Strange Encounter - a Criminal Minds fic

Chapter 37

Spencer was walking into the Flagstaff police headquarters as he was hanging up with Amelia. He shoved open the door with his shoulder, trying his best not to touch the handle as he held his phone in hand.

"I miss you too, Lee. I can't wait to see you. Hey uh, I've gotta run. I'll check in with you soon. Bye babe."

"See you, love you, bye." She said, disconnecting the call.

Spencer stopped in his tracks. He had heard her use the same phrase hanging up the phone with her dad and her friends, but to say it to Spencer.. 'It was probably a slip of the tongue' he thought, 'She didn't actually mean...'. Or did she?

"Reid, you joining us?" Emily called out from the conference room.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts so he could focus on the case at hand and went into the conference room with his team.

♡

Amelia had forgotten how much she needed some time with her friends. When Anna and Smith left a couple of days later, she had felt refreshed. Her slip of the tongue still crossed her mind constantly, but she figured she'd cross that bridge when she got there. Her friends were adamant about her telling Spencer that she did, in fact, love him. But Amelia was too worried she'd scare him off, and her plan was to play the whole thing off.

Friday morning rolled around, another boring work day for Amelia. She sat at her kitchen table, wishing she were at Spencer's desk. Looking out the window, she had to admit she loved her neighborhood. Green trees surrounded the yards she overlooked, a neighbors dog playing in the backyard. Taking a break for lunch she got up, deciding to go for a walk.

Once outside her phone rang.

"Miri, I thought you forgot about me!" Amelia said, jokingly. She had only known Miranda for a little over three years but the two became fast friends. They met volunteering at a suicide hotline, and knowing you shared the same passions as someone helps expedite friendships, Amelia thought. Recently, Miranda had gotten back from a year-long fellowship in Israel, something that made Amelia jealous. She loved Philly, but besides her hometown she had never lived anywhere else and her friend was basically a world traveler, having moved from London when they met.

"Forget about my Lia?! I could never! I miss you, lady. I stopped by the hospital when.. well, you were sleeping, and I didn't get a chance to see you since."

"Speaking of, thank you for the balloons. They were great" she laughed, thinking of the 'Congrats! It's a girl!' balloons she had seen, knowing it was just Miri's strange sense of humor.

"I knew you'd love 'em! Anyways, I was calling to see what you were doing Sunday? I'm having a picnic with some people from the hotline and a few other friends, I was hoping you'd join!"

"Oh shit, I'd love to Mir. It's been forever since everyone's been together." The last time their trainee group had all been together was at least a year ago, if not more.

"Fantastic! I'll have food, drinks, the usual. If you wanted to whip up a playlist..."

"I'd love nothing more" Amelia said.

"Yay! I'll see you Sunday!" She disconnected before she'd even had the chance to say goodbye.
Amelia just chuckled, Miranda being one of the most unusual but lovely people she'd ever met. On her walk back, she got distracted by her music, having her phone silenced.

Settling back in front of her computer she noticed a missed call and a text message.

1 Missed Call: Spencer Reid

Spencer: Hey, just wanted to check in. I'm gonna be busy so might not get to talk to you till tomorrow. Hope you're having a good day.

Amelia frowned, sad she'd missed his call, before texting him back.

Amelia: Sorry I missed ur call. Miss you lots, be safe.

The rest of the day passed by uneventful and boring, Amelia not minding terribly. She watched rom coms all night and ate takeout in bed, before falling into a restless sleep.

♡

Spencer rubbed his eyes, flopping down on the hotel bed. Derek lay in the bed next to him, snoring. They had gotten back to their hotel a few hours earlier, and after eating with the team retreated to their rooms. Spencer had let Derek shower first, knowing he'd be able to fall asleep while for Spencer it didn't matter. He stood under the hot water in the cramped shower, letting it soothe his aching muscles. He'd hardly slept on this case and his body was paying for it.

After drying off, he picked up his phone and dialed Amelia. On the third ring it dawned on him that it was probably the middle of the night there but before he could hang up..

"Spence? You okay?" Amelia said, her voice croaked over the phone.

"Shit Lee, I'm sorry, I didn't even think to check the time.." He glanced down. 12:17, meaning it was 3:17 AM back home. "Go back to sleep."

"Mm, s'okay I'm already up." He heard her rustling in bed. He pictured her hair sticking up every which way, laying in the middle of her queen sized bed wrapped in her green comforter.

"I miss you, baby" Spencer said softly, slipping into the hallway of the hotel, not wanting to risk Derek waking up and hearing their conversation. He knew he wouldn't stop picking on him if he did.

"Miss you more. How's the case?"

"Actually, we're done here. We wrapped up a few hours ago."

"So you're coming home?" He could tell that information caused her to wake up a little bit ore, her voice becoming more alert at the news.

"Yep, we're out first thing in the morning. Which means, I'll be to you around 4 tomorrow evening."

"Thank god, I can't wait" she said. He could hear the excitement in her voice, even if it was still laced with sleep.

"Okay, I just wanted to hear your voice and let you know that. Go back to sleep, I'll see you soon."

"Night Spence."

"Night Lee."