endearing ❣ spencer reid

sixteen

"What?"

Beth ran into the office JJ had just left. I stayed in my seat, frozen. Ethan...tiny, precious Ethan had seen who nearly murdered his grandma and dad. I quaked silently, my mind racing. Was it someone I knew? Was it a complete stranger? I tried to take deep breaths.

"We need a sketch artist, now," Hotch barked. An officer nodded and picked up the phone. I gripped the sides of my chair. 

"Okay, Emma, let's practice some grounding techniques..."

I licked my lips. 5 things I could see: chair, desk, floor tile, potted plant, and overhead light. 4 things I could hear: a ringing phone, the whirl of an electric pencil sharpener, the sound of heavy shoes on tile, and murmured voices discussing whatever. 3 things I could feel: the plastic seat of my chair, the tickling sensation of my hair on my neck, my teeth biting into my bottom lip. 2 things I could smell: cheap cologne and coffee. 1 thing I could taste: just the faintest lingering flavor of the bacon I had for breakfast.

Beth was escorted out of the office. She took her place beside me. We sat in silence. I could tell she was scared. I was scared too. I reached over and grabbed her hand. She sighed deeply and rested her head on my shoulder.

I started tapping my foot impatiently. Beth poked me in the ribs. I squeaked and stopped my tapping. Agent Blake walked over, a book in her hands. Her eyes were warm, her smile unsure. She cleared her throat. "Spencer mentioned you enjoy reading, so I thought this may help while you wait."

"You know what would really help?" Beth spoke up, her words slightly muffled. "Donuts. And ice cream. And cookies. And pickles." 

I giggled and graciously accepted the book. "Thank you so much." I opened it, not bothering to glance at the cover, and began to read. I wasn't really taking in anything I was reading, but it was good for keeping my mind busy. My eyes scanned the pages. Beth ran out to Dunkin Donuts and got us coffee and donuts. I slowly ate a classic glazed as I tried to immerse myself in the story.

"Ben's cheating on me again," Beth said, pulling away. I nearly dropped my donut. I stared at her in complete disbelief. She shrugged. "I haven't exactly caught him, but he's gone most nights, and I checked our credit card charges. He's been buying someone fancy gifts. Lingerie, chocolates, dozens of roses, nice clothes..."

I licked the glaze off my fingers. "Divorce his sorry ass!"

"I was going to," she confessed. She choked up slightly. "I was planning on leaving him, then he surprised me with a trip down here, and now he's in the hospital. How do you leave someone who nearly died for your mom?" My gaze darted over to the pictures they had taken of the crime scene. I stood and wandered over to them. I sensed eyes on me, but I paid them no attention.

I studied the photos. Ben was found on the bed, my mom in the bathroom. I tilted my head. Why would the killer move further into the room to attack his second victim? Mom had more injuries, but less harm actually done to her. Ben had slashes and stabs all over.

"You see it too, don't you?" Morgan asked, appearing beside me. "It just doesn't make sense with the profile."

Blake came up on my other side. "If he wanted to cause you the most emotional damage, going after your mom would accomplish that. But the evidence suggests he went after your brother-in-law." I reached out and gingerly brushed my fingers against the corner of a photo at my eye-level. Something was bothering me, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"What were the other incidents?" I questioned. Spencer wandered over, smiling slightly. I grinned involuntarily at the sight of him. He was so beautiful. And he was mine. Fuck yeah.

"Uh, a cat poisoning, getting her fired, sabotaging her car, and burning down her house, in backward order," he recited. His hands hovered by my hips. There were merely a few inches between us. I knew he wanted to touch me, but it was technically inappropriate. He was working. It kind of sucked, because I really wanted him to touch me. He leaned down so his head was a centimeter away from my shoulder.

I turned around to see his lovely face better. "How did he poison the cat?" 

"He left a plate of chocolate, grapes, strawberries, as well as a glass of wine," Blake replied, "which seems like a romantic gesture but he purposely left the plate next to the cat's outdoor bowls." Chocolate, grapes, and alcohol are all poisonous to cats, I thought. His placement had to be intentional. Right?

Morgan frowned. "He got Mila Grey fired by hacking into her email and harassing her boss, demanding more pay." More pay? It was a weird way of getting her fired. He could've just as easily sent a letter of resignation or thousands of other methods. Instead, he went with demanding more pay. It was definitely an odd choice.

"He sabotaged the car by meddling with the engine the day before Paige DiLaurentis was scheduled to take it to the shop," Spencer added. His eyes widened as if he were seeing the evidence for the first time. "And Kristen Miller was selling her house. The fire started in the oven. He was making cookies."

I furrowed my brow. "Doesn't that help people feel more at home in a house?" I vaguely recalled hearing that in an episode of Good Eats.

"Yeah, Realtors usually try to find something that evokes that feeling, like a candle," Blake chimed in. Morgan's gaze shifted to Spencer, whose expression implied he was mentally solving a Rubix cube.

"You solved it, didn't you pretty boy?" Morgan teased. I tilted my head. Had he really figured out just like that? Wow. Why did I find that so fucking sexy? Spencer looked up and locked eyes with me. There was a hint of horror in his facial expression.

He reached out and cupped my face. "We were wrong, Em. The profile's wrong."

*

a/n: the end is near...