Little Miranda Ashlynn Reid was so excited for her sixth birthday, not because it was Disney Princess themed or because her mom had ordered her a special cake, but because her daddy had promised to finally be home this time. She’d been talking nonstop about it for weeks, enough to drive her mother up a wall. But Y/N could understand why her little girl was so ecstatic, considering Spencer had missed her third, fourth, and fifth birthday.
“Mommy, can I help?” Miranda asked Y/N, giving her mother her best puppy dog eyes. Y/N looked down at her daughter, pretending to contemplate her decision. “Mommy please.”
“Sure you can.” Miranda squealed in delight, grabbing the open bag of balloons and candy for the goodie bags from the table.
The two were close to finishing the rest of the goodie bags when Spencer’s ringtone spilt through the air. “I’ll get it!” Miranda squealed, recognizing the tone as her daddy’s.
“Bring me the phone.” Y/N called after her daughter as she tied the last balloon.
When Miranda brought the phone back to her mother, a smile was still stretched across her lips. Leading Y/N to believe he hadn’t told their daughter anything bad, so she thought that he was calling to tell then he had gotten his paper work done and was heading home. But nothing could prepare her for what her husband was going to say.
“Hey Spencer. How was your day?” Y/N asked him when she was able to get the phone from her daughter.
“Umm… it was okay.” He mumbled, “But that’s not why I called.”
With those simple words Y/N’s blood ran cold. “Then why did you call Spencer?” Y/N didn’t know why she asked, she already knew what he was going to say.
“We got called out this afternoon. I don’t know when we’ll be back.”
Y/N stayed silent for a moment, looking over at her daughter who was playing with her dolls in the living room.
“Spencer, you promised her you’d be there this time.” She told him, tears threatening to fall. “Can’t you come just for the day? Join them when it’s over?”
“You know I can’t do that. I’m sorry Y/N, but I’ve got to go.” He quickly hung up leaving Y/N with dial tone ringing in her ears and tears in her eyes.
“Are you okay mommy?”
Y/N wiped at her cheeks before nodding down at the little girl, ruffling her brown curls in the process. “I’m okay baby.”
That morning began like any other. Well, that was not true. It was a chaotic freakin’ mess. At least it seemed to be, but that was on brand for the Bose family.
Mira Bose was annoyingly just like her mother. Sarcastic, stubborn, and anal retentive, but cute. However, the most important trait the 5 year old got from her mother was her absolute love of sleep. The girl could fall asleep regardless of what she was doing or where she was (like when she fell asleep while potty training and fell off of the toilet which led to her very first trip to the hospital and a bright pink cast). But for some god forsaken reason, Mira had chosen the day before her mother's first day at her dream job to decide she would develop insomnia. Maya ultimately at 4 o’ clock decided to give her daughter some Benadryl in the hopes of getting at least a 30 minute nap before her first day of work.
And that was how she wound up here. In an overcrowded elevator at 7:08 am, late for her very first day. That was definitely bound to go over great with her new boss, thought Maya with a grimace on her face. At least her daughter was having a better time she thought, wishing that she herself could have been experiencing a Benadryl induced coma.
The elevator doors opened, and Maya rushed out flattening her burgundy skirt, getting out all the nonexistent wrinkles, as she headed towards the doors which held her future. She could feel prying eyes on her frame as she made her way up the stairs to the Special Agent in Charge’s office, Aaron Hotchner. She knocked on the open door and waited for him to look up.
Aaron stood up and walked around his desk.
“You must be Maya, our new agent”, said Aaron, shaking her hand.
“Yes sir, it is a pleasure to meet you”, replied Maya.
“Now I know you already got all of your paperwork out of the way last week, so let’s head out to meet the rest of the team”, responded Aaron, leading Maya out of his office.
The two walked to the round table where everyone was crowded murmuring about what Maya assumed was the new pig out to slaughter. A silence came over the group as the two got closer.
“Everyone, this is Special Agent Maya Bose. Maya, this is everyone”, introduced Hotch.
“Oh my precious Maya, it is so good to see you again”, said Penelope hugging Maya.
“Lovely to see you as well Pen”, smiled Maya.
“And wait, let me guess. Penny told me all about ya’ll”, said Maya.
Her eyes took in the rest of the team before continuing to say, “This has got to be Penny’s chocolate thunder and god from above Derek Morgan”, Derek smiled and winked at Penelope.
“And you are Ms. Emily boobs Prentiss who loves to both sin and win”, Emily chuckled.
“This must be communications liaison extraordinaire and discount finding queen, Jennifer Jureau”, JJ smiles.
“We can’t forget David Rigatoni Rossi; lover of pasta, cigars, and the finer things in life”, David lets out a boisterous laugh.
“And I’m sorry. Penelope didn’t mention you, you are?” questioned Maya, looking at Spencer.
A look of insult and confusion filled Spencer’s face.
Maya grins at his reaction.
“I’m just kidding. This is the amazing Dr. Spencer Reid. Resident genius on...well everything, including something called physics magic”, said Maya.
A look of relief appears on Spencer's face as the rest of the team chuckles.
“Oh Hotch. I got distracted, but we have a case”, said JJ.
“How bad is it?”, questioned David.
“Florida”, responded JJ with a grimace.
The team let out a collective sigh which confused Maya.
“Well, I hope you are ready, Special Agent Bose”, said Hotch as the team sat down while JJ passed around the tablets containing the case files.
“Three trans women, all brunettes in their early 30’s. All had cigarette burns and were brutally sodomized. All were left in or around dumpsters in downtown Miami. And all the women had their...um breasts cut off”, winced JJ.
“Well the trash is a sign of dehumanizing. The unsub clearly views these women as garbage”, said Derek.
“He might have been slighted or rejected by a trans woman or he himself is battling with his own gender identity and views himself as an abomination for feeling this way”, added Maya.
The team all had various looks of respect and reverence on their faces.
“Okay, wheels up in 20”, said Hotch.
***
“Okay, now that you’ve gotten a moment to breathe, tell us about yourself”, asks Emily.
“You just want to know if I think the boobs live up to Penelope’s description”, smirked Maya.
Emily smiles at the new agent.
“Come on mama, tell us a little bit about yourself”, pushed Derek.
“Down boy”, smiled Maya.
“If you must know…my name is Maya, obviously. I was born and raised in Maryland. I married young, and it did not end well at all. But I did receive the best gift ever from that asshole, my daughter Mira. She’s 5 years old and an absolute pain in my ass. But she’s a literal carbon copy of myself, so I’ve got no one to blame. And um a fun fact, caffeine doesn’t work on me so I am looking forward to these long hours”, continued Maya.
“Hotch also has a 5 year old boy, his name is Jack”, said JJ smiling.
“Well if he’s anything like you Hotch, he must be a lot easier to parent”, said Maya.
“He’s pretty great, but Mira can’t be that bad”, replied Hotch, a smile on his face as he talked about Jack.
“When I was potty training her, she fell asleep on the toilet and fell off. She broke her arm so we went to the hospital. She was asking for ice cream, and I said not now but we can pick some up on our way home. She got so upset that when I left to fill out some paperwork she told the nurses I hurt her. And that got CPS and police involved. And CPS still comes around every now and then. Trust me, she can be bad”, said Maya.
Various snorts of laughter escaped the team.
“Well you said she’s just like you so we should be ever so lucky to have you join us”, said Dave.
“I am most definitely a handful, that’s for sure”, replied Maya.
***
Maya sat down across from her boss and handed him a cup of coffee.
“Thanks, you did good today Bose”, said Aaron.
“Oh, I know” said Maya with a grin on her face.
“It’ll be good to have you on the team. We need someone who can joke around and get along with the worst of people”, replied Hotch.
Maya grinned before saying, “I knew my mom was wrong. I am good for something”.
“You know Hotch, you never did ask me what Penelope said to describe you”, said Maya questioningly.
“What did she say?”, asked Hotch.
“She said that you were the strong, silent leader who gets stuff done. Oh, and that you put the Hot in Hotchner. And well...she wasn’t wrong”, said Maya, looking over Hotch and grinning as she winked, before walking back to her seat. Leaving behind a distracted and blushing Hotch, with a slight grin that couldn’t help but escape as he watched Maya walk away.
Hotch let out a sigh. Just looking at the case remarks by the higher ups at the Bureau irritated him. Why on earth should people who have never stepped foot in the field get a say? Regardless of the fact that he got to work less than an hour ago, he was feeling sluggish, but when did mass piles of paperwork not exhaust him? Just then a knock on his door gladly interrupted the monotony of his paperwork filled morning.
Hotch looked up and paused for a minute to take in the woman in burgundy before him. He had never seen her before and while she was younger than him, she was definitely not fresh out of the academy.
She definitely cared about her appearance. Not a hair out of place on her very recently dyed head, not a highlight grown out. Her long sleeved blouse was perfectly tucked into her skirt, not a crease in sight. Her gait and stance making clear she had a thigh holster, which stirred something within. She extended a hand, showing off her expertly manicured fingernails as Hotch took note of the lack of a ring.
As he introduced himself, he took note of the softness of her skin as well as some faint marker, making it obvious she either had children or was close to someone who had kids.
Her unique sense of humor shone through during her introduction to the team. She was clearly a friendly and extroverted person. When they sat down for the briefing, she chose the seat next to him, the light scent of rose and vanilla permeating his nose. Preventing him from focusing on much else, let alone the case. He unknowingly angled his seat closer towards her, his senses on overdrive.
Throughout the case she made it clear and very obvious as to why she had made it onto the BAU, her intelligence and wit shining through.
But the moment he truly knew was done for was when she was sitting across from him on the plane, after the case. Just the simple act of bringing him coffee and making him laugh after a difficult day had his heart racing. And it never really seemed to stop, at least not while he was with her.
A/N: I have some blurbs about Hotch and Maya’s first impressions of the other. They’re going to be posted soon! Also yay for me bc I don’t have COVID! But I did catch a bug from one of the kids at work so that’s why this chapter is up later than normal.
Find out what happened in Chapter 2
“Knock Knock”, said Maya before entering Hotch’s office.
“Good morning Bose, what can I do for you?”, asked Hotch.
“You can accept these cookies and come over for dinner this weekend as an apology for my daughter's behavior”, said Maya.
“You don’t need to do that. Kids will be kids”, replied Hotch.
“I know, but Mira is a whole different breed this most”, said Maya.
“She’ll turn out great. Just look at who she has to look up to”, responded Aaron.
“Who? A deadbeat dad, a single mom who’s barely keeping it together, and grandparents who outwardly hate her mom. She won family of the year”, huffed out Maya.
Aaron’s eyes softened, looking at Maya with a warmheartedly.
“Enough about me. We insist! And bring Jack. They’ll have loads of fun”, said Maya placing a fresh cup of coffee and the chocolate chip cookies that had been baked the night before.
“We’ll come but only if we can bring dessert”, replied Aaron.
“Sounds like a plan. Saturday at 7:30 work for you?”, asked Maya.
“Sounds good. And thank you for the cookies”, said Hotch.
“No problem Hotch! And before I leave, any allergies or deep dislikes I need to know about?”, asked Maya.
“Nope, Any requests for dessert?”, questioned Aaron.
“How about ice cream? You can’t go wrong there”, said Maya.
Hotch smiled and said “got it” before Maya left the room.
***
Maya rushed around the townhouse, getting ready for the Hotchners who should be arriving any second now. The smell of freshly baked bread permeated throughout. The autumnal candles burning, and Mira watching Dragon Tales filled the small home the two had made for themselves.
The doorbell rang, Maya took off her apron and quickly inspected her white sweater for any food stains before heading downstairs to get the door. “Come on in you two. It’s pretty chilly outside for early November”, said Maya, ushering the two in.
Aaron and Jack walked into the foyer, the nervous smile on Jack’s face melted her heart.
“And you must be the famous Jack Hotcher I’ve heard so much about”, said Maya crouching down to the small child tightly gripping his father's hand.
Jack nodded and said, “yes Ma’am”.
Smiling at the adorable kid Maya said, “you don’t need to call me Ma’am, just Maya will do. How about I show you to the living room where Mira is playing with Legos and watching tv?”.
Jack nodded his head eagerly before pausing to look up at his father.
“Go! You don’t need to ask me for permission here”, said Hotch with a nod of his head.
Jack ran up the stairs, heading for the television.
“You sure do make cute kids Hotch”, said Maya before blushing as she realized what she said.
“I mean...uhm. I didn’t mean that”, stuttered out Maya.
A blushing Hotch said, “don’t worry about it”.
After a very hearty meal of seafood bisque (with a tomato and basil option for the kids), freshly baked bread, and salad, the group made their way to the sofa.
“Ma, can we play Candyland?”, asked Mira.
“What do you say Jack, you wanna play Candyland?”, asked Maya looking towards the younger of the Hotchner men.
“Yes please!”, piped out the young boy.
“Okay, you all set it up while I go get dessert”, said Maya.
“Do you need any help?”, asked Aaron.
“Sure, let the kids set up the game. You can help me with the coffee.”, replied Maya.
The two walked into the kitchen where Maya took out the coffee mugs.
“Here you go. I’ll go get the ice cream for the kids” said Maya, handing Hotch the mugs.
“Thanks, and what water do you normally use?”, questioned Hotch.
“Filtered please!”, responded Maya, pointing to the Brita by the sink.
Hotch set to making the coffee as Maya waited for the ice cream to thaw and become more scoopable.
“So how have you been liking being on the team”, asked Hotch.
“In all honesty, It’s been an adjustment. Working with people who have created their own family while being an outsider is difficult. And not only that but you all are the most perceptive group of people I have ever worked with”, sighed out Maya.
Hotch’s face held a look of understanding.
“I remember what it was like when I first got here. I know it can be tough, especially for people who like keeping some semblance of privacy”, said Aaron.
“Exactly. I love being a part of the team. It’s been what I’ve wanted for years. But you all tell eachother everything. And while I am open with certain parts of my life, there are other parts of me that nobody outside of like 4 people know”, replied Maya fiddling with the ice cream scoop.
“They’re nosy. I’ll give you that. But they’re just trying to help. All the team wants is for everyone to feel like they can be open and talk about their life and any problems they may have”, said Aaron.
“I guess it’s just a personal thing. I never really had anyone these past 10 years or so that I felt I could truly confide in so I don’t feel comfortable opening up to people anymore. But I mean that’s how abusers want you to feel, right? That you’re all alone so that you don’t ever leave”.
A sorrow look appeared on Aaron’s face as he reached his hand out to hold Maya’s.
“Maya, if you ever need anything you know you can come to us, right?”
Maya’s heart fluttered as she said, “I know Hotch, but honestly he’s the reason Mira is in my life. So he did something good, right??”.
“Absolutely, Mira might be a handful just like her mother but we wouldn’t trade you for the world, just like you wouldn’t trade her”, said Aaron truthfully.
Maya smiled, a twinkle in her eye, as the oven beeped.
She opened the oven, the warmth of both the oven and smell of cinnamon permeated.
“Maya, we were in charge of dessert. What did you do?”, asked Hotch as he poured the prepared coffee into the 2 mugs.
“Calm down Hotch. Nothing goes better with ice cream than freshly baked apple pie”, said Maya with a smile.
“You keep feeding us like this and Jack will never want to leave”, replied Hotch.
“And what about you?”, asked Maya.
“What about me?”, questioned Hotch.
“Don’t play dumb with me Agent, it’s not very becoming. Would you want to leave?”, reiterated Maya.
Looking at Maya intently with his smoldering eyes, Hotch said, “No, I wouldn’t want to leave either”, before taking the cups of coffee to the living room.
As he walked away, Maya couldn’t help but notice his back muscles rippling underneath his sweater as he took each step.
“Get yourself under control. His wife died mere months ago”, muttered Maya before she brought the dessert out to everyone.
As the two Hotchner's left for the evening after a riveting game of Candyland, Maya couldn’t help but wonder whether her and Hotch’s flirty banter was just that or whether they meant he held actual feelings for her.
***
Maya was filling up yet another cup of coffee before she went back to her desk to finish up her last report from the case when Hotch walked in.
“Jack has been talking about how cool Maya is recently”, said Hotch.
“Well, I am cool. So you’ve got a smart kid there”, said Maya smiling as she took a sip.
“We want to have you over and return the favor. And the kids get along great. So come on over this Saturday”, replied Hotch.
“Will do, want me to bring anything?”, asked Maya.
“Just yourself and Mira. After last time, I don’t trust you”, said Hotch.
“You do realize that I’ll bring something anyways”, said Maya with a grin.
Hotch smiled as he shook his head and headed back to his office.
***
“So what’s this Saturday?”, asked Emily.
“I don’t know, your neighbor's dog's baptism?”, asked Maya.
JJ snorted and Penelope was so very glad she had waited before taking a sip of her hot tea.
“No it’s your second date with Hotch!”, exclaimed Emily.
“No it’s not! We’re not dating!”, replied Maya loudly.
“But you want to be”, said Em.
Scoffing, Maya rolled her eyes.
“Wait, so what’s happening here?”, asked a confused Penny.
“Notching. I invited Jack and Hotch over as an apology dinner for the diarrheahead fiasco. And Jack and Mira seem to get along well so we’re having dinner at their place on Saturday”, replied Maya.
“And you’re not attracted to the man at all?”, questioned JJ.
“No! Absolutely not! And Hayley just died, what kind of monster do you take me for?”, asked Maya.
“It’s almost been a year Maya”, said JJ at the same time as Emily said, “a monster with eyes”.
“Okay, he might be nice to look at, but I am not into him at all”, stated Maya firmly.
“I don’t know about you guys but, methinks the lady doth protest too much”, said Penelope.
A/N: Mira is pronounced Mee-rah, Mama is pronounce mum-ah. Also please note that the “racist comment” against Hispanics is something that all Desi moms do so I included it solely for that purpose. I do not condone racism, but I wanted to make it accurate to what life is like for a lot of desi women, including myself.
Find out what happened in Chapter 1
“Are you fucking kidding me?” yelled out Hrishaan.
“I’m sorry, but this is what I want”, said Maya.
“What the hell are you sorry for? We aren’t splitting up. We’re going to live our lives and grow old just like our parents”, spit out Hrishaan.
“But we don’t love each other!”, exclaimed Maya.
To which Hrishaan replied, “Who the hell fucking cares?”.
“I care Hrishaan! I can take the abuse. But I will not be raising a child in this environment. So yes, we will be getting a divorce”, replied Maya, raising her voice.
“You got pregnant? How could you be so fucking careless?”.
“Me? What about you? Did I ask to be raped all those nights? Did you hear me say, ‘yes Hrishaan, please continue to penetrate me as I cry and tell you to stop’”, cried out Maya.
“Don’t talk back to me with all your feminist bullshit. You are not leaving this marriage”, responded Hrishaan.
“Well sadly, I am not living in whatever fantasy medieval world you live in where a woman has no autonomy. So I am leaving” said Maya before she continues to say, “I am tired of this”, her voice breaking as she goes back to packing her suitcase.
Hrishaan reached out and grabbed her wrist in an attempt to stop her, squeezing hard enough to cut off blood flow.
“Let go of me!”, cried out Maya.
“No! If you’re going to act like a petulant child, I’ll treat you like one”, said Hrishaan, his veins bulging out of anger.
“Hrishaan, let go. I can’t feel my wrist, you’re hurting me!” said Maya, her eyes welling up with pain.
“If you even think of telling our parents about this nonsensical idea, I will kill you. Don’t think I won’t”, screamed Hrishaan, furious at his wife’s actions.
“Tell them what? That you’re a narcissistic, abusive asshole?” spit out Maya, tugging her arm away.
“You bitch”, yelled Hrishaan letting go of Maya, the sudden act causing Maya to launch forwards and hit her head against the dresser.
Letting out a yelp, Maya slowly got up.
“Kill me all you want. At least I won’t have to live here with you”, yelled out Maya.
She walked towards the front door, her bags forgotten and blood dripping down her face, as she walked to her car to head to the solace of her cousins home.
She jerked awake to see the whole team staring at her in concern, startled she sat up straight in her seat.
“What’s up guys?” asked Maya.
“Are you okay?”, questioned David.
“Shouldn’t y'all be asking Spencer that? He’s the injured one!”, exclaimed Maya.
“Well from what it sounded like you were being injured as well”, said Derek.
“What do you mean?” asked Maya, cautiously.
“You kept on saying, ‘let go you’re hurting me’ and muttering words while fidgeting. Sounded like you were reliving some pretty nasty stuff”, said Emily.
“Guy, I’m fine. And we’ve all lived through some nasty stuff. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go to the bathroom”, replied Maya, before walking into the tiny airplane bathroom.
She stared into the mirror, willing her heart rate to slow back down.
You are not married to him anymore.
You are safe.
You have Mira.
She is your world.
With her breathing and heart rate slowing down, Maya blotted off the sweat from her face, washed her hands, and left the small airplane bathroom. She headed back towards her seat and saw a cup of coffee prepared just to her liking. She mouthed the words “thank you” to Emily who was sitting across the aisle with her own fresh cup of coffee.
It was then that Penelope’s face appeared on the screen.
“Maya, when were you gonna tell us about your hot doctor cousin?”, asked Penny.
“What? How do you know what my cousin looks like?”, questioned Maya.
“He just dropped off your absolutely precious daughter and told me to tell you to and I quote pick up that damn cell phone of yours”, replied Pen.
Rolling her eyes she said, “and he just left his niece with someone he doesn’t know? What an idiot".
“Hey, but you know me! I can take care of her for a couple of hours!”, exclaimed Pen.
“I know you can Pen! Just remember no sweets and she’s allergic to strawberries and cashews?”, said Maya.
“Got it. Don’t worry about us my love. I will take great care of your daughter. Catch ya on the flip”, said Pen before she hung up.
Maya groaned at the thought of a total stranger, to Mira that is, taking care of her daughter.
“So tell us about this handsome doctor cousin of yours?” says Emily wiggling her eyebrows.
“Handsome my ass. Penelope just got confused because he’s like the one Indian man who is both tall and does not have a unibrow”, said Maya rolling her eyes.
The rest of the team smiles.
“Wait, so you’re Indian? How did we not know that about you?, asked Derek.
“Dude, my last name is Bose. How did you not know that about me?, asked Maya.
Derek just looked confused.
“Bose is the last name of a famous Indian engineer who invented the technology that made the Bose speaker and headphone brand possible. He was on Forbes 400 a couple years ago”, said Spencer.
“See, thank you Spence. Besides, where did you think I was from?”, asked Maya.
“Uh, well you spoke fluent Spanish. So somewhere that spoke Spanish”, replied Derek.
“Huh, my mom always told me I was mistaken for being Hispanic because I was fat. That’ll tell her”, said Maya.
The rest of the team rolled their eyes at what they assumed was yet another self-deprecating joke.
***
“Ma! I missed you”, screeched Mira, running towards her mom.
“Mira baby, I missed you too”, said Maya, squatting down to give her daughter a hug.
“I helped Ms. Penelope do a background check on Jordan!” said Mira with a look of glee on her face.
“You did what?! Penelope you helped my daughter do a background check on the little boy from pre-k she has a crush on!”, exclaimed Maya.
“Mama, he’s my boyfriend! We’re getting married tomorrow at recess!” cried out Mira.
“See, who was I to let her marry a complete stranger?”, asked Penelope, justifying her actions.
“I told y’all she was a handful”, said Maya as the rest of the team smiled.
“Mama, I’m hungry. I want some chocolate chip cookies”, whines Mira.
“We can make some tonight Mir, but I’m not sure I have any food with me”, said Maya.
“But mummy, I’m starving. I need food”, responded Mira.
“I know baby”, said Maya as she began looking through her desk before Mira threw yet another famous temper tantrum.
“Here, I have a granola bar I never ate”, said Hotch, handing Mira the bar.
“I don’t accept food from strangers Mr. Diarrheahead”, yelled Mira, throwing the bar on the ground.
“Mira, apologize now”, yelled Maya.
“I’m sorry Mr. Diarrheahead”, muttered Mira.
“His name is Mr. Hotchner not Diarrheahead, Mira Ananya Bose. And you better remember that”, said Maya sternly.
“I’m sorry Mr. Hotchner. I shouldn’t have called you that. But you could have been trying to poison me, I don’t know you!”, claimed Mira.
The others were just laughing, while Hotch had a smile on his face and Maya’s face carried an expression of both fury and embarrassment.
“Let’s go before you get Mommy fired”, said Maya.
The two said their goodbyes and left but not before Mira had the chance to say, “goodbye Mr. Diarrheahead”, as she waved with a cheeky smile on her face.
“second chances are not given to make things right. but are given to prove that we could be better even after we fall”
Maya Bose can be described in many words, but trusting will never be one of them. After suffering more heartbreak and hurt one deserves before the age of 26, Maya goes back to school in order to turn her life back around. Along the way she ends up at the BAU, where her strict “work is for work, not friendship” policy gets tested. But soon life shows her that, maybe, second chances do exist.
Ever since he had moved away from his mother, Spencer had shied away from getting close to people, terrified of rejection. This had all changed once he started at the BAU. Gideon, Hotch, and Rossi weren’t just mentors to him, they were like fathers to him, in replacement of his absent father-figure growing up. Derek wasn’t just a friend, he was the best friend and brother who he never had. He was someone for Spencer to prank and spend time with. JJ, Penelope, and Emily, were not just coworkers to him, they were the sisters he never had. They were the ones who taught him how to talk to women, without inadvertently insulting him. His coworkers quickly became his family, and once he met Y/N, he knew that she met his family it would be the ultimate test.
Spencer and Y/N had been dating for almost a year, before Spencer had let it slip that he was in a relationship. He had been on the jet with everyone else when Y/N had called him. He inadvertently smiled, as he did whenever he thought of Y/N, and unconsciously picked up the phone saying, “hey sweetheart”.
Everyone's heads turned to face their boy wonder. Spencer’s face paled, realizing his mistake. He stood up to walk towards the end of the jet to finish his conversation with Y/N. As he sat back down in his seats, the smirking faces of all of his coworkers looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
“What?” he asked, although he knew what they would say.
“Pretty Boy, since when have you been dating someone?” questioned Derek.
“For 11 months and 6 days” replied Spencer succinctly.
This caused Emily to let out a chuckle before she said, “so this is why you started coming in with your ties done properly. I thought you had just watched a YouTube tutorial or something”.
“She made me watch a tutorial before but now she fixes them for me before I leave” siad Spencer, before he flushed coming to the realization that he had revealed more information than he wanted to.
“Spence, she’s living with you already?” asked JJ.
“No, she stays over almost every night though” mumbled out Spencer.
“My man” yelped out Derek, before he put an arm around Spencer’s shoulder, which Spence shrugged off before he threw Derek a glare.
Aaron and David watched the entire conversation in silence before Aaron slid a twenty over to David.
“What was that for?” questioned Emily.
“I thought they were together for six months and Dave thought they were together for a year. Dave was closer.” said Aaron, letting a small smile escape his usual stoic face.
“What, I thought I hid it better?” yelped out Spencer, looking at the two in shock.
“It wasn’t that hard Spencer, all of a sudden you had started looking disheveled when coming into work. And not to add on a couple of evenings you had lipstick smudged on your cheek” said Dave, grinned at the clearly love-stricken boy.
“So when do we meet her?” asked Emily.
“Ooh, you should bring her to the Christmas potluck at Rossi’s place this weekend” said JJ.
After a log of begging, Spencer gave in and agreed to bring Y/N over to meet some of the most important people in the world to him. After all if he had his family and his girlfriend, it would no doubt be the best Christmas ever.
As they held hands, Spencer and Y/N walked up the cobblestone pathway to Dave’s place when Y/N asked, “what if they don’t like me?”, for what seemed like the millionth time.
“They’ll love you Y/N” said Spencer, squeezing Y/N’s hand.
“You keep saying that, but how do you know that?” questioned Y/N as she pressed the doorbell.
“They’ll love you because I love you” said Spencer, before he pressed a soft kiss to Y/N’s forehead, who barely reached his shoulder even with heels on.
Y/N’s cheeks flushed, as she said, “I love you too”.
“Bellissima, you must be Y/N. Spencer’s told us much about you” said Dave, as he ushered the two in from the cold weather.
Spence and Y/N walked into the main area of the house where the rest of Spencer’s team was waiting. Everyone introduced themselves to Y/N, while she in turn introduced herself to Spencer’s family. It was during dinner when Spencer realized that last Christmas he was all alone and could never have imagined being with a woman as perfect as Y/N was a year from then.
“So, how did you two meet?” asked Penelope.
Spencer and Y/N took turns regaling the others with the tale of how they met. How Spencer walked into Y/N at the park, with his nose blindly in a book, causing Y/N to spill her coffee on herself and fall onto the slippery ice. Spencer had felt so guilty he practically drove her to urgent care, but after much urging on Y/N’s part, he settled with buying her another cup of coffee while the two talked. Without realizing, Spencer and Y/N had spent half the day sitting in the cramped booth at the coffee shop, talking about everything imaginable. Spencer had never been so comfortable with a stranger, and Y/N had never been so open with a man she had just recently met. That was when Spencer and Y/N knew that it was only just the beginning for them.
Throughout the dinner, the team noticed how Spencer would take the tomatoes off of Y/N’s plate and how Y/N took the mushrooms off of his plate. They observed as Spencer held Y/N’s hand underneath the table, something he didn’t dare do a year ago. They noted how he was more confident when with Y/N. What they didn’t see is how when Y/N didn’t know how to respond, Spencer stepped up. How Spencer made Y/N much more comfortable being herself, and being okay with who she was for once. Spencer and Y/N complemented each other in the best way possible. Not only were they perfect for each other, they were made for each other.
A/N MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE WHO CELEBRATES! I had a wonderful time during the past 12 days. I hope to participate in 12 Days of FIcmas again next year as well! Thank you to everyone who read my fics these past twelve days! Have an amazing Christmas, if you celebrate, and a wonderful holiday season!
