We All Fall Down - A Criminal Minds AU

Two

"What?" he asked you, glaring over the top of his newspaper.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," you replied, averting you gaze and feeling like a child who had been caught doing something she should. Perhaps you had been.

He went back to reading and you thought back to the last few days. The apartment had been hurriedly packed up, only a few suitcases allowed on the flight. The rest was being moved via vans and should be arriving in the next few days. Spencer had handed you a pile of cardboard boxes, already labelled Y/N's room. Not bedroom, just your room. You knew the house in Elsmouth had multiple bedrooms so at least he would have his own rather sleeping in the guest room.

You'd cautiously asked him during packing why he was so sure you had to be out within four weeks. Surely the apartment had to go on the market and have viewings?

"Do you know how long the waiting list for this building is Y/N? Obviously not, you never did realise how much effort I put into selecting the perfect home in the perfect neighbourhood, just for you." He didn't need to say that it was you could have the perfect family with him. The funny thing? You'd never out loud mentioned what you wanted in a home, not really caring at that point. He'd taken it from your writings, the stories you submitted in class. This was where he thought he had learned everything about you. He scowled as he piled his books into boxes. "As soon as I told the apartment manager I was looking to sell, he came forward with a buyer. I've made quite the profit on it too."

He had made the profit. Despite the fact that it was you that had stripped and decorated the apartment. Originally Spencer had intended to get decoraters in but once it became evident that you wouldn't need the rooms decorating in time for.... well just within a set time period, you used decorating as a coping mechanism. It gave you something to do. You were no longer able to write, that passion had died when you'd had your heart broken so instead you turned the shell of the apartment into a home. It kept you busy.

Could you really complain though? After all, everything had been done on Spencer's dime. His family were well off and his own books had sold well. And his job wasn't exactly badly paid. He had paid for the wedding, the honeymoon. He had paid for the house and the move. And he had funded you for the past four years. You hadn't finished your degree, had given up on writing, hadn't even considered trying to get a job because you had no real skills to offer. You'd waitressed during that first year of college, you'd had to. The amount that you'd been left following your father's death had covered your rent for the four years and had made up the rest of the tuition that your scholarship hadn't covered. Stupidly, you'd paid the four years rent up front, thinking that otherwise you'd blow the money. And as you'd chosen an apartment off campus and hadn't really read the lease agreement, when you came to moving out you discovered that you couldn't claim the three years you wouldn't be living there back. But at that point Spencer had convinced you that he was taking care of everything. And you were letting him. So you had nothing.

Your flight was called and Spencer led the way to the gate, you trailing behind him. Once boarded, he turned one way and you turned the other, immediately popping a pill once you got into your seat. The flight was six hours and you hoped it would go quickly.

...

For once, things went in your favour. You were seated near the front of economy so once the air stewardess began the in flight service you ordered a double whisky, knocking it back quickly. The alcohol combined with the pill you had taken had you falling into a sleep so deep that upon landing, the cabin crew had to nudge you awake. As you disembarked the plane you saw Spencer waiting for you, looking irritated that he had been held up. You didn't apologise and instead concentrated on wiping the sleep out of your eyes and trying to clean the fuzz off your teeth with just your tongue and water.

Once your baggage was collected you made your way into the foyer where you were greeted by your brother in law by marriage, William LaMontagne. His greeting was warm to you both, him pulling you into a hug and whispering "it's good to see you sis."

You'd only met Will a handle of times, he was the member of Spencer's family that you'd actually engaged with the most. Occasionally he had business in the city and would make dinner arrangements with Spencer and yourself, although more recently it had only been Spencer. You didn't even know about their meetings until you heard a voicemail left on the landline from Will, thanking Spencer for dinner and commenting that he hoped you felt better soon. Perhaps Will would be an ally for you, a friend even. You certainly weren't going to find friendship with his wife.

Jennifer Joy, or JJ as she was more commonly known. You were pretty certain she knew. She and Spencer were ridiculously close, even given the distance between them. You'd answered the phone one night when she was calling after Spencer and she'd been colder towards you than she'd ever been, not that she was your biggest fan to begin with. She judged you, when really she should have been judging her brother too.

The ride to the house took another hour, Will and Spencer chatting idily as you stared out of the windows. When you'd originally heard who would be teaching your college syllabus you'd done some research. Spencer Reid was Googleable. He was from Nevada which of course everybody immediately assumed meant Las Vegas. But no, Spencer was from a tiny town around two hours from the Las Vegas city limits. A town where everyone knew everybody else. A town you were sure you were going to hate. You'd never been here before, you see. Spencer's family had always come to him. And now you were both going to them.

Whether you liked it or not.