Lost In The Fire | Spencer Reid

23. The Wake

"Thank you for coming," Spencer said, shaking the hand of his mother's doctor as she made her way towards the door.

Today was the day of Diana's funeral, and Rossi had been kind enough to offer the use of his house for the wake.

The funeral home had been full to the rafters, with people even lining the halls to honour Diana's memory.

Becca had spent a few hours now talking to former friends of Diana from before her schizophrenic break, and she felt more sorry now than ever that she hadn't known her better. She'd heard countless stories of what an amazing professor she had been, and how proud she had been of Spencer, regularly regaling everyone she knew with stories of his adventures with the FBI.

Spencer had been withdrawn all day, unsurprisingly struggling to handle his emotions.

A few days before, he'd reached out to his father and asked him to be at Diana's funeral. Again unsurprisingly, he hadn't shown up. Spencer was trying hard to make her believe it wasn't bothering him, but the emptiness in his eyes gave him away.

"I'm going to get a drink," Spencer said softly. "Do you need anything?" She shook her head, smiling sadly as he turned and walked towards the kitchen. She sighed deeply, her shoulders dropping tiredly.

"I felt that sigh from the other side of the room," she heard a voice say close to her, turning to see Dave approaching. "You ok?" She shrugged.

"I just don't know what to say to make this better," she told him softly.

"There's nothing you can say," he assured her. "You've just got to be there when he's ready."

"I know," she sighed. "I'm just worried what will happen when it comes time for me to go home. Dave, until today, he hasn't left the apartment in a week. Clearing out Diana's room," she hesitated. "It's broken him," her voice caught in her throat as she struggled to hold back her tears. Dave reached out, gently rubbing her arm.

"He'll come through this Becca," he assured her. "Just believe me when I say that you being here is making a difference. How much longer are you here for?" She chuckled irritatedly.

"My boss has made it very clear he wanted me back last week. Patience and understanding aren't exactly his strong points."

"And nothing has changed to convince you to stay?" She looked up at him, exhaling sadly.

"Believe me, I want to stay, but the situation hasn't changed. I have to get back to work."

"Becca, there'll always be work. What's rare is finding someone who makes us happy."

"You think I don't realise that?" She snapped. "Dave, it's just not that simple." He held his hands up in defence.

"I overstepped, I'm sorry," he apologised. "Look, maybe this is the wrong day to talk about this. And I'm probably the wrong person." She shook her head, closing her eyes for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped," she said quietly. "You know I always appreciate your support, right?" She smiled sadly as he nodded. "I better go see where he's got to. Thanks Dave," she said, gently kissing his cheek before making her way out of the room.

She finally found Spencer sitting alone by the fountain in the garden. "Hey," she whispered as she sat down beside him, linking her arm through his. "You'll catch your death sitting out here in the cold."

"You know, technically you can't actually 'catch' anything from the weather," he rambled, pausing as she laughed.

"Spence, it's just an expression," she smiled. "You doing ok?"