i'll keep you safe, criminal minds

022. roller skating

"So you have six weeks off?" Mackenzie asks.

"Mm-hmm. Yep." Spencer nods, smiling. "I, uh... I still have some stuff to do, you know, so I-- so I can get reinstated and everything. Meetings and stuff, you know? But... most of the time, I'm yours. Especially given it's summer."

"Cool." Mackenzie smiles a little.

"I, uh... can we talk over dinner? We can order pizza? Or-- or something else you like?" He suggests.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Mackenzie nods.

"Good." Spencer relaxes slightly. "I, uh... I'm also gonna put my mom in a new facility. One that's close to us so-- so that she's not too far away. But also not living with us."

"Cool." Mackenzie says. "I, um... I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Oh. O-okay." Spencer nods. "You like walks now?" Mackenzie freezes.

"Yeah. Yeah, they're... relaxing." She says.

"Okay. Be careful." Spencer tells her and she nods.

Mackenzie leaves the apartment, going downstairs. She smiles when she spots the boy.

"Hey." She grins at him.

"Hey." Theo smiles. "You sure you wanna go roller skating?"

"Yeah. Yeah, why not? I, uh... I'm kind of tired of sitting in a movie theater... or a park bench." She says.

"Okay." Theo nods. "Well, uh, I got an Uber. It's outside."

+++

"No. No. here, here." Mackenzie giggles as Theo struggles to stay on his feet. She laughs as she takes his hands, skating backwards so she can help him.

"I'm not good at this." He says.

"No, come on. You got it." She encourages, pulling him up so he's not bent over anymore. "It's fine." She insists.

"How can you do this shit backwards?" He frowns.

"Practice make perfect." She grins.

"Right." He mutters.

"See? You're not so bad." She comments. "Now... if I let go of one hand..." She slips one hand out of his. "You good?"

"I-I think." He says, though his expression tells otherwise.

"And now both hands." She lets go of him.

"No. Wa-wait, no, no. Kenz. Kenz, no, hey." She laughs as he slows down even more, trying to stay up. "Hey. No. Kenzie, please. Mackenzie, I swear to God."

"Okay, okay, okay." She laughs, grabbing onto his hands again. "You're kinda cute when you're panicking over the small stuff." She laughs. Theo breathes out a laugh, ignoring how heat rushes to his cheeks.

Mackenzie pulls his hands a little, getting him a bit closer so he can stand up more.

"You got it." She smiles. Theo lets out a small laugh, but it turns into a grunt when somebody knocks into his back, sending him stumbling into Mackenzie who slides back until her back hits the wall. Theo's hands fall onto her waist, trying to prevent either from falling.

"Sorry!" The guy calls out.

Theo looks down at the redhead, his breath hitching at the close proximity of their faces. Mackenzie shyly looks up at him, not able to stop her eyes from glancing to his lips.

"Um..." She mumbles.

Just as he leans down to close the gap, they both jump at the voice over the speakers.