Part 2
"Can I offer you coffee or tea?" Dave asked, as soon as Spencer had sat down in front of his desk. "Even something stronger?"
"Coffee, black, will be fine, thank you," Spencer said politely trying to look relaxed.
Dave immediately rang his secretary and ordered 2 cups of coffee one black the other regular.
Spencer made a face, but it changed back to expressionless within a second. He had never understood how somebody could pollute their coffee with sugar or cream or even worse one of those artificial sweeteners. Still, he wasn't the only one that liked his coffee black, nor was Dave the only one that liked his coffee with sugar and cream.
"So you mentioned on the phone wanting to work for me on a trial basis?" Dave politely inquired.
"Well yes," Spencer said trying not flush, as he sat within a few feet of the man he had fallen in love with so fast or at least was strongly attracted to that it had shocked him with it's intensity and it's suddenness. "First, I would like to get a look at this library see what kind of condition it's in. Then I need to see all the books you said that you have stored in boxes. If it's as big a job as you indicated it'll probably take me longer than a year to get it done maybe 3 or 4, especially if I read as I go along," Spencer chuckled to cover his nervousness.
"So something of a bookworm?" Dave gently teased him
Spencer shrugged and simply replied, "I am and I love to read just about anything."
"I have a lot of books in other languages other English collected by my family," Dave said not lying, even if his family only included him and Aaron and he had collected a lot of books some of which were in common Spanish or French, but others were more obscure languages, like Arabic and even Sanskrit. He had been collecting for hundreds of years after all.
"I read and write several different languages," Spencer said, not bragging simply stating fact. "What I can't read I'll just ask you about, if that's okay," Spencer said.
"That's just fine," Dave said smiling. "Of course, a lot of books were picked up at estate sales and some of them are quite valuable."
"So about this contract," Spencer finally ventured after taking a sip of his coffee to calm his nerves.
The two of them discussed terms for the next few minutes, but finally they were both satisfied.
"I would like you to move in with me, as it will give you constant access to the library," Dave offered finally. "You won't have to worry about going back to the Lotte late at night. My quarters are on the top floor and they're several extra bedrooms you can use for as long as you like. You'll have access to everything here."
"I don't know," Spencer said uncertainly, as he hadn't been expecting that sort of offer. Moving in with Dave was probably a bad idea considering his feelings, but to have constant access to the library was almost too good to pass up, to not have to worry about going back and forth, to be able to work or read until 3 AM or until he was so tired he knew he'd sleep, without nightmares or restlessness as he was something of an insomniac.
"Why don't I show you around at least before you make a decision," Dave offered. "I would like you to meet Aaron for one thing."
"Aaron," Spencer asked.
"My partner," Dave offered. "We've been together for a long time and he's also my Chief Executive Officer."
Spencer's faint hopes came crashing down at that moment and he knew he was lost, not that he'd seriously considered he had a chance with handsome David Rossi. Well, he'd have to really conceal his feelings now, as he wouldn't want to break up Mr. Rossi's relationship with this Aaron. He never even considered the idea of a threesome, because most people didn't except for a lark or because they were experimenting. Some people were adventurous enough to try a threesome at least once, but it almost never lasted, because absolute trust was required for one thing, but there had to be trust between all the partners involved. Humans, as a rule tended to be a jealous species and didn't like to share their mate, though sometimes it happened, just not often. As for magicals they never tried threesomes as far as Spencer was aware as it went against everything they had been taught. If any magical experimented and the elders find out they would be in a great deal of trouble. Having sex outside of marriage was one thing so long as a witch didn't get pregnant, but having more than one lover at a time was totally taboo.
Of course, this Aaron Hotchner might just be a partner in the business, but the way Dave said the name made that unlikely unless his feelings were unrequited.
"Why not?" Spencer decided. It would certainly be nice to have instant access to the library anytime of the day or night.
"This way," Dave said gesturing to a concealed alcove that held a private elevator that led all the way up to the penthouse floor. Spencer hadn't even known it was there was so well hidden and he'd been so nervous that he just hadn't noticed.
The elevator ride was silent and Spencer tried not to look nervous, because being alone with David Rossi tended to do that to him. It was less than a minute later that they arrived at the top floor.
"This is really nice," Spencer said, his gaze taking in everything he soon as the elevator doors opened. If he wasn't mistaken on the floor was a rich Turkish carpet, so thick that he couldn't even hear his own footfalls and all the furniture around looked nice and comfortable but also antique.
This led into a kitchen with only a counter separating the area from the living area and the kitchen was one that every professional chef would be proud to own, as there were miles of counters and every professional tool imaginable. This was the kitchen of a serious chef. Spencer wondered briefly if it was ever used, except for the coffeemaker and also an espresso machine, so somebody really liked their fancy coffee.
Dave gave him a tour of the rest of space and there were several bedrooms, an office and even a small gym, though it had probably once been a bedroom, but had been converted.
"This is a really nice space," Spencer said knowing that he could curl up on the couch and read hours.
"Thank you, its home," Dave said simply.
"It's a really nice set up, as you have a nice apartment up here that is far larger than any I've ever heard of and you have the headquarters for your business below. Most rich businessmen don't live above their work."
"Most rich businessmen have families and while there is space here for two or three children, most prefer to live in the suburbs or at least away from work. Still, I like to be available in case of an emergency and since there're no children and Aaron and I are perfectly comfortable here there's no reason to buy a house in a wealthy area of town. Aaron and I do own houses in other cities if we want to take a vacation, but this is just fine for us as we don't need anymore room then this with only the two of us living here. Why buy a house and waste all that space as we'd just rattle around in a place any bigger then this."
Dave did have a point, Spencer thought, and he couldn't help but think of his employer as Dave instead of Mr. Rossi.
"Well, this is certainly a nice space, very tastefully decorated," Spencer said. "I believe I could be comfortable here..."
"But you're still unsure," Dave said, as he showed Spencer what room would be his for as long as he was working for him.
"I don't want to be a bother, as this is your home," Spencer said thinking he was being perfectly logical. What he really meant was he didn't want to be a nuisance and also living in such opulence would get addictive something he wouldn't be able to afford once he was through with organizing the library.
"You wouldn't be," Dave said. "Aaron and I would keep our relationship behind closed doors. You are welcome here and Aaron agrees with me. We won't have sex in the living area, I promise," Dave added his tone joking, but Spencer had a feeling that had happened more than once when they didn't have any guests.
"Well, we can try on a trial basis safe for the next two weeks," Spencer said cautiously. "It will certainly be nice to be able to go to the library at any time I want, as I can to be a bit of an insomniac."
Dave said nothing, but was immediately determined to help Spencer with his insomnia.
That was for later though.
"I can be back down here in a couple of days once I pack some bags and I can go back to my apartment in Richmond periodically to pick up a few things.
"About that," Dave said looking a little uncomfortable. "A new wardrobe is part of your benefits.
"That's just a nice way of saying you want me to update my wardrobe by about 50 years," said Spencer catching on immediately.
"Well, yes," Dave admitted. "But also I require a certain level of dress in my staff and we can't have you going around like some kind of professor reject. No offense. So long as you work for me I want you to dress appropriately and in fact, I'll have Penny take you shopping since she loves to shop. She can get you a whole new wardrobe in just a day, as she is a shopaholic."
Spencer winced, but didn't protest, because he really wanted this job now and he hadn't even seen the library.
"Why don't you show me the library?" Spencer said looking at the suite of rooms that had been set aside for him. He had a sitting room, bathroom and bedroom, though there was no kitchen because there was one right outside the door wasn't really necessary. It was like a little self-contained apartment within another apartment, though his was smaller. There was everything he could possibly need, even a double bookcase on one wall in his sitting room packed with books. If Spencer had a more suspicious nature he would think that this mini suite had been set up for him specifically, but he didn't really see how that was possible, because Dave had no way of knowing that he would accept the job offer. Much less that he would agree to live in this penthouse in a little apartment of his own. He would love to look at that bookcase, but that could wait until later.
Inwardly, Dave was pleased that Spencer hadn't argued about the new wardrobe, but perhaps, he had guessed that he wouldn't win if he had, so had decided not to waste the energy, which was possible, because Spencer was a good people reader.
Again they took a trip in the private elevator that led to a different floor, when they stepped out Spencer gasped in shock as there was bookshelves upon bookshelves of leather volumes and there must've been thousands of them with plenty of room for more and in fact, this whole floor was nothing but a gigantic library. Spencer traced to finger over a few of the bindings reading titles at a rapid pace wishing he could just curl up somewhere for a few hours.
"You must of had these somewhere else before this building was built," Spencer said, as soon as he came back to himself, only to find Dave looking at him with quiet amusement causing him to blush in embarrassment.
"Yes, but once I took over the business, I brought all the books that my family had collected over the years and decided just to use one floor for a massive library. No, knowledge is ever wasted after all. I might've brought them here, but I just never got them organized," Dave explained. "It's a massive job as you can see and it will take a long time, especially if you stop to read along the way."
"It would take me at least a few months to get all this organized, maybe a year," Spencer murmured, as he looked at all the volumes that we're within his view.
"And that's only if you didn't read or do other things along the way as you can't work all the time," Dave said firmly. "I told you this would take a long time and I know you enjoy reading, but you must get out sometime. I'm not such a slave driver that I expect this to be sorted out overnight, nor do I expect you to work at organizing every time you're awake or not at a meal. I know you can get lost in here, but you're not to neglect yourself and forget to eat and either Aaron or I will be around remind you. You're also to give yourself some leisure time not reading a book, as much as I know you enjoy it. There is plenty of things you could do that doesn't require reading, you know."
Spencer flushed wondering how Dave had figure him out so easily. He could get lost among the books and forget to eat and he knew it and now he would have to make sure that he appeared for at least some meals just so Dave didn't get on his case. He also didn't do much else, except read when he wasn't working at the library helping patrons and at the library he had an endless source of reading material.
"Also I insist you call me Dave and my partner Aaron, as we're going to get to know each other very well by the time this project is done."
"I'm Spencer then," Spencer said. "I don't use my title much."
"There's no reason to be all pretentious and less the situation calls for it," Dave said and Spencer relaxed. "You'll find we're not very formal around here, as even the personal staff tends to address us by our first names as it just cuts down on the time it takes to do things it we're not saying yes, sir, or yes, ma'am all the time. As I said we are more like family, even though they work for me. Who knows you might decide to permanently join our little family."
"And what kind of position could you possibly have for me after I finish this huge project, which is likely going to take longer than you estimated?" asked Spencer curiously.
"You have many skills that I could use," Dave told Spencer sincerely. "You have a degree in mathematics and chemistry for example that could come in handy. I could find plenty of uses for a man with your education. My organization is vast as you know and therefore, I need intelligent, but honest people young and old to learn the various projects I have going."
"I'll think about it," Spencer said.
"Well, there's no point in discussing it until you finish this project, which is probably going to take far more than the year I estimated, even if you didn't do anything else, other than eat and sleep," Dave said. "Still, I have plenty of projects that could use a man of your talents and I promise you you're pay would be in the upper range."
"Why don't you show me what you have all those boxes of books are stored," Spencer suggested trying not to flush at Dave's regard, the man that he secretly was very strongly attracted to or at least he hoped his attraction was secret. Being around Dave was going to be harder then Spencer had thought, though he was certainly good for his rather fragile ego.
Dave showed Spencer where all the boxes of books were stored and they were indeed dozens of them packed to the brim with books, thousands of volumes some of them probably quite rare. To Spencer all these books were a treasure beyond measure.
"Well, all the members of your family apparently like to read as well."
Dave didn't say anything, but he was indeed a bibliophile and Aaron liked to read as well, though they certainly didn't read as fast as Spencer did. Besides, you tended to read a lot of books when you were hundreds of years old.
"So shall I have the lawyer draw up a contract?" Dave asked.
"I estimate this is going to take me at least two years, possibly longer," Spencer said looking at all the books. "You must have 10,000 volumes and if it was anybody else it would take them far longer, especially if they read along the way. Of course, I think if I was just going to organize the books into alphabetical order or if I was just using the dewey decimal system then it wouldn't take me even half as long, probably only a few months."
Dave had to hope that Spencer wanted to stick around for those two years for a more personal reason and not just to read all the rare volumes, but now was not the time to reveal his greatest secret.
"As to your earlier question yes, you should and I want to read over with before I sign it," said Spencer.
"I would expect nothing less," Dave said simply.
"If you don't mind I think I'm just going to stay here and look through all the books so I know where to get started when you have that contract ready," Spencer said.
"Shall, I have someone retrieve your things from the Lotte?" Dave asked.
"I guess, though I didn't bring much, just a few changes of clothes," Spencer said. "I apparently won't have to go back to Richmond to retrieve some more clothes, since you're insisting on providing me with an appropriate wardrobe. I will keep up the rent on my apartment, even though I'm going to have to give up my job at the library, as there is no way they'll be able to retain me," Spencer said.
"I'm sure they'll be sorry to lose you, but on the other hand you can do much better than a job at a library," Dave offered.
"Yeah, but I got to read every book in the place," Spencer sighed. "I'm sure I'll find some duplicates here, although how many I don't know, but it sure will cut down on the books I have to read."
Dave said nothing simply left Spencer to it and headed back up to the place that he and Aaron call home and hopefully someday soon Spencer would as well.
~~~Dave, Aaron and Spencer~~~
"So how did it go?" Aaron asked as soon as Dave appeared in his and Aaron's private suite
"It went better than I expected truth be told," Dave said, as he slumped down on the couch. "I'm fairly positive that he's attracted to me, but I also don't think he's going to do anything about it, because I had to mention you in our conversation. We both know he's not the type to try to poach someone whose taken, so it will have to be the two of us that make the first move."
"That was your plan all along though," Aaron suggested. "We already knew that Spencer is not the type to tell his boss his feelings. Actually, correction, I don't think he's the type to tell anybody his feelings no matter how much he's attracted. They'd have to be the ones to make the first move he's that shy."
"A point," Dave acknowledged. "Yes, we've both always known that we would likely have to make the first moves. We'll also have to be careful about what we say and make sure that we have total privacy so that he doesn't overhear us and misconstrue our words."
Aaron hadn't thought of that, but he nodded because Dave was right. If Spencer happened to be in the apartment when they were talking about him and he overheard them he might misunderstand what they were talking about.
"I'm actually surprised that you got him to accept the little suite that we set up specifically for him," Aaron said smiling.
"Yeah, I am too, but I think it's the thought of being able to access the library at all times of the day or night that finally convinced him. He knows that so long, as he's living here he can access the library 24 hours a day, seven days a week and if he was living at the hotel he wouldn't be able to come until a decent hour of the morning and he'd have to leave at a decent hour every night. I suspect that he won't keep regular hours as he says he suffers from insomnia, so he probably will work a lot just to exhaust himself."
"He's probably lonely," Aaron ventured. "Maybe that's why he suffers from insomnia."
"That's probably part of it, even if he hasn't admitted it to himself yet, but I suspect that he also has a very busy mind and has trouble getting it to shut down, which is likely why he exhausts himself so he can sleep," Dave said. "It's even possible he has bad nightmares and exhausting himself makes them stay away. He said he'd give it a two week trial run and if it didn't work out then he go back to the penthouse at the Lotte."
"So we have two weeks to convince him to stay," Aaron said.
"To convince him to stay in the suite that we set up specifically for him anyway," Dave agreed. "I believe that he already has feelings for me, as I saw his expression a couple of times, though it changed back to neutral as soon as he knew I was paying attention. I think the reason he set that two week trial run is because he is not sure he can conceal his feelings for me if I'm around constantly, though that's just a guess on my part."
"Your guesses are usually pretty accurate," Aaron said soberly.
"That comes with my vast experience," Dave said and Aaron nodded.
"I know, but I'm pretty good at reading people myself, but you seem to have an instinctive knack and are able to read people almost as if you're reading their minds," Aaron said. "So how do you want to play this?"
"Very carefully, because if we mess this up Spencer will be gone and I doubt very much we'll get him back, as I have no doubt that he can be very stubborn when he sets his mind to it," Dave said
The two men contemplated that scenario and neither one of liked it at all.
"When you told me about Immortals it wasn't so hard for me to believe," Aaron said.
"But those were different times," Dave sighed.
"You know, maybe he won't have as much trouble believing in immortality, as we believe because after all magic is a real force present in the universe," Aaron said.
"Maybe not, but he'll probably have trouble believing in lifemates, especially the concept of someone having more than one, since it's not a concept that humans have ever used," Dave said. "We are going to have to prove it to him through our actions before we even tell him. He'll pick up the clues we're leaving around I'm sure, but he might dismiss them, as his imagination and we're going to have to convince him that they're not," Dave said.
"Not a very easy task," Aaron said and Dave nodded in agreement
"No, it won't be easy, but it will be worth it," Dave said. "I also told him that he wasn't to close himself off and work constantly only coming back up here to eat and sleep. In fact, I warned him not to skip meals, as I suspect he can get so involved that he would forget to eat, so both of us are going to have to watch for that."
The two men were silent as they contemplated task they had before them and hoped it would all go as planned.
~~~Dave, Aaron and Spencer~~~
Several days later Spencer was busy organizing all the books, as he knew he had a massive job ahead of him and he didn't actually mind, considering that a lot of these were ones he had never read because no modern library was going to carry books so old.
This floor that had been turned into a library, had had most of the walls knocked out or never put in, in the first place, except for those that were load bearing, so that it was just a massive space. There was certainly room for thousands of books and even once he got everything back into order there would be room for more, Spencer went over the categories of books that he intended to place in different sections of the library. General history, history of civilization, medical, archaeology, heraldry, genealogies, biographies, fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, nonfiction, mystery, thriller, encyclopedias, dictionaries, philosophy (general), logic, speculative philosophy, psychology, parapsychology, occultism and many more.
Well, Dave sure left me with a massive job, Spencer thought to himself smiling, as he looked at all the books that sat on the oak shelves, but that there was no organization at all. He's also paying me quite well, so even if this takes me the next decade it will be worth it and I'm allowed to read any or all of them, Spencer added happily.
Spencer got to work and didn't realize that time was passing rapidly as he lost himself amongst the numerous oak shelves stuffed with books.
He was so occupied that he didn't even hear anybody come up on him and it was only when he stepped back and bumped into someone that he spun around.
Behind him was Aaron Hotchner who he had already met very briefly in Richmond when he had been there on business and also several days ago when Dave had introduced his partner to Spencer over dinner that first night. At the time Spencer had been startled to realize that he recognized the man that was Dave's partner in a romantic sense as well as in a business one immediately, even though they had only met briefly. They had simply shook hands solemnly not even needing to introduce themselves and at the time Spencer was not at all suspicious that it was this man that had caused Dave to come up with the idea of how to get him to New York.
"Don't do that!" Spencer shouted his heart beating triple time and he tried his best to calm himself down.
"I'm sorry," Aaron said appearing to be contrite, but on the inside he was laughing at Spencer's reaction. Spencer had been so absorbed in his books that he had never heard him approach. It wasn't like the floor of the library was carpeted like the floor above them was. He hadn't been deliberately trying to sneak up on his mate, it'd just had happened. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you I promise, I just came to tell you that it's time for lunch and Dave is insisting that you come eat with us."
"I see Dave was serious about his promise to not let me forget meals," Spencer snorted in amusement then realized how hungry he was. "I am hungry, although I didn't notice until you mentioned food."
"I'm not surprised, because if I was able to sneak up on you then you really were very absorbed in what you were doing and wouldn't notice the time or that you were hungry," Aaron offered.
Spencer nodded and tried not to look at Aaron at all because just like Dave he was very attracted to the other man, more than attracted, actually. He had never been attracted to two men at the same time, not so strongly anyway.
He didn't really understand it, because usually he wasn't the type at all to fall in love instantly, much less with two different men who just happened to be partners in the romantic sense.
"Why not just call me as I think that would be simpler," Spencer said.
"I didn't mind coming to fetch you and we'd better go before Dave comes down here himself," Aaron shrugged.
Oh, well, everybody did things differently, but it would've been just simpler to call him on his phone. Of course, there were no guarantees that he would have come up if he had been called at least not in time to eat and maybe Dave had suspected that he would ignore the order if he had only called. To put it frankly, he was hiding from both Aaron and Dave as much as possible, because he didn't understand how his feelings had developed so quickly for either man. The less he saw of either one of them the easier it was to hide his developing feelings. Apparently though, Dave wasn't going to let him get away with that.
Spencer sighed nearly silently and followed Aaron to the elevator. It looked like he was going to have to spend meals in their presences at least and hopefully, they wouldn't catch onto his growing attraction as that would be disastrous. He would likely be considered a danger to their relationship and thrown out, even though a contract had been signed. He was sure that either Dave or Aaron could come up with a legit reason to do so. Spencer had made sure to read the contract thoroughly before he had signed it. It was just a standard contract with the usual clauses including firing if his behavior became an embarrassment to the company or for certain types of behavior, but since this was normal Spencer signed it.
"Well, it took you long enough," Dave teased, having just finished setting the table.
"I had to pry him away from all his books," Aaron said smiling. "He had no idea what time it was or that he was starving because he was so absorbed."
Spencer flushed right on cue and it didn't help that both of Dave and Aaron were regarding him with quiet amusement.
"Tomorrow is Saturday and Penny has agreed to take you shopping," Dave announced as soon as they had taken the first couple of bites of the meal that Dave had cooked himself. Apparently, Dave enjoyed cooking, though where he found the time considering that he ran a worldwide business Spencer didn't have a clue, but he supposed that's what delegating was for. Dave likely had someone that was able to step into the shoes on at least a temporary basis, someone he trusted. Yes, that made sense, as Dave would want time for a private life after all. Time to go to the movies with Aaron for example, go to a play or go out to eat instead of cooking. Time to do normal couple things that didn't include running a worldwide business, to forget responsibilities for a few hours.
Spencer didn't look too happy with this announcement, but he said nothing, mostly because he knew there was no point of arguing. He knew in his head that he needed to go, but on the other hand, he'd rather not. It looked like he was stuck however, because Dave wasn't about to change his mind.
"Well, you look as if you're going to your own execution instead of shopping," Aaron's amused voice interrupted Spencer's thoughts.
"Maybe because I feel like that?" Spencer suggested without a hint of humor.
"It's only one day," Dave pointed out trying to conceal his smile. "You really do need a new wardrobe and you know it."
"Knowing I need something and going to do it are two different things," Spencer said.
"You've met Penny before and like her so what's the problem?" Dave asked.
"I might like her, but I've heard she's a shopping maniac something I am definitely not," Spencer said. "I don't really want to be some kind of giant dress-up doll."
"Look at it this way people will definitely look at you differently if you dress like the young man you are instead of like an old one," Aaron said.
"Do I really care about that?" Spencer asked. Before either man could reply to Spencer's question he answered it himself. "No I really don't. If I fade into the background people won't bother me."
Neither Dave or Aaron answered, but they knew Spencer really meant pick on me or bully me not bother me.
"Well, I suppose there's no point of whining about it," Spencer sighed.
"Well, at least you're sensible," Dave said approvingly.
"I know there's no point of arguing about it, as you already have your mind set," Spencer said. "I'm not going to run away like a five-year-old from my fate." No matter how much I might want to, Spencer added in his thoughts. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to get back to my work."
Since Spencer had cleaned his plate Dave nodded.
"Sure you don't want to stick around for dessert?" Aaron asked smiling. "Dave does some really good desserts."
"No, thank you," Spencer said politely before he turned and walked away, though he was actually fleeing.
"So how do you think our campaign is going?" Aaron asked Dave once he was sure that Spencer was out of hearing range.
"I'm not really sure," Dave admitted, "as he's hard to read sometimes, even for me. We might have to try something drastic, but not for a few weeks at least. I can tell that he is rather uncomfortable around both of us so it's not too far a stretch to believe that he's developing feelings for both you and me."
"I thought the same thing," Aaron said looking contemplative. "I get the feeling that he didn't accept dessert because he didn't want to be around us anymore then he absolutely had to. I wouldn't be surprised if his plan was to hide mostly in the library and spend as little time with us as he can manage to get away with."
"Yeah, I got the same impression," Dave sighed. "Well, we knew that he likely would be rather reluctant to be around us to much."
"I bet the idea of a threesome hasn't even occurred to him and even if it has, it hasn't occurred we want that very thing," Aaron said.
"No threesomes are so unusual I guarantee you it hasn't even entered his mind," Dave said. "If he was someone with more confidence in himself he might've thought about it and then rejected it, because he is to ethical to seriously consider it. Also, he's probably thinking that he doesn't want to get involved with his employer or his partner, because to him that would be a breach of trust."
"You do have a point," Aaron said.
"He might even be thinking that if we notice the signs that he is in love with us that we might find a way to dismiss him," Dave added. "I think he's really struggling to conceal his growing feelings and I'm sure he is trying to figure out how they developed so fast."
"I noticed that he didn't look at us if he could help it," Aaron said. "He always looked slightly to one side."
"That's because when he looks at us his feelings likely surge up so strongly he would struggle to contain them before they showed on his face or in his body language," Dave said feeling certain that was the answer. "He doesn't realize that we already love him and have ever since you ran into him in Richmond, when he was 28. Both of us have been waiting so long to find our last mate that we must not mess this up."
"Yeah, we have," Aaron said, as he ate his dessert with relish. Dave did some really fantastic desserts. "And no, we don't need to mess it up."
Both men looked at each other and knew they had a gigantic task ahead of them.
~~~Dave, Aaron and Spencer~~~
Spencer woke early the next morning and lay in his very comfortable bed wondering what he had gotten himself into. His attraction to Dave and Aaron was growing rapidly and he knew he had to do something to stem his feelings before he couldn't control them anymore. It didn't help that he had sexual dreams about both of them all night, about all three of them having sex with each other, but since threesomes never lasted long Spencer didn't really take his imagination too seriously and ignored the fact that his subconscious was trying to tell him something.
Spencer went over to the bookcase that was in his bedroom and decided since he was awake anyway he might as well read as he knew from experience that he wasn't going to go back to sleep. At least he had managed to sleep for five hours or so as he had gone to bed early knowing that he was going to have a long day ahead of him tomorrow, which was nearly a record for him. Still, it was too early for anyone else to be up as it was only 5 AM so Spencer picked a book and started to read rapidly. Nearly half an hour later he was finished and since it still very early he selected several others, knowing that the others wouldn't be awake for at least an hour or two.
By the time 7 o'clock rolled around Spencer had finished two other books and was well satisfied, so he hopped into the shower and then begin to get dressed not looking forward to the day ahead of him.
"Well, someone was up early," Dave said smiling, as Spencer entered the kitchen.
"Insomnia," Spencer said simply. "I've always been an early riser ever since I was a child. Really, I slept longer and better last night that I have in a long time. You don't have to worry about me, as I've been taking care of myself for a long, long time."
Dave said nothing but it was clear that he disapproved a Spencer's attitude of isolating himself from anybody that could possibly care about him. He suspected that Spencer had been hurt so much and so often in the past that he didn't even realize that he was isolating himself from possibly being hurt again. He was so used to being alone that he didn't realize that it was rather detrimental to his mental health at least. Everybody needed at least one friend to confide in, to talk to, to spend time with and Spencer had no one. At least he talked to people on a normal basis, even if that wasn't real conversation.
"So where is Aaron this morning," Spencer asked changing the subject refusing to look at Dave at all instead looking slightly to the right.
"Still asleep, an early riser Aaron Hotchner is not," Dave said his amusement clear. "He'll be up by eight or so, but still he always tries to stay in bed for as long as possible. Even when he gets up he won't really be coherent until he has at least one cup of coffee and most of the time it takes two."
"Well, I had better go and get ready for the shopping trip you are insisting I have to go on," said Spencer rising after he had 2 cups of coffee.
"Sit," Dave ordered brusquely. "Penny won't be here until 10 and that gives you plenty of time for a nice healthy breakfast before you get started on your day. You can't live off coffee alone."
Spencer sat knowing now that he wasn't going to a escape, having breakfast with Dave.
Spencer sighed mentally, but accepted his fate. Dave was apparently something of a mother hen and concerned that he wasn't eating properly. He hadn't had anybody to truly care about him since he was about seven and his mother has started to show signs of schizophrenia. He'd loved his mother, but she hadn't known he was there half the time as he struggled to get her to take her medication. His father was a nonissue.
Dave placed a plate of bacon and eggs with toast and orange juice in front of him, as well as pouring him another cup of coffee.
"What about Aaron?" Spencer asked.
"He'll be up in a little while, so I'll make sure I fix him the same thing," Dave said, as he dug into his own meal, which Spencer considered a heart attack on a plate. Spencer couldn't help, but wonder how Dave stayed so slim with how much he tended to eat and the only answer was that he exercised heavily. Apparently, the small gym in one of the rooms got a lot of use.
"Eat up, before it gets cold," Dave ordered looking up on his own meal. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
"My mother used to say the same thing," Spencer said smiling just a little. He felt just a twinge of grief, mostly because she'd been dead for three years now. Still, he had loved his mother despite her medical condition and as for his father that was a different story.
"Well, your mother was right," Dave said, as he went back to his own meal.
The two men ate in silence and Aaron came stumbling into the kitchen about 20 minutes later.
Dave was already up and cooking Aaron some bacon and eggs and it was soon placed before him.
"Thanks," Aaron said, already having gotten himself a cup of coffee and gulped it down before he got another.
"You're quite welcome," Dave said kissing Aaron on the cheek.
Spencer watched this and felt a little sad and jealous that he didn't have anyone that he was close to, but he said nothing as he finished his breakfast not looking at either man.
"I suppose I had better go and prepare to be dragged from store to store," Spencer said finally, as he put his plate in the dishwasher.
"I'm sure Penny at least will enjoy dressing you up," Aaron smirked a little finally more awake, but only after 3 cups of strong black coffee and he was silently working on his fourth.
Spencer just groaned to show he didn't appreciate Aaron's comment and headed to his bedroom to finish getting ready for the day.
Once he was gone Dave and Aaron looked at each other and chuckled at Spencer's reaction to going shopping, but made sure that the other man was far enough away he wouldn't overhear them.
~~~Dave, Aaron and Spencer~~~
"Look Penny, we have enough clothes," Spencer tried to protest, as Penelope Garcia Morgan dragged him into yet another store. "I have more clothes now than I've ever owned in my life at one time."
"You need a new raincoat and some boots," Penny said simply. "It tends to rain in New York fairly often and you need certain things for the different weather. Dave wanted me to outfit you with everything necessary and that's exactly what I intend to do. Besides, I love shopping for other people and not just for myself, something Dave was aware of when he assigned this task to me. Look at it this way if we finish up today you won't have to come back for awhile."
Spencer groaned and gave up, as Penny was determined to finish up shopping before they even had lunch.
Finally, Penny declared that he had everything he could possibly need and Spencer was allowed to finally sit down and order himself some lunch from one of the restaurants in the foodcourt.
Spencer ate his food in silence and Penny studied him as he did, even as she ate her salad. Spencer looked rather miserable actually, Penny decided. She suspected she knew why that was as everybody on the personal staff had heard all about how Spencer tended to isolate himself in the library and how both Dave and Aaron believed it was to avoid both of them because he was developing feelings he felt that he couldn't move on.
Penelope definitely understood Spencer's dilemma, but really it wasn't a dilemma at all if only he would see that both Dave and Aaron wanted him, no needed him as part of their lives permanently.
Still, she knew that threesome were a rather unusual concept for mortals, as some people played at it, but for most of them, it didn't turn serious. That wasn't to say that you couldn't love two or even three different people at the same time, but most people made a choice between one lover or the other.
Penelope wasn't sure if Spencer was being deliberately obtuse as she knew that Dave and Aaron had been giving him signs that they were interested or if he genuinely didn't notice. The offer to allow Spencer to stay in the penthouse suite ought to be the younger man's first clue, as Dave and Aaron never would have allowed him to stay with them if this Spencer Reid wasn't their last mate.
To be fair though, Spencer knew nothing about immortals and wasn't even aware they existed.
"Can we go home now?" Spencer asked not quite whining.
"Nope," Penelope said ruining Spencer's hope. "We still have more shopping to do."
Spencer groaned and Penelope chuckled.
"You enjoy torturing me," Spencer accused her half seriously.
"Oh, come on, shopping is fun not torture," Penelope told him cheerfully.
"For you, not for me," Spencer pointed out.
"Cheer up," Penelope told him. "After today you won't have to go shopping for a good long time so long as you keep your clothes in good condition."
Spencer sighed again, but knew there was no point of arguing, because Penny was determined to follow Dave's orders to the letter.
"So why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself," Penelope suggested.
"Why? You wouldn't be interested in my boring life," Spencer said shrugging not answering the question.
Penelope only rolled her eyes and hit Spencer on the arm to get his attention. When he looked at her shocked she ordered him simply, "Talk! If I wasn't interested I wouldn't have asked you to tell me about yourself."
"Fine! If you want to be bored out of your mind, then I guess that's your prerogative," Spencer conceded.
Spencer began to give Penny as she had insisted he call her an outline of his life, then after awhile begin to fill in some of the details, although he held a lot back. Still, he told her a lot more then he thought he would, but since she looked genuinely interested he couldn't seem to help himself.
"Now was that so difficult?" Penelope asked smiling a little. "My childhood was very similar to yours in a number of ways. I was teased for my looks and my intelligence though I wasn't physically bullied. Now though, I am married to one of the most handsome men that I have ever encountered and it makes all those kids taunts seem exactly like what they are and that's a load of bull. I overcame my past, so can you."
"So any children I need to know about?" Spencer asked changing the subject.
Penelope gave him a rather sharp look which told Spencer she had caught on to his ruse, but she answered him anyway. "No, we've only been married a short amount of time a little bit over a year, but no children as of yet. I'm not worried, as they'll come when we least expect them as that happens all the time. I'm not going to put pressure on myself to conceive, because that can prevent you from doing that very thing."
"You're right it can," Spencer agreed.
"And what would you know about it? You're not a woman after all," Penelope teased him.
"I read every book in the library where I worked and some of those were about pregnancy," Spencer shrugged. "I remember everything I've read to because of my eidetic memory."
"That's some talent," Penelope said admiringly.
"Maybe, but it can also be a pain," Spencer shrugged. "I might be able to remember every scrap of information I read about, but it also has its disadvantages."
"Like being able to remember the death of someone important to you as clear as bell," Penelope suggested and Spencer nodded.
"Or in my case I can remember every time I was bullied, every time I was knocked down in the hallway of the school I attended in Las Vegas, every time I was walked over as if I was a piece of carpet."
Penelope said nothing to that, although she did wince as that was bound to be painful.
The two finished their lunch, threw the remnants of their meals away and then Penelope insisted on dragging him into another clothing store.
~~~Dave, Aaron and Spencer~~~
