Tangled Up in You (The Story of Us Book 2)

Chapter 15- Change

Lots of things changed after they got back from Las Vegas. Morgan began to tease Spencer as he, Emily, and JJ attempted to pry into anything and everything they could find about him when he was in college, which he refused to answer. Amanda had gone to see Kristen's parents and was sad to see that her father's condition was worsening and he didn't have long to live. This had affected her work but the only one she would talk to about it with was Rossi, although she was loving her new office.

Then there was Aaron who had began to secretly see Kristen behind Amanda's back. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, it was that he was scared. Mostly because he wasn't so much seeing Kristen as he was just sleeping with her. Not that she wasn't okay with the arrangement. Sure she wanted to be with Aaron but she knew the likelihood of that happening and was willing to take what she could get before she wanted more and everything fell apart. That wasn't to say that she hadn't told Amanda. After all, they told each other everything.

Things between Amanda and Spencer had gotten better as well. The two had gotten closer after they had admitted secrets from their past and gotten through it. It made it easier for Spencer to know that if they could get through the things they purposely hid then they could get past the things they didn't know just due to distance after she left California. That's not to say that they had made the effort yet. It was odd. So many things seemed to change and yet, so many things seemed the same.

Amanda is thinking about this when Derek knocks on the door of her office. He walks in and takes a seat across from her before looking around her office, focusing on the cabinets in the back. "I got to ask. What is with the cabinets?" Amanda chuckles. She had heard the team theorizing about it after they all saw her office for the first time and was waiting for someone to ask.

"Oh, just wait," she tells him, standing up and grabbing her keys. She walks over to a glass cabinet that had picture frames with her doctorates and pictures of her and her mom, her and Sean, and her and Aaron as well as pictures of her cheer squad, volleyball team, and the BAU team. Using a key off her key ring, she unlocks the cabinet and grabs another key, using that one to unlock the cabinets built into the walls.

Derek stands up as soon as they open, going over to look at the various drawers filled with files and VHS tapes as well as some homemade DVD discs. "What the hell is this?"

"This is my blackmail cabinet," she tells him proudly. "It has everything that any of us might need to make people trying to shut the BAU down back off. I, of course, have multiple copies of everything in this cabinet but I figured that if I'm ever not here, you guys could still use it."

He just stares at her for a moment before shaking his head. "You're insane," he tells her, laughing as she shrugs and puts everything away.

"I might be but you didn't come in here to ask about my cabinets so, what can I do for you, Derek Morgan?"

He sighs and takes a seat once more. "I got a call about becoming the head of the New York field office," he reveals and Amanda frowns, not wanting her friend to leave but also knowing that running a field office is a big deal.

"Isn't Kate Joyner running the field office in New York?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want the job, I mean, people work their entire careers to run a field office? It's a great opportunity. I'd hate to see my best male friend go but," she shrugs and he grins.

"I thought Pretty Boy was your male best friend."

"Spencer's screwed up too much. The positions yours whether you want it or not," she jokes and he chuckles before getting serious.

"I don't know what I want. I haven't really answered them I mean, being a profiler was a great opportunity as well, and when Hotch was supposed to leave, I dragged him back and it cost him his marriage. Who would I be if I just left?"