Author Note – thank you for the lovely reviews. Tannerose5 this is for you, I hope you like it.

Second chances – chapter three

October 2012

Even though she had never really gotten into the Halloween spirit, Emily found herself missing it this year. If Emily was in DC, Spencer would be thinking up elaborate practical jokes this time of year, mostly trying to scare Morgan; Penelope would force everyone to dress up in some form; herself would be teasing Morgan over his choice of Halloween Honey. London's celebrations of Halloween were much more subdued compared to those in DC.

Making herself a cup of tea, she settled herself on her window seat and looked at the four picture photo frame and sighed. Emily picked up her phone; looking through her contacts she selected the one person who loved Halloween the most.

"Hi Emily," Spencer answered after the second ring. "How are you?" He sounded happy.

"I'm great," she told him. "How's everyone there? Are you still at work?" Emily could hear laughing in the background.

"Actually we were all about to take Henry trick or treating," he said before he obviously covered the mouth piece on his end as she heard him mumbling something. Suddenly the hand was lifted and she heard the most excited voice she'd heard in a long time.

"Aunt Emi!" Henry almost shouted over the phone. "It's Halloween, we're gonna get candy."

Emily laughed. "Hi Henry, how are you?"

"I'm Uncle Spence for Halloween," he told her over the line. "I'm gonna figure out who the real monsters are and who are just 'tending to be monsters." Emily didn't doubt there would be pictures of Spencer and his mini version, and she would be demanding them to add to the ones around her apartment. "Momma says you're very far away, so you can't come trick or treating with us. But I'll save you some candy for when you come to visit."

Emily's heart broke a little over how sweet he was, and that she had no idea when she would have the opportunity to go home for a visit. "That's okay Henry, how about you eat my piece of candy for me and tell me what it's like."

"Okay Aunt Emi," someone in the background said something to him. "Aunt Emi, I gotta go trick or treating or else it'll be too dark."

"Bye Henry, I love you."

"Love you Aunt Emi." There were sounds of him passing the phone to someone.

"Emily?" Spencer was back.

"He's you for Halloween?" Emily teased, and she could see in her head the shy smile and lip quirk he gave when he was embarrassed.

"Uh, yeah, I'm his favourite profiler. Penelope says she will email you the photos." He paused for a minute. "Um we have to go, I have to get my FBI pass back from Henry, but can I ring you tomorrow I need your advice on something?"

Emily frowned slightly at the worried tone in his voice. "Of course, whenever you need. If you don't want to wait till tomorrow, phone me later tonight."

"No, it's not that important," he paused and Emily could hear him becoming flustered over the phone. "Well, it is, but not life or death I promise. I'll ring you tomorrow."

"Okay Spence, I'll speak to you soon," her worry evident in her voice.

"Bye Emily, and don't worry, I'm okay," Spencer tried to reassure her as he hung up. Emily contemplated her phone for a few seconds before placing it on the side table, before picking up Slaughterhouse Five.

The next day Emily stretched as she sat in her desk chair. She only had a few more reports to go through that Easter wanted on the Monday morning conference call. Glancing at her phone, she sighed. It would have been mid-morning in DC, so Spencer should've been awake. Briefly she wondered if his headaches had been getting to him again or if the team of specialists he'd been consulting with had found the cause. Even though he'd said it wasn't life or death, Emily hoped the man she'd come to love as a little brother was going to be okay.

About twenty minutes later, her phone lit up with her new photo of Spencer and Henry as he rang her. Snatching her phone up, Emily felt a twinge of panic in her chest. "Hi Spence."

"Hi Emily, how are you?"

"I'm good, still a little worried, are your headaches back?"

"No, no, I'm fine," he was quick to reassure her. He paused as if unsure how to proceed, and his voice was so small when he continued that Emily barely heard him. "I've met someone."

"Wow," Emily never expected that. "Who is she?"

"Doctor Maeve Donovan," Spencer told her, awe in his voice. Emily smiled, he was in love. "She's one of the specialists I've been consulting with over my headaches."

"So what does she look like?" Emily was trying to picture the kind of girl who could sweep Spencer of his feet.

"I don't know; we've never met in person; just spoken over the phone," he admitted. "But despite that, she's already the most beautiful girl in the world to me." Emily's heart swelled for her friend. Obviously he must have been worried about something to do with this woman, otherwise he wouldn't need advice. "She told me she loved me." And there it was.

"Did you say it back?"

"I was so shocked that I couldn't. By the time I overcame that shock, she had hung up."

"Do you feel the same way?" Emily asked gently, and waited while he contemplated his answer.

"I can't dance, but I want to learn so I can dance with her," Spencer told her after a moment. "Thomas Merton is our favourite author."

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone; we find it with another," Emily knew the quote.

On the other end Spencer sighed in relief. "Yes, I love her." There was a small pause. "Emily, I'm in love."