BEXLEY POV

Three days after the dinner with the BAU, I was walking with Eleanor down to the small coffee shop. I was dressed in black jeans and a bright blue shirt, my hair pulled back from my face so I could see when I went to work after the coffee this morning. My new black boots were still being broken in so the walk caused a slight pain but it was worth it. I'd finally been able to buy something of my own in twenty-two years and would take the small ache in my feet any day.

Eleanor and I walked into the coffee shop and as she sat down in our booth in the back, I ordered our coffee. I sat hers down in front of her and drank my vanilla flavored coffee and stared out the window as Eleanor pulled a book out of her bag.

She tapped my arm a little while later and I was able to escape from my mind. She looked at me with a gentle smile and I noticed her shoulder length gray hair was now in a bun opposed to it hanging down earlier.

"Did you enjoy the other evening?" she asked and placed a bagel in front of me. I hadn't noticed she'd gotten up and grabbed the small cup of butter and the plastic knife to spread across the bagel.

"Thank you. It was fun." I said and took a bite from the bagel. She cleared her throat and gave me a smile.

"Rossi likes to have group dinners like that often. He's having another one soon and the team was more than happy to have you there. Would you like to go again?"

I bit my lip before I looked down and said "I don't really like crowds and they don't know me like they do you." And I'd rather not have any more questions asked about my past.

She laughed lightly. "Honey, you have to be around a person to get to know them."

I shrugged and took another bite from my bagel. "I'd rather just not try. I've never really been good at making friends and people in general just don't like me. Partly because I speak my mind." I gave her a mischievous smile and she rolled her eyes.

I looked to the clock on the wall and saw that I still had fifteen minutes left to relax. I sat back into the booth and saw Eleanor had a thoughtful look on her face.

"What is it?" I asked and she smiled at me. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of how you and that boy the other night seemed to get along just fine." she looked at me and seemed like she was waiting on an answer. I looked at my hands as I started scraping at my nails to keep my attention away from her.

"We… had a fight… sort of." If you could call it that. I knew I'd overreacted to an extent but I knew talking about my past would do nothing but get me sympathy that I didn't want. "I overreacted over something that he asked.'

She placed her hand on top of my fidgeting hands and I looked back up at her. "Then maybe you should apologize."

"He had no right to ask what he did. It's none of his damn business." My tone was harsh but her face never changed from the soft expression she had.

She waited a moment for me to relax before speaking again. "Then maybe you should give him another chance. Not all people are terrible, dear."

I looked down and put my face in my hands while my elbows rested on the table. I thought for a moment and after taking a few calming breaths I looked back up at her. "Maybe you're right."

"I've lived a long life and I know what I'm talking about a lot of the time. Listen some of the time." we laughed for a moment before I looked back to the clock and saw that my fifteen minutes were up.

"Thank you, Eleanor." I said as I stood up from my seat and straightened out my work clothes.

"You can thank me by coming to the next group dinner Rossi decides to have." The teasing was clear in her voice and I walked out the door.

I thought back to the argument I had with Spencer and knew that he'd asked out of habitat instead of prying. The BAU was all about solving crimes as much as they could and trying to put as many criminals away as possible. A job that tried to make the world a little better, in whatever way possible.

I wondered if someone would have cared enough to report my father, if I'd have been the way I am now or if I'd have gone to a foster home and had been more trusting. I shook the thought from my head and knew that I'd rather be on my own now than have even been in a foster home. Not because of the rumors of foster care but because I'd rather be on my own.

It was easier to avoid getting hurt that way.

~SPENCER POV~

I grabbed my cell phone and bag before grabbing my keys off the coffee table in my apartment. A case had come up and I was more than happy for the chance to get out of the apartments for a few days. Bexley had rightfully been ignoring me the past few days and I knew that giving her space was more than likely the best thing to do right now. However, the fact that she couldn't even look at me right now made the guilt that much more unbearable.

I shook the thought from my head and walked out the door. I closed and locked the door and turned around to hit someone. I dropped my keys and steadied myself quickly as I grabbed whoever I'd bumped into to keep them from falling.

Red hair was everywhere and the sound of laughter was unmistakable as I let go of her. Bexley was still laughing when she stood up and I felt a slight blush come to my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry." I couldn't help the laughter that managed to escape; her laugh seemed almost… contagious.

"No, I was hoping I'd bump into you. I just didn't think it would be so literal." She laughed once more before picking up my keys from the floor. "Plus I think that was a mutual fault."

I looked into her gold eyes as she placed my keys in my hand and saw amusement. Not the first sign of anger was there and I felt a bit of relief at this fact.

I then remembered that I had a case in L.A. to get to. "Well, sorry about that… again. Bye." I went to walk around her when she put a hand on my arm.

"Actually, do you have a second to spare?" she asked, an unsure look in her eyes this time. I simply nodded and waited for her to continue. "I wanted to apologize for losing my temper the other night. I overreacted and I know you were just trying to help. I do appreciate it but I just…" she paused for a moment and seemed to be thinking of something to say.

"Don't want your past to ruin your future?" I suggested and she looked up at me, almost surprised before she nodded. "I understand. It wasn't my place to ask though and I apologize for prying."

"Thank you." She said and crossed her arms over her chest. I'd seen this many times when a victim's friend or family member would try to almost hold themselves together over the pain they felt.

"Bexley." She looked up at me, uncertainty still clear in her eyes but anything else she kept hidden. "I'm not the easiest person to talk to because of the profiling and I'm not here a lot because of my job. I am however very honest and have been told I'm a good listener." I thought back to the many times I had talked with members of the team for hours about everything from troubles to laughing over nothing. I wanted to try to do that for Bexley, if nothing more than make her laugh again.

"Thanks. Be safe on your case." She said and walked into her apartment. I smiled and took out my phone to see a text from Morgan.

Waiting on you, pretty boy. I groaned at the nickname and after shoving my phone in my pocket, quickly made my way down the stairs.