𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄- 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐗𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐁𝐘. His leg twitched in anticipation, and he kept staring at the time on his desktop like it might make the time pass by a little quicker. He tapped his pen against his desk repeatedly, struggling to focus on his paperwork. 

"Reid," Morgan snapped, causing Spencer to top his incessant tapping. His cheeks flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile. "Sorry," he apologized. Without the pen in his hand, Spencer needed something to do to keep himself busy. He'd run his fingers through his hair and adjusted his tie about a hundred times now. 

In an hour, he'd be seeing his girlfriend for the first time in two months. 

The only thing Spencer had these last few months were the words she'd written for him during her travels. The same words he often found himself reciting more times than he'd like to admit. It brought him comfort to know that Alana had missed him as much as he missed her. He couldn't understand why she'd still want to come home to him, since he was certain she had her fair share of European men to choose from. Men who could dance and charm their way through Italian villas. Men who didn't hesitate before speaking. Men who didn't ramble when they were nervous or talk about obscure philosophers at candlelit dinners. Spencer tried not to think about it, because for whatever reason, Alana had stuck by him. 

Spencer wasn't sure if she knew that he needed the assurance or not, but her post cards always ended the same way. They always ended with some small assurance, whether to assure him that she missed him, or that she loved him. And although Spencer couldn't fathom why, he wasn't going to push it. 

He wondered if she'd changed at all in the last two months. He wondered if those blue eyes still had a storm brewing behind them. They'd always reminded Spencer of storm clouds on the horizon, but he wondered if the storm had finally passed at last. He'd wondered if the sea in those blue eyes had calmed, if she had finally found peace after everything. 

He hoped she did, because no one deserved that more than Alana. 

Spencer exhaled quietly and smoothed the wrinkles from his shirt. He was ashamed to admit that he'd dressed a little bit nicer today so he could impress her when he picked them up from the airport. He usually opted for sweater vests or collared shirts, but today he'd decided to wear a suit. Black jacket, with a purple dress shirt underneath and a patterned tie. He'd even gotten a haircut for the occasion, although he was still adjusting to his new look. Spencer prided himself on being a genius. He could use statistical analysis to predict the outcome of almost any scenario, but he truly did not know what to expect the minute Alana came off of that plane. 

"Pack it up, Reid," Derek said. Spencer hadn't even noticed that he was standing directly beside his desk now, with his arms crossed over his chest. "We have a case. Hotch said wheels up in thirty."

"What?" Spencer said quietly, trying to hide his disappointment. He was supposed to be going to the airport to pick up Alana. All he'd been looking forward to all week was today. All he'd been able to think about was what it would be like to finally have her in his arms again, after two months of not seeing her face or hearing her voice. "A case?"

"Mhm," Derek hummed, raising an eyebrow as he took in the disappointment on his face. 

And then he heard it. 

It was quiet, but his head snapped toward Emily, who was covering her mouth as she let out a snicker. 

Only then did Spencer glance toward Derek, who now had a massive grin on his face. Spencer narrowed his eyes, "Oh, yeah, laugh it up," he grumbled. "Real funny, you guys."