explained.
"What's there to tell? You have the general overview," he said bitterly.
Cat looked down for a moment, her body curling slightly into itself as though wrapping her in protection.
"I know we seem very different," she began, and his eyebrow raised. "Yes, I murder, and you don't, that's already clear let's not keep hashing that. My point is, we may seem different, but we both started life at a disadvantage."
"Because of your dad?" Spencer said.
"It's no secret what my father did to my mother." Spencer nodded. "That's all anyone cares about though. No one ever sees passed that."
"What do you mean?" He asked genuinely interested.
"Do you ever wonder why I kill men?"
"Revenge for what your dad to your mom," he said.
"See? No one sees passed the obvious. Sure, part of it comes from what he did to her, but nobody ever cared to ask what he did to me."
"What did he to you?"
Cat looked up to see Spencer watching her seriously. His eyes trying to read her and see if this was all an act.
"You don't care," she said. "You're only asking that because you think this is a game."
A few moments of silence fell over them. Cat played absentmindedly with a string on her dress, while Spencer watched her curiously.
"My mom had good days and bad days. On her good days, she would read me stories, take me to the park, play chess with me. There was this diner called 5-Stars, they made the most amazing cheeseburgers. When mom wasn't sick, she would take me there for a treat."
Cat looked up to see him watching her.
"I cherished those days. They were few and far between though. Most of the time, she wouldn't get out of bed. I would have to force her to eat or shower. One time there was nothing to eat in the house and her social security check hadn't come yet. I was hungry, so I walked to a nearby gas station and stole some stale fruit bars I found in the dumpster."
Cat sat in stunned silence as she listened to his story.
"The worst part was when she was afraid. Mom hallucinated often and most of the time, I was on the receiving end of it. She threw things at me, hit me, beat me with objects around the house that were within reach. Once she thought the government had microchipped me and she tried to dig it out of my skin with a steak knife."
With that, Spencer unbuttoned his shirt sleeve and pushed it up slightly. He held out his arm and Cat looked down to see a 2-inch scar. She reached out and ran her finger lightly over the pink puckered skin.
"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" she said softly.
"They would've taken her away. I loved her and I felt it was my responsibility to protect her. If they took her away, I would be kept away from her and what would they do to her? She was just another crazy person to them. At least with me she was loved. And I knew she didn't mean to hurt me. She was sick."
Cat nodded as she absorbed Spencer's confession. She was surprised that he had opened up to her like that, especially since she didn't really push him to do so. He just gave it up freely. She glanced his way to see him watching her.
"Our fathers were quite similar, you know," she said with a humorless laugh. "Cowards." She looked back down at her dress as she recalled memories she had long since hid away. "I was 4 the first time. He took me down in the basement to play a game. He said it was doctor. He bought me a little kit with those plastic stethoscopes and blood pressure thing."
"Sphygmomanometer," Spencer said.
Cat glanced up for a second and then looked back down.
"Yea, that. Anyway, he said I could be the doctor first and it was normal. Then he said it was my turn to be the patient, but we were going to make it more real and that I had to undress to be the patient."
Her lip started trembling as she remembered that awful moment.
"It hurt so much. I just remember crying and saying I wanted to stop playing and he yelled at me. He said I was a brat and only good girls could play this game. He took my doctor kit and threw it in the trash can before sending me to my room for being ungrateful. I don't know how long I was in there for, but when he came in to let me out, he said I wasn't allowed to talk about what happened because my mom was so mad at me for being a bad patient."
"Cat," Spencer said breaking her train of thought.
She looked up to see him watching her sympathetically. She quickly wiped at her cheek, where one tear escaped and lifted her drink, finishing it off.
"Well, this isn't how dates are supposed to go," she said forcing a laugh. "Are you up for dancing yet?"
Spencer finished his drink and then nodded. After what she had just revealed, the least he could do was distract her. He took her by the hand and led her out to the dance floor.
(xxxxx)
Three drinks and an hour later, Spencer was more at ease. Cat and he had been dancing off and on, both actually having an enjoyable time. Cat taught Spencer the Electric Slide, the Cupid Shuffle, and the Macarena. He was a spaz when he danced, but she didn't mind. She was just happy to dance with him.
"I think I need a break. You mind?" Spencer asked as he pointed toward the table.
"Yea, my feet are a little sore. They could use a rest," she said as they walked off together.
Spencer plopped down into his seat with a sigh. He slipped his suit jacket off and draped it over his seat. Cat took a napkin and lightly pated her forehead, her neck, and her chest. She noticed Spencer watching her, so she made sure to exaggerate a little.
"Like what you see?" she flirted.
Spencer seemed to snap out of it, and she saw a tinge of red on his cheeks. She started laughing, which caught him by surprise.
"Spencer Reid does have a libido," she teased.
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked light-heartedly.
"You give off that whole 40-year old virgin vibe," she said.
"I'm not even 40, so not sure how that works out and no I'm not a virgin and haven't been many times over," he responded.
"Are you a man whore?"
It was Spencer's turn to burst out laughing. Cat joined in.
"No, I'm not a man whore. There haven't been that many," he replied.
"Ok, so when was your first?"
"I was 19. Some girl I met while working on my masters."
"Was it good?"
"It was alright. I was nervous. Before that girls typically tormented me, so my self-esteem was low. She was nice about it though."
"On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst you can imagine and 10 being holy shit you sex god, how good are you in bed?"
Spencer gave a small chuckle, while Cat watched him with amusement.
"I'm not sure I can answer that. How does one rate themselves? It's not like I know what my partner is feeling."
"Do you bring them to orgasm?"
"Usually," he said.
"Interesting," she said with a smirk on her face as she looked to the ceiling thoughtfully. "Have you slept with anyone on your team?"
"No."
"Have you thought about it?"
"I suppose at one time or other. Especially when I was younger, but not anymore. They are my family now. It would be too weird."
"And here I thought you and blondie –"
"J.J.? No, I mean, we went on a date once. Back when I just started with the bureau. We both formed a strong friendship that night, but that was all."
"So, what is your type then Dr. Reid? What gets your banana peeled?"
"I don't have a type. I just meet people and make connections. We don't choose who we love. It just happens," he said as their gaze connected.
Cat's pulse sped up a bit. She wondered if the same happened to Spencer because he shifted in his seat suddenly and seemed a little squirrely. She felt her cheeks blushing, so she turned her attention to the empty dance floor.
"You wanna dance again?" she asked.
"Um, yea, sure," he said getting up.
Nothing but fast songs had been played and Cat wanted something different. She excused herself from Spencer one moment and hurried over to the DJ. Spencer watched her say something to him and he nodded before she trotted back over to him. Just as she reached him the song Lover by Taylor Swift began playing.
"May I?" she said with a smile.
Spencer nodded and held out his hand to clutch hers, while the other sat too lightly on her waist. They slowly swayed back and forth, until Cat made a move and wrapped her arms around Spencer's neck. Both of his hands landed on her waist with a little more weight to it.
"This song makes me think of you," she said as her finger lightly played with the hair at the base of his neck.
She saw him zone out to listen to the words being sung. She used that moment as an opportunity to place her head on Spencer's shoulder. Suddenly Spencer stopped moving and stepped back from her, taking his phone out of his pocket.
"Excuse me a sec," he said walking away, texting quickly back to someone.
Cat felt her heart plummet. She was alone in her feelings. He didn't want her, and she was a fool for making herself believe otherwise. He had no reason to love her when she had done nothing but torture him. All those times she thought she felt something, she was kidding herself. She was not good enough for Spencer Reid.