Strange Love// Spencer Reid// Criminal Minds

8

I woke up the next morning to an empty bed. The side where Spencer usually lays is cold, the comforter draped across my shoulder.

There were multiple voice coming from the kitchen as I got up, going into the kitchen, where Reid was talking to two police officers. 

"What's going on?" I asked.

"They're taking you out of state," Reid said to me. "Witness protection."

"What? No," I said, crossing my arms. "They're not running me out of town. I'm staying here to help solve the case."

"Madeline, it'll be much safer if you're out of state, I think it would be b-"

"I don't care what you think is best, Spencer, I'm staying here," I scoffed. "You're not allowed to make these decisions for me."

"You would be so much safer, Madeline," he said, stepping closer to me. "I just want you to be safe."

"I don't want to be safe, I want to save those girls!"

"Madeline, please stop being like this-"

"No, Spencer, you're not allowed to make that decision!" I snapped. "Just because you have a high IQ and know everything about everything doesn't give you the right to make decisions for me! You're not my dad and you're sure as hell not my boyfriend!"

"I'm just trying to help-"

"Yeah, well just because you lost everyone  in your life doesn't give you the control over mine." I said, grabbing my shoes and leaving the apartment.

I caught a cab to my apartment, giving the driver whatever cash I had left. The black SUV was still parked outside my apartment building, but I ignored it, going inside and locking my door. 

I sighed, sitting down on the couch. The phone ringed and I jumped, picking it up and answering it. 

"Hello?" I asked, my voice wavering.

"Hey, sweetheart."

I sighed, sinking back into the couch. "Hey, Mom."

"How are you doing? You haven't called me in a while."

"I know," I said to her. "It's been a hell of a month, Mom."

"What's going on? Do you want to talk about it?"

There was a knock on the door as I froze. "No, Mom, let me call you back, I've got a new case to work one."

"All right, baby, I love you."

"Love you too." I said and hung up as I looked through the peep hole.

Morgan and JJ were standing on the other side as I sighed, unlocking and opening the door. 

"Hey, Madeline," JJ smiled. "Reid came to work, we assumed you'd be with him."

"Uh, no, actually."

"Well, we can't solve this case without you." Morgan smiled as I got my purse and followed him out to the truck.

"They're still here?" JJ scoffed as I climbed into the SUV.

"They're probably not going to leave."

"That's why Reid wanted you in witness protection." JJ said.

I rolled my eyes. "That's not his decision."

We arrived at the BAU and I followed the two up to the lobby and into the conference room where everyone stood around, including Reid. I tried to meet his eyes, but he wouldn't even look at me.

"So, we know that these girls are alive," Hotch said. "We need to know where they were taken from and where they are."

"Garcia," I said, an idea popping into my head. "Can you check the two's credit history's to places around Daisy's bar?"

She typed on her computer before shaking her head. "Nothing."

"What about their parent's credit cards?" I asked.

She typed again before smiling. "Bingo, the two went to a bar called Asher's at least twice a week."

"They both had stable jobs, why would they need to use mommy and daddy's money?" Emily asked.

"Just the satisfaction," I shrugged as everyone raised their eyebrows. "I don't know, I used to do it in college, using up their money was some sort of revenge."

"Wait," I grabbed a marker and starting to scribble on the board. "Allison was about to turn 20 and Holly was about turn 21, Juliette said that Allison changed when Holly started coming around, but that just could have been mother's intuition."

"We need to talk to each of their friends." Morgan nodded. 

"I just sent a list to each other your phones." Garcia says.

"All right," Hotch says, looking around. "Morgan and JJ go talk to Juliette, Reid and Madeline, go talk to Holly's parent's, it's a couple hour ride outside the city. Emily and I are going to talk to Jessica, and Rossi, you talk to Jason."

Reid was about to open his mouth to say something but I grabbed his hand and pulled him from the conference room. Once we got to the elevator, he snatched his hand from mine, clicking the button to the ground floor.

"I'm sorry about what I said back there," I said quietly. "I was just angry."

He looked over at me, not meeting my eyes. "You said some hurtful things."

"You don't hate me?" I asked him. "After all the things I said, I'd hate me."

"Is that what you're doing? Trying to make me hate you?" he asked, turning to face me. "Because you couldn't even do that, I could never hate you, Madeline."

I reached out, pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Spence."

He hugged back, squeezing my waist softly. "It's okay, I accept your apology."

"Good," I smirked, reaching for the keys. "Because I'm driving."

He moved his hand quickly, laughing. "No, you're not, sorry Maddy."

We got into the truck and started going out of town. We got about 12 or so miles before he spoke up.

"You know, the thing you said about me losing everyone-"

"Spence, you don't have to talk about that."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine, I want to."

"About two years ago, I was having these awful headaches and I got in touch with a geneticist," he said. "But  we soon started drifting into things other than medical advice. We started to talk about ourselves. She revealed to me that she had a stalker, yet she wouldn't let us help. We talked for eleven months. She was the first woman I was sure that I loved."

I reached over and took his hand. He smiled, glancing down at our intertwined hands.

"I only called her on payphones because I didn't want her stalker to trace our calls, but one day I called and received the answer, Zugzwang," he said. "Which is a chess move that means the opponent will inevitably be checkmated."

"Her stalker kidnapped her and the team and I tried to find her," he cleared his throat. "Her stalker was a girl who thought she wasn't good enough, she wasn't to be everything Maeve was, and she killed herself and-and Maeve, right in front of me."

"Oh, Spence." I said, moving his hair from his face.

"She was the first woman I loved," he said, glancing at me. "But I think that I love you."

I smiled, squeezing his hand. "I love you too, Spence."