annabel lee [spencer reid]

chapter iv

September 13, 2015
"Please let me get what I want this time."

"Hello?" Spencer breaths, setting down his files in hand.

"Spencer? Hi! How was it this week?" Asks the other line.

"It was great, actually. I'm absolutely drained, but I'm good. Really good. Thanks for calling, JJ."

Jennifer Jareau. Spencer's best friend and ex-colleague. Out of everyone on the team, Spencer has always been the closest to JJ. Through everything he's endured, JJ has always been there standing right beside him.

"Spencer, that's so great. We all wish you the best of luck. Oh! And Garcia sent you something the other day."

"Yeah, I got it. Tell her thank you, and everyone else, too." Spencer smiles, sadly.

"I will. We miss you, Spence." Spencer can immediately hear the sadness in her voice.

"I know. I miss you guys, too." His voice goes low.

"Is everything okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." JJ knows Spencer better than he knows himself. When Spencer is off, JJ can detect it almost instantly.

"Spencer..."

"JJ, don't worry. I'm okay. I promise." JJ knows he's not, but she doesn't want to intrude.

"You know I'm always here if you want to open up, right?"

"Yeah, I know." From the other side of the phone, Spencer picks up the faint noise of a child yelling in the background.

"I'd love to talk more, but I got to go. Henry's throwing a tantrum... you know how he is."

Spencer laughs, "Say hi to him for me."

"I will... once he stops rolling around on the floor."

Spencer smiles, picturing his godson's actions. "I'll talk to you later. Goodbye, JJ. Stay safe."

"You too. Bye, Spence." He hangs up his phone, and carefully places it back on his desk.

Spencer's mind is completely overflowed with thoughts that he completely forgets to take a shower and doesn't even bother crawling into bed. He ends up falling asleep on his desk, contemplating about his decision of leaving the BAU.

September 14, 2015

That morning, Spencer is awoken by the loud shrill of his alarm. He lifts his head from his arms and is met with a huge surge of pain in his neck.

"Shit..." He mumbles, gently rubbing the core of the ache. When the majority of the discomfort has been soothed, Spencer groggily gets out of his chair and makes his way into the shower.

As tempted as he is to take a pitstop for breakfast, Spencer knows he'll be cutting it short with time. Instead, he makes himself a quick cup of coffee and grabs a granola bar before heading to campus.

When Spencer first met Kat, it's almost as if he came face-to-face with a shadow of Maeve. The way she presented herself, her enticing intelligence, and even her radiant smile. Spencer knows it's crazy. He knows he's crazy.

As he's turning the corner, almost two minutes away from his classroom, he realizes he left his glasses on top of his old case files.

"You've got to be kidding me." He mumbles, searching his bag in hopes he misplaced them. Without any luck, he decides it's too late to turn back and continues to walk.

"Are you okay?" AJ stops mid-sentence  to look over at a solemn Kat. Usually Kat is perky and energetic, especially in the mornings, but today she doesn't have that same spirit, and she doesn't understand why.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Kat flashes a fake smile, which AJ buys and resumes to rant about time being a social construct.

Kat never told AJ about her conversation with Dr. Reid. She couldn't bring herself to do it, despite the fact that she knows AJ would be more than thrilled to find out about it.

A newly developed conspiracy theory later, the two girls arrive to class and patiently wait for their professor.

When Spencer walks through the door, the first thing Kat notices is the absence of his glasses. In her eyes, the combination of his disheveled hair and bare face makes him appear more youthful and even more desirable.

Unlike last week, Kat is able to absorb the information given by the doctor rather than focusing on his new, weary style. Before Kat even realizes it, the clock hits 12:30. Kat and AJ both begin to exit class when Kat stops and conceives an idea.

"I think I left my water bottle at my chair. I'll meet you outside." Kat dismisses her friend. AJ nods in response and continues to walk out the door while Kat approaches Spencer.

"You forget your glasses today, Dr. Reid?" She asks with new-found confidence.

"You're quite observant, aren't you?" Spencer looks up at her, raising an eyebrow.

"When I want to be." As soon as the words slip out, Kat instantly regrets it.
The tone of her voice sounding much more seductive than she intended.

"Miss. Clark, if I didn't know any better, I would think you're flirting with me." Spencer chuckles, noticing the rapid flush of her cheeks. "I was joking." He notices her ongoing discomfort and quickly changes the subject. "Are you working today?"

Kat clears her throat, still burning with embarrassment. "No. I work Tuesdays, Fridays and some Thursdays."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, I guess so." They stare at each other, both lost in the eyes of one another. "I should go."

Spencer responds with a nod, and waves her off.

"Where's your water bottle?" AJ smirks as soon as Kat steps outside.

"It was in my backpack the whole time." Kat answers, her lips slowly curling up.

Author's Note
The shortest chapter, yet it took me the longest to write:/ but I posted a cast chapter before the 1st chapter so yeah, check that out. Also, I'm posting a playlist after this chapter :)