supermarket flowers ⇢ s. reid

xxiii.

It's been a little bit over a week since Spencer had been incarcerated and it was still the weirdest feeling to Melanie. No contact with him in the usual hours of the day made her heart sink. Penelope had made a chart that showed what days the team and her can visit Spencer. She had put the journalist first to visit but she never did.

It wasn't that she didn't want to, she just couldn't face the music just yet. The thought of him being behind bars brought her to tears. When it was her turn to go a couple days ago, she couldn't get out of the car when she got to the prison. She had to call JJ to take her visit instead.

So far the team has come up with no theories on how Scratch was able to pull this off but they weren't giving up. Sam and Melanie would swing by the BAU after work if the team wasn't away on a case.

If Melanie wasn't at work or down at the BAU, she was at home curled up on the couch or visiting Diana back at Spencer's apartment. Sometimes JJ would come over with her kids and Melanie had found that her kids were the best distraction.

Melanie, JJ, and her kids were spending the Saturday afternoon at Melanie's place; Penelope was planning to come by with her famous vegetarian casserole and margarita mix to compliment it - only because wine made Penelope drunk faster apparently.

"Thanks for coming over Jaje. I appreciate it." Melanie said.

"You don't have to thank me, Mellie. Just like all the other visits." JJ laughed softly. "We're all in the same boat here and we all need a distraction from what's been going on. Have you ever gotten a call from Spence? I mean...he does get one call a day."

Melanie shook her head. "No. I think he knows I don't want to see him. Now when I say that out loud it sounds harsh. I do wanna see him, JJ. Just the circumstances are so...."

"Unusual?"

"Exactly. Does that make me a bad girlfriend? Be honest."

JJ let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

"Everyone is all coping differently. Your BAU dream team tries to keep piling on cases to keep ourselves distracted and you...you get to see the two cutest kids of all times." JJ said, smiling.

Melanie giggled softly and looked over at Henry and Michael who were busy watching TV while coloring pictures to make for Spencer.

"But real talk, Spencer doesn't blame you for not seeing him. Sure it would be nice but it takes time to build it up. Honestly, I sat in my car for ten minutes before making my way inside the prison the first time. I cried for about five of those ten. It's hard." JJ told her. "Go when you're ready, Mells. It's no rush."

Melanie nodded. "I think Luke's turn is in a couple of weeks. I might go with him. Gotta push myself somehow. I don't want him to think I want nothing to do with him, y'know?"

"If it makes you feel better, Rossi hasn't seen him either. Doesn't have the guts to do it. Maybe you both can go? I think he's going this week. Then once you get comfortable, you can go with Luke. How's that sound?" JJ suggested.

It didn't sound that bad of an idea to Melanie. The sooner she saw Spencer, the easier it probably would've become over the course of however long it would be. She did miss Spencer and seeing his face would probably be the sunshine she needed in her gloomy state of mind.

"That's actually not a bad idea. I'd like that. David and I can conquer seeing Boy Genius together." Melanie said, slightly in a joking tone.

JJ laughed softly. "I'll let him know."

The two girls chit chatted for awhile and played with the kids until Penelope came home. Penelope was always a joy. Even with all this happening, she still managed to put a smile on everyone's faces. She was always amazing at lifting up people's spirits. The girls didn't drink as much as they intended to considering they had children in the room but they didn't need to be plastered to have a good time. They decided to do a little q&a with one another.