T H I R T Y T W O

SPENCER SET DOWN his satchel on the floor, careful to leave it in the inside of his desk and not the walk-way.

It was a quiet day for the BAU, which included minor paperwork and desk duty. The entire team would work for two or three hours and then head back home. Days like these only happened a few times out of the mouth and Reid reveled in the calmness of it all.

He tucked back his hair, suddenly very self conscious on his messy locks of curls. And even getting ready in the morning had been a struggle, as he had taken up more time than he intended to when leaving for work. Spencer fixed the dark tie, slightly choking himself in the process, and clearing his throat with a cough to cover it up.

The sound of a stifled laugh across the office caused him to look up suddenly.

Scout, who had arrived on time, was already working at her desk and had a pencil between her lips. She was biting down on the wood to hide the evident smile on her lips. On the other hand, she didn't take long to get ready for work. Her usual uniform of jeans, boots, a The Who shirt, and dark blazer wasn't as much of a stand out anymore.

"You look like you're in a good mood, Wiley." Spencer gave her a lopsided smile, causing her to roll her eyes at him.

She tapped the pencil against her cheek, "Stop profiling me, Reid."

"Profiling?" He raised a brow at her, sitting down at his desk. "I can just tell. Remember, I'm that smart."

"Arrogance has to be earned. Tell me, Doc, what have you done to earn yours?"

Spencer shrugged, "I can think of some things-"

"Ookay, nice chat." Scout stuttered, suddenly flustered.

Reid merely chuckled to himself before banging on his desk at a rhythm. He picked up some of the leftover files and started to read, still banging and bobbing his head.

His was so enamored and in a trance that he didn't notice Morgan eyeing him across the way. The dark skinned agent turned to Scout with a confused face.

"Have you ever seen him like this?" Morgan asked, throwing up a crumpled up paper at her head to catch her attention.

"Ow," She mockingly said, rubbing the spot that he hit, "And don't ask me. Haven't you known him longer than I have?"

"Yeah, but you're his friend too."

Scout scoffed, "I dunno, maybe he's finally gotten a date. I heard Tinder can be very promising now a days."

"Tinder? That boy can't write a short enough summary about himself, there's only so much space they give you. He'd probably ramble in his own text messages from how nervous he is."

"You don't give him enough credit." She chuckled, going back to her computer to double check the information in her file.

Morgan eyed Reid again, "Maybe you're right? I mean, look at him-"

Scout looked up. The doctor had grabbed two of the pens on his desk and used them as drumsticks, never taking his eyes off his paper.

"Hm, I didn't know he had rhythm." A small smiled creeping up on her.

"He doesn't - shouldn't, I mean."

"Could've fooled me."

Morgan narrowed his eyes at the short brunette against and her apathetic reaction, "You two aren't-?"

"What? Screwing behind the BAU's back?"

"Aw c'mon Scout," He shook his head in embarrassment. "Why'd you gotta say it like that?"

She laughed, "Hey, you were the one implying it!"

"Doesn't mean you gotta say it aloud."

"I swear, you act like such a big man but you really are just a little scaredy-cat on the inside. The great Derek Morgan," Scout teased, "can't even handle the marvelous Scout Wiley and her sarcastic tongue."

"More like marvelous pain in my ass." Morgan mumbled and flipped back to his paperwork.

The team worked in silence for the rest of the hour but Scout couldn't help but glancing at Spencer every once in awhile. What made it even more interesting was that every time she would look at him, Spencer would be looking back at her. The two blushed but continued working, repeating the cycle.

Scout's insides felt like they were fluttering. No longer was she a sniper assassin, a mailroom employee, a trained sharp shooter. Instead, she was just Scout Wiley and nothing more. And for some unknown reason, that intrigued Spencer Reid enough to be completely enamored with her.

And she admitted, he was a sight for sore eyes. His tall figure towered over her and there was something about his deep set of dark brown eyes that brought her so much comfort. The way he looked at her, it felt like he couldn't stop no matter how hard he tried. And she never wanted him to stop.

Despite being the smartest guy in the room, Spencer never made her feel any less intelligent than him.

"Wiley," The booming voice of Aaron Hotchner pulled her out of her thoughts. "This is for you."

He handed her a folder which she took with furrowed eyes, signaling her confusion, "Uh, thanks?"

"What's this for?" Scout looked up at him and back at the papers, opening it up and glancing at the small federal looking lettering.

"Gun qualification paperwork. It hasn't been wise for you to be out on the field without it, especially considering the recent events and cases we've done."

He was right. The last few cases always ended with Scout somehow finding the unsub and having to apprehend them without proper protection.

"Thank you, Hotch. I appreciate it." She nodded, gesturing to the folder in her hand.

"No need. From the looks of it though, I think you'll be passing with flying colors." He gave her a ghost of a smile, and Scout struggled to not catch her breath in her throat.

The man was one of the best FBI profilers, after all.

"Er- right. The case in Maine, the one at the university."

Hotch stayed stoic, "Lucky shot, right?"

"Yeah," Scout smiled, "Lucky shot. I never thought that years of playing shooter games at the arcade would pay off, huh?"

"Right."

After Hotch returned to his office, Scout was left in a nervous state of wreck. She couldn't focus on her work anymore as thoughts of his words plagued her mind. It was obvious, really. And she was surprised that it took him this long to figure it out. Hotch was a profiler, how could he not?

With a quick fit of fake coughs, Scout excused herself to the bathroom. Thankfully the bathroom was empty, she pulled out her old cell phone from her back pocket and called Xander. After two rings and back completely drenched from sweat, he picked up.

"What?"

"We've got a problem."

"We do?" Xander groaned, "What did you do this time?"

"Hotchner is closing in, he's starting to figure out that I'm the sniper. He wants me to know that he knows."

After a string of curse words, Xander huffed, "This isn't good."

"You think?"

"Okay, okay. Don't worry about it, girly. I'll let my boss know what's going on and we'll figure something out. Just - try and stay calm about it. Don't get your panties in a twist and act normal, if you can pull that off then maybe you can get Hotcher off you back. At least for a little while, okay? You think you can do that?"

Scout groaned, "I can try but I don't know how long it'll last. You've gotta do something, Xander, and it better be quick."

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh c'mon, Xander. Remember what you said before? If I go down then that just links back to you. So you better save my ass before I take you down with me, got it?"

There was a pause of silence, "You never made commands like this to me before, girly. You've been spending too much time with your mother."

Scout rolled her eyes, "No, I'd just rather not go to jail anytime soon, got it?"

'Or I'd rather not have Spencer finding out anytime soon. Not like that and especially not right now.' She thought to herself, biting down on her bottom lip to calm down.

"Fine," Xander said with a gruff voice, "I'll handle it. Be on the lookout, okay?"

"Good." She sighed before slamming the phone shut.

Scout looked around the bathroom, seeing how dirty is was, and decided to wash her hands. She grabbed at the sink switch to turn in the water but felt a sharp pain. She pulled back and inspected her hand. A large gash cut the inside of her palm, bleeding heavily. It wasn't deep but it was long enough to cut the tip of her thumb and curved to the other side of her hand.

"Shit." She mumbled under her breath and grabbed a handful of paper towels to stop the bleeding.

Scout walked back out, still nervous and anxious about her last conversation with Hotch. She silently cursed at herself for letting it get to her but she couldn't help it. The thought of Spencer finding out gave her even more of an incentive to keep her secret now. And Xander couldn't find out either, she knew that he would only use that information against her.

JJ walked by, looking rather tired, which Scout couldn't blame her for. She knew she had been the cause to all of the blonde's stress. It was known that ever since Henry had been shot at, she hadn't been sleeping well. And Scout's conscience went haywire every time she thought of it.

"Hey, are you okay?" JJ glanced at her bleeding hand before grabbing it without question to inspect it.

Scout tried to pull back but couldn't from her grip, "It's nothing, really. Just some rusting metal in the bathroom. I'm sure it'll clear up in a few days."

"It could get an infection."

"I'll clean it up once I get home." She shrugged and reassured her, bringing back her hand to her side. "And if anything happens then I swear I'll let you know."

JJ raised her brow, "And you'll go to the hospital."

"The hospital? It just a little cut, J. I'm a big girl." She scoffed.

"Scout." She said in a tone that only a mother could've mastered.

Scout slumped her shoulders, "Okay, okay. Fine, but if I have to get any shots then you have to promise me that you'll hold my hand."

"Deal." The blonde laughed and gave up.

After another long stretch of working and filing, the team unanimously decided to finish for the day. Hotch, JJ, Garcia, Rossi, Morgan, and Scout walked together in a huddle making small talk.

Scout kept an eye on Hotch but the team leader was too busy chatting with Rossi to notice. She sighed a breath of relief, hoping that her conversation with him was just the result of guilt. Maybe she had been reading into him too much? Maybe he didn't have a clue that she was the sniper after all?

Scout crossed her fingers and hoped that had been the case.

Garcia glanced back towards Spencer who was the last one to leave as he gathered all his books to take home. The team followed her gaze, all piling into the elevator one by one.

Spencer, who had all of his things in his satchel, was playing with his hair and tucking it back and forth. He was using the black screen of his computer monitor as a mirror to help. Scout couldn't help but chuckling, knowing the real reason why the resident genius was acting in such a way.

"What is going on with that boy?" Garcia giggled, elbowing Morgan.

"I have no idea."

Scout leaned against the wall that was outside the elevator, "Has he ever cared about the way that he looks?"

"Not to this extent." JJ shook her head and crossed her arms.

Both Hotch and Rossi stayed silent but wanted to hear more of the conversation so they pressed the 'Keep Open' button on the elevator's control panel.

"Looks like he's getting ready for a date." Garcia smiled, now giddy with excitement.

"No," Morgan put his arm around the technical analyst. "He's gone on dates before, but this - well, this looks different."

Scout felt her cheeks burn but kept she nonchalant persona. She didn't want the team to catch on even though her and Spencer never talked about what exactly they were. It would be best to just keep quiet for now.

Garcia gasped, "You don't think-"

"Reid has a girlfriend." JJ darted her eyes to each member of the team as the realization dawned on her. They all carried looks that mixed between surprise, confusion, and pure curiosity.

The team began to whisper about this new found information between themselves but Scout couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. She glanced back to Spencer, who was now starting to clean up his desk one last time.

"You coming, Wiley?" Rossi started to pressed the button for the elevator to go to the ground floor.

Scout patted down her pockets and tilted her head, "I forgot my cell phone. I'll see you guys out there."

They nodded and the elevator closed.

She casually walked back to the office, ignoring the look of confusion Spencer gave her and picked up the cell phone she left behind in her desk. The device had signaled a notification of 5 new messages but Scout ignored them and tucked the phone back in her pocket.

The doctor held the door open for her as she walked back out and sent her a lopsided smile. As a pair, the two walked together and waited for the elevator to return to their floor.

"You waited for me?" Spencer smirked, more confidently than what she had expected.

"No, I just forgot something."

"Ah~" He nodded.

Scout glanced at him as the elevator dinged in arrival, "Brains first."

Spencer rolled his eyes and went in with her following behind. They both went to opposite corners of the metal box, eyeing the other. He dropped his satchel to the floor when the elevator dinged again. Their gazed locked on each other but Scout looked away as the doors closed.

Instantly, Spencer grabbed her waist and brought her close to him. She yelped in surprise, eyes wide as he he kissed her in the same pace and rhythm as her pounding heart.

She leaned against the elevator and smiled into the kiss, feeling at though her body was on fire. And Scout could feel Spencer grinning as well, his lips curving. Before the contraption dinged again, he pressed his forehead to hers and stared into her eyes. She gulped from the rush of the sudden human touch but felt cold when he pulled away the second before the doors opened.

"What was that for?" Scout followed after him into the lobby, struggling to keep up with his long legs.

He looked back, "What are you talking about?"

"Back there, inside the elevator." She rolled her eyes.

"Hm, sorry. You must have me confused with someone else."

Scout struggled not to smile as they walked side by side together. They could see the mass of the team walking together towards their cars as they were only a few feet away. She felt her phone buzz again inside her back pocket but ignored it, whoever was texting her could wait.

Right now, all Scout wanted was to be with Spencer in that moment.

"So, I was thinking-"

"Yeah?" She eyed him.

He slowed down his pace and glanced at the short agent, "-if you're not busy this weekend, I thought that maybe-"

"Uh huh?"

"-are you sure you want to know because you keep interrupting me, Wi-" Spencer smiled, his eyes turning upward at her silliness.

"Oh believe me, I want to-" Scout stopped in her tracks, feeling a searing and burning pain overcome her shoulder.

The force was quick but strong, pushing her off her feet and falling on her back. She could feel the air from her lungs being caught in her throat and struggled to inhale again. Scout knew this type of pain, having felt it several times before. But this pain was rather unbearable and unexplainable.

Spencer's face came into her cloudy vision, full of worry and distraught. his hands grasped her face but she couldn't feel his warm skin. Instead, it felt very cold. Scout glanced down at her shoulder, flinching at the pain and the sight of blood. It was flooding out of her, staining her clothes as well as Spencer's.

"Scout? Scout, can you hear me?" His voice was shaky from the nerves but she knew it wasn't just that.

All of her senses were becoming more and more foggy by the second, her body was shutting down for some reason.

Scout gasped for air and reached out for Spencer, her bloodied hands tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear, "Spen-"

"Stay with me, Scout. Just hold on. Okay, I know you can do that. C'mon, make fun of my clothes, my hair, anything. I know you've been wanting to all day." The doctor felt warm tears starting to form but he didn't care. The girl that he had finally opened up to and had opened up to him was shot.

And he didn't know what to do.

Her glanced back as he heard the pounding footsteps of his teammates rushing towards the pair. When Spencer looked back down, her eyes had drifted shut.

"Scout?" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, but had not received a response. "Scout? Scout, please. Wake up. I can't do this, I need you to tell me what to do. I can't think."

Spencer pleaded and pleaded, but Scout never responded.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
GAHHHH! I'm sorry but it had to be done!
So, Scout got shot. And poor Spencer does not deserve to have this kind of pain but he can never have a normal relationship, can he?
But let's be honest, he isn't a normal guy.
ALSO, I asked in the last chapter of you guys prefer the OG team or the new team. The reason is: I haven't watched new Criminal Minds episodes in years, going back to 2014 and season 9.
I know, I'm writing a Criminal Minds book but haven't seen the whole show. I'm basically a martyr, oh well.

Thank you all for reading, voting, and especially commenting.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if it wasn't for all the comments then I wouldn't bother writing another chapter, so thank you!
I honestly love you guys, especially those who comment every chapter (you know who you are!"

a special thanks to readers who comment:
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