Empty Beds

Spencer awoke the next morning with a sore neck, a weight on his chest, and an incessant vibrating in his pocket. Once his thoughts settled and eyes adjusted past his post-sleep haze, Spencer realized that he and Lydia had fallen asleep on her couch the night before; this explained his sore neck and the weight on his chest, as through the night she’d ended up more or less on top of him. He didn’t mind though, although his phone’s ceaseless buzzing was proving to be rather annoying.

Trying his best to not wake Lydia, Spencer pulled the phone from his pocket, flipping it open only to realize he had at least five missed calls, all from Morgan. Further inspection, to his horror, also revealed that it was nearly ten o’clock in the morning. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d woke up this late, although then again, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d stayed up so late for non-work related reasons. Once they’d gotten through Signs, which Spencer enjoyed (gaining an ‘I told you so’ look from Lydia), they’d settled on watching Doctor Who reruns until three in the morning. Spencer couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that content.

He didn’t even need to listen to any of the voicemails to understand that a case had come up and that he needed to leave as soon as possible. As much as he didn’t want to go, this was his job. He’d never minded these kind of situations before, but now that he had someone he’d like to wake up to it was a different story. This was why Morgan and Prentiss never got into relationships, he understood. But on the other hand, he understood it less and less: If you found someone that you wanted to make it work with, someone that was willing to put up with the constant absences, then why wouldn’t you at least try?

With that thought, Spencer pulled himself out from under Lydia was gently as possible. Gently or not though, she woke up, blinking blearily just as Spencer was trying to slide a pillow under her head. “Sorry,” he mumbled softly, and that was all she needed to understand. Lydia offered what was almost sad smile, but not quite. She had to expect this, she reminded herself, and she couldn’t let herself be disappointed by these things: this is what she’d signed up for.

“Do you know where my-” She answered before he could even finish, “Behind the couch.” He grinned sheepishly, reaching behind the couch where, sure enough, his cardigan laid after being haphazardly tossed in the mist of ‘things’ yesterday. The memory made his cheeks flush, in turn gaining a smirk from Lydia.

“Sorry for making you late,” she said as she pulled herself up from the couch, stretching in an almost cat-like manner. “I don’t mind.” Whether Hotch would mind was a different story, but he figured he could leave that out. For now, Spencer was focused on finding his other shoe. “It’s in the corner by the TV. Nice socks, by the way.” He just shot her another sheepish grin, an unspoken thank you of sorts.

“Okay, I really need to go. Thank for yesterday, and um, yeah.” Lydia kissed him before he could say anything else, treating it as he unspoken ‘you’re welcome’. And as much as he wished he could stay and kiss her for a bit longer, his phone started ringing again, a reminder that he was already late enough as it is.

“Call me when you’re done saving the world, wonder boy.” He just grinned back at her, answering his phone just as the door shut behind him. “Hi Morgan. I know I’m late, I can be at Quantico in forty-five minutes.”

“I’m on my way in now, kid, I can be at your apartment in ten.” Spencer immediately blanked, unsure how he could possibly phrase an explanation and escape interrogation. He quickly gave up, knowing that there wasn’t any way around it:

“Okay, but I, um I won’t be home in ten minutes.” Spencer mumbled as quickly as possible, flushing at the thought of the look Morgan had on his face right now. Morgan was never going to let him live this down, never. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he rushed out, hanging up before Morgan could comment. He was at peace for now, but in twenty minute he was in for it.

Meanwhile, Lydia simply put on her favorite record and began brewing a pot of coffee. She needed to be at work in an hour and a half anyways, so it was a good thing she was up. If not, Lydia would probably have ended up sleeping until one and missing her shift since her alarm was in the other room. She wasn’t lazy, far from it really, but she was definitely someone who a thoroughly enjoyed copious amount of sleep. However, the right cup of coffee was all it took to get her focused and back on track.

So she drank her coffee, took a shower, got dressed and was out the door an hour later. Life went on and Lydia went with it. Her daily routine never faltered for a moment, and if it weren’t for the memories of last night, it’d seem that nothing had even changed. This didn’t bother her though, not the slightest bit. In fact, it was a comfort: Lydia had promised herself from an early age that she’d never depend on a man for happiness or stability, and she intended on keeping that promise.

-

“So who was the lucky lady?” was Morgan’s first comment as Spencer walked through the apartment door. He probably should have been surprised, as it wasn’t exactly ‘normal’ for your coworkers to break into your apartment and watch soap operas while you were out, but then again, Spencer didn’t exactly have ‘normal’ coworkers.

At first, Spencer planned on denying it all together, instead offering some excuse about being at the library. But as he studied himself on the subway Spencer quickly realized his clothing gave away the fact that it had clearly been slept in and there was bright red lipstick mark on his color: it was undeniable that he had been in the company of a woman the night before, but that’s all the Morgan was getting from him.

So Spencer simply ignored Morgan altogether and threw his bag onto the kitchen counter, quickly walking past and into his bedroom, closing the door with a sharp snap. He wasn’t angry or annoyed, in fact he was still in a great mood, but he didn’t want Morgan ruining his mood with incessant questioning. Spencer kept very few things from the team, (he was even open about his family life now, something he’d been determined to keep quiet in the beginning) but now that he was dating someone (they’d never said it officially, but considering the fact that they’d almost had sex and slept on her couch after watching Doctor Who, he figured it was safe to assume such things) he at least wanted to keep that to himself. He wasn’t ashamed, he wasn’t nervous, he just didn’t think it was anyone on team’s business who he spent his free time with.

However, when he walked back out fifteen minutes later, Morgan was still just as determined as ever to figure out where exactly Spencer had spent the night – or rather, with whom Spencer spent the night.

“Come on Reid, you can’t hold out on me like that!” but Spencer did just that, simply grabbing his bag and an apple from fridge before heading to the door. Morgan shut off the TV and walked out, waiting as Spencer locked the door behind them.

“Is Hotch angry?” Spencer couldn’t help but ask, not even just to change the subject but because he was genuinely worried. Morgan just shook his head, “No, he knows that we were all expecting a day off and just wants us to get to Quantico as early as possible. But seriously Reid, who is she? Garcia wouldn’t spill anything either, she just said that she’s hot and smart.” Spencer couldn’t hold back a small smile but still kept his mouth shut, managing to fire up Morgan even further. Still, Spencer successfully managed to avoid answering anything relating to Lydia for the entire care ride.

He jumped right into the case when they arrived, avoiding the questioning glances from his team. They did what they wanted on their days off and he didn’t pry, now he expected the same privacy but with team members like Garcia and Morgan this was practically impossible. This was proven a few hours later when Spencer tried calling Garcia for information, only to get “So I heard you spent the night with a certain lady-friend.” He just barreled past it, ignoring the smug look Prentiss was giving him. Yes, this was going to be a long day.

-

“But I don’t get it, why would you want to date someone who’s hardly even home?”

Lydia sighed at Megan’s question, immediately starting to regret going out to dinner with her friends after the gym. It was their tradition for Sunday nights, and while she always had a good time with her friends, the moment they’d heard that she was ‘seeing someone’ they’d yet to move on with the conversation. Most of her friends were single and preferred it that way, all intent on soaking up ‘the freedom of their twenties’ while they could. Of course they’d all been in relationships, and so at first they weren’t surprised with her news, but as soon as she started to explain their situation her friends all became a bit skeptical.

“He’s worth it.” She said simply, hoping that they could get it. But they didn’t. No, her answer just seemed to confuse them further if anything. She couldn’t blame them really, if the situation were flipped maybe she wouldn’t be all that convinced either, but she’d at least expected a bit of support.

“He could be with a different woman every night and you’d have no idea.” Lydia couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Jane’s suggestion, almost spilling her drink down herself and successfully making her friends even more confused. “Trust me; he is not that kind of guy.” She managed to choke out after a moment, but her friends weren’t convinced. Of course they weren’t, they didn’t know him, but even still the mere suggestion was just too ridiculous for Lydia to take seriously.

“I’m not just saying it to reassure myself, he’s really just not that kind of guy. He respects me; he respects me more than any guy I’ve ever been with his. You can give me that look all you want, but I’m happy with him, happier than I’ve been since I was sixteen.” She’d never gone into much detail about her past, despite knowing everyone at the table for years now, but they knew enough to understand. Still, they were silent, all of them carefully studying her. James was the first to offer his congratulations (and ask if Spencer happened to have a brother), pulling them out of the almost-tense mood they’d slipped into.

“Well invite your new man to come out with us next time,” Megan suggested toward the end of dinner, making Lydia pause. As much as she liked her friends, she didn’t know how Spencer would react to their crude humor and sometimes lewd stories. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of her friends, not at all; they just weren’t the best of company sometimes. They all put up with each other, but they weren’t the kind of friends that would still be calling each other in ten, twenty, year. Lydia liked her group of friends because while she had a good time when she was with them, none of them ever really cared enough to try and dig into her personal life.

“He’s um, he’s a bit awkward.” Lydia finally managed to reply, knowing that it was a complete understatement. “But I’ll mention it if he’s home for a Sunday. No promises, but I’ll mention it.” Lydia probably never would, and her friends knew that, but nevertheless they smiled and shrugged.

-

“You know, Reid, we’re just going to make our own assumptions if you don’t tell us what happened.” It was the day later and yet still he was being questioned, now even Prentiss had joined in. “There’s nothing to assume about.” He finally muttered without looking up from his book. They were on the way back to Quantico, as they’d found their break in the case earlier in the afternoon, and now had to file their reports. Spencer never found himself more eager than ever to get away from work, desperate to get away from the incessant questing and finally get a moment of peace to himself. He loved his job, he truly did, but spending days and day at a time with the same people for the past six years could be rather trying, especially when they were determined to bud into his social life.

“Sorry, Reid, but I highly doubt that: I was informed that there was red lipstick on your collar that matched the lipstick on that napkin with the number, so I think my assumption is spot on.”

He decided that ignoring it all was the best tactic once again: they could assume what they wanted but he knew what happened and that’s all that mattered, right? So with that decided, Spencer turned his full attention to his book, letting the words drown out everything else going on around him. This tactic worked too, he found, as by the time they touched down in Virginia he had finished the book and even Morgan seemed a bit defeated.

The rest of the night passed with few comments, everyone was too focused on finishing their reports so they could get home to even bother anymore. Spencer was thankful for this, especially thankful once he’d finished his work and was free to go.

-

Lydia woke Thursday morning to the sound of her phone ringing all too loudly from beside her. She reached around blindly, her eyes still adjusting to the sunlight streaming through the window, managing to knock over her lamp in the process before she finally found it. Despite how much she disliked being woken up, she couldn’t help but smile at the Caller I.D.

“Hello?”

“Um, hi Lydia, it’s Spencer. I woke you up didn’t I? I’m sorry, I can call back-”

“No, no it’s fine, if I’m up then there’s no use going back to bed. Did you want to get breakfast?” Sometimes it almost unnerved Spencer at how easily she could read him but once the initial response passed he couldn’t stop grinning. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was going to ask actually.”

“I know, I assume that’s the only reason you’d call at me at this ungodly hour,” this ungodly hour being eight thirty-two, a time she hadn’t woken up at since her morning classes ended, “unless you have a specific place in mind, I know a great place near me that we can go that’s near my apartment.”

“That sounds fine. I’ll be there in twenty-five.” She made some noise of agreement before hanging up, deciding that she could at least lay down for another five minutes.

Five minutes soon turned into ten, then to fifteen, and soon enough Lydia was woken up again by the sound of someone knocking on her door. She glanced over at the clock for a moment, letting a stream of curses from her mouth when she’d realized the time. “Shit shit shit shit,”

Spencer jumped at the door suddenly swung open, a rush of apologies immediately following. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Lydia with her hair an absolute wreck and a horrified expression on her face. “I’m so sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t fall back asleep but I did and only just woke up and shit, I’m so sorry.” But Spencer could only laugh again, “I don’t mind.” and he really didn’t. Lydia could tell too but that only made her feel even worse about it all. She went to start apologizing again but was cut off by his mouth on hers, unexpected but still completely welcome.

“Why don’t we just make breakfast?” Lydia suggested once they’d pulled away. Spencer shrugged, unsure if he should mention that cooking was definitely not an area of expertise for him. Lydia disappeared into the kitchen before he could say a word, immediately setting out to find the ingredients necessary for waffles. Spencer slipped off his shoes before following her, almost laughing at the sight of her face first in the fridge. “I um, I’m not the best cook…” he tried, knowing it was quite the understatement.

“Nonsense, basic cooking is simply measuring and following instructions correctly.” Thirty minutes later however, Lydia realized just how wrong she could be. She’s left him in charge of making the mix, but once that ended up as a lumpy mess had assigned him to cooking the bacon: the result of this was an apartment reeking of smoke and their clothes and faces smeared with flour.

But to Spencer’s relief, Lydia didn’t seem to mind his inability to cook and exceeding ability to make a mess. If anything, Lydia found the experience hilarious, although she vowed to never let him into the kitchen while she was trying to cook again after this. Spencer grinned when she voiced this thought, more than happy to oblige. Lydia didn’t even mind that his mouth tasted like flour when he kissed her, or that her hair ended up white from flour on his hands.

“How does cereal sound then? I don’t think there’s any possible way that you could mess that up, this is as long as you don’t drop the milk.” Lydia finally asked when Spencer pulled away, making Spencer smile for what felt like the millionth time that day. When he tried to think back on when he’d enjoyed himself this much he couldn’t find a memory prior to childhood, from the years before his father left and his mother’s condition had been somewhat under control. He could really get used to this, he decided; spending days with Lydia made the things he saw day after day just a bit more bearable.

“Cereal sounds great,” he replied easily, getting the milk while she set off to raid the cabinets in search of clean bowls and spoons. The contrast of Spencer’s meticulously clean apartment to Lydia’s was honestly comical, saying that her apartment was messy would be an extreme understatement, but Spencer didn’t mind at all. There were dishes piled in the sink and finding a clear flat surface was rare, but that just seemed to make it all the more comfortable. Spencer’s apartment was modern and minimalistic, Lydia’s furniture was all second hand and worn. Opposites attracting was true for the most basic units of life, so Spencer decided that just maybe it applied to relationships as well.