The Summer With Spencer

“Llys ! You ready ?” Spence called to me, his voice echoing up the staircase. “Hold on !” I yelled back. I took one last look at my room, thinking of everything that had happened here that summer. I spun in a slow circle, taking it all in before I stepped out of my room for the last time. I took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, not looking behind me this time. Spencer and the team were waiting for me in the living room, helping me pack my stuff and take it to the airport. Only Spencer and Derek would be driving me there. I hugged all of them in turn, sniffling. Garcia was openly crying, and I hugged her tight. I would miss them all more than words could express. I flashed back to the day I got the news-

*time lapse into the past*

I sank into an armchair in the living room. I couldn’t believe it- Eddie had left all of his property in my name. I didn’t have to leave ! I could stay, and be with my Virginia family. Maybe it was fate ? But then I thought of everyone back home, namely my real family. I had a big decision to make, and I couldn’t take it lightly. Did I really want to stay in Virginia for the rest of my life, after everything that had happened here ? Did I honestly think I could bear it, especially living in this house that Eddie had tried to commit suicide in ? Who would I live with ? What would my parents say ? What about my friends ? Endless questions that I didn’t have the answers to raced through my mind. I looked up at Spencer. “I can’t. I’m not taking the house.” My sudden finality surprised even me. But then I realized, how could I have considered staying here as even a logical possibility ? As much as I didn’t want to, I had to leave this chapter of my life behind…

Everyone else seemed shocked, but then I realized they probably hadn’t thought it over real well either. We were all just so desperate to stay together that we didn’t care the cost. But we knew what needed to be done in the end…

*time lapse back to the present*

I let my tears flow, but I was smiling. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened, right ? Well, I was doing both. I reminded myself I had chosen my fate, this fate, and I felt a little better. It wasn’t like I wouldn’t ever see them again. We made plans to see each other if they ever had a case in Michigan. I didn’t mind waiting, good things come to those who wait. Besides, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be waiting long…

I climbed into the SUV with Spencer and Derek, with Derek driving and Spence in the back with me. I rolled the window down, letting the sun hit my face, and letting the wind dry my tears. My hair whipped around, and I closed my eyes, savoring the moment. Who knows, maybe I would even come back to Virginia some day.

At the airport, Derek hauled my bags inside, and helped me go through security. I hugged him goodbye for the last time, and Spencer appeared from wherever he had been. Derek left to give us some time alone, and Reid hugged me tightly. I felt worried, he had initiated the hug on his own, which he never did. And he had never squeezed so tightly. For a minute, I felt overcome with doubt. Was I making the right decision ? Could I even leave him ? Would he be okay ? But then I remembered he had his team, and they would take care of him for me. He pulled back, wiping away tears. I looked up at him and waved. I turned to go, expecting him to stop me. He didn’t.
I turned around, and he was hurrying in the other direction. I felt a stab of grief, he didn’t even look back at me. But I swallowed it and kept going. I was just about to board the plane when something hit me. I had forgotten something very important. I had never told him “I love you.” A quote popped into my head that stopped me in my tracks. Someone slammed into me, but I continued to stand in the middle of the crowded, bustling airport. ‘Did you say it ?’ I love you. I don’t ever wanna live without you. You changed my life. ‘Did you say it ?’ Make a plan, set a goal, work towards it. Because it all might be gone tomorrow. With that thought in my head, I turned and ran. Away from my plane.

I was fumbling through the crowd like an idiot, pushing people aside, elbowing them out of my way. I saw Derek’s SUV still parked in the same spot and I still had fight. He leapt out of the car as I ran toward him. “Where’s Spencer ? I asked him, breathless. “I thought he was with you !” He never came back to the truck. Without another word, I turned and ran AGAIN, back into the airport to find him. I had to find him, I had to tell him. I had to.

I ignored Derek calling me and rushed into the crowded building, screaming Spencer’s name like an idiot. I hoped there wasn’t someone else there by chance named Spencer, so I started calling Spencer Reid obnoxiously loud. He suddenly appeared behind me, clapping a hand over my mouth. “You’re making a big scene. What ?!” He scolded me, blushing. “I love you.” The way I said it wasn’t romantic and breathy, I just blurted it out. The last call for my flight came, and I jumped into his arms before racing off for the umpteenth time. I made it on the plane just as the doors were closing. I felt so much better now that I had gotten that off my chest. I missed him already, but I tried to focus on getting back home and starting sophomore year. Without the BAU team.