Match Made in Virginia [s. reid]

epigraph + summary

"Love someone who is honest.
Honest with you, with others,
and with themselves. You cannot
love someone you do not trust.
Find someone who willingly
shares responsibility. You will be
a team in every single sense.
Find someone you cherish
togetherness with. And someone
who understands the importance
of alone time. Someone who
values your opinion. Someone with
a willingness to learn. A person
with an open mind. Find someone
who makes it easy to feel grateful.
For everything. Wot is important.
Life is too short not to love someone
who loves to laugh. Make sure they
are somebody who lets you cry, too.
Despair will come. Find someone
that you want to be there with you
through those times. Do not settle
for second best. This sort of love
is out there. Believe it!"
—unknown

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Natalie Dolan was a single mother who taught at one of the high schools in Virginia. With a fifteen year old daughter at age thirty, she felt rather successful; she had a steady job and even though the pay of teaching wasn't the best, they were getting by and despite the death of her almost husband years ago, she and her daughter Holly were quite happy. Their home wasn't a two story one with a great big yard, but that didn't matter. They were happy. Holly was happy. Natalie was happy. She had fun teaching the rambunctious and easily distracted teens, though some if not most of the times it was rather difficult.

There was one thing, though, that she wasn't happy about – her love life. It wasn't that she didn't want to date – okay, that's a lie, because she was still a bit hesitant to let someone into her heart after the death of him – it was simply because no one caught her eye like Ben had those years ago. She tried going on speed dates and blind dates and dates with guys she met randomly, but none of them worked out for one reason or another, so eventually she stopped trying to find someone all together and embraced the single life.

Well, until she met Spencer Reid, but even then she wasn't trying to find a boyfriend or anything of the sort. It was more or less her daughter Holly, after noticing that her mom wasn't completely happy and catching on the fact that the woman and this random guy from the FBI have some things in common, planning and dragging her friends in on it to set Natalie and Spencer up. It wasn't hard for neither Natalie nor Spencer to notice it but agreed to amuse the teens and go on a date. Not so surprisingly, everything went smoothly. Surprisingly, they both agree not to go on another for their own personal reasons.

Unbeknownst to them, however, their paths would cross a few more times in more ways than one, and they soon become friends. It was just a question on whether or not this match in Virginia would happen or not.

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A/N— Should I be posting another story? The answer is no, probably, but I don't care. Other than maybe one other, I wit be posting anymore anyway and will focus on my other stories, mainly the ones I need to finish, so whatever, I'm doing this anyways. And, surprise! This isn't a marvel fic, or a stranger things fic. This is the first over Criminal Minds fic that I'm writing and I couldn't be more happy with the plot. I've wanted to write something for either Derek Morgan or Spencer Reid, and here I am with one for Spence and I can't wait to start it. For the most part, it's going to be mainly fluff with some angst thrown in at various spots but hopefully not too much.

Now, I honestly have no idea where this story lies but I'm going to say between season 8 & 9, if not overlapping into 9. This also won't be separated into parts like I usually do. It'll all be one big part! No part 1 or 2. Now, with that said, this all a complete AU so if this does happen to overlap into season 9, I won't make big points so show it; just small little hints here and there.

I believe that's all I have to say, so I hope you enjoy this story!! I'll be updating whenever I can, meaning whenever I have time/when I'm not trying to finish a couple of my marvel fics, also meaning the updates will most likely be slow. Sorry for that, but to get stories done I do have to prioritize a few above some others. Anyway, hope you enjoy!! xx

DEDICATION(S)— to my fellow criminal minds lovers. also to hazholland bc if I remember correctly she loves criminal minds as well, yoassbutt bc she has an awesome criminal minds fic up that I need to start, and finally to idkmags bc I'm in love with her Spencer Reid stories.

WARNING(S)— mentions of death, swearing
[if needed, I will add onto this as well as up a warning at the beginning of the chapter if necessary]

DISCLAIMER— I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters, or any plots of the show. That all belongs to original creators. I only own this story and plot, along with my original characters.