just friends (s. reid)

9.

I'm excited for this one!! Just a heads up - there are mentions of Spencer's backstory going up through season 12 in this chapter, so if you don't want spoilers for the actual show, skip the paragraph surrounded by **! Hope y'all enjoy :)

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3 days later and you were still in damn Minnesota. The team was getting frustrated after finding the 3rd child dead and another one had just been taken. It was 2am by the time Hotch told you all to go back to the hotel and get some sleep. Although, he expected you back at the precinct by 7am. Every second counts in a child abduction case after all.

Back in your hotel room, you changed out of your work attire into an oversized t-shirt and some shorts. You went to get under the covers... until you heard a knock at your door.

What the fuck?

"Uhh, coming," you said, a little louder than you probably should've for 2am.

You open the door and standing in front of you is Spencer.

"Spencer?"

He walks in before you even get the chance to invite him.

"What are you doing-"

You turn to face him and finally get a chance to take him in. He looks horrible: you can tell he's been crying, his hair is disheveled, and his hands have clearly been run through it over and over again. His eyes were red and puffy and he was now pacing your room.

"Spencer, I- What? Are you okay?"

At this point he was across the room from you, pacing from wall to wall. He tried to speak but all that came out were small, almost inaudible squeaks. His breathing got heavy and fast and the tears started streaming down his face again.

"Woah, Spence, okay, okay," you said racing towards him. You placed your hand on his back and guided him to the bed. You had him sit with his feet on the ground and told him to place his head between his knees. You, on the other hand, pulled yourself up onto the bed, facing Spencer, sitting criss-cross. You continued to rub his back and whisper to him as he tried to breathe.

"Spencer, you're okay, everything is okay. I'm here."

You continued to rub his back for another 5 minutes before he calmed down enough to pull his head up from in between his knees.

When his breathing finally slowed, he looked at you and bit his lip trying to hold back even more tears. You placed a hand on his knee and started to rub slowly.

"Spencer. Do you want to talk about it?"

He nodded trying to keep back the river that was about to stream down his face.

"Can you talk about it."

After trying to speak, he shook his head violently as he dry heaved and his entire body shook.

"Okay, it's okay. Don't try to talk, I've got you. Was it the case?"

He nodded as a tear finally fell, escaping his eye, it rolled across his cheek and got stuck in the corner of his mouth. You reached up to wipe the tear away, but his hand reached up holding yours on his face.

"Spencer, hey," you moved the rest of your body closer to him, almost in his lap at his point, "you are okay. You are safe."

"But- but," he managed to choke out, "the- the kids aren't. They're," he took a long deep breath, "they're dead and I couldn't save them."

"Oh, Spencer," you said wrapping your arms around him and pulling him in for a hug. You could feel the tears gathering on your shoulder, making your t-shirt wet. "We're gonna catch this guy. Me, you, the team. We're gonna catch him."