✔️As Neighbors Do | (Spencer Reid)

Hope

hope

noun

a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

~*~

When Spencer calls her phone the next morning his tone is short, "where are you?" He asks.

"I'm at Michelle's..." she says.

She hears him give Michelle's address to someone.

"When do you fly out again?" He asks.

"6.. what are you doing?"

"Can you leave sooner?"

"What?"

"I- I need you to get on something sooner? Are you alone or are Bright and Michelle there?"

"They're here, what is going on?"

"Last year... I mentioned him.. the Chameleon."

"Yeah, he almost killed Rossi. Along with my brother the other day... remind me to buy him some of the scotch he likes..."

"He's... made an reappearance," he says, cutting her off.

"Oh God."

"Every one is sending units out... to their families. I've got one on the way to mom and one coming to you."

"Spence..." She says.

"I don't want you anywhere near this Max. I want you gone now." he says. "Go with the officers when they get there, and get to New York."

"Ok..." is all she can say.

~*~

"Our life is always going to be like this," she mumbles to Bright who is seated next to her on the plane, "me and him... running away from some serial killer."

Malcolm rolls his head to her, a bored look on his face, "sometimes you run towards the serial killers."

She rolls her eyes at him, "You'd know all about that. I don't want to live like this, Malcolm."

"Every relationship has it's problems. Your's are serial killers. At least neither of you has the upper hand. You're both fucked."

He looks forward and leans back in his seat, cockily, "besides, you were going to New York anyway."

She shakes her head.

"This isn't funny or cute Malcolm. I- I don't know if I can go back...."

"Max..." Malcolm says.

"I'm serious," there are tears welling in her eyes now, "everything is ruined. I ruin everything."

~*~

"Max got an earlier flight out to NYC. She texted me as she boarded so she's good. The unit with mom is secure as well," Spencer says to Luke.

"That's great, but... why was Max going to New York in the first place?" Luke asks.

Spencer blows a stray hair out of his face before answering, "uh... she has contacts there she wants to stay with for a while."

Luke gives him a concerned look, and Spencer can practically read his mind.

Max's psychological profile has been fair game to the team since the incident.

They know her motivations and neurosis almost as well as him by now.