A R C H I V E D

"I… have an interview. For a job…"

"I... no... this isn't a business transaction..." His voice sounded miles away, not even realizing the intended meaning behind Penelope's words as he took a step forward, then another, until he was right next to the table full of food, and... she'd done so well. She'd made it special. And he'd... forgotten. And he could say it was because he had a lot on his mind, but... God, he was a shit husband. There was the reality.

And she ignored his question. And posed another, and maybe if he just did what she asked, he'd get their daughter back, or... something. "-- Um. Yeah. Yeah, alright."

Now, he was noticing it. The weirdness. She was the only one who used that kitchen, half the time. Everything was put in a place where she could reach it, because she was the only person who ever put anything away. The idea that there was something she couldn't get to was... well, either someone had broken into their house just to move their stuff about, or it was a terrible lie.

"I don't see why you can't just stand on a--" But as he entered the kitchen, he froze. Garlic bread, like he smelled. Spaghetti, meatballs... cookies. She'd made it all look so... special. And then, he remembered. Glancing down at his ring finger, staring at the gold band around it, and he couldn't... had it really been a year? How had he not realized this?

One year. It had been one year to the day that Penelope and Ellis had gotten married. The year had been so hectic, that Penelope hadn’t even remembered until just after lunch when she’d checked the calendar. She’d felt horrible, but it was understandable. So the red head, had asked Ellis to bundle Melody up and take her out on a walk with Pup. A little bonding time would do them good. She’d smiled as they left, but rushed into the kitchen immediatly after.

She didn’t have a present for him, but knew what she could do. Penleope spent her time cooking up one of his most favorite meals, spaghetti and meatballs. It was simple, but she wanted to make it feel special .She set out their best china, and wine glasses. She couldn’t drink since she was breast feeding, but a bit of sparkling cider would go good with it. 

The garlic bread out of the oven, and the cookies cooling on the counter, Penelope heard the door open.

Hours spent with the bloody thing, and he was tempted to send it back to the pound. There was a reason he didn't look after the thing, there was a reason it wasn't really his pet, and that was because the thing was a freaking nightmare to deal with. Peaceful wasn't an option with it, especially not with a new born baby, and he was still recovering, and-- and-- and it was all too much. Three times he ran off without warning. After the second time, he tied the thing to his arm... and severely underestimated its strength as it ran off, dragging him along with it.

It was honestly a wonder a parent hadn't yelled at him for neglecting Melody in his troubles.

But the thing was worse than Marley and Me, and it left him so moody, that he'd neglected to wonder why Penelope had wanted him out of the house so desperately in the first place. Not once did he think about the date, not once did he speculate that maybe, just maybe, she had some big plans of her own, and in hindsight, that was worrying. He should've figured it out by now. He always figured it out, always. It was something he had an annoying knack for.

Finally, he arrived home -- or rather dragged Pup back tooth and nail -- and the second he managed to untie the stupid mutt from its collar, it made a break for it, likely up to Jefferson's room/space/apartment/whatever were they even supposed to call that gigantic space they'd given him, any way?

"Sure. If mud and grass stains signal a positive experience." Ellis called back to her, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice as he briefly set Melody down to remove his coat and scarf. A moment later, and she was back in his arms, sitting down on the sofa and lifting her up into the air, before bringing her down to kiss her cheek. She was beautiful, really. Beautiful and innocent, and his.

But then, he frowned.

Spencer Reid | 10x09 Fate