"I am my love's and he is mine forever,
Sealed with a seal and safe forevermore"

- Sara Teasdale

A picnic in the park. His photosynthetic girlfriend's idea, of course. Said she was bringing someone to meet him. It had to be a child. Adults didn't meet other adults at a park. Maybe a really younger sibling? Or a niece or nephew? He would find out soon anyway. He was entering the park.

Monica had said "they" would be waiting for him under the only white oak tree in the park.
'Quercus alba', he thought.
Spencer looked through the Saturday crowd at the trees. He wasn't as used to distinguishing them from each other. But ever since he met Monica, he had been reading up more on botany, plant ecology, forestry. She had made him taste some sweet sap once.
Yuk.
"Dr. Reid. To your left!"
He turned towards the sound of her voice. She was where she had told him she would be. And god damn it, Monica.

On that pink tablecloth, wearing a dress with cherries on it, she should have looked like a girl. But she was full woman. The peek he got through her sweetheart neckline caught his attention. It reminded him of the treasures he had lately explored. Sitting with her legs crossed, smiling at him, with the tree shading her from the sun, the cumulative effect of her appearance on him could be summed up in one word - inviting. An image passed through his mind, of making love to her then and there on the tablecloth. He was comfortable enough with her now to not push away that image.
"Hi!"
"Hi"
Monica patted the space next to her. Spencer sat down. He checked to make sure there were no insects on the tree trunk before he leaned against it. Monica's eyes looked ridiculously greener at such close proximity.
"Are you ready to meet my friend?", she asked him.
The cog-work in his brain never disappointed him. It spun fast enough to deduce it wasn't a child she wanted him to meet. It was...
"Here. Come here, boy. That's it. That's it. Good boy!"
A dog.
But not the kind he had expected. Monica rubbed her new friend's back and looked up at Spencer with a smile.
"Dr. Reid, meet Bubbly. Bubbly, this is Dr. Spencer Reid. He's the boyfriend. Better get used to being around him"
"You actually bought this... thing?", he couldn't help asking.
"No, I got him from the shelter", she caressed the wrinkly cur, "And why are you upset? You were the one who told me to get a dog"
"A guard dog"
"He is. Bubbly's a bulldog. Can't you see?"
Spencer tried to summon some affection for the old dog by looking at him. With wrinkles for a face, and for the body as well, the dog was ancient. Tired from standing for two minutes, Bubbly moaned and sat down. It would be a wonder if he could protect himself, let alone the woman who had adopted him.
Spencer tried his best to not sound condescending.
"Monica", he pointed out, "He is nearly blind"
"Only in one eye", she stroked the dog's back, "He is 10 years old afterall"
Spencer put a hand to his mouth to keep himself from questioning her common sense. Monica went on, clearly infatuated with Bubbly.
"I saw him sleeping in one of those boxes they keep them in. It was love at first sight. Isn't he adorable? Yes, he is. You are. Yes, you are"
He gave her a moment to stop petting the dog, but she didn't.
"What happens when a burglar tries to get into your house? You think it's likely that Bubbly here is going to be able to protect you?"
She gave him a look,
"I don't need a bodyguard. Bubbly's my friend. I really don't understand why you don't like him. He's harmless"
"Exactly my point!"
Monica didn't react. She kept one hand on Bubbly and put the other in her purse.
"You can say whatever you want. I'm not going to let it ruin our morning or my relationship with Bubbly. Do you want the hand sanitizer or the paper soap? I brought extra bottles of water"
"Soap and water"
She handed those to him and said to her dog,
"Come on, Bubbly. It's time for your noon medicine. Come on, boy"
Spencer watched her pry open Bubbly's mouth, who was obviously too tired to move his jaw, and slip the large tablet inside.
"What is that for?", he asked.
She kept her back to him, washing her hands with soap.
"Monica?"
"He has vertigo"
Bubbly drooled over the grass, panting with exhaustion.

After a lunch of chutney sandwiches, pita wraps and a fruit salad, Monica had somehow convinced her boyfriend to lie down with his head on her lap. Spencer was quite enjoying that position. Bubbly being asleep behind the tree helped too.
An RC helicopter flew at some distance from them. It made Spencer wonder if kids played Frisbee anymore. Monica's hand in his hair soon diverted his attention. He said,
"Saint Monica - Saviour of Lost Causes"
She hit him lightly on the shoulder, making him grin.
"Do you honestly think he's going to act like a guard dog if the time comes?"
"I don't care if he will. My neighbourhood is pretty safe. And Bubbly's more of a companion than just a guard dog", she smiled, "He even tried to lick my hand today"
"He looks like he's going to drop dead any second"
"Hey!"
"Ouch. That almost hurt", he laughed.
Monica had shoved his head off her lap. He sat up next to her, with a grin on his face that contradicted her glaring eyes. Picking a dry leaf off her dress, Spencer asked,
"Answer me this - who's going to take care of him when you're not home?"
"My Dad. He's promised to come over and look after him while I'm at work"
"Does your Dad know Bubbly has three feet in the grave?"
Monica exclaimed,
"Okay, seriously - what is so wrong about adopting an older dog? Just because he can't protect me, does it mean I shouldn't have him?"
Her annoyance couldn't affect his mirth.
"It's illogical to have a bulldog that is almost useless. The fact that..."
"Everything doesn't have to be governed by logic. Don't tell me that's what you think"
"Think about it this way - can you afford his healthcare? Isn't it inconvenient for your Dad to have to come look after him everyday? If you had done the logical thing and gotten a dog that could... walk two steps maybe..."
Monica scoffed,
"You talk like everything you do is logical"
"It is"
"That is a load of bollocks, and you know it"
He loved it when she used British slang. But the battle wasn't over. She said,
"I can prove it to you. Come on. Get on your back. Lie down here. Get... what?"
"Monica, there are children around"
"That's not what I mean! Just lie down"
She pulled him down next to her on the tablecloth. Reid felt her soft bare arm brushing his cheek while she adjusted her position. Patting down her dress, Monica snuggled closer to him. She pointed to the sky.
"Tell me what you see"
Spencer looked away from her at the sky above. His brow furrowed,
"The atmosphere?"
"No, genius. The clouds. That one. What does it look like to you?"
Taking that as a challenge, he analysed the shape of the cloud in his mind.
"A DNA helix"
"You're trying too hard", Monica chuckled, "Look again"
"It does look like it. That", he pointed, "...looks like the double-stranded..."
"It so doesn't. It looks like a girl spinning a ribbon while she is dancing"
"What? No way! How could it..."
They cloud-watched until he forgot what they had been arguing about it.

Later in the afternoon, they were still watching clouds. Monica's head was on Spencer's arm that went around her.
"That", she focused, "looks like a really large butt"
His chest shook with the laugh. He said,
"You're ridiculous"
"You know you like it, hondo", she kissed his jaw.
Closing his eyes, Spencer tried to memorise how he felt in that moment.
Not a care in the world.
No murderers to catch.
No race against time.
And the warmth of the woman he desired above all.
He exhaled and realised he had mumbled something.
"Really?"
"What?", he asked, eyes still closed.
"You just told me you love me"
Opening his eyes, turning his face to hers, he took one long look at Monica. Her eyes expected nothing from him. That's when he knew.
"I meant it", he said.
Monica smiled and touched her forehead to his. Her hand was on his heart. She rubbed circles on his chest with her fingertips.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure", he said.
"Where's the logic in confessing your feelings to me, after doing something as mundane as watching clouds float by?"
Monica patted his chest,
"That's what I thought"
Spencer resisted the temptation of arguing with her and closed his eyes again. He could feel her tremble just a bit as she said,
"I love you too, Spencer"
With a peaceful smile, he lay there, holding eternity in his arms.