Strange Encounter - a Criminal Minds fic

Chapter 16

While JJ went down the hall to change into sweats, Amelia put on a pair of blue and white striped pajama shorts and an oversized white t-shirt, channel surfing until she found Rush Hour on the hotel tv. Once JJ got back and their food arrived, they settled in and pigged out. They finished eating and JJ started regaling some of the funnier stories the team had shared over the years and had Amelia cracking up. After they finished most of the bottle of wine, Derek and Spencer knocked on the door.

JJ had just told her a story about how Derek and Spencer had gotten scolded by Hotch in front of a precinct full of cops for bickering like children and Amelia couldn't stop laughing, tears rolling down her face. She opened the door and the two agents stood in the doorway, not sure what they were walking into.

"You guys.. JJ just told me.. the funniest story.." She said between giggles, trying to calm down. Derek walked into the room and eyed up the mostly empty wine bottle and raised an eyebrow at JJ.

"I only had two glasses" she said and shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Alright Jennifer, off to bed. You've gotta be in early with Hotch. We're narrowing down to where Regino might be but got a few leads to follow up on."

At the mention of Christopher, Amelia felt as if she sobered up. JJ bid her goodnight with Derek following suit.

Spencer watched them walk out and turned to look at Amelia.  "Unlock our adjoining door, I'm gonna change then I'll come back in."

She nodded as she went and locked the main door behind him. She looked in the mirror on the back of the door and tried to tame her curls, which she knew was useless. They stuck out at all angles and she sighed and unlocked the other door, sitting back on the edge of the bed. She heard Spencer walk in and glanced over at him, heat rising in her cheeks.

Up until now she's only seen him in suits, which she had to admit were hot. But this.. this she could get used to. Charcoal grey sweatpants hung low on his hips and he had a maroon thermal on, hugging across his shoulders and arms. He shifted his weight on his feet and looked around the room.

"You had a good night with JJ?"

Amelia nodded. "Honestly.. I feel bad, but I actually forgot about what was happening for a little bit. Almost felt just like a girls night" she shrugged.

He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, shifting it with his weight and causing her to lean into him slightly.

"I'm glad you had fun" he said softly. He reached over and grabbed her hand, running his thumb over the gold band. "Where did you get this? I've noticed you playing with it."

"Oh, it's actually my dad's wedding band. See." She pulled it off and showed him the engraving of a date. "I know it's weird but both my parent's kept their rings, I dunno. I like wearing it. I do need to stop fidgeting with it though" she chuckled. 

"It's not weird. It normal for your brain to have a sentimental attachment to an object that represented a good time in your life, or someone you love's life. And fidgeting helps relieve nervous energy or psychological stress, so it makes sense you'd play with something you wear consistently.  " 

Her lips tugged upward, she had grown to love Spencer's random facts.

"So uh.. did you guys find anything?"

"We found a few connections he had from previous work at a couple of bars in the city. We're thinking he's crashing with a friend, we have a couple leads we're gonna explore in the morning."

"What time is it anyway?"

Spencer pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. "Sheesh, it's almost 2am."

"Oh jeeze Spence, you should go get some sleep. You've gotta be exhausted."

"I don't mind staying up with you if you're not ready for bed yet."

"No, no, it's okay I should sleep too." The wine had started to make her eyes feel heavy. Spencer nodded and stood up as she shuffled back in the bed. He glanced at her and leaned on the doorway.

"Will you wake me up in the morning? I want to go with you to the precinct" Amelia asked.

"Are you sure? Why don't you sleep in and spend the morning with JJ or Derek here at the hotel?"

"I mean.. I can? I'd rather be at the precinct with you though.." She trailed off, feeling childish. Spencer couldn't resist the smile on his face, which felt contagious to Amelia,  glad that he didn't seem to mind.

"Okay. Around 6:30 enough time for you to get ready?" Amelia nodded. "Alright, Li. Get some sleep." He shut off the light closed the door.

He got under the covers of his bed and turned on the bedside lamp, grabbing a book from his suitcase. He hadn't had a chance to read since he got there, and now that he knew Amelia was safe in the room over he felt relaxed enough to skim through a few books. About 45 minutes later, he had finished the new book he picked up at the bookstore near the hotel about the history about the construction of Philadelphia's city hall when he heard a soft knock from the door adjoining to Amelia's room.

"Amelia?" She slowly opened the door and poked her head in. Spencer found her curly hair askew on her head adorable.

She hesitated, "I'm sorry, I don't wanna-"

"Lia, you're okay. Come here" he patted the spot next to him on the bed. She went over and sat down on top of the blankets and picked up the book he had finished.

"My dad actually has this. Was it good?"

"It was. I actually learned something, which doesn't happen as often as I'd like" he said, realizing he sounded like a know it all.

"I know you're, like, smart. But how smart are you? Is that weird to ask?" She leaned back on the headboard and turned her head to look at Spencer. She noticed a blush form on his cheeks.

"It's not weird, I'm used to it. But uh, I have an IQ of 187 and can read 20,000 words.. per minute. I also have a couple different degrees and PhD's," he tried to play it down."Oh, and an eidetic memory" He saw Amelia's eyebrows raise slowly as he spoke.

"Wow, you are smart smart. And uh, wha exactly does eidetic mean?" She felt kinda dumb asking a certified genius.

"Once I see something, I can recall it almost perfectly. Usually words, like books and letters. Sometimes photos and conversations."

"Jeeze Spence. That's cool but can probably weigh on you sometimes I'm guessing? With the work you do?"

"Yeah, it actually does. No one seems to think of that aspect when I talk about it." He heard her hum and looked over at her. She had sunken lower in the bed and was now on her side looking up at him.

"Do you, uh, wanna stay in here tonight? I can sleep on the pull-out couch or.."

"I don't mind sharing the bed, I mean unless you do. I'm just jumpy sleeping alone in a different place and with-"

"Lee, it's okay. I don't mind at all" he smiled at her obvious relief. He tugged the blankets from under her legs and pulled them up to her arms. She flipped through the pages of the book he had just read.

"I have a tattoo of city hall, y'know."

"Really?"

"Mhm." She sat up and pulled her sleeve back. Spencer moved it a little more to the side and saw the intricate ink on her arm and shoulder. He traced the lines lightly with his fingertip, sending a shiver down Amelia's spine.

"Did you know this was constructed over the course of 30 years?"

"Seriously?? Did you learn that from the book?"

"I did."

She tugged her sleeve down and laid back down, looking up at Spencer. "What else did you learn about it?"

"Are you just using me for my soothing voice?" He grinned down at her.

Smiling, she poked him in the ribs. "Maaaaybe. I can't help it you have the perfect bedtime story voice."

Spencer chuckled and leaned over to turn off the lamp. He settled into the blankets and turned on his side to face Amelia. The lights of the city shone behind her, lighting up her silhouette. He hesitated, then reached over and ran a hand through her hair, hearing her let out a soft sigh.

"In 1854 the city's population grew to be 565,000 people, and consolidation required the expansion of services that outstripped the capacity of what was a two-story building at Fifth and Chestnut Streets..."

She grabbed his hand from her hair and wrapped it between hers while his voice lulled her to sleep once again.

a/n

sorry I know it's a lot of dialogue! not sure how I feel about these last two chapters but oh well. the next chapter is a bit of fluff to segway into the next sequence of events 

also, I wasn't kidding when i said slow burn lmao