26. one night only

𝑊𝐴𝑆 𝐼 𝐵𝑂𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝑊𝐴𝑇𝐶𝐻𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐴 𝐷𝐴𝑉𝐼𝐷 𝐷𝑂𝐵𝑅𝐼𝐾 𝑉𝐿𝑂𝐺 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐻𝐸𝐴𝑅𝐷 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑆𝑂𝑁𝐺 ^^ 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝑇𝐻𝑂𝑈𝐺𝐻𝑇 𝐼𝑇 𝐹𝐼𝑇 𝑊𝐸𝐿𝐿 𝐹𝑂𝑅 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐾𝐼𝑆𝑆 𝑆𝐶𝐸𝑁𝐸? 𝑀𝐴𝑌𝐵𝐸.

𝐼'𝑀 𝑆𝑂 𝑆𝑂𝑅𝑅𝑌 𝑇𝑂 𝐴𝑁𝑌𝑂𝑁𝐸 𝑊𝐻𝑂 𝐵𝑅𝑂𝐾𝐸 𝐷𝑂𝑊𝑁 𝐵𝐸𝐶𝐴𝑈𝑆𝐸 𝑂𝐹 𝐿𝐴𝑆𝑇 𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅! 𝐵𝑈𝑇 𝐽𝑈𝑆𝑇 𝐿𝑂𝑂𝐾 𝐴𝑇 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐺𝐼𝐹— 𝐼 𝐻𝑂𝑃𝐸 𝐼𝑇 𝐴𝑁𝑆𝑊𝐸𝑅𝑆 𝑌𝑂𝑈𝑅 𝑄𝑈𝐸𝑆𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁𝑆. :)

"I should fire you for what you did."

Hotch clicked the pen in his hands, folding one leg over the other as he narrowed his head, scribbling miscellaneous notes on the page before him. "One— you are a media liaison. You have not been certified to go out in the field, let alone by yourself. You're allowed to carry a gun, but that is it."

"Not to mention she cursed more than my Uncle Sal on a Saturday night watching the Cubs with a bottle of scotch in one hand and rum in the other," Rossi added. You and Hotch both looked over at him as he spoke, and he looked back at you, pressing his lips into a thin line as he said, "Not the time for comedic relief. Got it."

"Two," Hotch said as he leaned down, writing more on the page visible before him. "You called a press conference without my clearance just so you could lure the unsub out of hiding. You better be glad the fight wasn't filmed on live TV; otherwise you would've been screwed for lunging at a girl without probable cause."

"Probable cause?" Hotch's words made you scoff, crossing your arms as you quickly objected, "The girl was holding Spencer hostage and we knew it! Besides, I don't think that any of this is fair considering-"

"-Three," Hotch interrupted you. He looked at you for a moment, his eyes searching yours before he finally said, "You cursed more than Dave's Uncle Sal on a Saturday night watching the Cubs with a bottle of scotch in one hand and rum in the other."

"Okay, what the hell-"

"-Four," Hotch said. "What were you thinking? Not telling us that you knew where Reid was and going after him on your own? We're a team, (Y/L/N), and when one of our own is in trouble, then it is imperative to all of us that we work together."

"I wasn't thinking," you replied.

"Yeah, clearly."

"All I knew was what I was told," you explained. "That Spencer didn't have a whole lot of time and I just... I just left. I didn't even think. I went after him and I found him. Isn't that what's really important? That I found him and that we got to him in time?"

"Five."

"There's five!?"

Hotch looked at you for a moment, setting his pen down before he grabbed the paper off his lap, folding it in half before he ripped it straight down the middle. You furrowed your brows, watching him as he stood from his seat and walked over to the trash can, throwing the paper away. He walked back over to you, sitting across from you as he sighed, folding his hands in lap. "Five," he said, looking at you. "Well, there is no five, actually. Because I know you did what any of us would've done if someone we loved like that was in the same exact kind of situation."

"So," you said, flicking your tongue out over your lips, "I'm not in trouble?"

Hotch shook his head at you. "I'm sure you've heard that I was in a very similar situation a few years ago," he said, and you nodded at him. "So, no, you're not in trouble. But if anything like what happened yesterday ever happens again, then I will have to fire you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," you replied, nodding your head.

"And you need to find a filter for your mouth when you're at work. Do I make myself clear?" Hotch asked. "The cursing and the constant middle fingers around the office— it has to stop."

"But I only do it when it's necessary," you replied.

"Oh, well, in that case, I better not ever see it happening around the office again because it is never necessary," Hotch said to you.

You crossed your arms, sighing as you said, "Sorry, Dad."

Hotch folded his hands in his lap, looking at you. "Reid's never had someone like you in his life." You looked up at him as he spoke, feeling your heart lurch inside your chest. "You're good for him. And I see it— we all do. He loves you."

"And you made it pretty clear that the feeling is mutual with your whole 'women power' speech," Rossi added, smirking at you.

Heat flooded your cheeks, smoothing your hands over the scrubs you were wearing in place of your bloodied clothes as you replied, "Sorry, it... it kind of just slipped."

"Don't apologize," Hotch said as your eyes flicked to him. "We're happy for you. We all are."

"So..." You closed your eyes, sucking in a deep breath. "This is gonna sound stupid. But... let's just say that Spencer and I were dating." You opened your eyes, looking at Hotch as you asked, "That's okay?"

He nodded his head at you, a smile smile playing on his lips as he said, "The rumor about coworkers dating is just that. A rumor. If it gets in the way of work, though... that's where it gets complicated."

"But if you and the kid are dating," Rossi said, and you looked over at him, "then we know you two will be just fine."

"Hey."

Morgan walked over and you scrambled to your feet, wiping your hands damp from nerves on your shirt as Rossi and Hotch stood normally from their seats. "My shift's over. I'm gonna head back to the hotel. Did one of you wanna ride with me?"

"I'll come," Rossi replied.

"He's still not awake?" You asked, wrapping your arms around yourself as you chewed nervously on your bottom lip.

Morgan shook his head at you. "The doctors did say it would probably be a few days. Reid sustained some serious damage to his body. But he'll wake when he's ready," Hotch replied. He reached out, squeezing your shoulder as he asked, "You gonna spend the night here again?"

You nodded your head, pushing a strand of your hair that had fallen out of your messy bun behind your ear. "I just don't want him to wake up alone. You know... when he does," you replied, pressing your lips into a thin, ambiguous line. "Is... Is that okay?"

Hotch nodded his head at you, waving goodbye to you before he followed after Rossi and Morgan, leaving you standing there alone in the waiting room. You wrapped your arms around yourself, making your way down the hall to Spencer's hospital room as you sighed. It had already been an entire day since he'd had surgery and he still wasn't awake. You knew that was normal, of course. Sometimes it just took some people longer to wake after surgery. But, still, you were worried.

You hadn't left the hospital since the day before. Morgan had managed to find you a pair of scrubs to wear instead of your blood-stained clothes. You'd hardly eaten, hardly slept, and you were exhausted. But you knew it would all be worth it.

You pushed the door open to Spencer's room, hearing the soft beeping coming from the machines as you wrapped your arms around yourself, leaning against the door frame as you sighed.

It would all be worth it as soon as he was awake.

You closed the door behind you, yawning as you stepped into the room, plastering a smile to your face as you dropped into the seat beside Spencer's bed, taking his hand in yours. "You know," you said, lacing your fingers with his, "I'm glad, actually, that you're finally getting the sleep that you need. You hardly sleep as is."

"Still, I'm surprised you've been out this long," you added, smoothing your hand over his curls as he laid peacefully on the bed, clueless to his surroundings. "I know it's normal, but... I'm worried. I mean, what..."

Your voice trailed off, sighing as you shook your head to yourself. "God. Sometimes I forget that I'm still not actually your girlfriend," you said, looking at him. "And I know I said that we'll talk when you're ready, but I... I just wish you were awake so we could have that conversation now."

"I meant it, you know," you said. "The future where we get married and have two kids— I want that with you. I want it so fucking..." You closed your eyes, shaking your head to yourself as you said, "Hotch is right. I need to work on the filter. But I..." You opened your eyes, looking over at Spencer as tears started to form in your eyes, saying to his cold, lifeless body, "I want that with you."

"God, I'm such an idiot," you sighed, shaking your head as a single tear dripped down your cheek, clearing your throat. "I should've known. You know? I should've known about Norah. I've spent my entire life reading in between the lines, catching people in their lies. That's what you have to do when you spend everyday dealing with the... freaking press," you moaned. "And I should've seen it. I should've seen it with Norah."

"They have her in custody," you explained, tracing the veins in his arms as you cupped your chin in your hand, yawning. "She's not going anywhere for a long time."

"The amount of times you've said you were just looking out for me and I said that I don't need you to do that— look where we are now. Now I'm the one who has to take care of your senseless ass," you laughed. You looked up at Spencer, smiling to yourself as you pushed your fingers through his hair. "But I hope you know— I wouldn't change it for the world."

"I can't believe the whole team knows about us," you sighed. "And that you were right. In the end, I was the one who actually ended up telling them. It was for a good reason, though, so, I don't think you really have a right to be mad at me. At least they don't know what we first started out as."

"I still wanna do that, you know," you said. "BDSM. Because... I love doing it with you. And I love seeing how pissed you get whenever I'm a fucking brat. Shit! Not shit, I— shoot. Sorry. Didn't mean to cuss. Sorry about that."

"Long story short," you said, yawning as you folded your arms over each other and nestled your head between them, closing your eyes, "you better wake up soon or I'm gonna beat your pretty ass." You laid there for a moment, silent, before you pulled your head up, gushing to him, "I slept with Derek, Hotch, and Anderson!"

Spencer didn't move. He didn't even breathe. The soft beeping from the EKG was the only sound drowning out the silence echoing around the room and you sighed, laying your head back down. "Damn. I really hoped that would've woken you up. Since, you know, you like to say that I'm yours and yours only. And I am yours. I am always going to be yours."

You traced the designs of Spencer's hospital gown with your finger, your eyes growing heavy as you let out another yawn. "I love you, Spencer Reid," you said, sighing to yourself as you pulled your hand away, tucking it beneath your head, "with my whole heart. And I am so... I'm so... I'm just gonna say it. I'm so fucking grateful that you're alive. I- I thought I lost you."

"All I need now is for you to wake up," you said, closing your eyes before more tears had their chance to escape, taking a deep breath, "so that I can say that to your face. After I call you a goddamn idiot for sacrificing yourself for me, that is."

There was a sudden stirring motion beside you and you gasped, hearing a soft moan from Spencer as you lifted your head, looking at him as he squeezed his eyes shut, groaning under his breath. You let out a loud gasp, clapping your hands over your mouth as you said, "No, no, no." You shook your head in disbelief, squeezing your eyes shut as you said, "No. Stuff like this doesn't happen. This is a dream. I'm dreaming. I fell asleep. This isn't real. I-"

"-(Y/N)?"

Spencer looked at you as you opened your eyes, your tears spilling free as he opened his own eyes, groaning as he asked, "Did I just hear you say that you're gonna stop cussing?"

You let out a laugh as you jumped out of your seat, placing your hands on Spencer's shoulders as you leaned down, pressing your lips to his until he groaned, pushing your shoulder. You pulled away from him as he shook his head, moaning to you, "Stop. I feel like I just got stabbed."

"Yeah, because you did get stabbed, you idiot," you said, swiping at your tears as you shook your head at him. "I swear to god, Spencer Reid, if you weren't in the hospital right now, I would beat the living shit out of you. What were you thinking!? Giving yourself up for me!?"

"I was trying to protect you," Spencer moaned.

"Yeah, well, how many times do I need to tell you that I can take care of myself before you finally get it into that thick skull of yours?"

"Well, you've always had a habit of not listening to me. Maybe it was my turn," Spencer replied, flashing you a lopsided smile.

"You make it impossible to be mad at you," you giggled.

"Because you love my pretty ass?"

You gasped, holding back the urge to slap him as you cried, "Bastard! Have you been awake this whole time!?"

"Just slowly waking up," he replied, moaning as he placed a hand over his stomach, wincing. "I hope you know," he said, looking up at you, "that I'm gonna hold you to the 'no cussing' thing."

"At least let me say this," you said, and he nodded his head. You swiped at your tears, grinning down at him as you said, "I fucking hate you, you bitch ass little boy, come here so I can kiss your fucking face off because I love you so fucking much." Spencer laughed at your words as he motioned you forward with his finger and you leaned down, gentler this time, pressing your lips softly to his as you threaded your fingers through his curls, deepening the kiss.

You pulled away from him after a moment, resting your forehead against his as you sniffled, saying to him, "I thought I lost you."

Spencer reached out, brushing his fingers lightly over your cheek as he replied, "You couldn't get rid of me that easily."

You giggled, pulling away from Spencer as you landed a soft, delicate slap to his cheek. Spencer smiled up at you, taking a deep breath before he said, "Be mine."

"I'm already yours," you replied.

"Not in that way."

You looked down at him, a massive grin tugging at your lips as you asked, "Spencer Reid, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Maybe," he grinned up at you.

"And you're sure you don't wanna wait?" You asked. "I mean, believe me when I say that I don't want to either, but if you still need time, I'm willing to give it to you. I'd wait forever for you. I just-"

"-(Y/N)," Spencer interrupted you, laughing softly before he winced, grumbling to himself, "Oh, it hurts to laugh." He looked up at you, cocking his head to the side as he grinned. "You've always said I had a habit of being too slow. This is me not being slow."

You giggled at his words, holding your hands over your heart as you said, "Then the answer is yes, genius."

"I don't think you even understand how badly I wanna pull you down on this fucking bed and kiss you until your lips are purple right now," Spencer moaned, his hand clinging to yours.

"Hmm... Well— I can think of a way or two we can make up for that when we get home," you replied, giggling. And there it was— that feeling. The same one you got whenever it was just you and Spencer, gazing into each other's eyes like there was no tomorrow, almost like you were the only two left in the world as you stood there, clinging to the hand that belonged to the man that you loved, letting everything else fade away into inadvertent oblivion.

~~~

𝐴𝑈𝑇𝐻𝑂𝑅'𝑆 𝑁𝑂𝑇𝐸.i hope this chapter made up for the last two!! i typed it out super quickly this morning (so if it sucks, i'm sorry) because i felt bad after seeing comments saying people were actually breaking down after reading last chapter. i love you guys!! i can't believe this fic is almost over :((