F O U R T Y S E V E N

SPENCER SMILED AS he woke up with Scout in his arms, slowing stirring her awake as well.

Today was a different day compared to the couple's usual routine. Most weekdays, the pair would wake up early and get ready for work together but today wasn't the case. Instead, it was Spencer who had to go into the office today and Scout stayed behind in his apartment.

He had a mountain of paperwork that he had put off till the last minute while Scout, who was smarter than him in this situation, worked on it during their flight from their last case.

And she, for once, was grateful that her presence wasn't needed. The event with Morgan was still tearing at her conscience and having to face the BAU wasn't something she needed.

Instead of falling asleep once she got home from Xander's most recent mission, Scout snuck out and darted to Spencer's apartment, claiming that she was so worked up from the news of Morgan being attacked that she had to see her boyfriend. The doctor didn't even question it as he too was also distraught.

Too distraught to even notice the makeup she had caked on her neck, perfectly covering her bruises. It was leftovers from an old mission she had done back in her teenage years, one where she had to be in disguise, and was made from high grade materials.

As they both lazily woke up, they laid entwined, gazing out the window at the sunshine that casted shadows of the bustling downtown, in content.

Spencer kissed her temple and sighed, although he said nothing else.

And she knew that the time had come. She promised herself last night that she would tell him the truth. No more backing out.

"Spence." Scout began hesitantly.

Spencer, his eyelids drooping, gave a questioning grunt.

"I'm late." She said quietly.

He groaned more loudly, and sat up, releasing her. "You're right. I better get going."

He swung his legs to the floor, and rose.

She looked after him in bewilderment and shock. He was leaving?!

"What?"

He scratched his leg as he searched for his underwear. "You said it was late. You're right. You have to get some sleep since we stayed up so late and I've got work, so I better go."

She gave a sigh that was half aggravated and half relieved. Scout followed him and stopped him from sliding on the bottom half of his pants with a hand on his arm.

"Spencer, I said that I'm late."

He blinked at her for a few seconds, as if he had not heard her. "You're – what?"

Her face reddened, and she was suddenly sick to her stomach.

"Late. I'm – late." She repeated, unable to think of any better words to use.

"Like – in other words, Aunt Irma hasn't been to visit?"

"Aunt who? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Y – you know. That – time of month. Don't girls call it Aunt Irma coming to visit?"

"No!" She looked incensed. "Who told you that?"

Spencer gritted his teeth. "Derek. I am going to kill him the next time he shows his face again." He growled.

"He was lying to you. If anything, we call it Aunt Flo. Wait!" She held her hands up. "So missing the point!"

Spencer stepped away from her and averted his eyes, then put a hand to his head.

"Yeah. You're right." He looked at her. "H – how late?"

"February."

"Feb - February?" His eyes widened. "It's April. You mean to say - three months?" He walked on unsteady legs and collapsed to sit on the edge of the bed.

"That's a whole trimester."

Suddenly feeling vulnerable and unsure, she grabbed her discarded t-shirt and shorts, and pulled them on.

"I know."

He looked at her again. "Wh – when did you – have you known since the entire three months?"

"What? No. No, not entirely, I mean. I – I guess I just – lost track of time – with – work – and – and – and – everything. I just – didn't realize it until about two months ago." She ended her halting speech with slumped shoulders.

"But how? When?"

"How? How do you think?"

"I know that! I just mean – when?"

"I – I'm not sure. But I think it may have been – the week before my birthday."

"Shit. I didn't wear a condom," He ran both hands through his hair, and looked up at her. "Have you taken a pregnancy test?"

She nodded her head mutely, her heart thumping anxiously.

"Shit, okay." He said softly, and stood.

"Well, we can't - we can't be sure, right? You should do another one. It could've been faulty. Urine home pregnancy tests are about 99% accurate. But - But you could have a false-positive result if you had blood or protein in your pee. Certain drugs, like as tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, hypnotics, and fertility drugs, could cause false-positive results. I'll – I'll go get one."

He turned to look at her.

"I'll go get one." Spencer repeated, trying to get his numb limbs to respond. "I'll be – right back."

He found his dress shirt and tugged it on.

Scout gathered herself enough to realize that was a bad idea. "Spence, really? You're going out to buy a pregnancy test right now?"

Spencer looked at her for a long moment.

"Yeah. Yeah. That's – stupid. Um. Well. I guess that – nothing's going to change if we leave this until tonight." He grabbed his tie from his dresser, where it had been thrown, and slid that on.

She nodded.

"Uh – I guess that I can – go get one after work and come back here - you - and we can – do the test here."

"I'll just go to the dollar store and buy one before lunch."

He stopped searching for his belongings and looked at her in shock. "You are not buying a pregnancy test at a dollar store. I am not going to trust our future to a dollar store pregnancy test."

He found his shoes, and she stared at him in dawning horror. He was going to leave her – now. Right now.

"S – Spence. D – do you have to go?"

"What?" He looked up from strapping on his belt. "Um, yeah. I – I think that I should. It – it is late, I'll be late for work, and I – better let you get sleep."

Her stomach fell, and she watched as he strapped on his watch and put his phone in his pocket.

"S – Spencer?" She said his name plaintively, her voice thready.

Her tone caused him to stop, and he looked at her.

He saw her standing there, and she looked as if someone had kicked her in the head – dazed, and saddened, and confused, and he snapped out of his stupor.

"Oh." He came over to her, and gathered her into his arms. "Oh, love. I – I'm sorry. I was just – surprised. That's all. I – I – did I scare you? I didn't mean to. I'm just – surprised." He said again, and attempted a smile.

"I love you." He declared. "I – love you, and we'll – get through this. Okay?" He asked, and Scout felt that she had no choice but to nod, although it didn't feel okay.

"Okay?" He asked again, and she nodded, again, even though she didn't know what she was agreeing to.

"I – I better just – go. And let you get some sleep. I mean," Spencer picked his cardigan up from his bureau, and tugged it on. "You need your sleep."

With a tremulous smile, she nodded again, accepted the quick kiss on the lips that he offered her, and watched as he slunk out the door. After he had gone, and the door was shut, she sat down in the spot that he had previously occupied on the edge of her bed, and cried.

What the hell is wrong with you? Spencer asked himself as he drove away from the apartment in his car.

She told you that she might be pregnant - wait, she probably is pregnant, and you couldn't get out of there fast enough! What is your problem? Weren't you just trying to push her into talking about that yesterday?

But that's when it was just hypothetical, his base, inner voice told him.

"Shit." Spencer said aloud into the wind.

What did he want? Did he want a long-term, stable relationship with the possibility of children, or did he want to continue being – for lack of a better word – free?

And, if he did want a wife and kids, why had he freaked out when Scout had told him that she was pregnant? Hadn't he just told her that, even though he wouldn't pursue a discussion of their future together, he wanted a future with her?

So why hadn't he told her that it was amazing? That it was incredible? That it was mind-blowing?

Instead, he had flipped out and had taken off.

He had been flustered and confused, and, instead of staying and talking to her, he had just run off. As a BAU agent, he could think on his feet and dispatch four or five thugs without even taking a hit. But when confronted by his 130-pound girlfriend with the two little words 'I'm late,' he turned into a gibbering, dithering idiot who couldn't even think straight.

He had to call her.

He had to call her now and explain. Explain that he had just been startled by her announcement. It really wasn't a reflection of how he felt.

He could do that. He could tell her.

He would tell her just that – and reassure her that they were in this situation together. That she could depend on him.

The rest of the way to Quantico, he wondered how he would say it – wondered how he could make it better – make it right.

He drove his car into the parking lot and, after he had parked it safety, he called her.

She picked up after four rings.

"Scout?"

"Spencer, I really don't want to talk right now. Like you said, I need to get some sleep." Her voice was tight.

He sighed and put a hand on his forehead. "I'm sorry. What I have to say won't take long."

There was an expectant silence on the line, and he plunged on.

"Look. I'm – sorry for the way I reacted earlier. I was just – surprised."

"Yes. I know. You've said." Her tone was distant, and he groaned. This conversation had not started well.

"Yes, what I mean is – it – it was a surprise, but I – shouldn't have reacted that way. I should have – been more supportive. I'm – I'm sorry."

Her voice was wary. "Okay."

"And – we'll – we'll get through this."

"That's the second time you've said that, Spencer. This isn't a disease or – or a disaster – or anything else that you can get through. I am –" She paused, "pregnant, and getting through this is going to take eighteen years."

"So – you – you want to keep the baby?" He had not even asked her if she actually wanted to have the baby.

"Oh, wow. So that's your answer, huh? If I keep it, I'm on my own?"

"What?! No! I didn't say that! You're putting words in my mouth! I – just wanted to know if – you know – you've thought about it."

"Yeah, Reid. I have. I'm pregnant, I want to have the baby and keep it. Even if I have to do it on my own."

"Whoa, whoa. Stop saying that! I never said that I didn't want..." He trailed off, frustrated that he could not manage the words that he wanted to say.

"Look, Spencer, this is getting us nowhere. I'm tired and I'm sure that you're tired, too, and – and I just want to try to get some sleep. Come back after work, like you said, – and I'll do the test. And, who knows? Maybe it'll be a false alarm and everything will be okay." She tried to imbue hopefulness in her voice, but it came out sounding bitter.

He listened with a skeptical ear.

"Yeah." He said, his voice short. "I'll – I'll get the test and see you in a bit. Around six?"

"Yeah."

"Scout?"

"Yeah?"

There was a pause of silence as he tried to swallow the hard lump that had formed in his throat.

"You really are pregnant, aren't you?"

"I – thought maybe if I took more tests then maybe the first one was wrong - or a false positive."

"How many did you take?"

She was quiet.

"How many pregnancy tests did you take, love?" He asked again, emphatically.

"15." She said, her voice small.

"So, it's not a question, really. You are pregnant. Wow, I -"

A knock at his car door window pulled him out of his trance. He saw Garcia looking at him with an excited smile and signaling him to get out.

"Let me guess - Penelope?"

"Yeah - Look, we'll talk about this more when I come home. Okay? I love you."

"Okay." She ended the call and lifted her arm to throw the phone against the wall.

Damn him and his confusing, contradictory words! Did he want her or not? Did he want the baby or not?
She lowered the phone to the table slowly, controlling her impulse. Destroying things would not do her any good – at all.

Spencer couldn't work. He had read his paperwork and had drank a full cup of coffee, and had tried again, but to no avail.

He sighed and then decided to give up and go for a walk, in an attempt to clear his mind. As he trudged on the sidewalk in front of the building, he considered everything.

A baby. Wow. A baby. He might be a father – in less than a year. Hell, he might be a father before the year ended.

And what about Scout?

She would have to give up her job, too – there was no way that she could work a full-time job as an agent and care for a baby. And what about while she was pregnant? She shouldn't work full-time while she was pregnant. She would need rest – she would need to take care of herself. As far as he was concerned, she should give up her job immediately. She should not get up at five A.M. almost every day and chase criminals.

He wanted her to give up working altogether. After all, she wouldn't need to. He made more than enough money to support her and a child.
He frowned as that thought came to his brain. She would not easily agree to giving up her job – her mother depended on the money from the her check, after all.

The light changed, and he walked across the street.

Scout wouldn't make any money at all if another agent took her job, but, what did it matter?

He really, really had enough money for the both of them. For all three of them – himself, Scout, and the baby.
But he also had to think about his future with Scout – their relationship. Just because she was pregnant, did he wanted to marry her? Actually, he wanted to marry her anyway – a baby just sped up the timetable on that a bit.

But there was so much to be done.
So much to be done – and so little time.

And he had to talk to her about it – had to convince her that it was the right thing for them to do. But, this time, he wasn't going to mess it up.

Please consider voting/commenting if you like this story and want show your support for more content.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I am honestly shocked at the amount of support that I've been getting with this book. And trust me, I read every single one of your comments and it makes me so happy to see a new reader. I started writing this book back in April 2018 and it still surprises me that people are interested in Scout and the story I'm telling.
So thank you, I truly couldn't do it without you.

AND TIME TO PUT IN YOUR PREDICTIONS: what do you think the gender of the baby is?

a special thanks to readers who comment:
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