Consume Me Like a Fire

”One of the scariest things in life is being told that someone you love might not make it home…” ~Anonymous

Thanksgiving morning was busy. Shiloh was helping Stephanie do last minute cooking in the kitchen, the guys were getting ready to watch the football game, and Spencer has been on the phone with his team for the last half hour. A case came up, but he didn’t have to meet them until after Thanksgiving lunch, which Shiloh was happy about. Hotch and Rossi already left for Oregon, but JJ, Morgan, and Spencer got to leave later because of their families. Hotch was able to see Jack the day before for their own holiday dinner so he was free. Garcia had her computer system up at home and planned on going into the office after lunch.

“Does he normally work so hard?” Stephanie asked as she pulled the green bean casserole out of the oven. Shiloh glanced over and saw Spencer at the kitchen table with two laptops pulled up with different pictures and case files. He was currently running a few ideas past Garcia. Shiloh didn’t think that he’d need his work stuff, but she was glad he came prepared.

“I don’t normally see him like this. He saves work for the office and tries not to take up our time together with it,” Shiloh said kindly.

“That’s considerate of him,” Stephanie grinned, watching Spencer hang up his phone. At that moment, the rest of the guys walked into the kitchen to see when the food would be ready. Brady looked over at Spencer’s laptop screens and gagged.

“The fuck happened to her?!” He cried, looking at a picture of a decapitated woman. Spencer jerked his head up and frowned.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to put those on display,” He answered, minimizing the photos so only the case file was open on the screen.

“Does that have to do with the case you just got?” Nick asked, looking interested. Brady looked sick and quickly left the room, still seeing the dead woman in his head.

“Yeah, some of my team is headed to Oregon. Brunette women have been getting kidnapped and murdered, and the police are having a hard time closing the case,” Spencer replied and closed his computers to put them away.

“You’re done? Won’t your team need you?” Shiloh asked concerned.

“I’ve given Garcia enough to look into and I told Hotch I’d keep my cell on me during lunch just in case,” Spencer smiled and moved his things off the kitchen table. Cam clenched his jaw tightly. When Spencer got the call this morning, he thought the man would have to leave, but to his disappointment, Spencer was still here. Cam was still disgruntled about the way Spencer showed him up the night before with Shiloh.

Shiloh gently pulled Spencer aside to an empty part of the large kitchen. She rubbed his arms softly and looked into his eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to work on the case? I know how you feel about your work.”

“I’ll be fine. I want to spend time with you and your family. Then, I’ll go meet my team. Until then, I’m all yours, mostly,” Spencer said, kissing her temple before leading her back to her family.

“So, can you tell us anything about your case?” Nick asked.

“I can’t give you any specific details… But we already know it’s a man in his late forties. My theory is that he is targeting women who look like a certain one who has wronged him. All the victims are strikingly similar,” Spencer explained, “My unit chief and our tech analyst are looking into it.”

“Wow, and you do this every day? That seems like an exciting job,” Nick admired. He was only used to seeing the killers once they’ve been caught and when they go to court.

“It can be, but it’s also a burden. I love what I do, but it’s impossible to save everyone,” Spencer said with a small frown. Shiloh reached down and laced their fingers together.

“So, they just use you for your brain? Do you even go out in the field?” Cam asked, crossing his arms and straightening his posture.

“No, I’m usually in the field, but I also work a lot at the police station. I create geographical profiles that show us where victims were taken and left and where the other places are that the unsub might target. It narrows down the suspect pool,” Spencer explained, feeling a little frustrated that he was having to prove himself to a playboy who still lived with his parents.

“Have you every shot anyone?” Cam asked quickly.

“Cam!” Stephanie scolded. She knew how her son got and didn’t want anyone getting upset today.

“Yes and some of them have died. It’s not an easy thing to do. I’ve also been shot and tortured, but those are risks that come with the job,” Spencer said with a stern face, thoughts of Tobias flooding his mind, but he never broke eye contact with Cam. Feeling the increasing tension in the air, Nick stepped in.

“Cam, go get your brother. The food looks like it’s done,” Nick said. Cam grumbled and left the room. Shiloh made Spencer face her and leaned up to whisper in his ear.

“You don’t have to prove yourself. I know who the better man is,” She smiled and kissed him sweetly. Spencer relaxed and returned the gesture.

“Stephanie, do you need help setting the table?” Spencer asked. Stephanie beamed and ushered him away. Nick was left standing next to his daughter.

“Cam has been giving him a hard time?”

“That’s an understatement…” Shiloh snorted but nodded.

“Well, if it makes a difference, I approve of him. He’s a good man, and I can tell he’ll take care of you,” Nick said, watching Stephanie hand a stack of glass plates to Spencer.

“Dad, it’s not like I’m marrying him. That’s way too soon,” Shiloh laughed.

“I know, but I can see you two sharing a future together. Call it a father’s intuition or something, but it’ll happen. Just know, I support you two,” Nick said in all seriousness. Shiloh looked at him and nodded.

“I appreciate it, and if we ever get to that point, Spencer will be happy too.”

Lunch was served a few minutes later, and everyone chatted happily with the exception of Spencer and Cam. They avoided each other like the plague. Spencer’s phone vibrated half way through, and he had to excuse himself to answer it.

“That’s so disrespectful,” Cam muttered when Spencer left to talk to Hotch.

“No, that’s called being an adult. Spencer is saving lives; I think he can answer his phone during a meal,” Shiloh snapped, done with Cam’s attitude towards Spencer.

“Stephanie, I’m sorry for interrupting your wonderful lunch, but Cam, you have to stop this. It’s gone on long enough. Spencer and I are not breaking up any time soon, and you’ll see him more from now on. Will you please try to act more mature towards him from now on?” Shiloh lectured. Cam tried to think of something else to say but finally looked away and nodded.

“Thank you,” Shiloh mumbled and continued eating. No one said anything about Cam getting whipped because they were all thinking the same thing, even Brady. Spencer came back in shortly after and took his seat.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to leave as soon as lunch is over. The unsub is moving faster now that the FBI is involved,” Spencer said, frowning.

“Oh, Honey. Don’t worry; we understand. Do you have all your things together? How will you get there?” Stephanie worried.

“I have everything ready, and I have a ticket for a flight at 12:30—“

“Spencer, it’s almost 12. C’mon, I’ll take you to the airport. It’ll be crazy with it being a holiday,” Shiloh said.

“Yeah, I’ll drive you guys. Is that okay, Dear?” Nick asked his wife.

“Of course. You all better hurry!”

Spencer grabbed his bag and soon he and Shiloh were in the back of Nick’s car heading back to the airport.

“Will you be okay?” Spencer asked once he was checking his bags in.

“Yeah, I’ll hang out with my dad until it’s time for my flight. You go catch the bad guy,” Shiloh said softly. Spencer pulled her close to kiss her sweetly.

“Stay safe, okay?” Shiloh asked once they pulled away.

“I’ll do my best.” The two said goodbye, and Spencer hurried off. Nick came up beside his daughter and walked with her back to his car. They were silent, but he knew that she was upset that Spencer had to leave so suddenly. The arrived back at the house and Shiloh busied herself with helping Stephanie clean and pack up the leftovers.

“When’s your flight back?” Stephanie asked as they cleaned the dishes.

“When Spencer told me that he wasn’t coming home with me, I changed my flight to tomorrow. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t want to be alone,” Shiloh explained. Stephanie gave her a tight hug and nodded.

“Of course it’s okay. I love having another girl in the house. You’re the daughter I never had. We can go through those cookbooks tonight to pass the time,” Stephanie gushed, excited for more girl time. Shiloh smiled and looked forward to spending more time with her stepmom.

~*~

It was a little after nine at night, and everyone was in the living room watching TV together. Shiloh was cuddled up with her dad, feeling drowsy. Her phone rang quietly, and Nick paused the TV so she could answer it.

“Hello?”

“Shiloh, it’s Derek.”

“Derek? What’s going on? Where’s Spencer?” Shiloh asked, sitting up. Nick noticed her unease and tried to listen to the man on the other end.

“We closed the case, but Reid got hurt…”

“What do you mean he got hurt? What happened?” Shiloh asked, standing up.

“Reid got a lead and went to check it out with Rossi. Reid found the unsub and he uh he took him down, but the unsub shot Reid—“

“He got shot? Derek, where is he? Is he okay?!” Shiloh asked near panic. Stephanie covered her mouth with her hands. Cam and Brady looked at each other before glancing back at their stepsister.

“He’s at a hospital here in Oregon. He’s been in surgery for half an hour. I wanted to let you know—“

“I’ll get a plane ticket and fly up there. What hospital is he at?” Shiloh left the room to get her bag together.

“I thought you’d say that. Garcia is getting you a flight within the hour. Just get to the airport and there will be a car waiting for you when you land.” They hung up, and Shiloh quickly repacked her back. Nick walked into her room and watched her scurry around the place.

“What happened?” He asked.

“Spencer got shot and is in surgery at a hospital in Oregon. His team got me a ticket to go there tonight. Can you take me to the airport?” Shiloh asked, zipping her bag closed. Nick agreed and once again she was saying goodbye to everyone. The ride to the airport was fast, and Nick helped her get her bag to check in.

“Hey, just take a deep breath. Spencer is in good hands; he’ll be fine,” Nick kissed his daughter’s forehead to calm her down. Shiloh wanted to listen to him, but she kept thinking the worst. What if he lost too much blood before getting the hospital or what if the bullet was lodged in his spine and paralyzed him?

Shiloh said goodbye and made her way through all the security checks to get to her terminal that was already being boarded. She got to her seat and buckled up with shaking hands. Shiloh took a deep breath and tried to relax. It would only make things worse if she kept stressing herself out.

Spencer would be fine.