Strange Encounter - a Criminal Minds fic

Chapter 34

Spencer unlocked the door to his apartment, startling Amelia awake on his couch. They looked at each other for a moment. Amelia stared at Spencer, holding a bouquet of red roses in one hand and a brown bag in the other. He looked at her, an apron he forgot he owned tied around her waist and hair pulled up in a ponytail, something he wasn't used to seeing. He liked it, seeing her hair up and off of her face.

"Oh shit, the food." She bolted into the kitchen, while Spencer laughed, setting his things down.

"Well, it certainly smells good."

"Phew, you got home just in time" she chuckled. "If I had slept any longer I think I would've overcooked it."

He went over and pulled her into a hug. "You didn't have to do all of this."

She smiled up at him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I know. I wanted to. What's all this?" She nodded toward the flowers and bag.

"I ah, just wanted to get you a little something." He set the flowers on the table and pulled a bottle of champagne out of the bag.

Amelia raised her eyebrow at the bottle. They hadn't talked much about it, but she was under the impression that he didn't drink often. Not to mention, she knew the bottle was kind of pricey.

"Spence, you didn't have to do this."

He grinned at her, saying back to her what she had said to him. "I know. I wanted to." He grabbed two mugs and popped the bottle. "Sorry, I don't own flutes."

Laughing, she accepted the mug. "This is perfect. Alright, sit down. I'll get dinner."

He sat at the table, watching her put the finishing touches on the food and place it in front of him. Once she sat down with him, he dug in.

"Mm, I didn't know you could cook" Spencer said, mumbling through a mouth full of food.

"There's a lot you still don't know about me, Doc" she chuckled. She felt relived he liked what she had cooked, realizing there was still a lot she didn't know about him too.

They sat and filled each other in on their days, Spencer mentioning that JJ had asked her to come over next time she was in town. Finishing up, they both cleaned up and took the bottle of champagne to the living room, settling into the couch.

"Can we watch that street food show?"

"Of course!" Amelia flicked through the tv. "Spence, do you not have Netflix?"

"Oh, uh, no. I don't typically watch a lot of tv, when I do it's usually reruns that I own on DVD."

Amelia thought that was adorable, and perfectly on brand for him.

"You can create an account for me" he said, as he reached nearby for his wallet.

"No, no, I'll just log into mine." She quickly set it up, adding an icon on her homepage for Spencer. He smiled, not sure why the little action made him so happy.

She resumed the episode they had last watched and leaned back, Spencer's arm going around her shoulder. They sipped the cold fizzy drink, Amelia's cheeks becoming flushed from the alcohol.

A few episodes later, Spencer leaned for the remote and paused the show. Amelia glanced over to him.

"Do you have to use the bathroom?" She asked, assuming that's why he paused the show.

He grinned, pulling back and turning to face her. His grin dropped slowly, and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. He took both of her hands in his.

Amelia's stomach dropped as her mind started to race. 'This is it' she thought. 'He doesn't think this is gonna work out, he's going to ask me to leave, why else would he pause the show and look at me like this?' She felt nauseous.

"Lee, do you remember the day I came to your apartment?" She nodded, unable to speak."You were wearing these Mickey Mouse shorts, and your hair looked kinda like it does when your first wake up, all wild and bouncy." His eyes searched hers, trying to find the words. "I remember thinking how bizarre it was, thinking that a woman could be as beautiful as you in such silly pajamas." He chuckled at the memory. "And when we told you what was going on, you didn't panic which is the usual response. You just.. were so stoic. JJ and I both talked about it afterwards, you amazed us both and we have to have those conversations a lot."

Amelia clenched her teeth, eyebrows scrunching together. Where was he going with this?

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I'm not doing a good job os this. Uh, but when you were in danger, Lia, I forgot about anything else. My team, my mom, DC. You were my whole world. And when we caught.. him, I expected that to change. For those feelings to go away, to head back to DC and resume my life here as usual. But it didn't. You're still my whole world. I can barely remember what my life was like before I walked into your apartment that day."

He watched realization dawn on her face, her expression going from confusion to clarity in a matter of seconds. Amelia felt tears form in her eyes.

"I know we've kinda already been acting like it, but Amelia, will you be my girlfriend?" He smiled at her sheepishly, feeling like what he imagined a teenager had felt like in a first relationship.

She buried her face in her hands, which was not the reaction Spencer had been anticipating. He reached his hand out and cupped her face, scared to say anything. He held his breath for what felt like hours.

When she pulled her hands away, tears ran down her face but a wide smile replaced the line her mouth had been set in.

"Spencer Reid, you need to lead with that next time." She laughed as she threw her arms around him, crawling into his lap. He exhaled, pressing his face into the crook of her neck.

"Amelia Marta, I thought you were about to say no" he mumbled into her.

"I don't want to hear it, I thought you were about to end things with me!" She laughed some more as she realized something else. "Is this why you bought roses and champagne?" She felt him nod in response.

He pulled back and looked at her, breaking into a grin. "I guess neither of us are good at this, huh?"

She ruffled his hair, looking at him adoringly. "Nah, but now we can work on it together."

a/n

I love this