The way he deals with the college here is a little hit and miss between research and asking friends because I didn’t go to college, I went to Job Corps. LoL so the paperwork part of college I’m not sure how it works. But, anyway, if it doesn’t seem right, that would be why. Just ignore it and read on or, if you so wish, PM me and let me know what I did wrong. I’m always open to criticism! It helps me grow as a writer :) So, here’s a chap a little longer than I normally do. Hope you like it!
By the time Spencer made it to the front entrance of the college, he was back in control of himself. It took an embarrassingly long time for him to recover from a simple kiss. But he hadn’t been prepared for that kind of assault to his senses. He shook his head, trying to get it out of his mind. Ok, so, where did he need to go? He had to treat this like he was really a student taking care of his paperwork. Well, he’d done this before. How hard could it be to do again?
It only took him fifteen minutes to find the office that he needed to go to. The woman there looked helped him make sure that everything was in order, since he was preparing a little later than most students. She took him through the process of making sure everything was paid—which is was, in his ‘boyfriends’ name—and that all the paperwork was processed. Then she went into the computer, finding his information and handing him his schedule and telling him when school started. Spencer already knew all this information—He’d been briefed on exactly how this would go—but he let her talk anyways and tried not to act too smart. Who knew that would be so hard? He bit his tongue more than once to stop himself from spouting off information.
When he was finally released to go he took off with his new information in his bag. A quick stop at the student bookstore would be a good idea to pick up the books he was going to need. He had a pretty heavy course load. He took a quick detour in, finding the textbooks easily. It was as he was moving around one shelf that he noticed his follower. Ah, hello, blue-car-guy he thought to himself.
Selecting the last book off the shelf, Spencer turned, trying to seem casual as he headed toward the register to pay. But he took a route that allowed him discreet observation of the one that was following him.
About six foot four, two hundred pounds even I’d guess. Dark brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail. Eyes look…blue. Scar on right side of nose, small, maybe a quarter of an inch. No facial hair. Well-toned; must work out or be in a physically demanding job. Age between twenty and twenty five. Dark blue jeans, slightly worn at the knees. What looks to be work boots, well worn. Simple blue t-shirt with a…what is that symbol? A Carhartt jacket.
The mental profile built as he smiled shyly at the woman at the check stand. He paid for his books, adding them to his bag—which made it considerably heavier. When he moved away from the register and out of the store, the guy didn’t follow immediately. But Spencer was watching now and he saw when the man slipped out and followed him from a safe distance.
The man tried nothing; just simply followed Spencer out to the parking lot, making it seem like he was casually strolling to his own car. But Spencer had his eye on him the entire time. He shuffled a little, trying to act like he was burrowing into his coat a little more against the wind. But the movement allowed him to sneak a peek and see that the man was still walking a little behind him in the next row over. He was subtle, Spencer would give him that much. If he wasn’t a trained observer he wouldn’t have noticed the man.
Then Spencer found himself at the car and another gust of wind blew past, making him shiver for real this time. He opened the door to the backseat and tossed his bag inside, grateful to be free of the weight of it. That had been a painful thing to have to carry. After closing that door, he gratefully slid into the passenger’s seat even as he felt the car turning on. Morgan’s warm chuckle echoed around him. “How on earth do you get so frozen so fast, kid?”
“Oh, shut up.” Spencer mumbled. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling, though. While he buckled his seatbelt, he tipped his head and flashed a smile at his friend. “I had a shadow in there.”
The teasing look stayed on Morgan’s face, but his eyes were serious. “I saw him get out of his car. Couldn’t go over and look at the car without being noticed and we don’t know if he has someone helping him, so I was pretty much stuck sitting here. Not exactly something I’m fond of. You get a good look at him?”
“Yeah. You call in the plate to Garcia or you just sit here and gripe to yourself about being stuck in the car?”
The sassy response from Spencer had Morgan sitting back for a second before laughing. “Touché, kid.” He said. His dark eyes flashed to outside the car, over to where their ‘stalker’ still sat in his car. That look gave Spencer enough warning before Morgan leaned over and kissed him, much milder compared to the one he’d given before Spencer had left the car. Then Morgan was putting the car into reverse and backing out. Spencer pulled out his cell phone. “You just drive, I’ll call Hotch.”
“Put it on speaker for me, kid.”
He dialed the programmed number and pressed the speaker button, holding the phone out between them while it rang. A moment later their boss’s voice filled the car. “Hotchner.”
“Hey, Hotch. Listen, I just went to take care of the last bit of registration at school and we spotted a car with the driver staring at us while we were parked. Plate was Tango, Romeo, Zulu, seven, seven, one.” Spencer paused, listening to the sounds of someone speaking into another phone. Apparently they were on speakerphone as well.
“Did you get a good look at the guy?” Dave’s voice came over the line.
Even though he couldn’t be seen, Spencer nodded. “I saw him in the student bookstore. He followed me in there and then back out to the cars. Discreetly, of course. I’d put him at about six foot four and close to two hundred pounds. Dark brown hair that was long enough to pull into a short ponytail. Blue eyes. On the right side of his nose was a scar a quarter of an inch long. His hands were calloused, as if he works with them frequently, and he dressed in almost trade styled clothes. Work boots, blue jeans, t-shirt and a Carhartt jacket. Age would be most likely between twenty and twenty five years.”
Morgan shot him a wide grin. “You’re telling me you know what a Carhartt is, kid?”
A blush crept into Spencer’s cheeks. “It had the name on it.” He murmured, making Morgan laugh. On the other end of the phone, Spencer distinctly heard Emily’s laugh and Dave’s quiet chuckle.
Someone spoke on Aaron’s end; a voice that Spencer didn’t recognize. “You got that accurate a description without him seeing that you saw him? Are you positive he didn’t notice that you were watching him?”
“Well, I can’t be absolutely positive, seeing as how I have no idea what the man was thinking. But I think it’s safe to make the assumption that he did not realize I was observing him. His behavior remained relaxed and observant. Not once did he appear edgy or concerned. If he had noticed me watching than he it’s likely he would have abandoned his stalking and hurried to get back to his car and away from me. Or, if he was the daring type, he would have tried to engage in some kind of conversation.” Spencer looked over at Morgan as they stopped at a red light and raised an eyebrow as if to ask ‘who on earth was that guy?’
Aaron drew the conversation back under control. “Ok. We’ll run the plate and see if we can get a match on it. Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll be able to put a name to the guy. You two just continue with your day. If we find anything, we’ll let you know at your nightly check in.”
“Yes, Sir.” Morgan and Spencer said together. They shared a grin.
Again came that other voice. “You two do realize that, even if this is the guy, you can’t break cover yet. We have nothing that would tie him to the crimes and no real reason to arrest him. We need to establish the stalking and it would be best if we caught him in the act of trying to take the two of you. That means you’ll have to stay undercover still.”
“We understand.” Morgan said shortly. He wasn’t one who really liked to be questioned. “We’re on our way to the store to do some shopping and then I thought we’d head out somewhere tonight to put ourselves out in the community. Especially if he follows us. We’ll see if he comes to the store as well.”
“All the couples have been openly affectionate in public. Are the two of you up for that?”
“We’ve been briefed on what is necessary for the operation.” Spencer said slowly. He wasn’t sure he liked the guy’s tone of voice. “Is there a problem with our performance so far that we’re unaware of?”
“No, no, Reid. Everything’s fine.” Aaron spoke up in his usual no-nonsense voice. There was a hint of reassurance there as well as a small annoyance that Spencer had a feeling wasn’t directed at him and Morgan. Most likely it was toward whoever the voice belonged to. “Just continue as you are. Watch to see if he follows you home. He may not, with the cameras set up. But, if this is our guy, it’ll be imperative that your parts are well acted out at home. Especially tonight.”
Tonight. What….oh. Oh. Well, shit. The curse slid through Spencer’s mind. He knew what that meant. They were going to have to fake sex tonight. Talking about it was one thing; the doing it was something else entirely. He worked to control his expression. They would deal with that when it came to it.
Morgan made the turn into the grocery store parking lot. “We understand, Hotch. We’re at the store now, so we’ll get back to you if anything else crops up. Otherwise, we’ll talk to you guys this evening.”
The conversation quickly ended and Spencer put his phone into his pocket. “It sounds like someone at the station is a little skeptical of what we’re doing here.” He commented.
As he parked the car, Morgan snorted. “To say the least. Well, we’re used to people not understanding our profiles. We’ll show him when we bring the bastard in, right?”
“Right.” Spencer tried to relax a little and bring back the good mood he’d been in earlier. Today was supposed to be about relaxing and having fun. If he wanted to pull of the happy couple, he was going to have to relax a little and try to bring back that playful feeling. He took a second while the car was being shut off to push back as much stress as he possibly could. Fun. He was going to try and have fun. This was Morgan he was with; all else aside, they were best friends. If he couldn’t relax enough to have a fun afternoon with Morgan, well, that was just pathetic. You can do this, you idiot. You’ve just got to pretend you’re a happy couple. That’s familiar territory for you. You know how to fake being happy. All you’ve got to do is apply that to you and Morgan now instead of you and Michael. Just shut up, man up, and go do your job.
The two men climbed from the car, Morgan locking it up once they were out. Spencer deliberately left his bag full of books in the car but made sure he had his wallet in his pocket. When he stepped around the back of the car, Morgan reached over and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. A small flash of warmth ran through Spencer. It was enough to make him forget about the ache that was starting to grow a little in his ribs from all this movement. When Morgan turned that warm smile on him, he felt his worries start to slide away a little. He could do this. They could do this.
“So, we need pretty much everything, right?” Spencer said as they walked into the store. He let go of Morgan to grab one of the grocery carts and wheel it over. Morgan grinned at him, falling easily into step beside him. “Pretty much.” He agreed.
Well, that ought to make shopping interesting. He hoped the bureau was prepared to shell out some cash on food. “Great. That’ll only cost us an arm and a leg, the way that you eat.” He couldn’t help teasing.
Morgan laughed and bumped their shoulders together. “Excuse me? The way I eat? I’ve seen you pack away an entire pizza to yourself when you remember to eat.”
“Well, with as often as I forget, I need to fuel up at the times I do remember!” Spencer defended. He was the first to admit he forgot little things like eating when he was working. His brain just got too wrapped up in solving the puzzle that the rest of the world seemed to fall to the wayside.
The two headed to the first section of the store, which held the fresh produce. “I swear, how’d you survive before I came along to make sure you eat?” Morgan teased as he reached out for a bag of potatoes. Funny enough, what he said could work for both their cover and their real lives. It was generally Morgan who made Spencer stop long enough to eat something while they were working. Or he’d come in with something that Spencer could carry with him while he worked. “Maybe that’s why there’s nothing to you.”
“There’s plenty to me!” Stopping the cart, Spencer turned to stare indignantly at his friend. “I’m not that small!”
“A strong wind would blow you away, pretty boy.” Even as Morgan said the words he was stepping up to wrap his arm around Spencer’s waist. He pulled him in and kissed the tip of his nose. “But I love you anyways.”
Spencer faked a glare. “Suck up.” He rolled his eyes but a reluctant smile was tugging at his lips. He swatted at Morgan’s hands. “Come on, we need food. I’m hungry.” Just as he turned to head toward the lettuce, he caught sight of the guy from before. His smile never faltered, but his brain jumped into high gear. He was following them.
He was actually grateful that, when he stepped up to pick up the lettuce, Morgan walked up behind him and slid his arms around his waist. Even though it made his body ache a little, it gave him the opportunity to turn his head just a little and murmur “He’s here.”
“Mmhmm. Thought I saw his car pull in when we were coming in.” Morgan murmured back. “Time to really put on a show. See if we can draw his interest. You think you can handle being flirted with, pretty boy?”
Could he handle Morgan flirting with him? God, he hoped so. Just remember, it’s not serious. It’s just part of the act. Don’t take him seriously and you’ll be ok. Out loud, he said “I think I’ll survive it.”
He took the lettuce and brought it back over to the cart, settling it inside. Because he was warned, he didn’t flinch when Morgan’s arm was around his waist again. In fact, he let go of the cart with one hand so he could put his free arm around Morgan’s waist. The older man smiled approvingly and brought his free hand down to help steer the cart.
They walked like that through the produce, sticking mostly to getting their food and chatting with their heads together, keeping their voices low so others might think they were flirting with one another but in reality they were discussing the man following them and what the others might be able to find out about him. Spencer noticed the looks the two of them kept getting. Some people looked at them and smiled. Others looked at them with disgust. He tried his best to ignore them when he turned them down one of the aisles.
When Spencer grabbed flour and sugar from the shelf, Morgan stole them from his hands and put them in the cart. The younger man raised an eyebrow at him. “I am capable of lifting bags of flour on my own, Derek.”
“Never said you weren’t.” Morgan started pushing the car away, leaving Spencer shaking his head at him. It was beter to let Morgan push the cart anyways. It left Spencer free hands to take things off the shelf. He grabbed pasta in a few different styles and set them inside.
While they worked down the aisle, Morgan asked him “Once we get everything set in at home, why don’t we go out, get something to eat?”
“You want to shop for groceries and then go out to eat?”
“Yeah. I thought we could catch a movie, go grab some dinner later. We’ve been in that house the past few days, sugar. I’m going stir crazy.”
It was probably true, too. This would be harder on Morgan than it was on Spencer. The older profiler was used to action. Going places and doing things, both in his personal life and in his professional life. He hated being stuck in any place for too long. It left him feeling too confined. “I suppose we could. Are you in the mood for anything in particular?”
The idea of going out had Morgan’s grin growing even more. “I just figured we’d head out and hit wherever. We’re new enough that there’ll be plenty of places to try.” He pointed out.
“So long as there’s people for you, right?” Spencer teased. He knew Morgan was always happy out and about in crowds of people. It was one of the man things that showed Spencer how opposite the two of them were. Morgan went a little stir crazy if he was cooped up for too long. He liked the crowds of people and music and drinking and all those kinds of things. Spencer was more content to sit at home with a good book to read, or twelve, and a glass of wine while music played in the background.
A hand on the small of his back startled him out of his thoughts. He blinked in surprise when Morgan pulled him close. As soon as he was out of the aisle, a woman with a cart huffed her way past, shooting Spencer a glare. What was that for? He turned to ask Morgan but found himself occupied with a quick kiss that left him even more stunned and confused.
Morgan’s free hand came up to stroke down his cheek when they broke apart. “Ah, pretty boy, you’re cute when you get all confused.”
“Why was that woman glaring at me?” Still confused, Spencer looked down where the woman was at, not too far away from them. When she saw him looking, she glared once again, grabbed her item off the shelf and huffed off.
His confusion seemed to amuse Morgan even more. “You spaced off in the middle of the aisle and blocked traffic.” He informed Spencer, who instantly felt his cheeks heat. “You had that ‘thinking’ look on your face and you weren’t hearing her when she asked to get through.”
Well if that wasn’t embarrassing. He sighed and chewed at his lip. He hated when he did that. Sometimes it seemed like the rest of the world shut off when he stopped to think. “I don’t mean to blank out like that.” Mumbling the words in his embarrassment, Spencer turned and tried to move the cart forward. “It just happens.”
Morgan’s hand was still on the small of his back. Now it rubbed in a reassuring way. “I know that, sugar. I wasn’t criticizing you.”
He ducked his head down a little while he took the corner and went into the next aisle. Breakfast items. He deliberately tried to steer the conversation away from his moment of stupidity by saying “Please tell me they sell the right kind of coffee here. That instant stuff you got from the quick mart just isn’t cutting it.”
“It was either that or no coffee, Spencer.” Morgan answered pertly. He was reaching past Spencer, grabbing a box of cereal and tossing it in. Looking at it, Spencer screwed up his face in an expression of disgust. When Morgan looked at him, he started laughing. “And leave my cereal choices alone, pretty boy. You think you’d be used to it by now.”
Spencer shook his head and pushed his cart forward, on a mission to find the coffee. “Time does not change the fact that your cereal is a sugar infested mess of dis…” He was cut off abruptly by a kiss. When Morgan pulled back a little, their lips were only a hair apart. “I know that rant, kid. Not here, not now.” Morgan murmured, nipping at his bottom lip.
A shiver ran down Spencer’s spine at that nip. What would it be like to have Morgan actually kiss him? Not to play a part, not to protect their cover in public, but actually kiss him because he wanted to? Spencer had a feeling that it would be something he would never forget. It was also something that would never happen.
When they separated, Spencer blinked his eyes and looked down to the end of the aisle, trying to bring himself back under control. He felt the little smile on his lips and was about to wipe it away when he realized that it was how a person should look after their boyfriend kissed them that way. So, even though Morgan’s look was smug, Spencer let that little smile stay. He slanted a look at his friend and teased “A kiss isn’t going to distract me from finding the coffee, Derek. I need coffee.”
“Now you know it’s bad when coffee wins out over kisses.” Morgan said with a shake of his head, catching the eye of a girl who was nearby and was watching them. The girl looked like she was in her twenties and she grinned at Morgan’s comment.
Spencer raised one eyebrow and turned his head a little to look at Morgan. “You really thought you’d win out over coffee?” He asked with mock surprise. “Aw, you’re cute when you’re stupid.”
Before Morgan could respond, Spencer grinned and pushed forward, heading to where he’d spotted the coffee at. He was rewarded with not only Morgan’s laugh, but a few others as well. It brought a blush to his cheeks but had him chuckling to himself. He bent and grabbed his can of coffee grounds, sighing happily as he set it in the cart. Then Morgan was behind him, one hand on his back as he bent around to grab two more cans and put them in. “Derek! We don’t need that much coffee!” he scolded.
“I’m not running to the store again in a few days when you burn off the first can.”
Spencer glared at him. “I’m not that bad!”
The snort he got in response had him elbowing Morgan, which caused the older agent to grunt slightly in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting that. Once again Spencer took advantage of the moment to escape, quickly taking the cart and circling around to the next aisle. Unfortunately, he wasn’t watching where he was going.
Afterwards, Spencer swore he had no idea how it really happened. One moment he was going around the corner. The next, his cart and another were smashing together. Somehow the two of them succeeded in colliding with the display beside them and then cans of hot chocolate were spilling everywhere and Spencer found himself on his back on the ground, another body beside his.
Pain was the first real sensation he registered. Not just in his ribs, but in his backside as well. Bright and hot and overwhelming. It seemed to have sucked all his air out of him. There was a voice beside him that was apologizing and hands that were touching him, trying to make sure he was ok. Spencer couldn’t seem to breathe enough to clear his head and answer the person, whoever it was.
Another voice broke in Spencer’s daze. It was bright with worry. “Spencer? Sugar? Are you ok?” New hands replaced the last ones and Spencer recognized this pair. Morgan. That was Morgan. He forced air in, trying to breathe around the pain. Oh, it hurt! His backside had taken the brunt of his fall and it felt like his bruises back there had been stabbed.
With Morgan’s hands helping him, Spencer tried to sit up, wincing as it pushed his backside into the floor. Ok, so sitting up wasn’t the smartest idea. He needed to get on his feet. He would, in just a minute.
“Spencer, come on, look at me. Where does it hurt? Spencer?” Morgan was half cradling him, his voice full of worry and concern.
The younger man pushed the pain back a little more. They were in public. In public! Now was not the time to act like this! “I’m fine.” He forced the words out around gritted teeth. “Just get me up.”
Strong hands hooked under his arms, helping to pull him to his feet. His legs were shaky, but the arm around his waist helped to hold him upright. For once Spencer didn’t stop himself from leaning on someone else. He was afraid that if he didn’t take the support than he would end up on the ground once again.
That was when he got the first clear look around him. Embarrassment had his cheeks turning bright red. “Oh, man.” He looked at the cans all around and then over to the other man, who was busy trying to put stuff back into his car, which had tipped over in the fray. Spencer immediately pulled away from Morgan and moved to kneel beside the man, despite how much it hurt to do so. “I am so sorry. Let me help you, please. I’m so, so sorry.” He apologized as he grabbed items and helped put them back in.
The guy turned to look at him, looking equally embarrassed and apologetic. “No, I’m sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going and I wasn’t paying attention. I was just lost in thought and I didn’t even look before going around the corner. Are you ok?” The guy said quickly.
“I’m fine! It was completely my fault!” Spencer insisted, lifting the last of the items into the cart. He used the side of it to brace with as he tried to rise. Morgan’s hand taking hold of his helped him up the last few inches. Spencer didn’t take his eyes off the man he’d crashed into, though. The guy was shorter than him, with close cropped brown hair and green eyes that were wide with embarrassment. “I was picking on my boyfriend and I was trying to run from him and I crashed right into you. Are you ok?”
The guy flushed but nodded. “I’m totally fine. Looks like we made one hell of a mess, though.”
The two turned to look at the cans all around them, as well as at the crowd that had gathered and was busy snickering at them. It made Spencer’s embarrassment stronger. He gripped Morgan’s hand tighter and had to resist hiding his face.
A store employee broke through the crowd then and Spencer and the other man were suddenly both spouting off apologies to the frazzled worker. It was Morgan who eventually pulled Spencer away, steering their cart off to the side and taking Spencer with him. The other man moved aside as well, just as bright red as Spencer was.
“Oh man, this is just the icing on the cake today.” The guy muttered. He let out a sigh and shook his head before looking at Spencer. “I really am sorry for running into you. My names Timmy Hayes.” Timmy held out a hand with his greeting. For a single second Spencer squirmed before he forced himself to reach out and briefly shake the man’s hand. He really, really wasn’t big on random touching with people. “I’m Spencer Allen and this is my boyfriend, Derek Matthews.”
Morgan had no problems holding a hand out to shake Timmy’s. He let go of Spencer’s hand, though, to wrap his arm around the younger man’s waist. To anyone else it might have looked like he was just getting comfortable, but Spencer felt the grip Morgan had on him and knew his friend was trying to help support him. This was good, really, because his legs were still wobbly underneath him. His bruises were all aching like mad and his ribs were making it a little hard for him to breathe.
“It was really nice to meet you, Timmy.” Morgan said in a friendly sort of voice. “I’m glad that you’re ok.”
“Oh, I’m totally fine. Not the first spill I’ve taken and it won’t be the last.” The man smiled at them and gathered his cart in front of him. “It was nice to meet you guys too. You have a good day. And, I really am sorry.”
Spencer mustered up a smile for the guy. “I am too. I hope the rest of your day goes better.”
Whatever response Timmy gave, Spencer didn’t hear. He was busy gripping tightly to the cart in front of him and trying to regulate his breathing. But the next thing he knew he was being led forward by Morgan and the arm around his waist tightened just slightly. “We just need to get the meat and we can bail. We’ll come back for the rest of it later, kid.” The older man said gently.
Come back for it later? But, why? Spencer forced the pain down enough that his tone was normal when he asked “Why? We’re already here, why not get it now?”
“Because I’m not an idiot and I know you’re hurting. So let’s get this done and get you home so I can make sure you’re ok.”
That sent a whole new wave of panic through Spencer. What did Morgan mean, make sure he was ok? He wasn’t going to want to look at him, was he? Check him over to make sure he wasn’t injured? Shit. That couldn’t happen. There was no possible way he could let that happen! He had to convince Morgan that he was ok. Otherwise, this little incident could end in disaster. “Derek, I told you, I’m fine. If I end up with a bruise or two, well, it’s what happens when you hit the floor. But I’m fine.”
“And I’m the bloody Queen of England.” Morgan muttered sarcastically as he reached for some meat and put it inside of their cart. “Now shut up, Spencer. If you think I can’t hear how hard of a time you’re having with breathing, then you’re the one who’s the idiot, not me. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
The only word Spencer could think of as he was led to the front register was Shit.