𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 ; 𝐬 . 𝐫

𝟐𝟑. 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧

sorry for the shitty chapter i had like no time to proofread bc its my brothers bday today eek                                  

you had only spent another week and a half in the hospital. although you were cleared to leave since you'd made a fast recovery, you weren't allowed to go back to work for a while. since this was your first time going back to normal life since what had happened, you weren't completely comfortable living alone once again. you immediately took spencer up on the offer he gave to live with him for a bit until you were cleared to go to work.

your bags were hanging off of spencer's arms as you slowly walked out of the hospital doors. your lungs inflated then deflated in a deep movement. you swallowed down any feeling left behind in the hospital, following spencer to his car. it felt weird being out here again. the familiar yet distant scents stung your nose, which had gotten accommodated to the cold sterile scent of the hospital. you trailed behind spencer to his car. you helped him as much as you could, considering you didn't want to harm yourself once again. you had (inevitably) gotten weaker. spencer understood and did everything he could to try and stop you from doing too much. he packed your bags into his trunk as you waited by the passenger door. he walked around, opening it for you. you leaned down and carefully sat in the car. spencer closed your door, shuffling back and around the back of the car nervously. he didn't like driving. hell, this wasn't really even his car. hotch was letting him borrow it and wasn't nervous about it, especially since it was just an old car he was planning on selling,

"you ready?" spencer asked as he sat down. you nodded, sliding the polyester seatbelt over yourself and buckling it into the clasp resting against the side of your seat. spencer did the same, shortly starting the car afterward. you closed your eyes and leaned your head back. your body tensed slightly as you felt the weight of the car shift under you as it backed up. you crossed your legs tight. spencer's hand gripped nervously around the wheel, his fingers fluctuating in a timid manner. you leaned your head forward and looked at him,

"you nervous?" your voice was slick with a playful tone. spencer let out a hoarse chuckle and nodded his head,

"yea, i normally don't drive." he cleared his throat, spit sticking to the back of his throat,

"it's okay, i'm here. don't worry." you said reassuringly. you could see a smile creep onto his cheeks as they flushed to a rosy pink. you looked back at the road ahead as you felt your own face get hot.

about half an hour later, you reached his same apartment complex you'd been to before. some memories came flooding back as you stepped out of the car. you closed the door behind yourself as you walked to the trunk to retrieve your belongings. you helped spencer as much as he would let you, your hands brushing against his multiple times. he carried them all on his arms and you held back a giggle watching him uneasily walk along the pavement towards the lobby. you dragged along behind him as your arms hugged your torso. you couldn't deny the feeling of your heart racing and the pins and needles running along your face. your breath hitched as you stepped into the elevator. you rocked forward as the elevator lifted itself. spencer quickly and instinctively put his arm around your waist to stabilize you. you put your hand on the railing of the elevator and closed your eyes as you leaned back up. he kept his arm around you until the elevator beeped and the metal doors slid open to reveal the long hall. he dragged his hand across your stomach as he snaked his arm from around your body. he lifted the bags again and waited for you to walk out,

"thanks." you muttered. he nodded and followed you as you walked away and took a turn down the hall. you smiled in reminiscence as you reached his door. your smile quickly faded as a wave of emotion shook over your body. spencer unlocked his door and dragged the bags inside. you stepped in and gently closed his front door. your eyes pinned on the floor, you zoned out. your musings were interrupted by a voice piercing through your thoughts,

"y/n?" spencer murmured, looking down at you,

"hm?" you hummed, blinking away tears. spencer frowned slightly and stepped forward to wrap his arms around you. you immediately broke down, your face buried into his chest. you wrapped your arms around him as he held you. his heartbeat echoed in your ear as you sobbed into him. he rubbed his thumb back and forth on your back, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on the top of your head.

you had unpacked a bag or two and by the time your pizza had gotten to his apartment, you were exhausted. you hadn't slept much the night before and woke up early for last checks before you were discharged. you heard a knuckle hit his door 3 times. by the first one you were already up and walking to the door. you swung the door open and slid the pizza man an extra tip. he nodded thankfully and you grabbed the pizza, the comforting warmth of the food against the cardboard hitting your forearms. closing the door, you jumped in surprise as you felt arms wrap around you from behind. spencer rested his head on your shoulder, his front against your back. you smiled as he unraveled himself from you. you turned to face him, noticing the sheepish smirk on his face,

"you're too sweet." you shook your head, the smile not clearing off your face. you set the warm pizza box down on the kitchen counter. spencer followed you, lifting open the top half of the cardboard, warmth radiating from the box. the smell of cheese, bread, and sauce filled your nose. you began to reach for a piece, but were interrupted by banging on your door. you jumped and spencer spun around,

"get behind the counter-" he ordered. you obeyed, crouching behind the kitchen counter. you peeked your head around the corner as your heart pounded in your throat. spencer wearily walked forward, about to open the door when 3 more bangs came,

"spencer reid, this is the police. we just want to talk." a stern voice came from behind the door. spencer furrowed his eyebrows and relaxed, opening the door,

"can i help you-?" he began. there was swat lined up outside as an officer charged forward. you popped up of from behind the counter, trying not to let your knees buckle,

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" you yelled. the officer pinned spencer face first on the counter with his hands behind his back. you felt your palms sweat and your stomach jump to your throat as swat and law enforcement stormed in. the cop that had detained spencer finally spoke as she led him out,

"you're being put under the arrest on the suspicion of being an accomplice in y/l/n's abduction." spencer's face went pale,

"w-what?" he managed to mutter out,

"anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you." the female cop warned. you widened your eyes as spencer turned his head around to look at you. with one more confused and upset glance, he mouthed to you,

"it wasn't me." 

the officer led him out and down the hall as the team finally turned the corner into his apartment. you stumbled backwards as your world went black once more.

welp hi! this is going to be the last chapter of a long way down book 1 lol

i'm honestly super sad to end this, just because the way this blew up and the way SO many people support me and this story. i know none of my other works are gonna be this popular, which is another reason i'm sad to end this. i'm going to continue to post on my TikTok @spencerreidbaby because i already have another one shot book in the works!! i also know by the time i finish that book and start the sequel to a long way down, most people won't be reading my work anymore (i know that dumbnut101 and will be tho) but that's ok! i'm writing to do what i love and have fun w it lol. the first chapter of the one shot will be out as soon as i just tweak a few things, so the first chapter or two will probably be out around august 10th-15th

thank y'all so much for everything and all this support on my first ever wattpad story lol see everyone soon <3

-soggycorndog1234