As we drive to the restaurant for lunch with her family, Lia leans her head against the window and watches the world pass by outside.
She's upset— but I'm not sure what about. Leaving, most likely.
"What's wrong?" I ask her, resting a hand on her thigh.
"I just... I don't wanna leave them," She says softly, her voice a little bit croaky. "Kass and Ellie."
"I understand," I hold my hand out, palm up, and she takes it, lacing our fingers together.
Ophelia is quiet until we get into the restaurant and sit down with her family. Her mood seems to instantly switch and she's back to her happy, carefree self. She holds my hand under the table while we look at the menu together.
Across the table, Ellie gets up from her seat, a sketchbook and pencil in her arms, and walks around to Lia and I.
"Can I sit with you guys?" She asks, hardly able to be heard over everyone's talking.
Lia is quick to ask Gabe to take Ellie's old spot. When he does, Ellie sits down with her sketchbook, laying it down on the table.
"What are you drawing, Ells?" Lia asks happily.
I lean forward and crane my neck to get a look. She's drawing a dinosaur!
"It's a velociraptor! What it should actually look like. It's likely that they had feathers and were much smaller than how they're presented in Jurassic Park," I blurt, feeling my cheeks heat up when both of them look at me with raised eyebrows.
"You like dinosaurs?" Ellie asks me.
"I've loved dinosaurs since I was a kid," I give her a smile, looking down at her sketch of the feathered velociraptor. "That's a great sketch."
"I want to be a paleontologist when I'm older," She says simply, continuing her sketch.
"I can see it," Ophelia ruffles her sister's hair. "I bet you could work with all of the fossils that come to The Field Museum, go out on the excavations. You'll find a type of fossil that's never been found before and get to name it."
Ellie grins and nods. "I gonna have a huge house with a velociraptor skeleton in the entryway."
Lia looks up at me and smiles before looking back down at Ellie's sketch. "You know, there's a Smithsonian museum back in DC with a hall that's exclusively fossils."
"I know! They actually have their own staff of paleontologists and paleobiologists." The girl beams, tapping her pencil on the paper. "I've always wanted to go to that museum."
"Well, one of these days I'll have you come out to visit and we can go together. Sound good?"
Ellie shrugs. "You always say you'll visit or that you'll have us come visit but you never do."
The look on Ophelia's face is one of defeat and sadness. She'd just gotten back to good conversation with Ellie and it just disappeared again. She's got tears building up in her eyes.
"Y'know," I start, grabbing Ellie and Lia's attention. "Lia and I were actually talking this morning about flying you and Kass out to stay with us for a week or so before summer ends."
"Really?" She looks up at me, then over to Ophelia. "We could come visit?"
Lia looks up at me with an uncertain expression and I just give her a smile. I'm thinking that was a 'do you really want to do this?' face.
"Of course, dork," Lia tells her happily before shooting me a smile and mouthing a 'thank you'.
-
In the parking lot of the restaurant, Lia hugs her family members goodbye. I shake hands and tell everyone that it was nice to meet them before getting nearly knocked over by a hug from Ellie.
As Lia talks with her siblings, I'm pulled aside by her dad.
"You really make her happy," He says, looking over at her. "Every phone call since the day she met you... she always goes on and on about you. The first time—" He laughs. "She called me and said 'Dad, dad, dad, I think I just met the love of my life. I fell into his lap on the subway and we went and we had coffee and he smiled at me like twenty times!'." He makes his voice go higher as he quotes Ophelia. "She was talking a mile a minute, telling me all about how she was gonna marry you and name your first born son after me."
I can't help but to laugh and shake my head, fixing my gaze on Lia. She's consoling Ellie, who is crying her eyes out and giving her a tight hug. I can hear her telling Lia that she doesn't want her to leave.
"She's been through a lot," Lorenzo continues. "But she's resilient. Even after how life has treated her, she's never lost her love for humanity and... somehow, she always sees the best in people. I don't know where she got it from. Not me, definitely not her mother— but she inspires me to be a better person and to try to see the good in everyone."
"Me, too," I say, watching as Lia walks over toward us.
She's got tears streaming down her cheeks, which she quickly wipes away before giving her dad one last hug.
"See you soon," She says into his shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He tells her. "I'll see you soon, mijita."
When they part, her dad gives me a wave before walking back towards his car where Kass and Ellie wait.
Lia uncrosses my arms and wraps hers around me, hugging me tight and resting her head on my chest. I return the embrace and rest my head on top of hers, pressing kisses to it every now and again.
"You know, I heard that the day we met you told your dad you were going to marry me and name our first born son after him," I say in a playful tone of voice.
I hear her giggle and her body shakes with it before she pulls out of the embrace and turns away from me. "I can't believe he told you that."
I just laugh and shake my head. "Are you still up for the surprise I had planned?" I ask her.
She turns around quickly and smiles. "I totally forgot about it. Of course, I am."
"Well, I have to pick up some things first. Want to head to the store?"
She nods happily before we get back into the car.
-
After going to the store and a long drive with Lia blindfolded beside me, I park the car and grab the grocery bags out of the back before helping her out of the passenger's seat.
"Spencer Reid, are you going to take the blindfold off anytime soon? I miss looking at your pretty face." She asks me as she stands up.
"Soon," I chuckle, holding her hand to guide her as we walk.
We're on the beach— which I'm sure she knows based solely on walking in sand, but she hasn't said anything. She stands patiently as I set things up.
A big blanket, snacks, dessert, and champagne, plus those little battery-operated fake candles. Real ones would blow out with the wind off the sea. We're here at exactly the right moment as the sun begins to set.
"Ready?" I ask her, undoing the knot on the back of her head that helped my scarf serve as a blindfold.
"I've never been more ready," She says happily.
I pull the scarf away from her eyes and rest it around my neck, stepping out of her view.
Her eyes widen. She looks down at the little picnic I set up, then back up at me.
"Spencer..." Ophelia wraps her arms around me, hugging me tight. "This is amazing."
"Let's sit down," I give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
The two of us sit down on the blanket. Ophelia stares off into the distance, watching the waves crash onto the shore.
"I know how hard it is to leave your family," I say softly, reaching over to rest my hand on hers. "I feel horrible every time I leave my mom in Vegas."
She gives me a sympathetic look. "I'm sure she understands. You've got this big, fancy job making the world a better place. She must be so proud of you. We should visit her soon. Pack up, go to Vegas. I mean— if you want me to meet her."
"I do," I nod and break eye contact, looking at the water. "I'd love to have you meet her. I think
... you should know that she's schizophrenic. She lives in Bennington Sanitarium in Vegas— they take care of her, make sure she's taking her medicine, make sure she's healthy."
"You never told me this," She says, scooting closer so that she's right up against me. "It must be hard."
"It is. I never really thought I'd have to tell you when we were friends because I never thought you'd meet her. I never anticipated becoming... this."
Lia rests her head on my shoulder. "Neither did I."
"Plus, I... I'm scared. Schizophrenia can be hereditary and... males usually have their break in their twenties." I can feel tears building up in my eyes. "It was too much for my dad. He walked out on us. I know how hard it is, so... if I ever—" I choke a tiny bit. "I just... wouldn't blame you for leaving."
I expected her to pull away, maybe to even see me differently for a little while. I even expected that she'd be upset I never told her about my mom.
Instead, she sits up and turns my face toward hers.
Her eyes search mine, full of concern, full of love. She tucks some hair behind my ear and holds my face in her hands.
"Spencer, no matter what, I'll always be here. I promise." She assures me.
Ophelia wraps her arms around my neck and I return the embrace.
"I love you so much, okay? I'm never going anywhere." She whispers into my ear.
"I love you, Lia." I respond, running my fingers through her hair.
"Let's enjoy this wonderful, romantic date you've set up for us," She says as she pulls away. She gives me one quick kiss on the lips before grabbing the champagne bottle.
She looks around for a few seconds before looking back to me. "No cups?"
"I forgot cups," I chuckle, just now realizing it.
The girl rolls her eyes and laughs, opening up the champagne bottle anyway. With a pop, it's open, and foaming just a little bit on the top. She takes a sip and offers it to me.
"I'm driving," I shake my head.
"One sip won't mess with your driving."
She's right. I take a quick sip before passing the bottle back to her.
"You're really a romantic, Dr. Reid. This is great." She presses another kiss to my lips before grabbing the container of cupcakes and opening it up. She takes one out— a chocolate one, and peels the paper down before taking a bite, getting pink frosting on the tip of her nose.
"You've got frosting," I gesture to her nose, making her raise an eyebrow at me.
"Where?" She asks, wiping her mouth and looking down at her hand.
"Your nose," I laugh, grinning at her.
"Oh! Right about..." Before I can recognize what she's doing, she scoops a tiny bit of frosting onto her finger and wipes it on the tip of my nose. "Here?"
I roll my eyes at her, chuckling, and wipe my nose with my middle two fingers before sucking the frosting off of them.
"Don't lick your fingers like that," She lowers my hand, her cheeks rosy.
Raising an eyebrow, I bring them back up to my lips. "Why?"
Ophelia chuckles and shakes her head at me. "If I were the one licking my fingers, what would you be thinking of?"
"Oh," I say, realizing how unintentionally sexual the action was.
"Oh," She repeats after me with a slight giggle. "Hey, I was wondering. You said you slept with your friend Ethan once, right?"
I reach for one of the cupcakes. "I did. Why are we bringing this up?"
"I mean... you don't have to tell me, but I was just wondering what... position you were in."
I look over at her, confused a little bit. "Uh, doggy, I guess?"
"No, I mean, were you... giving or receiving?"
I just stare at her for a second, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. "Why?"
"I'm just thinking of what I want when I win the bet, that's all."
"And what does that have to do with Ethan and I hooking up once?"
She laughs and leans over, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Spencer Reid, I just want to know so that I can judge whether or not you'll even let me near your ass."
I look down at my cupcake and shake my head. "I was on the receiving end."
I hear her snicker quietly. "So, I'm guessing you weren't a fan?"
"No, not really. But, I mean, it was rushed and... we didn't even have lube. I didn't really have the right circumstances to enjoy it."
"Ouch. You poor thing, you got ass-fucked with just spit? Been there. It hurts," She takes another sip out of the champagne bottle.
"What were you thinking of? If you won?" I ask her, curious.
Lia shrugs, looking out at the water. "Getting a strap-on and a good amount of lube, of course."
"Of course," I nod, holding in a laugh.
"I thought maybe you'd like it. My ex used to beg for it."
The casual 'ex' thrown in is a bit off-putting, but I decide not to think about it. I don't care who she was with before me, all I care about is that we're together now. "You must have known what you were doing."
"I did," She says simply, grinning ear to ear. "I'm really good with a strap-on. And, y'know, far better now than I was when I was with him."
Ah, yes. Unnamed girlfriend number one, then... Emily Prentiss.
"Why did you two break up?" I ask softly.
"He cheated," Lia responds simply. "Three times— after the third was when I decided to stop falling for the 'I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, I love you' bullshit."
"That's terrible, I'm sorry." I rest my hand on her thigh.
"Don't be. It all led me to right here, right now." She leans over to kiss me again, turning my head so that our lips can meet. It starts as a quick peck, but when she pulls away and looks at me, holding my head in her hands, I set my cupcake down and lean back in— deepening the kiss and bringing my hands to
her face.
I move my hands to her waist and pull her onto my lap, making her break the kiss to giggle.
"Oh, my god. Twenty-five-year-old libido!" Lia adjusts how she's sitting. "Dude, there's no way you're winning that bet. No way!"
I can't help but to smile up at her. She grins back at me and brings her lips back to mine, cupping my cheeks as she kisses me.
When I run my hands up underneath her dress, Lia breaks the kiss and looks down at me. "You're getting real handsy for a federal agent on a public beach." She whispers the words 'federal agent' to me.
"A federal agent on the far end of a public beach with no one else on it," I tell her with a sly grin.
She shakes her head and chuckles in amusement. "I hope this bold, dominant, 'I'm gonna have sex with my girlfriend on the beach' Dr. Spencer Reid comes back to DC with us."
"He just might," I hook the sides of her underwear.
"Hey, wait," Ophelia puts her hands on mine, making me look back up at her. "I just... I want to thank you."
"For what?" I ask, letting go of her underwear and just opting to rest my hands on her hips.
"Everything. For coming out here, for being so great with my dad and my family. And... you know, for dealing with me."
"I love you. I'm so happy to be here with you."
She just grins and moves her hands to my cheeks. "It's not husband territory?"
Shaking my head, I take her hands and press kisses to her knuckles. "No. Maybe it will be one day."
Lia chuckles. "Do you ever just... project yourself into the future? In all the different scenarios, all the different ways things could go?"
"All the time. Do you? We've... never really talked about what we want in the future."
"You're right," She says softly. "We haven't."
"So let's talk about it," I suggest. "Do you want to?"
Ophelia crawls off of me, taking back the spot she'd just been in. "I don't know where to start."
"What about... getting married? Do you ever want to get married?" Asking this, I feel my chest tighten a little bit.
"Um..." The girl ponders it for a second. "Yeah. I mean, I think so."
Not quite a convincing answer, but I think that it means she'll know when the timing is right for her.
"Not anytime soon, of course." I say in an attempt to gloss over the awkwardness between us.
"Yeah, no, for sure," She nods in agreement.
I think for a second. "Do you want kids?"
She's quiet for a little bit. "I... don't know. I think I'd just fuck them up."
"What?" My heart sinks. I lean forward to try to get a look at her face, but she keeps her head down— her hair acting like curtains. "Why would you think that?"
"Spencer, you're a profiler. You can't look at me, at my background, and tell me you'd think I'd be a good mom." She shakes her head.
"Actually, I can," I tell her, getting her to look up at me. "Lia, you've done it already. You raised three kids. Your brother, your sisters— they're wonderful and you said it yourself— your dad wasn't there a lot because he was working. They're great people because you molded them into great people."
She stays quiet, opening and closing her mouth like she wants to say something but just can't get it out. Finally, she looks away from me, just as tears begin gathering in her eyes, and speaks quietly. "Is it a dealbreaker if I don't?"
"A dealbreaker?"
"If I don't want kids, will you leave me?"
I shake my head immediately. "No! Lia, no."
The sun is nearly all the way down, the world becoming dark around us.
"Maybe we should head back to the hotel. We have to get up early and it's a long drive," Lia says, standing up and starting to gather things back into bags.
"Lia," I start, standing up. "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere."
Ophelia wipes her cheeks and eyes. "I know. I know you aren't. I just... I don't want you to throw away something you want because of me."
"I'm not. Lia, I love you. What I want is to be with you."
She looks at me and gives me a sad smile. "I love you. Let's get going."
The drive back to the hotel is mostly silent. I reach over and take her hand as I drive, raising it up to my lips to kiss her knuckles every so often.