(Okay — I know Reid is no longer in Criminal Minds, and I still love the show with my whole heart, so I'm making a fanfic, a homage to the new season. YAY CRIMINAL MINDS! Also, I spent the last season thinking: SPENCER WOULD HAVE SOLVED THIS SH1T ALREADY FFS! Love you guys, T.)

You were supposed to replace Tyler Green. The man was older than you, but you had started your journey into the FBI when you were only 19 years old while Tyler had, at least, 5 years in front of him. But, somehow, you’d managed to convince the FBI board when you reported back. Tyler would have to be trained somewhere, and he would come back to the BAU eventually. It made no sense to send him to Alaska, and if he actually stuck around with the BAU team, he would learn from them. David Rossi was stunned — the man bought you a bottle of wine, for heaven's sake — when he heard the news. But now, Tyler was your responsibility — meaning that if he messed up, it would fall on you. And even though you were younger than him, Green respected you very much for it: you had built your career from a young age, and somehow, you had convinced the board to let him be trained here, at the BAU. Tyler didn’t want to mess this up or disappoint you — or the team.

That's exactly why Luke and Tara had started calling you the "female, new version of Spencer Reid." You, on the other hand, thought it was unfair — he had joined the BAU when he was younger than you, and the man had an IQ of 187 (yes, you knew things about him. Penelope Garcia loved to ramble about him). This wasn't a fair comparison — to him, of course, but you didn't know him.

Yet.

Because Elias Voit had woken up from his coma, and he had a whole network of serial killers he refused to talk about — especially now that he was in jail and got shanked in there. So, Emily Prentiss asked you — no. Emily Prentiss begged you to convince Spencer Reid to consult. He wouldn't be an agent, just a consultant on Elias’ case. You’d convinced the FBI board to let Tyler stay. You could convince Spencer to consult.

Right?

You had no idea. You were standing by Luke's side in front of his apartment door — because Spencer hated change and still lived in the same place — as you stared at the wooden thing. JJ would have offered to come with you, but she had confessed to having feelings for him a couple of years ago, and she didn't want to ruin this.

Sure, Spencer thought about his previous job often, but he really liked being a professor at Virginia University. And he loved sleeping. Sleeping and not having nightmares. Sometimes, he missed the adrenaline, the action — but he liked being a professor. That's why he was so surprised to see Luke Alvez standing at his door — beside a woman he didn't know, but the first thing he thought was how fucking stunning you looked. You were FBI, that much was clear — literally clear, since you and Luke were wearing FBI jackets — but why the hell…?

“Can we come in?” asked Luke, and Spencer just blinked. After a moment, he nodded, guiding you and Alvez into his apartment — green, cozy, great smell.

You filled Spencer in — from your name to the case. The three of you sat at his dining table, and Reid listened attentively, interested. Elias Voit was confusing, prolix, and he had actually managed to make the BAU squirm — that’s why you were here.

“You two do know I’m turning 39 next month, right?” was the first thing Spencer asked — and you laughed. Oh, you were adorable, he thought.

“You know how old David Rossi is?” you asked, and it was his turn to laugh.

“Fair enough,” Spencer said, cracking a small but gentle smile. Luke smiled too, because you were definitely good at your job and at convincing people, apparently.

“If you say yes, I have to tell you.” you said. “Voit is going to dig about you, if he hasn't, already, even if you'll be just a consultant. Trauma, past...” Spencer found it sweet — that you worried about him.

To Reid's surprise, though, it didn't scare him. Actually, it felt like... a challenge.

“I'm a big boy.” Spencer joked, his tone gentle.