#wcbf

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April

The final candle lit as you check the clock on the wall one more time. Spencer mentioned that there was a delay in their flight back, but that didn't deter you. His trip was extended by three days already, and you can wait another few hours for him to be back. Plus, candles look better half melted.

Two months ago you guys were celebrating your second year anniversary when Spencer got called in for a case. It wasn't the first time that he was called in at weird hours, but that time it really hurt. Spencer had asked for the day off. Duties call, you said understandingly. And you were right, the team needed him more than ever to save a child that had been kidnapped.

You adored your boyfriend. How selfless he was when it came to his job. The world always seem to need him, and you were willing to share as long as he came home to you at the end of the day.

Setting down the cutlery, you take your time to perfect the set up. Two weeks after your anniversary, he tried making it up to you even though you insisted it was fine. He had made dinner reservations at this Italian place Rossi suggested. Yet the moment you sat down to do your makeup, he was whisked away again.

You glance at the clock again. Spencer should have landed by now, which means that he should call any minute now.

Present Day

"Y/n!" Penelope calls after opening your door. "Did you get anything?"

"The team is now looking at a case of a serial killer from what I found," you said, trying to stay calm cause the pictures you just saw were horrifying. "I looked for similar cases like you said within the last 10 years. It seems like over the past three years, this unsub have been travelling in a similar routine and leaving bodies behind him. Since it crosses state-lines and the time between each body found in every state is over half a year, no one seemed to have connected all the cases to each other."

Penelope comes close to you to take a look at the route you have opened up on your screen.

"Oh my god," she whispered to herself. She looked like she was about to cry, your face no doubt mirroring the same look just 5 minutes ago. "We have to call them."

She took over one of your screens, calling Hotch over video call so you guys can show them the documents on their side.

"Hey babygirl, what you got for me?" Morgan answers.

"First off, this is y/n's line. How did you even know I was here? Second, you better not be calling her babygirl cause someone other than me might get jealous," she teases.

"Penelope!" You gasp.

The team have already figured out that you and Spencer knew each other. Thankfully, they didn't seem to know anything else. You had hope they might drop it for professional reasons, but instead having a puzzle outside of work seem to excite the team.

"Garcia, y/n. What did you guys find?" Hotch brings everyone back on topic.

"Well," Penelope starts. "I looked into the financial records of the victims that we knew so far and the only thing that seemed to connect them is the fact that they use the same bank. Other than that, the victims all have different background and financial means."

"Victims we knew so far?" Emily asks.

"Ah yes. I had a feeling that there might have been more victims cause I found a similar case while looking into the financial stuff from two years ago. So while I was doing that, y/n looked into similar cases over the last 10 years. And it turns out that our killer seem to have been doing this over the last three years in a repeating pattern. A body pops up every month cause he's been travelling between states. Here's the map that y/n made."

As you pull up the map on their screens, horrified faces looked back at you guys.

"Just how many more cases are we talking about?" Morgan asked.

"Plus the three we were working on, it seems like the total now is brought to 24," you breathed. You were seriously debating if you could stomach the job. Catching the bad guys were fun and all, but this is overkill. Pun not intended.

"Great work guys. We'll see what we can find on the other cases. If he is following the same pattern we might just catch him on his next stop, " Hotch commented.

"Also, see what you guys can find about the first case. Other than the bank being the connection, we need to figure out what made the unsub start killing."

"We're on it sir!" Garcia calls out. Once the call disconnects, Garcia and you form up a plan before each going back to your computers. You couldn't wait for this case to be over.

The next day, the team ended up finding the unsub in one of the bank branches that he frequented one state over. Upon interrogation, the unsub revealed that there were 26 bodies, but never revealed where the others were. Once the team got back, you and Garcia were already waiting for them.

"You all up for some drinks?" asked Morgan.

"After today I think I'll need three," Emily sighed.

She was the one that went head on with the unsub once they found him. You can't imagine how that feels, fighting for your life with someone who you know will not hesitate to kill you.

The team follows after them, slowly trickling out until it was only you and Spencer.

"You joining y/n?" Spencer asked.

"Yea, I think I might need a drink with what I saw today…" you trailed off.

"Hey, Spence?" you called out.

"Yea?"

"C'mon guys hurry up!" you hear Morgan cry from where the team was in the elevator.

"We'll meet you at the bar!" Spence yelled back.

Garcia looked at Emily and shrugged before pressing a button to close the doors.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" His attention now fully on you.

You miss this. The way he looked at you, how it feel to be cared by someone. But that's all in the past now.

You cleared your throat, suddenly aware of the silence between you guys. It's been a while since you had a conversation, let alone outside of work.

"Was this how you felt?" your throat tightening, "That night? When I -"

You choked back an intense feeling lurching up your throat. Clearing it once more you continued. "That night, when I waited for you. In April."

"Was this how you felt, Spence? Is that why you didn't come home that night and went for drinks like this?"

Spencer stared at you, trying to figure out what to say. He smoothed out his pants, not wanting to mess this up. He messed up once already. And he wasn't going to let that happen again. Even if he couldn't be with you, staying friends is enough. But he wasn't sure if being your friend was even a possibility anymore. Not after he realised what that night must have felt like for you.

'Staying coworkers is enough,' he lied to himself.

He looked at the ceiling before sighing. "It was a particularly hard case for me that day."

"The unsub was schizophrenic," he explained. You sucked in a breath. The topic had always been hard for Spencer considering what happened with his mother. "And it just reminded me of my mum. What was even harder was that the unsub was going after his past partners, his lovers. And although we could save his then girlfriend."

He sighed again before continuing. "It was hard for me cause, I- I saw what I could become."

"Spence no-"

"It's okay, y/n," he smiled without it reaching his eyes. They were glassy. You pray that he doesn't start crying cause if he did, you don't think you can hold back your tears either.

"I couldn't face you y/n. I needed some time. What I did was wrong and I know that now. I should have called and told you. I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore outside of work. But let's just keep it for the team okay?"

"Spence-"

"Can I hug you y/n?"

You stared at him, eyes watering while nodding. His arms wrapped around you filling you up with nostalgia. You used to feel at home in his arms. Now you feel like you were saying goodbye. You hugged him tighter, not wanting to let go.

"C'mon they're waiting for us."