A few weeks later

Maranda checked into a nice hotel, then went over her strategy for approaching Spencer tomorrow. She knew she had lost any chance of mating with him, when she had gone into a rage at the loss of their babies. It hadn't been Spencer's fault or hers either, it had just happened. She couldn't blame Spencer for leaving, at least not anymore. She had attacked him in her grief and rage and broken his arm, not to mention giving him numerous bumps and bruises. She really couldn't blame him for avoiding her after that and then switching colleges for his last couple of years. Spencer had every right to protect himself from her anger, sadness and grief.

If she had done what Spencer had asked her to do, got help, their relationship might have lasted. They might, even now, have half a dozen kids that would be teenagers by this time or nearly anyway.

She had just recently learned that Spencer was now mated and not only did she want to congratulate him, she wanted to apologize for what she had done so long ago. It was an apology that was long-overdue and while it went against her pride, she knew he more than deserved one.

Part of her anger at the time was she was sure that Spencer wasn't grieving like she was, but she now knew that that was crap. She had finally gone to see a psychologist and he had helped her understand that Spencer had likely grieved just as deeply, but in a different way. His emotions were more internal, instead of external, so his grief wouldn't have necessarily been visible, but noticeable if you knew what to look for.

Her parents, certainly wouldn't approve in what she was about to do but she didn't really care. Her parents were cold hearted and they had never liked Spencer for reasons she had never understood. They had refused to divulge why they didn't like him, but Miranda knew her parents and how they thought. To them, he wasn't rich enough for their daughter, even though he came from a good family. Maranda had known however, that Spencer would go far in his life, something her parents had never bothered to learn, as he was, extremely intelligent. After all, a lot of people were not born with silver spoons in their mouths, but worked hard to earn their wealth a dollar at a time. That's how all fortunes were originally made, even if it was inherited generation after generation. She didn't really care what her parents thought and hadn't talked to them in years. They hadn't even been sympathetic when she had lost the babies she was carrying, saying it was for the best. It was then Maranda had realized how cold hearted her parents were and so she had barely spoken to them ever since. Spencer's mother Diana was a direct contrast to her own parents and was warm, kind, caring and loving, which explained why Spencer had turned into the kind of man he was. She suspected part of her parents problem was, Spencer wanting a career, instead of just waiting on their daughter hand and foot, something she would never ask for, nor did she expect. Her mother had no life outside of looking after her father, which Maranda thought had made her unhappy at the very least. She truly believed if her mother had had a decent career, that she would've been much happier with her life.
Maranda had never expected Spencer to go and work for the FBI, but he was certainly doing well in his chosen career, as she had kept an eye on him over the years. He was often featured in the news and also the paper of whatever city the team he worked with was in. To get along so well with a team that were probably mostly Alphas was really saying something. On the other hand, if she thought about it, they would probably not make it too hard on him so long as he proved he knew what he was doing, as they never would have accepted someone into their unit otherwise. Maranda understood enough about the FBI to know that, they couldn't just hire anybody, as that person would have to go through intense training and would have to pass it. They would also have to have the right type of personality.

Maranda ordered room service and then turned on the TV wondering how her meeting would go tomorrow. She ate her dinner, which was very good, not that she expected anything else at a four-star hotel, and then went to bed, as she knew she had a busy day tomorrow.

~~~Aaron and Penelope~~~

"Can I help you ma'am?" asked the guard at the building with a BAU was located.

"Yes, I need to speak to Spencer Reid. He works for the BAU."

"Yes, Dr. Reid," the guard said. "Name?"

"Maranda Simmons," Maranda said. "We're old friends. I haven't seen him in years."

Maranda was well aware that Spencer might deny her a chance to see him. He could very well still hold a grudge for all she had put him through, more than a decade ago, though that wasn't like the Spencer she had known at all. Still, Maranda was well aware that people changed.

The guard called up to the BAU and got Dr. Reid's okay, before he sent Maranda on her way.

Maranda rode the elevator upwards to the correct floor, and tried not to be nervous.

This wasn't the same Spencer she had known so well. He was older and more mature now, and had an important job. Her old friend was doing very well for himself from all she had heard, which was no more than she expected.

The elevator doors opened on the correct floor and Maranda saw the doors of the BAU with the Federal Bureau of investigations crest on it.

Maranda took a deep breath and pushed open one of the doors.

Spencer was waiting for her, standing by his desk with no expression.

"Maranda," Spencer said in a calm tone of voice, but Maranda recognized what wasn't being said, and that was what in the hell are you doing here?

"Spencer," Maranda said.

"You wanted to see me?" Spencer asked finally once they had finished studying each other.

"Why don't we go somewhere private and talk," Maranda suggested.

"The conference room would probably be best then," Spencer said. "It should be free and it's also relatively private. The others won't bother us in there, except for an emergency."

Maranda nodded and Spencer led the way, after ducking his head into his office and telling someone where he'd be. Probably his superior, Maranda figured.

She was sure the others that were around were curious on how Spencer knew her, but she ignored them and they went back to work once Spencer gave them a look.

Spencer led the way to the conference room and opened the door letting her enter first, like the gentleman he was.

Probably doesn't trust me not to stab him in the back, Maranda thought and the little devil on one shoulder encouraged that thought. Or maybe he's just being polite, the angel on her other shoulder said

"You said you wanted to talk," Spencer said calmly once they were settled. "You couldn't have come all this way for no reason. I'm not going to ask how you tracked me down, because the work team does is sometimes very public, so it wouldn't have been hard."

"First, I came to apologize for what I said and did all those years ago," Maranda began. "I know you understand, that I was feeling emotions that were so strong that I couldn't control my actions."

"You could have controlled them by hitting the wall instead of me. You might've broken your hand, but at least your grief and rage wouldn't have been directed at another human being," Spencer mentioned with no expression at all. "That doesn't mean I don't understand the emotions you were feeling at the time, just that there was more than one action you could have taken."

"I hope you can forgive me," Maranda said.

"I forgave you a long time ago," Spencer said. "I might not have completely understood what you were feeling, but I knew enough to know, that you were grieving and everybody grieves in different ways."

"I don't blame you for the actions you took in order to protect yourself from being hit again," Maranda said relaxing, now that she knew Spencer had forgiven her. She should have known he would, for usually he wasn't one to hold a grudge. "I did for a long time, but I finally saw a psychologist like you suggested. I didn't want to, but I needed to and I knew it. I did so without my parents approval, but they didn't understand what the death of a child can do to someone."

"Well, you were grown up, so technically, you could do what you wanted," Spencer said. "I won't deny I never did like your parents. I thought they were both cold fish, but let's not rehash old history."

"Yeah, I know," Maranda sighed. "I never realized how bad they were, until I was out on my own. I hear you're mated now."

"Yes, I am and I'm very happy, so there will be no reigniting of our old relationship," Spencer told Maranda firmly, just in case she had had such a thing in mind.

"I know," Miranda promised. "That's not the reason I came here at all. The psychologist that I saw made me realize that I had lost any chance of the relationship with you. If only I had gotten help like you suggested then we'd probably have half a dozen children, possibly more."

"That's in the past," Spencer said. "I understand that you were young when we lost the children you were carrying and also that you were a very strong Alpha that had several intense emotions running through her body because of that loss, but Maranda, while we loved each other for a brief time Safina is my life now."

"I understand that," Maranda said getting the subtle message.

"Also, you should not have come to visit me at work. The team is now going to question me about why you were here. I told them about you, but not about the babies we lost and I really don't want to have too."

"This was the only place I knew where you'd be," Maranda said.

"You could have just called and I could've met you somewhere for lunch," Spencer said, "If I wasn't gone on the case that is. You're very lucky that the team was actually here."

"I didn't think of that," Maranda admitted sheepishly. "I don't know how your mate puts up with you being gone so much."

"We discussed this before I agreed to mate with her," Spencer said. "She's a very strong Alpha, just like you are. I told her I wasn't going to become a House Omega, as I would be unhappy if I did. Luckily for me, she understood, although it took her older brother Aaron explaining it to her. She's still young and sometimes had trouble getting her strong instincts under control, which is something I can understand, as sometimes that takes time and maturity. I never would have mated with her if that was what she was going to force me to become."

"At one time I thought we would be together until he was old and gray," Maranda admitted.

"So did I, but things change all the time," Spencer said simply.

"I still mourn my babies," Maranda said and Spencer nodded in genuine sympathy.

"So do I, I promise you. I don't think about them every day like I used to, but I still miss them and the potential of what they could have become," Spencer said. "It's time for me to get back to work and while it was nice seeing you again Maranda, I don't want to see you on a regular basis. I don't want Safina to get jealous, even if there's nothing any longer between us. Things have been going well, but I don't want her to believe I'm cheating on her."

"I understand," Maranda said and it was clear she did. "So any children?"

"Yes, triplets," Spencer answered, grinning. "Two boys and a girl, that are simply adorable. I'll always miss the ones we lost, but I had to move on in order to stay sane."

"I know," Maranda agreed. "I had to finally move on as well with the help of that psychologist or I would have gone insane."

"So you're not mated?" Spencer asked.

"No, I never found anyone after what happened with you," Maranda said. "I have to admit I didn't want to be involved with anyone after what happened not for a long time. I mean, I loved you so much, but I realized it was my own actions that tore you away from me."

"Things happen sometimes that no one can expect," Spencer said wisely. "I have to believe that the loss of our babies had a reason, even if we never discover what that reason is."

"Perhaps you and Safina were fated to meet," Maranda suggested a little whimsically.

"I don't know if we were fated, but I know I love her very much and I can't see myself ever loving anyone else in the same way," Spencer said.

"That's the way it should be," Maranda said. "It's what we could've had if not for what happened."

"Possibly," Spencer said noncommittally.

"Spencer Reid, always so cautious," Maranda said with a half smile.

"Maybe I am," Spencer shrugged. "Now, I really must get back to work."

Maranda took the hint and nodded heading for the door of the conference room.

Once Maranda was gone Spencer sat there for a few minutes, simply thinking of what might have been.

~~~Aaron and Penelope~~~

"What's going on, Reid," Dave questioned as soon as Maranda had disappeared out the doors of the BAU.

"Let's go back into the conference room, as what I have to tell the team is private and not for everybody to overhear," Reid sighed.

He cursed Maranda in his head for causing him to have to talk about things he'd rather not, but he also knew that the team would never stop pestering him until he revealed all.

The others quickly gathered in the conference room for they were curious about why Spencer's past had suddenly come back.

"Okay, this was something, I'd rather not really talk about," Spencer began. "But since I know you're pester me until I tell you what you want to know, I might as well give in gracefully. I'm asking that you keep this information confidential I don't wanted to get around."

"I think we all can agree to that," Morgan said.

The others nodded in consent and so Spencer tried to relax. "I didn't tell you the whole story when I said Maranda and I were close. I left out some personal details as to why we never actually mated. We were planning on it and it had nothing to do with Maranda's family or the pressure she was under to break up with me. What I didn't tell you is that Maranda got pregnant. We did use a condom, when she went into heat, as we weren't that stupid, but the condom had tiny holes in it, something that would've had to be done at the factory. We were both happy really, even though we were still in college. Mom, at first, was rather upset at me thinking that I had been careless, until I explained what had happened, then she was happy to get some rather unexpected grandchildren."

"Alright, I'm guessing here, but in order for you and Maranda not to be mated now something must've happened," Emily said.

"I would say from the way that Reid's dancing around the details that Maranda might have lost the babies," Dave suggested and the look on Spencer's face confirmed it.

"She did and it devastated both of us. It wasn't that that caused us to go our separate ways though, it was the fact, that Maranda went into a rage. I begged her to get help, to see a psychologist, but she absolutely refused to do so. She didn't believe I was grieving in my own way."

"So she probably hit you in a moment of sadness anger and misery," JJ suggested.

"Yes, she did and that's when I begged her to get help. Even I know that some women have trouble getting over such a loss and take their misery out on others. I was just a convenient target. I ended up with a broken arm in two places and multiple contusions. It was then that I decided that I was going to move to a different college, as soon as the next year started and in the meantime, I left the apartment we shared and moved back into the dorms. I wasn't going to stick around for her to hit me again, since she had refused to see a psychologist. I literally haven't seen her before today."

"I don't blame you there," Morgan said finally having absorb the story. "I would certainly leave if somebody hit me and then refused to get help. Yes, I know very well, that Alphas can be extremely stubborn and refuse to do something for their own good, because of that stubbornness."

"I think any of us would," Emily said. "You have to admit though that a lot of omegas would've stuck around and likely been abused for their trouble. That kind of loss can drive someone insane."

"I don't think Maranda would've gone that far, but on the other hand, she was grieving and you often do things when your grieving that you wouldn't otherwise," Spencer said.

"This is very true," Dave said. "I know I would've been devastated if Carolyn and I had lost a single one of our children, but luckily, for us while it happens it doesn't happen often."

"It's still a tragedy," Penelope who had been silent said. "I'm really sorry that happened to you, Boy Wonder."

"I got over it and moved on. I saw a psychologist for several years. I learned how to compartmentalize, so it wasn't in my mind all the time. I also had the support of my family, well, all except my father, and that helped. I had a learn to move forward or I might very well have gone insane."

"That kind of tragedy might very well have made someone like you afraid to try again," JJ said. "That it didn't is pretty amazing."

"I knew the odds of it happening a second time, especially with someone totally different. It is one of the reasons that I waited so long to look for a mate though," Spencer said simply.

"So does Safina know this?" Morgan asked.

"Yes, she does and so does Aaron," Spencer added Garcia's benefit. "You can tell him I told you about Maranda, and that she just showed up in my life, as I was hardly expecting it."

"So is she trying to restart your relationship?" Anderson who had been silent asked.

"No, she knows I'm taken now and she's too honorable to get involved with someone who is already mated. I made sure it was clear that I wasn't interested in restarting our relationship. It's been too long for one thing. Any feelings that I had at least have disappeared. I might still like her as a friend, but I won't have her hanging around. The last thing I need is to have two alphas fighting over me."

"I think it will be a sight to see," Morgan suggested with a smirk.

"I'm sure you do," JJ said rolling her eyes at Morgan, while Garcia simply glared at him.

"That was really inappropriate, Morgan," Dave chastised.

"Yes, it was," Morgan admitted. "I was only trying to lighten the moment."

"What you went through was tragic," Penelope said, "but you have to remember that it didn't happen with Safina."

"I know that Garcia," Spencer said. "I know the statistics of it happening a second time with a totally different woman. It was one of the reasons I was willing to try again. I might regret what might have been, but I'm so happy now, that it doesn't really matter. I have to believe that Maranda and me weren't meant to be, as it's the only way I can live with the death of the babies she was carrying, especially since there was no medical explanation as to the miscarriage."

"So the doctor didn't tell you why it happened?" JJ asked and Spencer shook his head.

"No, all he said, was that sometimes such things occurred and there was no scientific or logical explanation for."

"No wonder you had so much trouble getting over it," Anderson said. "We all know how logical and scientifically minded he is and just think about the fact that if he had an explanation for the miscarriage he might've had an easier time getting over it."

"That's a good point," Dave admitted. "He's not one to accept something so tragic easily with no reasonable explanation."

"No, I'm not, but now, we need to get back to work, folks. You have your explanation, one I didn't really want to give, but you would've forced it out of me eventually. I don't know why Maranda had to show up here, as she always could have called and we could've arranged a meeting outside of work. Because of her actions I had to tell you something painful about my past that I'd rather would've kept private."

"We have been rather invasive into his personal life," Morgan said looking rather contrite. "He's right we were nosy."

"Yes, we were," Emily admitted looking sorry as well. "We should've kept our curiosity to ourselves."

"I know that you wouldn't though, so I figured it was easier to tell you then have you try to get the information out of me," Spencer said. "Now, let's just forget about it, as life goes on and we have a job to do."

The others reluctantly agreed, but they had pried into Spencer's life enough for one day, so they rose from the table and Morgan, Dave and JJ headed for their offices, while the others headed for their desks.

~~~Aaron and Penelope~~~