"So, how did you guys meet?" Asked her uncle Ernie. The man had dark hair and really dark brown eyes. He was wearing a very unflattering pair of golf shorts and a tight golf shirt. It was not a sight for sore eyes.
"Uh, well, you know, at work." She responded, avoiding at all costs telling them of their first interaction. It wasn't like she hadn't embarrassed herself enough in front of these people, so what was one more story in the great scheme of things, but her job and friends within it seemed like something she wanted to shield from the nosy people she was related to.
"Come on cousin! Tell us how you met, not where. How did you know you were in love?" It was rather clear her cousin always had to make sure to put her in a position like this. How could she think of a moment that she didn't embarrass herself in front of the man or that they weren't in imminent danger? They weren't really friends until a couple of weeks ago! How do you create a love story out of a relationship that wasn't even solid enough to be considered anything more than cordial?
"I don't know how it was for her, but I have the moment I fell in love with her engraved in my brain," Reid spoke, once again saving her from disaster. For someone who opposed lying so much, he sure was good at it. "It was one year, two months, and three days ago. I was working at my desk, reviewing some old case files for a consultation I had been tasked with when I saw her. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and to this day, with all due respect to all the ladies present, I can't find a single woman as beautiful and amazing as my girlfriend." Anna did not seem very happy about the comment, but nonetheless, he continued. "She was wearing this white dress shirt that honestly made her look like an angel, she wore her FBI badge, black dress pants, and flat shoes, which I thought was the smartest thing anyone could do, knowing what our job consisted of. I don't think she noticed me, and I wasn't surprised. How could someone as beautiful and amazing as her, ever look at someone like me?" There was a collective 'aww' heard around the campfire and she smiled at him, truly thankful for this story that made her seem like so much more than she felt. "Then it happened. We were getting ready for our next assignment and she spoke to me for the first time. Hearing her voice, and later her laugh, I knew I was done for. There was no way I could go on working with her every single day without ever trying my absolute best to get her to look at me, to laugh with me. So I tried to make her notice me, but nothing seemed to work. She was so concentrated on her work and helping people. Until one day, about a year ago, she finally noticed me, and I was lucky enough to get to take her to dinner. And the rest is history." He concluded the story by placing a soft kiss on her hand, which he had been holding on to since they sat at the campfire.
"That is such a beautiful story!" Her mom spoke, though there was something about the look she gave them that made her nervous. "Honey, why don't you tell us your side? How did you know you wanted to be with him?"
"Uh, well, you see," She laughed, trying to give herself time. Spencer had done such a good job even she was entranced with the story, seeing it play in her head, completely forgetting that she would probably be asked the same thing. Not to fear, as her brain pulled something from her conversation with him earlier, and although she didn't want to share this moment with the people in front of her, there was no other time that would work better in her favor, and she was running out of ideas. "We were in a sticky situation about a year ago, and though Spencer didn't know this at the time, I had definitely noticed him. The way he smiled and the way he concentrated so intently on every single task given to him, besides look at his face and tell me you wouldn't notice this man." There were grunts and agreements all around. "Anyway, during this situation, that I can't really talk much about, I was faced with the possibility of losing him, and I just couldn't bear the thought. I couldn't imagine a world where I couldn't hear his voice, see him at the desk right across from mine, or hear him laugh at something our coworkers said. It was unbearable. I couldn't live with myself knowing how I felt and that I had never told him before I lost him. Once the assignment ended and we were both safe, he asked if I wanted to go out with him, and I couldn't say no. So here we are, a year later."
"Very romantic." Uncle Ernie spoke, completely absorbed in the story.
"Yeah," Anna said, without any hint of actual affection towards them. "Who wants to hear about my honeymoon?" And for the first time, no one indulged her, not even her mother.
They all kept gushing over the pair that had just shared their fake love story, all hoping to get to know the man that had her feeling the way she had expressed, and Spencer was happy to oblige. She had never seen him so relaxed. She enjoyed seeing this side of him, confident, charming, and comfortable in his own skin. He didn't need to prove anything to them, and she knew it was because he didn't care about them at all. She should take notes from him.
"Honey, can I talk to you?" Her mom's voice made her jump, she was so busy paying attention to her friend she didn't see her approach.
"Uh, sure." She turned to the man, "Spence, I'll be right back, okay?"
"Yeah, no worries." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek, and she smiled at him, soon following her mother to the table furthest away from the rest of the family.
"What's up?"
"When I met Spencer at the wedding, you said he had liked you for two years, but now he's saying he's only known you for a little bit more than a year, what's that about?"
Now the look made sense, and she hadn't even noticed that mistake. She had to figure something out and fast. She remembered an article she had read not so long ago and blurted out her answer before even thinking about it, "He has dyslexia... But for numbers." Yeah, the person with a doctorate in mathematics surely had dyscalculia (also known as dyslexia for numbers), that made sense.
"Dyslexia? Oh honey, why didn't you say anything?"
"Well, because he is very insecure about it, and the last thing I want is for him to feel like I see him as less solely because of that. That's why I didn't say anything about him confusing two months for two years."
"I am so sorry sweetheart I just assumed the worse."
"We all make mistakes mother; I just hope you remember that."
"Yes, of course."
"And please don't mention it to him, I don't want him to feel bad. You should have seen how he cried when he first told me."
"Yes, no worries. Again, I am so sorry about being so inconsiderate. I should have known better. And don't worry, his dyslexia does not mean you shouldn't have kids together, I would not love them any less if they shared their father's condition."
"What is it with you and babies?!" Before her mother could respond she was already making her way back to the seat next to her now dyslexic boyfriend. It was like every second that pass she was adding more and more lies that she needed to keep track of. She was counting the minutes for it to all explode in her face.
The rest of the evening was more or less fun. Her family made sure to keep the two of them as the main event, winning more than one hateful look from the cousin she liked the least, but despite these two things, she managed to have a good time. Once in a while Spencer would say something about the situation and make her laugh out of her mind. She hadn't enjoyed herself at one of these retreats as much as she was doing that night. When she was little it was the best time because she got to see Nicole, her favorite cousin, one of the only ones she actually liked and not just tolerated. After they grew up the first one had moved back to California and she had lost touch with her. After that, although these events were fun, she got to see a lot of things she could ignore when Nicole was there, and two years ago they had become truly dreadful.
"Well, we would love to talk with you guys longer, but Spencer and I had a really long drive, and we're exhausted, so I think we'll head to bed."
They said goodbye and made their way back to their cabin, not letting go of each other's hand until they were safely inside.
"That was not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. I can't really like any of them knowing what I know of how they've treated you, but I didn't not enjoy myself." He said as he pulled out clothes from his bag. "Is it okay if I shower?"
"Yeah, you're good." She said, not paying much attention. She was trying to determine whether she should tell him about his new condition or simply hope her mom didn't say anything about it. She decided that she wasn't going to lie to him about it, after all, he was doing her a huge favor and didn't deserve that. His voice brought her out of her thoughts again.
"What's wrong? Did something happen when you talked to your mom?"
"Yeah. I told her you had dyscalculia."
"Why would you say that?" He didn't sound upset, mostly confused out of his mind, but not upset. That was good.
"Because when you met her you said we had been dating for two years and I corrected that you had liked me for two years which makes no sense since we only met, according to your story, a year and two months ago. So I told her you had dyscalculia and that's where the confusion came from."
"That is not how that works. I want to make sure you understand that. Do you understand that is not how dyscalculia works? Please tell me you understand."
"Yeah, I do understand that is now how dyscalculia works. I recently read an article about it. My mom on the other hand had no idea it even existed, so I used it to my advantage."
"You truly are something else." He laughed. "Now I'm going to shower. I'll be back in a minute." He moved towards her, who had found a home on the right side of the bed, and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"So much for being germophobic." She commented, trying to lessen her nerves at the gesture.
"I have always said it's safer to kiss someone than shake their hands, and since I have been holding your hand almost all night, what's a forehead kiss or two."
After that, he moved inside the bathroom and closed the door. Soon after she heard the shower, and she closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't believe she had gotten so far with this lie of hers. She knew it was wrong, one shouldn't lie, no matter how much someone irritated them, and they wanted to prove them wrong, it was not okay to lie. Yet, without this whole thing, she wouldn't have gained someone like the man now showering. If she had to do it all again, she would, just so she could get to share those conversations, the inside jokes and the looks that said more than words. Yeah, she would definitely do it all over again if it ensures she and Spencer Reid would end up exactly where they were at this moment. Though maybe in a bigger cabin? With more than one bed? Maybe she should have told her mom Reid didn't believe in sleeping in the same bed before marriage? No, that would just make her mother even more determined to get them to a church or something like that.
"Are you asleep?" He whispered. She hadn't even noticed that he was out of the shower.
"Yes, how dare you disturb me?" She opened her eyes and smiled. "Why would you ask me if I am asleep?"
"Because if you didn't answer I knew you were, and since you did I know you're not." He said as if it was the most obvious and normal thing to do.
"I need to take a shower too, so I was just waiting for you to finish."
"Oh, okay. Showers all yours."
"Why thank you, kind sir. I hope you didn't finish the hot water."
"I hope so too."
She gave him one last look appreciating his pajama pants with pumpkins paired with a black t-shirt that read I love Halloween. She was tempted to laugh but remembered she had a pajama shirt with Ross Lynch's face on it back at home and decided to let that one slide. She took her close and made her way to the bathroom. Thankfully, he hadn't in fact finished the hot water and she was able to enjoy a nice shower. Soon she was out, wearing blue pajama pants and a blue t-shirt. She debated whether to sleep without any support but decided that might not be the level of confidence she and Spencer had reached yet and used her handy sports bra. He was on the left side of the bed, his back on the mattress as he stared at the ceiling. She got to her side of the bed and imitated his position.
"Should I be worried about tomorrow?"
"Well, if you stay away from the areas I told you, we should be fine."
"How is it that your family is so into these things? Your uncle Ernie does not seem physically capable of doing things like running or even walking now that I think about it."
"Rich people are annoying that way."
"You're technically rich."
"Did you just call me annoying?"
"No, of course not. I was merely showing you how flawed your logic was."
"Whatever, mister genius."
"It's doctor."
"Yeah, yeah."
"I hope overall you had a good time. I was trying to make it as fun for you as I could, but I am not one for fun, as you may have heard from Morgan on several occasions."
"Spence, you are fun. I had a great time hanging out with you and I am glad that you're my fake boyfriend. I am even happier that we're friends." She closed her eyes and smiled. "Have a good night."
"Goodnight."
Snoring.
That was the one thing she forgot about herself. She snored in her sleep. Thankfully, either he was a really heavy sleeper, or he was used to it thanks to his own soft snores. When she woke up at five in the morning, drool on the sides of her mouth, the realization hit her. At least for now she could pretend none of that happened while she got ready for her morning run. From what she could tell, even in their sleep, their overcautious sides took over, as she woke on the furthest side, if she had moved any further, she would have fallen off. Spencer slept on his side as well, barely on the bed from how far from her he found himself. She looked at him for a couple of minutes. He looked so peaceful. She didn't understand how someone with so much going on in his life could still manage to sleep like there wasn't a worry in the world. She envied him, as she had lost her ability to sleep past five at the age of ten. First, her mother made her go on runs with her, and now it was just something she did every single day, unless they were working on a case and she hadn't had more than four hours of sleep, or she was sick. It helped her take inventory of her day and plan ahead for whatever was to come. She finally was able to look away from the adorable man sleeping in her bed—though that thought made her feel all giddy inside—and looked out the window to see the cloudy morning, deciding that was enough to make her use sweats instead of shorts. She changed into a purple running shirt and navy-blue sweats, she brushed her teeth and hair, placing this las one in a ponytail. Lastly, she grabbed her sneakers and exited the cabin, seeing someone right outside.
"Nicole?!" She exclaimed as the girl in front of her, with black hair, a tall figure, and beautiful brown eyes smiled at her.
"Hey, there cousin." The mentioned ran and hugged her cousin as tightly as she could at five-thirty in the morning.
"When did you get here? How are you here? I thought you were still in California."
"Yeah, that was the plan, but mom found out I was doing a show in Virginia and convinced the gallery owner to close for the weekend just so I wouldn't have an excuse not to be here."
"Well, as much as it sucks how you got here, I am so happy you are here. We haven't seen each other in so long."
"I know."
"How did you know this was the cabin I was in?"
"When I got in last night, everybody was very close to this one, trying to get a peek, and since my mom used the fact that you have a new boyfriend as one of the reasons I should come, I figured you'd be the main attraction of the circus we call family."
"Ugh, I should have known they would be spying." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I hope you haven't been waiting long for me to come out. Why didn't you just knock?"
"I just got here, I figured if you were anything like I remembered, at five-thirty you would be walking out that door for your run." She winked. "Shall we?" It was then that she noticed her cousin wore aqua sweats with a sweater of the same color and her own Skechers, her hair was also in a ponytail and she had no makeup on.
"This is going to be fun."
After about thirty minutes of silent running, her cousin finally spoke up. "So, a dyslexic sexy doctor, huh?"
"What?"
"Your boyfriend."
"Why do you keep saying it like that?"
"Because I know you two are not dating."
"What? How?"
"Because I know you."
"Did you tell anybody?"
"Who do you think I am?"
"I know, sorry." She said, looking around as if someone would hear them. She wouldn't be surprised if most of her family was already awake. "It's just that, I'm a little paranoid."
"As you should."
"Wait, how did you know about the dyslexia?"
"Your mom. She told my mom, who told me."
"I should have known."
"Please tell me you also know that is not how dyscalculia works."
"I do!" She defended. "Can we change the topic now?"
"Sure, how's the FBI?"
"It's good. I love my coworkers, and I love the feeling I get every time I get to reunite a family. Though the job has its downsides, one time I almost got all my ribs broken by a crazy religious cult leader, and another time I got shot and the bullet barely missed my arm. I honestly wish I had one of those coffee shop cards but for a hospital. Ten visits to the ER and your eleventh one is free!" That earned a grin from Nicole. "Though if I'm being honest, Spencer Reid, my boyfriend he has worse luck than all of us. He's gone through hell and back. I do not know how he survives it."
"Why keep doing it then?"
"I already told you, I love my job."
There was no more conversation as they made their way back to the cabin. She had completely forgotten Spencer was still sleeping and invited Nicole into the small dorm. As they entered a barely awake Dr. Reid got hit by the door, falling flat on the floor.
"Good morning to you too." He managed to say as he rubbed his nose.
"Oh my gosh, Spence!" She ran to help him tripping and hitting her forehead on the edge of the bed. That was definitely gonna bruise.
"Are you two okay?" The woman at the door asked.
"It will definitely bruise, but I'll survive." She said. "Sorry about the door, I didn't know you'd be awake."
"No worries." He spoke still holding to his nose. "It's not bleeding, which is good. I just have to sit here for a minute while the pain passes."
"Nice PJs." Her cousin commented.
"Thanks, I'm a big fan of Halloween."
"Never would have guessed." She responded sarcastically. "Anyway, my mother is probably freaking out thinking I already drove back to California or something, so I'll go check on her. I will see you guys at breakfast."
She closed the door and the two were left there, as they tried to lessen the pain.
"Who was that?"
"The best person in this family. My cousin Nicole. She lives in California so she's never part of these events, until now that she happened to be in town and her mom found out."
"Oh, nice."
"Sorry again for the whole hitting you in the face with a door."
"Eh, it's okay."
"Good morning?"
"Good morning." He finally stood up and helped her stand from the side of the frame where she had sat. "Did you go out this morning?"
"Yeah, I went for a run."
"Why?"
"I don't know, it's just something I do."
"For fun?"
"I mean, I guess you can say that."
"Don't we get enough running at our job already?"
"It's not like I'm trying to get my steps in or anything. I've just done it since I was little."
"You are right, rich people are weird."
"Whatever." She laughed, "you better change, we have a fun day ahead of us."
"I do not think our connotation, nor our definition of fun are the same."
After that he left for the bathroom, emerging ten minutes later with blue booty shorts a red hoodie, and sweatbands.
"What the hell are you wearing?"
"Sports close?"
"It's freezing outside, why would you wear those shorts?" She looked at his legs and raised a brow. "Spencer, how did you manage to get those legs? The hell are you hiding under those pants and sweaters of yours?" She approached him and tried to raise his close to take a look under his shirt, he barely squirmed away in time.
"Let's not undress me, please, and thank you."
"It's merely scientific curiosity. I think the people deserve to know."
"No. Please do not objectify my body."
"I just always assumed you would be scrawny. But you must be hiding some good muscle under there with those legs."
"I feel like a piece of meat. I'm gonna take the sweatbands off and put on some sweats." She couldn't help but look at him as he walked away, impressed by what she saw. "Stop staring at my behind!"
"I am your girlfriend; therefore I can stare all I want!" She answered.
He moved faster and closed the door to the bathroom, hiding in there for longer than was necessary. She didn't know where that side of her came from, as never in a thousand years would she dare stare at someone like that, much less comment on it or try to undress them. Maybe it was the surprise? Maybe it was because she and Spencer were now closer than before? Or maybe it was the undeniable reality that the doctor was truly a beautiful man, and he just didn't believe it, so she wanted to make him realize he was attractive. Yeah, that sounded better than her accepting she had not had physical interaction in over two years and her body had needs.
After he finally decided to leave the restroom and she was able to shower, opting for black leggings and a long sleeve sports shirt, they made their way to where the campfire had been the night before.
"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, it was early in the morning and I didn't know what I was saying."
"It's okay. I mean, it was definitely weird, but I get it, even if you pretend, you're not a morning person."
"Rude."
"Truthful."
"Good morning to the most beautiful couple in this universe!" Her mom greeted them, hugging them tightly as they tried to squirm away. "Because it's so cold and it is clear it's going to rain we had to change all the sports events for board games, so we will meet in grandma's old cabin and play some chess."
"Sounds delightful." She said. "But first, where's the food?"
After breakfast, they all made their way to the biggest cabin, which looked more like a full-on house, and set up different games for all the different age groups. Nicole had joined them during breakfast and now sat next to her, Spencer in the seat in front of them, being the first one to volunteer to play.
"You got this." She encouraged and he gave her a wink.
After what seemed like a lifetime, he had managed to defeat pretty much every single person in the room, except for those who didn't join. He was now playing Tyler, who was really good, but Spencer was better. Anna seemed nervous as she watched her husband, looking at the two cousins every now and then, daring them to say anything.
"This is so much better than the annual soccer game," Nicole whispered in her ear. It had been at least forty minutes since the game had started, and although it seemed as though the game could go either way, she had faith in the doctor. "I think it has to do with the fact that everybody knows that this about more than chess." As she said this, Spencer moved his final piece, making himself the absolute champion of the chess tournament.
She didn't know what took over her, but as soon as he stood from his chair, she jumped at him, wrapping her legs around his waist, and grabbing his face before kissing his cheeks repeatedly. She felt his arms wrap around her waist, preventing her from falling, and although at first he was surprised, he soon smiled. There were cheers for the couple and she felt Anna try to burn her with a hot glare, but she ignored it. She knew it was obvious he would win, this man was a genius who learned how to play chess before she probably even knew how to do her own hair, but there was no way she couldn't be excited that for once, her cousin didn't get what she wanted, for once she was in the spotlight, and overall, she had one person in this room who she knew, no matter what, she could depend on. Nicole was her favorite person for a long time, but she had her own life, far away. Spencer, on the other hand, had dropped everything to come with her, and be by her side so she wouldn't take any more crap from her cousin. She would never forget that.
Soon, the whole family had gone outside, as the rain subsided, they were attempting to light the fire again, but since everything was wet, it seemed rather hard. Spencer stood by her, and she realized they hadn't really said anything since his victory. "Uh, good job."
"Thanks."
"Sorry about the whole jumping on you thing, I got excited."
"Yeah, no, I totally get it."
"Cool."
"Yeah, cool." He gave her a side smile.
"By the way, I was right, you are hiding some mean muscle under those baggy sweaters.
"I mean I guess working with the BAU has provided me some strength, but I am no Derek Morgan."
"Spencer, no one is as toned as Derek Morgan, aspire for more realistic goals." They laughed, enjoying the chilly night and their friendship, and let's be honest, silently gloating over their victory over the Hemingways.