Spencer Reid One Shots

Person Of Interest

He wished he’d never seen it, if he could rewind time and make it so he could change what had just happened then he would.

But Spencer knew that he couldn’t, so all he could do was to decide how to react. Because ultimately, you can’t control what happens, almost everything in life is out of your direct control. You can only react to it.

But how to react was Spencer’s issue.

Y/N was standing there shell shocked, her FBI issued weapon in her hand, it’s recently fired bullet lodged in the brain of a person of interest they’d been chasing.

Note the phrase person of interest rather than suspect or unsub.

Spencer and Y/N had been sent to question this man in relation to a series of sexual assaults that had taken place on and around a nearby university campus. They had no DNA evidence linking him, only circumstancial evidence, and even that had been questionable. Hence why they had been sent to question him and not arrest him.

The fact that the POI had run from the pair pulling out a handgun, had of course led Spencer and Y/N to think that perhaps he was more on the suspect side of things. Otherwise, why run? But the man hadn’t fired his weapon, only waving it around drastically when the two Agent’s had cornered him. He’d looked frightened, and something in his demeanor told Spencer that whilst this guy definitely knew something and was connected, he wasn’t the person they were looking for. But if they could convince him to cooperate, then he could assist the investigation.

But Reid hadn’t had chance to convince him, to explain that they would protect him if he could help the case. Instead, Y/N had fired her weapon, killing him.

Spencer knew why, he knew what had happened to her two years ago when she’d been held hostage along with two young girls. He knew that this case had triggered her somewhat, concerns that as her partner in the field, he should have raised with their supervisor or tried to help her. But he didn’t know the words. And now, a man was dead. A man who they had no proof that he was a criminal, and who had not fired at them or even threatened them with his weapon.

Spencer knew what that meant, Y/N could very well lose her job for this. He thought quickly, seeing her shoulders begin to shake, the realisation of what she’d done hitting her. And he felt flooded with guilt. He should have done something, said something to Prentiss, or even directly to Y/N. He could see this case was affecting her, bringing back the horrific memories of what she’d endured. But he hadn’t. This was his fault too.

Glancing around the area quickly he could see that there were no security cameras in sight, and no witnesses. They were in a wooded area, having chased the man out of his backyard and into the woods that backed onto his house. Miraculously, when he’d fallen to the floor, his gun had remained in his grasp and seeing that made Spencer realise what he was going to do.

Walking over to the body, Spencer tugged a crime scene glove from his pocket and pulled it on. He knelt and raised the dead man’s hand, manipulating his fingers with his own gloved ones and then Spencer fired the gun, aiming off to the side of Y/N.

She jumped, her eyes widening.

Dropping the man’s arm, Spencer then kicked the gun away, as he normally would, before he stood and returned to Y/N’s side.

“He fired at you and you reacted.”

“But…. but….” she stuttered, her face white.

“Y/N, he fired at you and you reacted. Okay?!”

She glanced to the body on the floor, then to her own gun and then back at Spencer.

“Y/N!” his voice was full of urgency, knowing that he needed to call this in.

Y/N shook herself, seemingly pulling herself together. She nodded before parroting Spencer’s words back at him. “He fired at me and I reacted.”

Spencer radioed to base, calling in their location and knowing that the rest of the team would arrive shortly.

“Spencer…. Why? I…. I shouldn’t…. You….” finally finding her words she blurted out. “We could lose our jobs for this Spencer!”

“Y/N, no we won’t. This is my fault, I saw how this case was affecting you and I didn’t do anything. He had a gun, he was clearly agitated and somehow connected to the case. All we have to say is that we tried to convince him to come down to the station but he fired at you and it was your instinct to fire back. You’ll be made to retake your fire arms qualification at most…. But I do think you should take some time off.”

She still had a look of disbelief across her face, not even filtering her reply. “You’re covering this up for me? This is against everything you believe in? I never even… This is not you Spencer, this is not something you’re capable of.”

Ten minutes ago he would have agreed with her but now…

He spoke again. “I think deep down, we’re all capable of unspeakable things.”

They stood staring at each other as the sirens sounded in the distance. They knew that this could not be spoke of again, that what had gone down here could ruin them both.

And they silently agreed that it would not do that.

They would lie.