Authors Note: This story takes place in the Criminal Minds universe with the occasional crossover into the Bones universe. As such, I only own my own original characters and everything else belongs to the writers and networks, blah, blah, blah.

Hope you enjoy.

P.S.: I am dyslexic. Any grammatical error is caused by such dyslexia, and after so many years of failing grammar, I could give less of a shit about how you feel about it or what I did wrong. If you want to correct my facts or translations, I welcome it. If something I wrote doesn't make sense, I welcome your opinion. Spelling and grammar errors? Not so much. If it bothers you, find something else to read.

Chapter 6: Fall 2006

"Contrary to what the cynics say, distance is not for the fearful, it is for the bold. It's for those who are willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love. It's for those knowing a good thing when they see it, even if they don't see it nearly enough."

― Adam Gottbetter

Surprisingly, Hotch never asked Spencer to go into more detail on his relationship with Danny or Harley after the Fisher King case. So Spencer tried not to pay much attention to the fact that Hotch seemed to pay more attention to him now. And as summer faded into fall, Spencer found he had other things to focus on. Like absence.

Elle's departure from the team ended up occurring right as Harley was meant to leave for her four month stay in Oahu, working and learning at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Forensic Science Academy. It was a bitter few weeks for Spencer as he dealt with the absence of a friend and the impending four months without Harley. And he couldn't bring it up with Harley seeing as she would (no doubt about it) cancel her plans and stay in DC with Spencer. He knew Harley could tell that Elle's departure was effecting him and that she realized what she was doing when she became even more insistent on Spencer going to church with her every Saturday morning that the team wasn't in some other state for. They didn't talk about it, but they both had known each other long enough to read the other like an open book. Not an incredibly long, hard, detailed, or time consuming book, but a book none the less.

Spencer helped her pack, and went with her to drop BC off with her cousin Antonio and his three crazy tiny tots. He laughed, because he could tell immediately that BC had no idea of what to make with these small children that she'd barely had to deal with before. Usually BC go left with Harley's cousin Giovanni, who had several dogs, but Gio was out of town (Trenton, where he lived near all the rest of the family) and had already dispersed his dogs among several other relatives. Harley couldn't leave BC with her Nonna seeing as the old woman had several small dogs herself, all of which Harley regularly called rats and beasts. So instead, BC would have to adapt to living with the triplets that where better known as "I mostri piccoli." (The little monsters)

On top of all of this, Harley had just gotten a new boss over the summer while Dr. Brennan was in Venezuela. Which isn't to say that Dr. Brennan is no longer her boss, because she is, but that the Medical-Legal lab at the Jeffersonian got its first ever head of forensics. Apparently, Dr. Saroyan, the woman who'd gotten the job, was an M.E. and had taken to giving the boys nicknames: Zack Addy was Zackaroni, and Hodgins was Hodge-podge. She hadn't nicknames either Angela or Harley, which confused Harley. Although, honesty, Harley preferred not being subjected to being nicknamed. What she didn't prefer was the new restrictions on their experimenting in the lab.

So standing with Harley in the middle of Dulles International in September wasn't a bitter sweet moment. Just bitter. Spencer had to look at his girlfriend for what was going to be the last time for the next few months, and send her away, which while not unusual, had never happened under these circumstances before, where Spencer was grieving. He had to smile, tell her goodbye, and send her away from him, all while wishing to pull her closer, handcuff her to him and not let her board the plane that would take her away from him. He had to let her go because it was the right thing to do. Because it was the only thing he could do with a clear conscience.

So he did. He hugged her hard, kissed her harder, and watched her disappear through security. And he had to smile at her as he did all of this. Because it was the best opportunity for Harley. And because right now, none of this was about him.

He knew it was going to end up being more than four months. That she'd take the first offer to stay longer that they threw at her. And they would throw it at her. Harley's IQ was just a few points lower than his own, and she was an incredible scientist. They'd have to be stupid not to ask her to stay on longer. So he'd have to learn to live with just hearing her voice over the phone, and corresponding for the most part through e-mails, voicemails, and texts. It would be like going back to before they'd met, when they were just two genius pen-pals away at college.

He'd try not to feel too bitter about it.

I'll probably fail at that, he thought to himself. He'd probably even miss her dog. And that was saying something, considering he thought BC only paid attention to him because the dog knew he hated it. It never made sense. Outside of Harley and her family, dogs and children reacted badly to his presents. But all of Harley's little cousins seemed to want his attention more than that the other adults at family gatherings, and none of their dogs ever reacted to him like he'd grown used to, except Nonna's little dogs, but they reacted to everyone that way. The "Reid Effect" seemed to be null and void around Harley and her relatives.

He knew he could have asked her to stay. And he also knew she would have. She would have waited, and gone latter if he'd asked. So he couldn't ask. And he could ask her to come home. And he knew she'd do that too if he asked. So, again, he didn't ask.

The BAU is what he'd wanted, and Harley had never asked him to stop or quit or not to go on a case with his team. Not once. So now that it was Harley flying away, he couldn't ask her to press pause on her career or stay with him or do anything that impeded her success as an anthropologist. It just wasn't right. He wanted to, sure, but he couldn't ask her to give up any opportunity life throw her way because he was selfish enough to want her to stay. (Unless she got offered a permanent position as an anthropologist outside of DC, then... There might be begging involved if it ever came to that.)

It was only for a couple months.

It wasn't permanent.

She'd be back.

He'd be fine without her.

Those four lines became his mantra. They cycled through his mind continuously. Because if he said it enough times, maybe, just maybe, they'd be true.

It was only for a couple months.

It wasn't permanent.

She'd be back.

He'd be fine without her.

In the back of his mind, though, some part of him said that was all just it was that part of him that Spencer hated at the moment.

_._._._._

A few days later, when Spencer was feeling particularly low, he found the book Harley had left him, sitting in front of his door. It was a habit of hers, to arrange for books to be delivered to him in intervals. He didn't know what magical fairy she got to drop them off, but he never complained about it.

It was an advanced copy of Seven Ways to End a Marriage. Picking it up, and flipping through the first couple of pages that no one ever really reads, he found the dedication page. And it was all he'd needed that day.

To Pen, mio più grande amico , mio confidente , mio amore (my greatest friend, my confidant, my love)

For all of your support, your encouragement, and the time you spent making sure I took care of myself.

Know there is no one else.

May our life together be long, interesting, and spent within the circle of each other's arms.

Live long and die having loved and been loved in return.

Know wherever the wind takes me, I shall always return.

Spencer smiled down at the words as he opened the door to his apartment, only to be greeted by Schrodinger. The cat who only came out when Harley was in the apartment, and had gotten its name three weeks after Spencer got him because he hadn't been seen, was sitting on the desk/dining table as if having waited for his return. Schrodinger swung his tail, stared at Spencer, and climbed down, only to rub himself around Spencer's ankles.

That was all he needed to reaffirm himself that he'd made the right choice in not asking Harley to stay.

That he'd made the best choice.

When he talked to Harley the next morning (6 AM his time and noon her time), he thanked her for the book dedication, and promptly told her all about Schrodinger's strange new behavior. Harley found it hilarious. When he tripped over the cat latter in the conversation, Spencer realized that he preferred the cat that was never around, and Harley laughed herself silly.

"There is greatness in doing something you hate for the sake of someone you love."

― Shmuley Boteach

A/N: Sorry if this chapter is too short, but it's just a little something I wanted to cover before going into Spencer's addiction days, to set the stage for where both Harley and Spencer are with each other before that happens.

As always, please review. And thank you to all of you who do!