Authors Note: Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed and messaged me.

Any who, on to the usual disclaimer: 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. And please review at the end. I love hearing what you all think of Spencer and Harley. And if you have any suggestions or ideas for this story, I may not use them, but I'd like to hear them, and I'd really appreciate any suggestions you send my way. Message me, or leave your idea in the review section, I'll be looking at both.

P.S.: When I talk about Trenton, New Jersey, my only frame of reference is Janet Evanovich's book series set there. I've never been there. The closest I've been was Newark Airport on the way to NYC. It just happens to be a very Italian filled location in the books, and I loved the way it was set in the books that I had to use it. So if you've lived there, or been there, I'm sorry if anything I write about it offends you. On the other hand, Janet Evanovich's book series which starts with "One for the Money" is a phenomenally hilarious story and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a new something to read.

Thank you all for your reviews and support, now on with the chapter…

Chapter 11: Time Lapse

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

― Apple Inc.

November 2007

The next time the team saw Harley, was only a few weeks later in LA. She was taking holiday since she worked through thanksgiving so that another tech with children could take the holiday off. It just so happened that her father's birthday was right after Thanksgiving, so she was out in LA to celebrate with him. Her brother, Declan, had even come out from Alaska with his boyfriend, Rowan. He knew that in the meantime, Harley and Declan had an idea they planned to film to give to their father for his birthday. Declan's a photographer and an extreme sport documentary film maker. He like filming five minute short films that exposed people to different extreme activities. Harley's father, Kieran, was a big time movie producer, director, and film maker, so he made a lot of money, and traveled the world a lot. Getting him a present was an extreme sport in and of itself, so Declan and Harley always just made a short film for him. It was by far cheaper than trying to buy him a present, and a hell of a lot more fun.

Harley walked into the station as they worked a case involving an unsub on a psychotic break. She had on a knee length, loose lace dress, a long cardigan, and a pair of fringed ankle boots. Her hair was past her waste in length, with the fringe of her bangs dyed a bright turquois. She had a golden cuff on one wrist that looked like a skeletal hand.

She had with her a couple of large bags of In-N-Out and Declan followed her with several drink carried in his large hands. Declan is by no means a small man, making Harley look even smaller and younger in comparison. Declan has red hair, that's buzzed close to his head, and some scruff on his chin. In Harley's own words, he's built like a brick shithouse that screwed a Doritos chip and Declan is the end result. His torso had that triangular shape to it, but he's so buff and powerful looking, most people perceive him as the most dangerous person in the room. It's part of the reason he lives in Alaska. In Alaska, he seems less intimidating. Declan is an over-sized, overstuffed teddy bear. He's got a heart of gold, and the artistic talent of Michelangelo. He does the art work for the graphic novel versions of Harley's books, and he does massive metal sculptures that sell across the USA. Unlike Harley, who uses another name when she writes books, Declan uses his name, which is how he started getting recognition. People knew who his father was and paid attention.

"Hey, Pen," she greeted him as she walked up and put the bags of food down. "I brought lunch."

"Thanks," Spencer smiled, looking into the bags. He pulled open the bag and looked through it to find his burger, an animal style double double with special sauce, and his well-done French fries.

He watched as Harley produced a large burrito from the single bag from somewhere besides In-N-Out, and hand it back to Declan. She pulled out her own burger from the bag, and sat on the edge of the desk. "Need any help?'

"No," Spencer shook his head. "I think we've got this."

"Good," Declan grinned, still standing. "Nice to know the FBI can handle a case."

Harley grinned, swatting at her brother behind her. "When the case is over, are you going to stay for daddy's birthday party?"

"I don't know. I'll have to ask Hotch. What are you guys filming for his birthday this year?" Spencer asked, seeing as Harley hadn't told him about it. She'd been very tight lipped about what they were planning to film, which is very unusual when it comes to Harley. She's not that tight lipped about anything. Unless it had to do with her families criminal history. And to his knowledge, this didn't.

"Mom and dad celebrated their thirty fifth anniversary this year, so we compiled a video and picture walk down memory lane," Harley smiled. "And Declan and I reshot some pictures of us from when we were younger. Remaking them, you know. And Declan and Rowan are surprising them with the news that the two of them are moving down to Tacoma and adopting a baby. The assholes. Mom's just going to want to know when you and I plan on settling down and starting a family. And I mean settling down as in getting less dangerous jobs, rather than marriage. Unlike Nonna, mama doesn't give a shit about what a piece of paper says."

Spencer laughed. Alma Isley wanted a grandbaby out of both of her children, and she made it a very well-known fact. But then thinking about it, Spencer stopped laughing entirely. Declan and Rowan "settling down and starting a family" would be the catalyst to Alma putting even more pressure on her agenda to have her daughter get pregnant. If she could get away with it, she'd probably have screwed with Harley's birth control by now.

"How's your mom doing?"

Harley's mother had retired this year. "I'm going to kill her. That woman has too much time on her hands. Honestly, she needs a hobby other than trying to convince me to go off birth control. I'd hate to have to tell her that I'd rather just abstain from sex entirely, and that you and I only have sex like once a month."

Declan had put his hands over his ears and started going "nanananana" as Harley spoke.

"Oh, grow up, Declan," Harley hissed. Then turning back to Spencer she kissed him on the lips before hopping off the desk. "We've got to go, but make sure your team grabs a burger or something. Hopefully, I'll see you at the party, if not, I'll see you when you get home."

Harley walked off just as JJ walked up to him. "Where'd the food come from?"

"Harley brought it by."

_._._._._

January 2008

Spencer and Harley had tried to split their time with Hotch and Haley during the couple's separation, but when Haley served Hotch with devoice papers at work, Spencer found himself spending more time with Hotch. He took him to the Sunday pick-up basketball game, and to a fighting gym Tony had introduced Spencer to a year back when he was restarting his life with new sobriety, and he even took him to the shooting range when Harley's cousins came to town and wanted to quote on quote "shoot some shit". He didn't know why that was the thing they wanted to do, seeing as Harley described Trenton as being a city where everyone and their grandmother had a gun, and the only cops who pull people over for carrying concealed are rookie cops looking to make a collar.

But he and Hotch ended up talking a lot more than they had in the past. Spencer was being paired with Rossi a lot, and house hunting with Harley had finally paid off seeing as they'd just put a down payment on a house in Springfield. Declan was working on some metal work for the house, and Antonio was working on renovating the house in his free time, and Spencer and Harley got to do some of the demolition. He was learning new things, while still maintaining some level of privacy away from the team.

He just kind of felt bad that his life was falling into place just as Hotch's seemed to be imploding around him.

_._._._._

February 2008

The case in Chula Vista was the biggest setback in his sobriety. Watching a kid be murdered made him "crave" dilauded in ways he hadn't in a long while. That's when he started looking at NA groups for cops and feds. A friend of Tony's helped him find the one he ultimately ended up going to.

He hadn't even gotten half way through his story by the time he got called away. The Director of the FBI's one year chip felt heavy in his pocket when he joined the team to discuss the case. Harley knew where he'd been but he hadn't bothered to inform the team. They're interrogation on his whereabouts were half assed at best, wanting to know if he'd been with Harley, doing something dirty. Wanting to know what movie he'd been to. Not believing him, but not pressing further.

Owen Savages' case almost sent him over the edge. He empathized so strongly with the kid it was… a difficult case to work for him. Especially in the end. He saw so much of himself in Owen. Even some of Harley. It was because of Harley that he knew so much about how Owen must have felt with a learning disability. Harley had been lucky enough to have parents that recognized the signs of a learning disability and pulled her from a crappy system that doesn't help learning disabled students, and home schooled her instead. The Isley's were incredible parents, with lots of compassion and understanding for their children.

He had no compassion for parents like Mr. Savage or the adults he had to work with and talk to during the case and Hotch got tired of it quickly. This case was entirely preventable in Spencer's mind. And at the same time, it could have been him. Or Harley. Or Zack Addy. Or Dr. Brennan. He'd had Danny McCoy, Marry Connelly, and Danny's father looking out for him in high school. Harley had the largest, most loving family he'd ever meet and the gymnasts she'd had socialized with (she'd been a world class gymnast) had other things to do than bully the girl who spent more time learning the illegal moves that the ones she could use in a competition. Zack had another enormous family that watched out for him. And Dr. Brennan had had her brother Russ. Which didn't mean they hadn't thought about going and shooting up their schools at one point. Because he'd bet that they all had. Just that they hadn't.

He really hated adults, though. And he kind of wanted to shoot some of those officers in the face.

He ended up going back to the meeting, and actually getting to attend the entire meeting. And then he went to the house that would go on to become his and Harley's home, and he took a sledge hammer to one of the walls they'd been talking about tearing down. And then Harley came and took him to Gibbs' house in Alexandria to have some bourbon and cowboy steaks with Harley, Gibbs, and Tony. And he ended up falling asleep to watching Gibbs build a boat in his basement.

He'd send a letter to his mother the next day, leaving out his feelings on the Savage case. And he spent the next week sleeping at Harley's appartment. He had two months to get his own one year chip.

Just two more months.

He could make.

Harley would help with that.

He only had two more months.

He just had to get though those months.

Then…

One full year of sobriety.

_._._._._

March 2008

Harley and Spencer celebrated Spencer's one year mark by going to Point Pleasant Beach in New Jersey and just relaxing in the sand. It was a weekend trip. Nothing special. Still cold. But Harley and Spencer enjoyed themselves, walking along the beach, and touring the shops. It really wasn't anything spectacular, or well thought out, or full of grand romantic gestures. It was just the two of them away from the woes of the world, enjoying themselves in each other's company.

At night, they laid together in the queen sized bed in their motel room, snuggled in each other's embrace, and talked. Their house was coming along great, their relationship was stable, and they were happy.

Two months later, Spencer would wish he could go back to that weekend and just stop time.

Two months later, as Harley's world imploded around her, Spencer would wish he could just pick her up and carry her back to Point Pleasant, and forget the world around them existed.

If only that was possible.

He really wished that was possible.

Hell, Harley wished that was possible.

If only…

"Achieving true sobriety goes beyond abstinence. It's also about healing your soul, apologizing for damage you did to other, and seeking forgiveness."

― Lou Gramm, Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades in Rock 'n' Roll

Author's Note: I don't know when I'll find time to update next. Hopefully I'll have another update up by next weekend. Maybe sooner. Classes start on Monday, so I just don't know when I'll be posting another chapter. I'm sorry in advance if it takes me longer than next weekend to post, but the chapter I'm working on next is going to blow your minds, and I just want to make sure it's fantastic.

Please review. More reviews=better incentive to update faster.