Chapter 6- friends celebrate

At lunch Delaney begged Spencer to call her Dee, and threatened to call him Dr. Reid for the remainder of the weekend if he didn't. "My friends call me Dee, and I hope we can be friends, you being the only person I know in the area and all!" He agreed, and couldn't help but smile every time he had an excuse to say Dee out loud. To him, nicknames were terms of endearment, and he felt privileged that she would include him. He liked the idea that he had somehow earned the right to call her Dee, and loved how eager she had been to call them friends. "Besides, when I have something to celebrate and no one to take me out to dinner, I'll expect you to once again drop everything and come down here since you owe my father so much and blah blah blah." Spencer hoped she was serious; he would kill for another chance to go out with her. "Are you going to come out to Quantico when I have something to celebrate?" he asked, shocking himself with his boldness. Maybe those conversations in the mirror had paid off after all. "I would love to!" she replied, and her response froze a permanent smile on his face for the remainder of the day.

They spent the afternoon looking at apartments the two had picked out in ads on the computer, and finally found one she liked that he approved of security wise. They met with the land-lord, Spencer quickly read the fine print and approved of the paper work, so after a quick call to her parents, she signed the lease and paid a deposit. "Looks like tonight will be time for our first celebratory dinner!" she laughed.

By five they headed back to the hotel so she could change and prepare to meet her future boss. They had agreed to meet for after work drinks and sign contracts etc. to make her an official employee. She agreed to call Spencer upon her return to the hotel, and promised she would try not to be long, though she was sure he would be happy for a least a little time without her. He vehemently denied this, wishing her luck as her door shut behind her.

Spencer spent the two hours it turned out to take her rehearsing conversation topics and arguing with himself about which tie to wear. He called Gideon for a restaurant recommendation, and Gideon offered him the name of a matri-d whose daughter they had rescued from a kidnapper at a five star restaurant in the area, and assured him they would be able to give him a reservation. Gideon, though unaware of the specifics of Reid's situation, offered encouragement; "Order wine, pull out her chair, and tell her the chicken is amazing." "How did you…" "Spencer, you've never left work early, you've never asked me for a restaurant recommendation, and you have never sounded so flustered. Just be yourself and she'll love you for it," Gideon replied and then hung up before Spencer could respond.

When Delaney arrived back at the hotel she buzzed Spencer to let him know she would be ready for dinner momentarily and briefly assured him that he meeting had gone well. He told her he had made reservations, and basked in the smile he could hear in her response. "Wow, all grown up with somewhere to go!" she joked, "Meet you in the lobby in twenty." He laughed as he hung up the phone. He so often forgot how young he was because of the age of his peers. She was so vibrant; she radiated youth and spoke volumes of feminine charm. He was enticed, seduced and infatuated with every aspect of her he had witnessed.

Right on time, Spencer noted as the elevator opened to the almost empty lobby. He wondered what she would be wearing as he checked his watch. She walked into the lobby in the same black dress she had worn the night before, and all the red accessories she had worn earlier in the day. He marveled for a moment at the ability women had to make simple changes seem wholly unique. She looked beautiful, and his smile told her he thought so. "I am starving," she said as she linked her arm with his. He instantly become rigid from the shock of sudden contact, but loosened almost immediately to her touch. He hailed a cab, and they headed to the restaurant, which to his embarrassment turned out to be right around the block.

After the bottle of wine Gideon told him to order arrived she began…"I can't believe I am starting my adult life next month," she mused. "How did you do it so young? I mean, I am just one year younger than you, and look at where we are in our lives. You have a career, and three doctorates. I just got my B.S. and am for the first time starting a life. Real job, new city, new friends," she paused, smiling sweetly at him. "It will come to you," he offered as advice. "I wasn't ready for it really, but sometimes life makes choices for you. I never asked to be on the fast track my life has always been. Still, I couldn't be happier with where it has lead me." "You are so sure of who you are," she observed, "but you are still quick to blush," she teased. "It has always amazed me how you skate the thin line so well between self-sufficient and vulnerable." Her 'profile' made him wonder just how much thought she had given him over the years. It showed a complex and deep understanding of him. Understanding so complete he wasn't sure it was rivaled by anyone save Gideon. When he finally managed his thoughts and looked back up, their eyes met. He smiled at her, the moment lost when the waiter appeared and handed him the bill.

Their conversation picked back on as they walked back to the hotel. He had begun to hail a cab, when she slid her arm into his once again and almost whispered, "Let's just walk." He nodded, and began to lead her down the sidewalk, swept away as much by the summer breeze as by her touch. "I am sorry; I didn't mean to embarrass you," she began. "It's just that when I was in high school, and you were always around, I had the biggest crush on you. My father always talked about how you were so…perfect…but I think it was your imperfections that drew me in." "What imperfections?" he half joked, genuinely curious. "I guess every girl wants a man she can fix in some small way. I mean, I wanted to make you more normal. To bring you to a party, or make-out with you at the drive-in, or dance with you at the prom…but you were so smart…and so busy with your studies, that I figured only that made you happy." "No," he said, "all of those things would have made me happy. I just didn't know they were options. At the time I thought all I could do was get my degrees and get out into the world where adults might actually respect me and there wouldn't be any other kids to pick on me. I told your father once that I wished I could go to the prom, and I thought that's why you asked me to go to that party with you, that he had made you invite me."

She paused, and he turned to face her. "Spencer, my dad never told me…I think he knew how I felt about you. He was probably worried I would destroy your mind with filthy pre-pubescent thoughts." "You did destroy my mind with filthy pre-pubescent thoughts," he remarked, eliciting a small laugh. By the time they reached the hotel, he felt certain that onlookers would see them as a couple. An unexplained smile covered his face as he held one hand in the small of her back while she passed through the door he held open for her.