"Do you have to have a reason for loving?"

- Brigitte Bardot

Date #1

On their first date, Monica and Spencer were discussing superlatives. She finished laughing at something he said.
"Okay, worst date", she recalled, "Three months ago, at the Italian bistro in Quantico. Guy was a zoologist from Richmond. Mid-dinner, he starts telling me about the mating habits of amphibians"
Spencer almost spat out his buttermilk. He laughed.
"Even I know that's not a date topic"
"I'm serious. He actually thought it might get me in the mood", she chuckled.
"Did it?"
Monica smirked at him.
"You know I only get in the mood by discussing deviant psychology, Doctor"
Smiling at her flirtation, he returned his attention to his plate of food. Monica said,
"Your Ph.D. was in Psychology, right?"
"No. Chemistry. Mathematics. And Engineering"
Her eyebrows rose,
"You have three PhDs?"
He nodded.
"My oh my", she said, "I am finally on a date with a certified genius"
"You don't usually date men like me?"
"I didn't even know men like you existed. Thoughtful, funny, intelligent, handsome", she added with a smile, "You are... something, you know"
His voice was softer than before.
"Thanks. You are... quite something too"
Monica took a moment to speak again.
"To be honest, if you hadn't asked me for dinner, I was going to ask you. I didn't know how you would respond though"
"I would have said yes"
She smiled again. There was another pause before she said,
"We have known each other for almost four months, but I don't even know yet what you do for a living"
"I'm an FBI profiler"
"Really?", Monica said, "You don't have that typical lawman swagger when you walk"
"I guess"
"Why FBI? I mean, you certainly had the resumé for a career in academia"
"I guess I just wanted to make a difference? Behavioural Analysis really appealed to me. A friend and I showed up for training together, but he quit after Day 1. I wanted it bad enough to stay"
Monica smiled,
"Your parents must be pretty proud of you"
"My Mom. She is", he smiled.
"What's she like?"
He glanced at her. No inquisitiveness, just a general curiosity. And it wasn't like he was ashamed of his mother.
"She used to be a 15th century literature professor. Strong, smart, brave. But she suffers from schizophrenia. Some days it's... bad. But most days it's okay"
"I'm sorry"
"That's all right"
Monica told him after a while,
"My best friend is bipolar, and she suffers from manic depression. She lives in a facility in New York. I try to visit but... it's hard to see someone you love being reduced to just a small part of their whole identity. Sorry, I'm probably making you uncomfortable by talking about all this"
"No, it's fine. Your friend", he asked, "How old is she?"
"33", Monica smiled wistfully, "She has a little girl, Veronica. I'm her godmother. Veronica's father remarried and they moved to Seattle. It's one of the reasons I can't bring myself to visit Nicole as much as I would like. She keeps asking to see her daughter"
"Sorry about your friend"
Monica shook her head. She sighed and looked around for a waiter.
"Fancy some dessert, Dr. Reid? I could go for a bowl of cold phirni right now. You ever tried phirni?"
"I haven't"
"Mm", she said, "Best Indian dessert ever. You have to try it"
She called for the waiter's attention and ordered dessert. Spencer sat watching her, thinking about deflective techniques.

Date #2

As with almost all dwellings, Monica's house was a reflection on her personality. Bright, airy, minimalist, and so comfortable it made you want to take your shoes off. Spencer resisted the urge and walked to one of her bookshelves. They were all neatly organised by genre and alphabetical order. She seemed to have a penchant for home-made labels. Hearing her come in from the kitchen, Spencer turned to the door. Monica hid something round and large under her shirt. She rubbed it like a belly.
"It's yours"
He watched her with a smile as she pulled out the watermelon and held it up.
"It's a girl!"
She told him,
"All right, I'm going to cut this baby up for dessert, put it in the fridge, and we can start"
"Do you need some help with that?"
"No, you're my guest. Just sit at the table and look sexy. That shouldn't be too hard for you", she winked and walked back in.
Spencer smiled and returned to inspecting her bookshelves.

They had not been able to schedule another date soon. But their meetings in the library continued, became prolonged. Monica was wearing a garish red and green sweater on the day in question. For some reason, it reminded him of a Sexy Elf costume.
"You won't be here for Christmas?", she asked.
"I am going to take my Mom to see her brother and his family. It's been a while"
"In Vegas?"
"Yeah. What about you?"
"I didn't have any plans really"
"You're not visiting family?", he asked.
"Most of them live nearby. We see each other all the time", she said, "Anyway, since you're not going to be here, maybe I should give you your Christmas present before you leave"
He was touched.
"You got me a present?"
"Yeah. I have actually been carrying it around to get Brenda's opinion on it, but I haven't seen her today. It's not gift-wrapped. Sorry about that"
She laid her bag on the library floor and pulled out two bundles of woollen fabric. Spencer looked thrilled.
"What's this?", he smiled.
Monica unfolded a pair of mismatched socks. One was blue, like the TARDIS, and the other grey. He loved it.
"Monica..."
She grinned,
"You like it?"
"I do", he took it, "This is... I'm speechless. Thank you"
"I needed some help with the socks to get the sizes equal", she held up the maroon scarf, "But this I knit all by myself"
Soft and fluffy, he couldn't stop himself from feeling the fabric of the scarf. Monica said,
"It's for your Mom"
Spencer looked up at her, stunned. She explained with a smile.
"I don't really know her but from what you have told me, she sounds great. And I may not have met her but, she made you. So this is actually more a sign of my gratitude than just a Christmas present"
Holding the scarf tight in his clasp, he looked from her to it. When he had asked her out, he hadn't prepared himself for such intense affection. Now that he was receiving it, feeling it rising in his own heart, he wondered how could he repay her.
"Th-thank you", he said, "She is going to love it, I'm sure"
"Do you think she will be weirded out, that a stranger knit a scarf for her? I don't want her to think I'm creepy", she laughed.
"No. I'll tell her it's from my girlfriend"
One of his major foot-in-mouth moments. Spencer hurried to make repairs.
"I mean... sorry, it's..."
"No, no, no", Monica touched his hands, "I would like that. Very much"
He looked at their hands. Her slender fingers were folded over his.
Monica was looking up at him.
"I am crazy about you, Dr. Reid. You're the sweetest, smartest, most interesting person I know. I have only been controlling my usual... 'amorous' instincts because I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Yet you're pretty much all I think about lately"
He confessed,
"I think a lot about you too"
Monica gave him a smile that tugged at his heartstrings. She said,
"You think about this too?"
Tender as petals, her fingertips grazed his cheek. They were preparing him for the kiss that followed.
Spencer was aware of every sensation that passed between them. Her softness, her sweet scent, her warm breath, and the way his hands itched to touch her. He laid aside the strand of dark hair on her cheek, surrendering to how the kiss made him feel. It was a conversation without words. The best he had ever had.
Monica's face was warm against his hand as she withdrew. In her eyes, he saw his own gaping reflection.
"Merry Christmas", she smiled.