A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. It's just not possible for me to update any faster. I've made promises, I've tried my hardest to sit down and get chapters done, but it just doesn't work. It comes to me when it comes to me, unfortunately. If that turns you off from reading this, I'm sorry. All I can say is I try my best. On a more positive note, Amazing Grace seems to engage my muse a lot more than my other stories, so there's that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. As promised last time, the drama unfolds in this chapter, but will definitely continue into the next. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Chapter 27:

"Spencer!" Maizy attempted to call over the noise that was her home.

He didn't seem to hear her, a testament to how loud it was just then, considering she was only a few feet behind him.

Maizy had come down the stairs and turned the corner, only to find that the young doctor was already seated on her sofa next to her Uncle Chris. The television was on full blast and her uncle was saying something to him while pointing at something on the screen. Letting her eyes wander over to it, she saw a fishing program playing. Maizy smiled, that was one thing her uncle and father had in common, their love of fishing. And now, apparently, the older man was trying to instil that love in her boyfriend.

She wasn't exactly sure when Spencer had arrived. She hadn't heard the doorbell. The noise from the television, combined with the racket coming from the kitchen—loud arguments, punctuated with clattering pots—not to mention the squabbling going on between her two cousins over who's favorite NHL team was better, had made hearing it impossible. Especially while she'd been upstairs putting Rose down for a nap—that baby could sleep through anything.

From where Maizy was standing, she could see that Spencer was dressed in her favorite outfit on him: pinstripe-gray dress pants, with a white button-up dress-shirt, and one of his many dark sweater vests and tie combinations. For a moment, she forgot about attempting to get her boyfriend's attention and, instead, let a little bit of self-consciousness in. She glanced down at herself, second guessing the outfit she'd chosen: a navy blue velvety dress, with sleeves to just past her elbows and a hem to her knees. Cut-outs at her shoulders made the dress slightly less modest. She'd chosen it after changing three times. And now she wondered if maybe it was too fancy for a homey Christmas Day gathering.

She shrugged her bare shoulders to herself; too fancy or not, she liked it.

After seeing herself through her brief hesitation, Maizy decided it was time to approach her boyfriend. She closed the distance and then let her hand settle on his shoulder gently.

Spencer looked up, his face instantly brightening at the sight of her, making her instantly warm. He stood up, not bothering with words, wise to the fact that it was very loud. He leaned into her, about to greet her with a kiss that she eagerly awaited; but, when the kiss never came, she opened her eyes to see that he'd fallen short of her lips, and that his eyes had moved past her to her uncle.

Maizy turned her head slightly to see that the older man was frowning deeply at Spencer. She caught his eye, throwing him a warning look. But it didn't seem to have an effect; his expression remained the same. Despite his laid back attitude—compared to his son's—he'd always looked after her.

Spencer stepped back an arm's length away, clearly nervous now. She let out an annoyed sigh, and abruptly took her boyfriend's hand. "Come on," she said, not sure if he'd heard or not. Either way, she tugged him towards the stairs, eager to get a moment of privacy with the young doctor.

"Ma…Maizy," she managed to hear Spencer stammer as he trailed after her, a step behind.

"Keep your door open!" her uncle bellowed, making her roll her eyes. It was her own fault; she'd left home too soon after graduating high school. In her family's eyes, she'd forever be a teenager.

She ignored both men's protests, continuing on her way to the second floor of her home. It wasn't a large area. It consisted of two bedrooms and two baths, one of which was her own bedroom with en-suite. To say she and her family were on the cramped side would be an understatement.

Maizy pulled Spencer down the short hall to her bedroom, pushing him inside. He stumbled in, and turned to face her when she let go of him. "Are… are you sure…" he asked, an apologetic look on his face.

She nodded once, before following him in and shutting the door behind them. Spencer's eyes widened at that. "But your uncle—We should keep it open!"

Shaking her head, she closed the distance between them instead, doing exactly the opposite of what her uncle wanted. She couldn't help it. All sorts of thoughts and feelings rushed through her mind just then: how much she cared about him, how she appreciated him, how happy she was to have him in her life. But the foremost thought on her brain right then was how much she wanted to kiss him.

So, she silenced any further protests on his part with the touch of her lips to his, kissing him fervently, realizing that she'd missed him, even though she'd seen him yesterday.

After a few moments, she pulled back with a content sigh, only to lay her head on his shoulder. He hugged her tight and she embraced his warmth. "I'm sorry I wasn't down there when you got here," she said. "But, as you can see, my house is a zoo."

He pulled back to give her a grin. "You've got a nice family, Maizy."

He was being kind. "Crazy, I think you mean."

Spencer chuckled.

"You been here long?"

He shook his head. "No. Twenty-three minutes and twenty-two seconds," he answered precisely.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear the bell. I was up here. And no one told me—probably on purpose." He shot her a quizzical look, so she explained, "They wanted you all to themselves. Either to play one-hundred questions—"

"Isn't the game twenty questions?"

"Not the way my family plays it," she said wryly. "Or they wanted to intimidate you."

He gave her a smirk. "Yeah, I'd go with the latter."

Groaning, she pulled completely from his grasp so she could have a seat on the edge of her bed. Spencer remained standing, she noticed. "What did they say?"

"Nothing really… Though, your uncle told me about the time that he had to sub for the PE teacher for a year and had to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow. He said at the time he'd had a feeling it would come in handy one day…"

She put her face into the palm of her hand, letting out a moan. "I had no idea I'd need to talk to him too."

"Don't worry about it," Spencer assured. "It's pretty obvious he thinks of you as a daughter."

She smiled at that. After everything that had happened to her—her rape and mom's death, and then, later, her father's death—yeah, her uncle was definitely like her second dad.

"Thank you for saying that," she said warmly. She reached out a hand towards him. "Come sit next to me. You're too far away."

His eyes darted about the room nervously. "Do you think that's wise?"

She'd wondered when it would come up. Even with her visit to the BAU offices yesterday, they hadn't really talked about what had happened the night of the Christmas party. Spencer seemed all right with leaving it to her to tell him in her own time. And yet it still popped up; she could forever see it tainting all their private moments. Her face fell at the reminder that things wouldn't progress between her and Spencer if she continued to keep it a secret.

Maizy had hoped they could move past it. But she could see now that as long as he was in the dark he'd forever wonder what could trigger an outburst. Was it time to tell him?

"It's fine, Spencer. Please, sit down," she said gently.

Maizy appreciated when he came to sit next to her without further comment. And the fact that he was close enough to touch. He knew that she knew what she could handle.

Still the nearness wasn't enough; she took his hand into her lap and tried not to grip it too tightly. Nervous, that's what she was. And could anyone blame her? Even she was willing to give herself a break just then. Maizy had never told a soul about what had happened to her the day before her sixteenth birthday. This would be the hardest thing she had ever done.

All her relationships suffered because of her reluctance to disclose anything about her past pre-college. Maizy never let anyone in, never let anyone get close, for fear they'd demand to know what was behind her shyness, her social awkwardness. Bree was the exception and only because the feisty ed. assistant forced her way into Maizy's heart. But, not even her best friend knew much more than the name of her hometown.

The only other people outside her family and Bree to get remotely close enough for her to tell were Spencer and Aaron. And with the ever changing nature of her relationship with Spencer… she thought she owed him an explanation.

"You don't," Spencer broke into her thoughts.

She tore her gaze from their entwined fingers. "Hmm?"

He took a deep breath. "You don't have to tell me. Ever, Maizy. I meant what I said before. I will be here for you, always. No matter what. Regardless of whether you tell me or not." He gave her hand a squeeze, and then brought it up to kiss her knuckles. "No pressure."

Maizy's heart melted at his words. She turned her body so she faced him fully, reaching her free hand out to cup his cheek momentarily. For an instant, she was ready to change her mind about all of it and take him up on his offer. But no, that wouldn't be fair to him.

Sighing, she dropped her hand. "You're sweet, Spencer." She paused, taking her time. "I want to tell you. Besides, if we ever want to…" She flushed all of the sudden. "… you know…"

God, how would she ever be ready for sex when she couldn't even say the word to him? How embarrassing. She felt like a child.

Unfortunately, Spencer didn't seem to understand her vagueness either—she didn't blame him—if the confused look on his face was anything to go by.

"You know?" she repeated more emphatically. Still nothing. She stood up, releasing his hand, groaning. With her back to him, her cheeks flaming hot, she clarified, "Sex, Spencer."

"Oh," she heard his squeaked out reply. Great, she'd embarrassed him too. Sneaking a peek over her shoulder—yep, his cheeks were as bright as she imagined her own to be.

Ok, breathe Maizy, she told herself. It's going to be awkward enough in a moment. Don't make it worse.

Building up the courage, taking her own advice, she turned back around to take her seat once more. She began, "Look, if we ever want to be… intimate… I need you to know."

"All right," he said softly.

She looked up into his eyes; his cheeks were tinged an adorable pink. Maizy could tell this was all new territory to him too. For his own reasons, this wasn't an easy conversation for him. But despite his uncomfortableness, he seemed primarily concerned for her.

"Ok. Here goes…"

She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, but nothing came. Restless all of the sudden, she stood up and began to pace.

Yeah, movement will help; it'll get the flow going.

She passed Spencer once, twice, glancing at him each time. He sat there, waiting patiently. A few more passes and then, "Take your time, Maizy."

His words, though encouraging, stopped her in her tracks. She looked at him again, unsure. But, yes, he really meant it. He would wait all night if that's how long it took.

She smiled gratefully and plopped herself back on the bed's edge. "Ok."

Another deep breath. This time she stared straight ahead at the wall opposite her bed; it was mostly empty save for the framed poster of Vincent Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night'.

"Here goes," she reiterated. "My parent's divorced when I was thirteen. My dad never remarried… My mom used to joke that she was actually my dad's second wife and the army was his first…" She paused remembering. Now that she thought back, she could remember the strain of her mother's smile when she told the joke.

"And your mom?"

Startled, she jumped, looking at him quizzically. "My mom?"

"Yeah…" he said slowly, watching her carefully. "Did she ever remarry?"

Taylor. She shuddered involuntarily.

"You don't talk about her much…" Spencer observed. "You talk about your dad, some. But your mom… never."

She turned her large eyes, wide with panic, on him. Spencer put up a hand, palm up. "I'm sorry, I…"

Breathe, Maizy, breathe, she chided herself. He's going to ask questions. You need to be prepared.

After a moment, she said, "No. It's ok. Sorry… Yeah, my mom remarried. Ta—Taylor." She nearly choked on the man's name and memories began to rush forth. And if it weren't for Spencer re-taking hold of her hand then, grounding her to the here and now, she would have lost herself in them.

Sighing, she rubbed a hand across her face, surprised when it came away moist. "Uh… yeah… Yeah, she remarried. He seemed like a nice enough guy. The town loved him; he was the high school football coach…

"Anyways, it would be years of uneventfulness before… before he uh…"

Deep breaths. Deep, slow breaths… she coached herself inwardly.

Spencer squeezed her hand, silently letting her know he was still here.

She looked at him then, head on. She could do this. For them. But most of all, for her. She needed to let someone in. Maizy couldn't continue living life on the periphery. It wasn't fair to her, but also to the memory of her mother. Her mother who gave up her life so she could live hers.

It was time to start living.

Reid waited as Maizy warred with her inner self. She said she wanted to tell him. She'd begun to tell him. But she still seemed reluctant. And he didn't blame her one bit. Already, from the few words she'd uttered, he could see that it was this Taylor, her stepfather, who had done something to her. And even without his vast experience with the BAU, he could guess what that something was. He could only imagine the pain she'd felt, she so obviously still felt.

She wanted to tell him, but it wasn't until she looked him in the eye just now that he believed she'd go through with it.

"It was… it was the day before my sixteenth birthday," she started again. She was shivering, and he knew it wasn't because she was cold. Her eyes were on him, but he could see she was a million miles away. All he could do was hold onto her, be her anchor. To remind her she was here, now. And she was loved.

"I was home alone—or I thought I was. Mom was… mom was at work… She was a nurse." Her lips twitched, as if she wanted to smile at the memory of her mother, but couldn't. "I was in my room… going through my closet. Looking for an outfit. My boyfriend, Bi—he was going to take me out to a special restaurant the next day. I… I stupidly left my door open." She shook her head at her apparent foolishness, a look of disgust on her face.

He wanted to tell her that wasn't wrong, that none of this was her fault. But he remained silent. Reid sensed she needed no interruptions and he would comfort her soon enough. He would tell her all the right and true words she needed to hear. But first she needed to say what she had to say on her own terms.

"Taylor came in." She breathed out a harsh sounding breath. "He um was acting strange, saying things I didn't really understand. And then he… started to touch me. I told him to stop… He wouldn't… He raped me…" Her voice broke on a sob then. And for a moment she was in tears.

Reid was heartbroken for her and at a loss at what to do next. "Oh M—" he began, but she cut him off.

She shook her head furiously. "That… that wasn't—isn't—the worst part. My mom—oh God, my mom!"

She sobbed openly for a moment. Eyes closed, tears seeping from the corners.

He couldn't stand it anymore. Tentatively, he reached out his free hand and wiped at the tears gently from under both eyes. "Maizy, honey," he practically whispered. "Look at me, look at me, please." She blinked her beautiful brown eyes open and he smiled out of relief. "You're here with me. No one will ever hurt you again. Ever. You hear me. I promise you."

Reid knew it was a lofty promise. But he'd make it his life's mission to keep his word. To protect her, always. He loved her too much. Her pain was his. And he never wanted her to go through anything remotely close to this again.

She reached for him, burying herself in his chest. He hugged her tight, holding her close. Never wanting to let go.

"Spencer," she called out his name, voice full of tremors.

He pulled her back, holding onto both sides of her face. He had to see if she was all right. Reid had to look into her eyes; he needed to know that she would be ok.

Maizy stared back at him with clear lucidity. She was here with him now, her eyes told him. She wasn't going anywhere. She was right where she wanted to be.

Reid wanted to tell her right then and there how much he loved her. It was on the tip of his tongue. But the sight of the tears and the knowledge that her story wasn't done, told him to wait. Now wasn't the right time.

He placed a kiss on her forehead, lingering. And then he let go of all but her hand, feeling that she was ready to go on.

Even so, it took Maizy another minute to speak up again. She cleared her throat and looked around the room uncomfortably. But she was at least calm once again.

"My mother walked in on it. She was coming home early to—someone told me later—to surprise me for my birthday. She… she was there because of me…" Her lips trembled as she spoke the words. Reid watched her shake her head silently. As if she was having an internal battle with herself, telling herself she wasn't the one to blame for it all. "She helped me get away; I ran all the way to Aunt Amanda's. I… ran." She paused, taking a deep shuddering breath. "Later… I was told my step—Tay—he killed my mom. She died, Spencer. She died."

"Oh, man," Reid whispered. He hadn't been ready for that revelation.

She looked at him dead on, the pain and anguish of that night some ten years ago fresh on her face. "And I know, I know, everyone told me it wasn't my fault, but… she wouldn't have come home if it wasn't for me, Spencer. You know?" She flailed her hands aimlessly, at a loss herself.

"No, Maizy, no," he said fiercely, pulling her to him. "No," he continued to whisper.

She'd been hurt badly, irrevocably it could be argued. However, it wasn't just that. Not only had she suffered, but she'd lost one of the foremost people in her life. One of her cornerstones.

One of those traumas was more than enough for anyone to suffer, but both in one night, yeah, that would be difficult to overcome. And, so it was a testament to those around her—her dad, her aunt and uncle—and to Maizy herself that she'd come through it and come through it a stronger person.

Still, it was clear she was damaged. But, then, so was he. Together, maybe they could hold each other up, be each other's cornerstones, bearing one another's weight. Maybe then, she could move forward, and he would be a better person with her by his side, always. He could see it. He believed Maizy could, too.

And once again, he was ready to tell her his feelings and maybe his idea for the future.

Reid opened his mouth to let her know, but a knock at the door cut into the eerie silence, halting him. Maizy pulled away from him, sniffling and hastily wiping at her eyes. And he felt that the time had passed to say anything more.

The door practically banged open and in walked Maizy's aunt, in a flurry as usual.

"I've held them back as long as humanly possible, my little lovebirds. It's time to get back dow—" Her eyes darted from him to Maizy and back again, concern and questions all over her face when Maizy wouldn't meet her eye.

He tried to explain with a look what had just transpired, but he wasn't quite sure she got it. He was never any good at the art of body language anyway.

"Spencer, honey, I think you should head back downstairs. The boys are ready to hog-tie you and throw you out on the front stoop." He looked at her in alarm, not sure if she was joking or not. He also wasn't very good at reading other's body language either.

Still, he hesitated, even with the threat of physical harm. He wasn't about to leave Maizy's side.

Maizy gave him an encouraging look. "It's ok, Spencer. Go down, I'll be there in a minute." She reached up for him and he bent down, surprised when she went in for a kiss. He savored the touch, even though he was acutely aware of their audience.

"All right," he said with a lingering touch to her cheek. "I'll see you downstairs."

He parted from her reluctantly, knowing that they still had a lot to talk about. She needed to know how he felt. That what happened to her did not change a thing. It only made him love her and want to protect her all the more.

The minute Spencer was out the door, Maizy was off the bed and pacing the room. She could feel her aunt's knowing look on her. And in hindsight, maybe she should have waited until her house wasn't bursting with her family to tell him. But it was time. She'd felt it.

Stalling for time, she grabbed some tissues and headed for her en-suite bathroom to clean up—God, she looked a mess. It wasn't a surprise when she re-entered her bedroom that her aunt was still there. It was time for Maizy to stop being cowardly and just face her.

Wrapping her arms around her body, she lifted her eyes to meet her aunt's.

How could she have forgotten how compassionate her aunt could be? Her eyes looked upon her softly, not full of pity, but grief for her. And in that moment, Maizy was reminded that her aunt would have taken her place in a heartbeat. Would take all Maizy's pain unto herself if she could. She was reminded that her uncle Chris wasn't her only second parent, her aunt was like a mother to her, too.

"Sweetheart," she said gently. "You told him."

Maizy nodded and suddenly she couldn't see very clearly. She was blinded by her tears, crying again. Some Christmas this is shaping up to be.

Her aunt was at her side, hugging her, rubbing her back, like she was a kid again, like her mom used to do.

"Aww Maizy… Spencer is a good boy. He understands. He won't care for you any less…"

She shook her head and denied, "No, I know… I'm just… I've never told anyone… It was hard."

It was a struggle to explain how difficult it really was… It was like taking the deepest, darkest, most private part of yourself and putting it on display for the whole world to see and poke at. That feeling, times infinity.

"I know, sweetheart, I know, but…" she hesitated. "It was the right thing to do?"

Maizy pulled back to look at the older woman; she was sure she hadn't intended her statement to come out as a question. She saw the uncertainty on her face. For once in her life she was unsure.

It was only fair, she thought. She had to know. Her aunt's know-it-all streak wasn't broken.

Maizy gave her a small smile. "You were right. It was the right thing to do."

That's it for this chapter. No Hotch here, but don't worry, he'll be appearing in the next one. And, I've started the next chapter and have a clear idea for where I want it to go, so if I can only find the time to write it up it should be up in the next couple of weeks (?).

Thanks everyone who's been sticking with this. It's much appreciated.

And thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: sdesalang; YourEnchantingDesire; royalpurple153; Lor-Zod; Annber03; Ezeiel; and noobz40.

More drama to come soon! I feel we're getting closer to the end.

Hope you enjoyed!