Manhattan

Chapter 1: The Date

It was Spencer Reid's first date he's had in a year since Emma passed. He was nervous. His date was a brown-haired girl named Leah Harper. Leah and Spencer met through a dating website. Spencer sat there looking at his watch. "It's 6:30 she was supposed to be here at 6 o'clock." Spencer said to himself as he set the rose on the table. "Hi, are you Spencer?" Leah stuck out her hand. "Yes.. sorry I have a germ thing." Spencer explained as he waved at Leah. "Oh okay, by the way sorry I'm late." "Oh no you're fine, I'm just early." Spencer said. Leah smiled and sat down. "So what's it like?" Leah asked. Spencer had a confused look on his face. "Having an eidetic memory and a IQ of 187?" "Oh um...it's okay I guess. I remember a lot of things.. even the things I don't want to remember." Spencer hesitated. Leah just looked at him. "So I saw on your profile you like to read? Who's your favorite author?" Spencer asked while trying to change the subject. Leah smiled at his attempt at making small talk. "John Green." She answered. Spencer looked at her with a confused look. "You've never heard of John Green?" Leah asked. Spencer shook his head. "Looking for Alaska? Paper Towns? Fault in Our Stars?" Spencer shook his head at all the titles. "Man you're missing out!" Leah joked. Spencer laughed. "So in your messages you said you're an FBI Agent?" Spencer nodded. "Behavior Analysis Unit." "So you profile people?" Spencer nodded again. "What's your favorite case you've worked on so far while working at the BAU?" Leah asked. "Probably the Mr. Scratch case, it's one of our more recent ones." "oh yeah you guys caught a man that somehow made his victims attack their own families." Said Leah. "Yeah, he made them attack their families by giving them drugs that induced a self hipnoses fantasy which made them believe that everything that they imagined happened was real." Spencer explained. "Wow." Leah said in shock. "Yeah it was a really unique case. A lot of the victims thought they were being attacked by this dark shadow with almost insect like features." Leah's mouth dropped at Spencer's explanation.

After the date was over Spencer drove Leah home. "I had fun." said Leah. Spencer nodded. "Me too." "Well hopefully I'll see you again soon." "I would like that." Spencer and Leah both smiled at each other. "Goodnight Spencer." "Goodnight."

Spencer got home and got ready for bed and realized it was only 9 o'clock so he read a couple books from his library. One of them was the book Emma gave him with the quote that he hasn't read in awhile but like everything else that he reads the words echo in his head from time to time. He sat there and stared at the Nicolas Sparks quote that Emma had wrote the year before. People come, people go-- they'll drift in and out of your life, much like characters in your favorite book. When you finally close the cover, the characters have told their story and you start up again with another book, complete with new characters and new adventures. Spencer turned the page and read the book for the hundredth time. He didn't mind reading books over and over again, it was actually kind of therapeutic to him. He sat there and read the book and began to nod off.

Spencer walked into a coffee shop and Emma appeared at a table.
"How was your date?" Emma asked.
"It was good, we talked about books and she was fascinated by my recent cases." Spencer smiled.
"She wasn't grossed out at all?" Emma asked. "Nope." Spencer smiled.
"She sounds like a keeper." Emma smiled.
Spencer's smile turned into a frown and he looked to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked.
"She's not you."
Emma sighed. "Spence remember what I told you? Whenever you need me I'm right here." Emma put her hand on Spencer's chest.
"Emma, I'm a man of science I don't know if I believe in that sort of thing."
"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not I'm still always here."
Spencer smiled and hugged Emma. Emma kissed his cheek. "Bye Spencer."

Spencer's eyes fluttered open. He checked his watch, it said 9 o'clock. He was supposed to be at work thirty minutes ago. He quickly got up from his couch and ran out the door.