Reckless

Chapter 13

BAU gatherings were not exclusive to the current active team. Penelope always included their former members when she sent out E-invites. On this particular occasion, Spencer wasn't aware of who was able to make it and who wasn't. When he heard a familiar voice, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Hey kid!"

Spencer turned, hugging Derek back when he wrapped his arm around him. They texted and emailed each other a few times a week. But Spencer still missed him. Derek was the closest thing he had to a sibling. They had a glass of wine together as Derek filled him in on how life on the SWAT team was going.

Spencer was holding Derek's son, trying to teach the boy how to say his name, when Toni walked in. He sucked in a hard breath, nearly choking on his drink. She sent a jolt through his body every time he saw her. But this was like a shot directly to his gut. It wasn't that she arrived at the party with another man. Or that the other man was carrying Toni's son on his back like they were already best friends. It was her physical appearance that caused Spencer's momentary inability to breathe. Spencer was waiting to see if she was going to show up in the red dress her 'date' suggested that she wear. But this dress wasn't red. It was a strapless dress with an abstract floral pattern on it. And it looked suspiciously familiar. He was sure he'd seen it before, on the floor of his apartment living room six years ago.

Spencer watched Toni scan the area when she walked in. Her eyes stopped, locking with his from across the crowded room. For just a moment, it was like everyone else in the place ceased to exist. She was watching to see what his reaction to her choice of dress was going to be. And it must have been the one she was hoping for. Because she smiled before she flicked her eyes away.

Reid," Morgan huffed. "What the hell man… are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

"I'm sorry," Spencer offered. He wasn't really that sorry. But apologizing was a force of habit for him.

"What are you looking at?," Derek asked. Derek's son was reached for him. He leaned closer, taking the boy from Spencer's arms as he shifted his body to get a better look at the entryway of the house. Spencer averted his eyes, casting them downward and away from Toni. But it was already too late. Derek caught him staring. And then he caught Toni when she looked back at Spencer over her shoulder before Rossi ushered her away into the kitchen. "I know her," Derek observed. "Ramirez. She was on the task force." He turned towards Spencer, watching his reaction closely as he added, "...you got something going on with her?"

"No," Spencer denied, though he knew before the word popped out that he was saying it with far too much emphasis. "Why would you even ask me that?," he protested. Spencer could hear the pitch of his voice rising and he was helpless to stop it. It always happened when he was lying to someone he cared about.

"You do have something going on with her," Derek declared. "You've been holding out on me." He whacked at Spencer's chest with the back of his hand, nearly causing wine to slosh out of the glass he was holding. "Come on," Derek encouraged. "I want details."

"Stop," Spencer said, his voice rising even higher. "You're going to spill that on me."

Derek laughed as he headed off in search of his wife, leaving Spencer with the promise that he was going to get the information out of him after he got them both another drink. Spencer considered that for about half a second before he took off in the other direction. He ducked out into the backyard, nearly spilling his own wine in his hurry to escape Derek's interrogation. Spencer glanced around before he dumped what remained of his wine into a nearby bush. He wasn't really drinking it anyway.

Rossi not only had the most opulent house out of the entire team, he took great pride in hosting gatherings there. There was a bar area set up in the backyard, along with a table of snack foods and tables to sit and eat or talk. There was an open area in the middle where they would probably be dancing later after the rest of the team loosened themselves up with a few drinks. Twinkle lights were strung across the space, giving it a festive look without being too garish.

"Uncle Spencer! Uncle Spencer!"

The double holler of his name and title was all the warning Spencer got before JJ's son barrelled into him. Henry was getting too big to really be picked up anymore. So Spencer lowered himself down onto one knee so he could wrap his arms around the boy. Spencer barely made it back up onto his feet before Henry was dragging him across the manicured lawn and onto the large patio area. The amount of children at their gatherings had been slowly but surely increasing over the years. Spencer recognized JJ's younger son right away. There was another boy around the same age as Michael. It took Spencer a moment to realize it must be Kate Callahan's son. He seemed to have doubled in size since Spencer saw him last. The two little ones had long bendy glow sticks they were chasing each other around in circles with.

"This is my uncle Spencer," Henry announced once he'd dragged Spencer over to his intended location. "He's a magician." There was so much pride in Henry's voice, like he was introducing a real live celebrity. Spencer's smile widened as he regarded the small group of children.

Jack was present, along with Kate's older adopted daughter Meg. In typical teenage girl fashion, she looked unimpressed with the situation. Next to Jack was the younger boy that Spencer recognized as Toni's son Romeo from the photo on her desk. He had her dark eyes and hair. And there was something familiar about the inquisitive expression on his face. Spencer felt a flutter of nervousness in his stomach that came with a strange urge to reach forward and hug Romeo against his chest. He wasn't sure where the feeling came from. And Spencer did his best to ignore it as he tried to tell himself that he was making too much of the situation. The rest of his life wasn't going to be defined by this moment, even if it felt that way. But the truth was, the pressure was on. Spencer really wanted Toni's son to like him. Partly because Spencer just saw Romeo clinging to Toni's former partner like he was ready to be adopted by the man. And also, like any mother, Spencer knew Toni wouldn't consider a serious relationship with a man her son didn't like. Kids like me, Spencer told himself as he fished in his pocket for a coin.

"Do the penny trick!," Henry encouraged.

Spencer nodded. He glanced up as he pulled a penny from his jacket pocket. Toni was at the outdoor bar standing with JJ. She had one elbow propped up, striking a casual pose as she sipped her wine. But Spencer could tell she was watching him. He fumbled with the penny as he began his trick, dropping it on the ground. Henry picked it up, handing it back to him with a wide smile.

Spencer really only knew a few simple tricks. The rest, he needed Penelope's help to pull off. Her hair was so big, it was easy to hide things in there so he could make them appear. Spencer put the penny against his palm and did his whole routine, making it disappear and then reappear from behind Henry's ear. Romeo watched with curious interest. But when the penny reappeared, he didn't seem as impressed as the other kids were.

"That wasn't magic," Romeo declared. "That was just a slight of hand." Spencer glanced down at the boy. He seemed young to even know what a slight of hand was, let alone call him out on it. The other kids, who were just so impressed with Spencer's trick a moment before, now looked unsure.

"You know a lot about magic?," Spencer asked.

"Yeah," Romeo replied, his little voice filled with a confidence only the very young could manage. "I read every book in the library about Harry Houdini. He's the greatest magician of all time." Romeo wrinkled his nose in the exact same way Toni did when she wasn't impressed with something. "I don't think you're a very good one," he announced. "You're a lame magician." Spencer's mouth dropped open, leaving him at a loss for words for the first time in a long time. Not only was Toni's son abnormally smart, he seemed to be quite the little smart ass as well. Henry's eyes widened, while Jack appeared to be getting more amusement out of the situation.

"Romeo!," Toni barked. Her drink was already sitting on the bartop as she crossed the small space to approach her son. "What did I tell you on the way over here?," she asked.

Romeo glanced up at her, regarding his mother with a glance of slight concern. "No karate," he chirped.

"And what else?," she asked, cocking one hand up on her hip.

Romeo fidgeted, shifting his slight weight from one foot to the other as he sighed. "And use my manners…"

"That's right," she scolded. Toni turned her son around, leaving one hand resting on his slim shoulder as she gestured towards Spencer. "Apologize. Now."

"I'm really sorry mister," Romeo recited. His obvious insincerity made Spencer want to laugh. But he bit down on his lip, not wanting to interfere with Toni's discipline of her son. "Thanks for showing us that great trick," Romeo added, looking up to his mother for her approval. Toni rolled her eyes as she took her hand off his shoulder. Once he knew he was off the hook, Romeo quickly turned towards Henry, tugging on the older boy's shirt. "Come on," he urged. "Let's go play with my Uncle Luke's dog. Roxy can catch a frisbee in her mouth!"

Henry and Romeo went tearing off into the house with the other kids close behind. Toni stopped by the bar for her wine, tipping the glass up and chugging the remainder of her drink before she followed her son into the house to keep him from causing any more trouble. Spencer joined JJ near the bar, sighing as he stared after them. He liked the way the skirt of Toni's dress swished around her legs as she walked. But he was too distracted by his recent embarrassment to really enjoy it.

"I thought Henry liked my magic," he lamented. JJ shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to hold in her laughter as she patted him on the shoulder.

"I like your magic," she offered. JJ took a sip of her wine as she quietly observed her friend. "Is everything okay?," she asked. "You seem like you've been a little distracted lately…"

"I'm fine," Spencer assured her. Derek figured out what was going on in about two point five seconds. The last thing he needed was for JJ to be nosing around in his love life. He reached behind the bar and snagged a bottle of water before he strode away from her towards the house.

Spencer spotted Derek in the living room. So he headed the other way, moving towards the kitchen. His heart jumped when he rounded the corner and spotted Toni in there. But when he moved further, Spencer saw that she wasn't alone. She was standing with her former partner. Luke Alvez had his arm locked around her waist.

Spencer made an abrupt turn, darting down the hall and into Rossi's study. He breathed a sigh of relief when he snapped the door shut behind him. He considered just leaving the party altogether. It was starting to feel like the worst kind of nightmare. But thoughts of Toni's dress and the way she smiled at him when she entered the house kept him from running for the door. She dressed up just for me, Spencer told himself. I'm not leaving. Another thought followed that one. But it felt like it belonged to someone else. Someone more confident. It was the same part of him that took over when he pulled Toni towards the bed and climbed on top of her. Just because she came with another guy, doesn't mean she's leaving with him. Spencer chuckled a little at his sudden rush of possessiveness.

Spencer wasn't going to leave the party. But he decided to take a moment to get his head together before he returned to it. He was scanning the books that filled the shelves in Rossi's office when the door was suddenly thrust open and then slapped shut again. From where Spencer was standing, the intruder didn't see him as he headed towards the desk with two slices of cake and a full shrimp cocktail. Romeo plopped his treats down on the desktop and started digging in.

"Hungry?," Spencer asked. Romeo jumped, turning towards him with his little fists raised up in fighting form. When he saw that it was only the lame magician from outside, the boy relaxed and reached for another piece of shrimp.

Romeo spoke to Spencer through a full mouth of half chewed food. "Are you going to tell my mom on me?," he asked.

Spencer considered the question. Then he shook his head. "Not if you share that cake with me."

Romeo took a moment to consider his offer before he lifted one of the small dessert plates off the desk. Spencer took the plate from him and rounded the desk, taking a seat in the large plush leather chair behind it. There was no silverware to be found. So Spencer lifted the cake slice with his fingers and took a bite. Romeo fixed his eyes on him as he continued working his way through his stolen shrimp.

"Are you a bad guy?," he finally asked.

Spencer smiled and shook his head. "I'm the one that catches the bad guys," he explained. "...just like your mom." Spencer could tell from the pensive expression on Romeo's face that the boy didn't ask the question at random. "Why did you think I was a bad guy?," Spencer inquired.

"My mom has pictures of you on her phone," Romeo told him. "I saw her looking at them. Sometimes she looks at pictures of the bad guys she's hunting for."

Spencer smiled at the boy as he took another bite of his cake. Romeo's excitement for the snacks he smuggled into the room quickly gave way to his desire to explore Rossi's office. Spencer watched as the boy moved towards one of the bookcase lined walls and began skimming his finger along the spines of the books, much like Spencer was doing when Romeo entered the room. Occasionally, a book would catch his eye. Romeo would pull it out and flip through it, his eyes scanning over the pages before he stuffed the book back where he found it.

On one side of the room, there were two overstuffed chairs with a small table between them. There was a chess board set up on the table. When Romeo reached it, he stopped scanning the shelves and turned his attention to the board.

"Do you know how to play chess?," Spencer asked. Romeo shook his head as he ran his hands over the pieces. "Do you want me to teach you?," Spencer offered, trying not to laugh at how quickly Romeo plunked himself down into one of the chairs. He left the other half of his cake slice on the desktop and took the chair opposite Toni's son. Spencer started slowly, explaining how each piece moved and the object of the game. But the easiest way to learn chess was simply to play it. Before long, they were both so engrossed in the game they started that Spencer didn't realize that Toni was standing in the doorway of the office watching them.

Spencer glanced up and caught her eye. She was quick to plaster on a smile. But he saw the flash of sadness and longing in her eyes. Her expression confused him. His positive interaction with her son came about naturally. But still, Spencer thought it would make her happy to see them together.

"Don't mind me," she encouraged, "...finish your game." Her voice caught Romeo's attention. He looked up at her with the widest smile on his face.

"Mommy! I'm playing chess just like Bobby Fischer!," he declared. "Come watch me!"

A soft laugh bubbled out of Toni as she crossed the room. She lowered herself down onto the arm of the chair her son was sitting in, ruffling her fingers through his dark hair.

When Romeo turned his focus back to the chess board, Toni glanced across the table. Her eyes met Spencer's. He couldn't have described the look in her eyes if he tried. But it sent a shiver down his spine as a pool of warmth began swirling in his groin. From the soft fullness of her lips to the tanned curve of her shoulders, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. All he wanted to do was bury his hands in her hair and kiss her. Of course, Spencer couldn't say all that in front of her son. But there was something he could say.

"I like your dress," he said, completely aware of the loaded nature of his compliment. Toni's cheeks flushed pink. And she looked down, smoothing out the fabric of the dress he just complimented. It was safe to say that Spencer wasn't giving the game of chess he was playing his full attention. It was hard to concentrate on anything besides Toni and the way the bodice of her dress hugged her curves. It wasn't until Romeo leaped up from his chair and squealed in delight that Spencer realized he just lost at chess for the first time in years.

"CHECKMATE!"