~BEXLEY POV~

I placed my hands on my head as I tried to soothe the headache that was forming. It had been a slow day at the shop today and this meant that I had time to think. It had been two weeks since I had gone to the bar with the B.A.U and Eleanor. Two weeks since I'd danced with Spencer. Two weeks since he'd asked me out. Two weeks that I hadn't talked to him due to the fact that we were both busy working. If I was honest with myself though, I was avoiding him at every possible chance.

When he'd first asked me out I'd been nervous and had said yes. That same night, reality came crashing and I realized that saying yes was almost cruel. I still had every intention of leaving and I wished now that I'd told him no.

It seemed cruel to agree to a date and then avoid him but it was even crueler to agree and follow through. I knew that he cared about me and if I let it, it would turn into more than a friendship. Every time I looked into his warm brown eyes I could see that his care for me was getting deeper. I could feel it in my heart that I was beginning to care for him.

I was getting too close for comfort and if I could get past my own selfishness, I would leave tonight. The thought of leaving him and Eleanor made me feel guilty for ever allowing myself to get close to them.

"Hi, I have a question?" I heard a voice say and looked up to see none other than Penelope Garcia standing in front of me.

I stood from the chair I was in and smoothed my shirt out and walked over to the classic section of the store and began to organize the CDs that had been delivered this morning.

"About what?" I asked, hoping that Spencer had kept the fact that I'd been ignoring him to himself.

"Has Reid said anything to you about something bothering him?" She asked and began looking through some of the CDs on the shelf. I bit my lip and shook my head but didn't say anything as I continued to stock the shelf.

"I'm no profiler but I'd like to think I'm people smart. Something's definitely bothering him." she said and I felt even worse than I had five minutes ago.

"We've both been really busy so I haven't seen him much." I told her and looked down at the CD I was holding. It was one of our several copies of Sergei Diaghilev and one that I hadn't gotten around to listening to quite yet.

I looked up at her and saw that she had an unbelieving look in her eyes but didn't say anything else. I quickly turned my attention back to the shelf and CDs before and decided to change the subject. "Are they on a case right now?"

"No, they are actually heading home. That's why I'm here. I needed some music and figured I'd get everyone a little welcome home present. I also figured I'd come by and tell you hi considering I haven't seen you in a while."

I felt a smile pull at my lips and turned back around to look at her. "I'm glad you did. You're actually one of the members of the group I can talk to with ease."

She smiled and I grabbed the empty box and walked over to shove it behind the counter. She was one of the few that made me feel comfortable in the fact that she was just… her. She was easy to talk to and her sense of humor and fashion made her seem a little more approachable.

I assumed that it was the fact that she didn't work in the field and there for had kept a more lively side to her. While the rest of their members had a sense of humor and had made me laugh on more than one occasion, Penelope hadn't been as tainted by the work that they all did.

Eleanor had told me about some of the cases that they'd been on, how each of them had lost someone dear to them time and time again, and that they constantly tried to not let their work affect their normal lives. That the cases were not spoken of outside of work but she had joked about seeing their profiling skills once or twice when they had gone to the movies.

"I'm glad to hear that because I was hoping to ask you about something." I felt my heart drop and took a deep breath to keep the emotions away from my face.

I turned back around and looked at her placing a smile on my face. "Ask away."

"I wanted to talk to you about the four of us having a girl's night." she said and I let the confusion show clearly on my face.

"I'm sorry, a what?" I asked and hey eyes widened in shock.

"You've never had a girl's night out?" I felt the urge to laugh at both her shock and her over reaction to this.

I shrugged and said, "I didn't have a lot of friends growing up." In truth I didn't have any. I had never made any friends and by the time I'd been forced to drop out my freshman year, I'd gotten used to being alone. As a child, I had made it up in my mind that if I didn't get close to anyone, no one would ask about the bruises, the constant absences, or the reason why I didn't do anything after school.

"Well then it's official. You, me, JJ, and Eleanor are going to go to a movie, have dinner, and just goof off."

I bit my lip and looked away, trying to think of an excuse to say no. I had never had a hard time getting people to leave me alone which meant that leaving was simple. It seemed that since I'd come to Quantico, I was constantly around people who hated the thought of me being alone

"Penelope, I-" I looked up to see someone walking in the store and relief filled every part of my body. "will get back to you on that as soon as possible. Can I help you?"

I didn't wait for Garcia's answer but walked over to the woman. Her long brown hair fell just past her shoulders and her green eyes showed the slightest hint of mischief. Her black tank top was accented by a black leather jacket and skinny jeans, with a pair of black heels to top off the look.

"I hope so. My significant other loves classical music and I figured I would meet him halfway. What can you suggest for a classic/ pop blend?" I raised an eyebrow and began to wonder if such a tape existed. I walked over to our mixed shelf and she followed.

"This is basically a blend of everything in the store." I pointed to a CD that was under the label classical pop and turned back to her. "What you are looking for should be under here."

She nodded her head, placed her hand over her eyes, and grabbed a CD. "Ring this one up on the cash register so I can't change my mind."

She didn't uncover her eyes until I finished typing out the price of the CD. I handed her the CD at the same time she handed me the cash and she smirked as she looked at the odd blue, gray, and purple cover.

"Damn, I'm in for a long night." she said and I smiled as I handed her back her change. "Keep it."

~SPENCER POV~

I had just put the bag and case files on the table when a knock sounded at my door. I walked over and was surprised to see Bexley. Her red hair was falling out of its pony tail and from her bright blue button down and black slacks, I could tell she'd just gotten home as well.

"Hey." She said and I nodded a hello to her. She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. "I ran into Penelope today and thought I'd stop by for a minute."

I realized then that we were still standing in my doorway and despite the fact that she'd been avoiding me, I moved to the side. "Would you like to come in?"

She looked unsure but walked in anyway. I closed the door and when I turned around, she was already looking at the books that covered my wall. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as she looked at them.

"This is beautiful." she said and I couldn't help but laugh as I saw the book she was referring to. It was a hardback copy of Romeo and Juliet, a book I had come to know as her favorite.

"I never would have taken you for a Shakespeare fan. I hope you don't find this too offensive but, I can't really see you as a book lover." I crossed my arms and she looked lost in a far off memory.

"My grandmother took me to the library all the time as a kid and we'd read for hours until I had to come home. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, so I spent most of my breaks and lunch period in the school's library. I didn't get to do a lot of reading after freshmen year." she held up a hand and lightly brushed her fingers against the spine of the book. "This was her favorite book."

I watched as her eyes glossed over for a minute before she dropped her hand and crossed her arms. "What happened after your freshmen year?"

"She died and I was pulled out of school due to… home complications." I saw her walls fall down almost completely as a single tear fell and any kind of irritation or anger I'd had with her these past few weeks faded away.

"Bexley…" I said and she opened her eyes to look at me. I felt words on the edge of my tongue but instead grabbed the book off the shelf. "Your copy is getting pretty worn out and I haven't bothered with this book for over a year. I have actually wanted to get rid of it."

She raised an eyebrow at me and looked down to the book. "Spencer, I really don't do well with sympathy." Her eyes held the slightest irritation but her voice was calm and barely higher than a whisper.

"Call it a gesture between friends. Or an apology for the past few weeks." She laughed then and ran a hand through her hair, which caused the rest of the pony tail to come undone.

"I actually came by to talk to you about that." she said and she looked back down at the floor.

I held the book out to her to take again. "Don't apologize. Please, just take the book and we'll start over."

She held out her hands and I placed the book in them, the moment I did her arms crossed over it and she took a deep breath. "I can't tell you what this means to me."

I shrugged and yawned, the day's work finally catching up with me. She walked over to the door before turning back to me, an almost guilty expression in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked and took a seat on the couch in the middle of the room.

She turned back to me and seemed to be debating over what to say before she seemed to the conclusion to just say it. "I don't like to get close to people. When I do… something always happens. I don't want to lose more than I have to."

She stared at me with uncertainty in her eyes and I could tell that she was telling me more now than she'd told anyone. As much as I wanted to know what she meant by losing people to something that always happens, this was what I'd been waiting for. For her to open up to me and I wasn't about to mess that up.

"Then I'll make you a promise." I told her and waited till she met my eyes, I could see fear and uncertainty in her eyes. For the first time since I'd met her, her walls were completely down and I could see everything she was feeling. "No matter what happens, you're not going to lose me."

She let out a small, humorless laugh and clutched the book even closer to her. "We'll see." She said and walked out, closing the door behind her.

***Well there you have it. I hope you guys are still with me and still enjoying. R&R and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.