I would love to read what you guys thing of this chapter! Hope you enjoy it! Got more plot coming later.

Words: 2,551

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When Spencer first realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Ryder, it was a normal day. There was nothing special or different about it. He'd come home after a boring day at work. That thought passed through his mind as he unlocked the door to their apartment. Home. This was his home. Not this building, not their shared apartment. But the woman sitting on the couch, hair messy, glasses resting on her nose as one of his shirts swallowed her petite frame. The smile that lit up her face when she turned to him. She was his home.

It may have been old fashion but Spencer felt he needed permission to ask the most amazing woman in the world to marry him. Ryder's mother had passed and her father had just come into her life not long before, it wasn't his place to give permission. So, that left Thomas.

Nervous would be an understatement when he'd asked the slightly younger man to meet him. But to his surprise, he somehow knew exactly what Spencer had on his mind. He'd barely even gotten a word out when Tommy had crossed his arms and said. "You want to marry my sister." It hadn't been a question. Spencer nodded once getting through his shock. The rest of the conversation was short but in the end, Spencer got the answer he wanted. "You're a good man, Spencer. I couldn't wish for anyone better for my little sister. You have my blessing."

He'd thought buying the ring would be difficult. Even thought about asking for help but as he looked over the many shiny diamonds he knew none of them were right. Until his eyes landed on the one. He wasn't sure how, he just knew it was right and he bought it immediately.

He just couldn't figure out how to ask. There was always the worry that she'd say no, deny him, but Spencer was able to talk himself down from those doubts whenever they popped up. Sure, there was still that possibility but Spencer knew it was a small percentage that it would come to be.

Spencer Reid was classified as a genius with an IQ of one-eighty-seven, but figuring out how to propose was one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. After getting past the tiny freak out he had that he wouldn't figure this out, he started thinking about Ryder. What she liked and their time together. They were both more private people. Ryder was better with others than he was but she wasn't one to make a big show of things. That ruled out a public proposal. The pieces all fell together from there.

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Content. That's the only word to describe how Ryder felt. Well, that and sleepy but what else do you expect from someone who just woke up? Rolling over with her eyes still closed, Ryder furrowed her brows when her arm hit cold sheets instead of her warm boyfriend. It couldn't be that late, she'd have woken up already. Or maybe not, she'd been feeling sick the past few days, maybe her body just needed extra rest.

But with a blurry glance towards the clock, the young woman discovered it was still early. It was when she sat up, rubbing a tired hand over her face that she smelt it. She'd know that smell anywhere.

Climbing from the bed with a smile, Ryder doesn't bother changing from her underwear and one of Spencer's T-shirts. She was sure she wore them more than he did these days, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Well, hello, handsome." Ryder greeted as she walked into the kitchen, her sock-clad feet easily sliding across the floor.

"Goodmorning." Spencer smiled as he walked over to her, giving her a quick kiss. "Hope I didn't wake you."

"No, you didn't." Ryder shook her head, hand coming up the back of his neck to run through his freshly cut hair. She loved his hair long, thought he looked good but couldn't deny how adorable and handsome he looked with it shorter. "Did you make me breakfast?"

"Your favorite." He nodded with one last kiss before pulling away to finish the food.

"Blueberry pancakes?"

"You know it." Spencer said as he fixed their plates. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit, juice. He tried to go all out.

"What's the occasion?" Not that Spencer never did things like this for her, he was good like that. Surprising her with random romantic gestures, but this one felt different.

"I just love you." Spencer shrugged like it was nothing, setting the plates full of food on the other side of the counter in front of the bar stools.

"Oh, well I love you too." Ryder said happily, taking her seat as Spencer did the same. "You know, I'm starting to think you're trying to show me up with your cooking skills."

"Maybe a little." Spencer chuckled, watching Ryder as she took another bite of food. He knew before but it seemed like every day just made it more so. This was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Wanted to grow old with, have children with.

"Well, you win this round." Ryder commented when she finished off her food, turning to eye Spencer as he stood without saying a word.

Just go for it, Spencer told himself when Ryder took the last bite of her food. He surprised himself with how calm he'd been all morning. He'd already made the decision to do this, there was no way he couldn't but it was a big part of someone's life. And he knew it wasn't perfect. He wasn't perfect and neither was Ryder, but that's one of the reasons he loved her so much.

With a calming deep breath, Spencer looked up to meet Ryder's suspicious eyes, her brows furrowed as he reached into his pocket. The same velvet box that had been burning a hole in it since the day he bought it.

Pulling it out, Spencer saw the moment that Ryder realized what was happening. Her brows straightened out, her eyes got a little wider and she turned to face him as he got down on one knee. It wasn't necessary, he knew, he felt like most people didn't do it anymore. But it felt right, so he did it.

"I didn't write a speech because I knew the words to describe how I feel about you don't exist. But I'm hoping that you'll let me spend the rest of my life showing you. So, Ryder Mathews, will you marry me?"

Ryder was pretty sure she looked like a fish, eyes wide, mouth opening and closing, but the thought wasn't her main focus right now. She almost wanted to pinch herself, make sure she'd really woken up that morning and this wasn't a dream. It felt like a dream. The man she loved, who meant more to her than her own self, was asking her to spend the rest of their lives together. She wanted to say yes, of course she did, she knew she wanted this without hesitation, but those weren't the words that left her mouth.

"I'm not wearing pants." Safe to say those weren't the words either of them expected. "You're proposing and I'm not wearing pants."

As funny as he thought this was, Spencer felt like he couldn't breath. "I'm sorry, Ry, you're going to have to answer, I'm dying here."

"Oh, sorry, yes!" Snapping herself from her thoughts with a shake of her head, Ryder quickly answered, a smile breaking out across her face. "Yes!" Unable to wait for him to stand, Ryder wrapped her arms around Spencer from where he's still kneeling on the ground.

"You had me worried there for a second." Spencer chuckled as he returned the hug, picking them both off the floor. "Here." He mumbled once they pulled apart, taking her left hand and sliding the ring onto her finger. Perfect fit. Of course it was, he knew her ring size.

"It's beautiful." Ryder said as she admired the ring. "It's perfect." Looking away from the shining diamond on her finger, Ryder wraps her arms around Spencer's neck once more, this time connecting their lips.

"I can't believe I'm not wearing pants." She mumbled once they pulled apart, drawing a chuckle from Reid. At least her hair looked decent.

"You look beautiful."

"Spence, could you get the door, please?" Ryder called to her fiancé when someone knocked on the door. Fiancé. She was still geting used to that. The thought made butterflies fill her stomach.

"Yeah." Came Spencer's response. They knew who it was, had invited them over for dinner. Only it wasn't just dinner.

Ryder heard the muffled greetings as she walked down the hallway from the bedroom and into the main area, seeing Steve, Natalie and Spencer all talking. "Glad you guys could make it."

"Yeah, girl, it's been forever." Nat agreed, moving to hug her friend. "And I'll never pass up your cooking."

"Well, Spencer helped, he's almost as good as me." Ryder chuckled, pulling away from one friend to hug the other.

"Almost?" Spencer repeated teasingly. "You sure about that?"

"Pretty sure." Ryder nodded with a smirk.

"What is that?" Natalie asked, her voice drawing everyone's eyes to her own which were cast down.

"Oh, you know." Ryder said casually, following her friend's eyes down to her hand before holding it up. "My engagement ring."

"No!" Nat squealed. "Let me see!" Taking Ryder's hand in her own, the model gushes over the ring while Steve pats Spencer on the back before moving to hug and congratulate his best friend.

"I'm so happy for you." Steve says, voice muffled as he squeezed his friend. "Here I thought it'd never happen." He joked, laughing when Ryder hit his arm.

"Whatever." She sighed. "Keep talking and I'm going to make you a bridesmaid."

"You mean I'm not going to be a bridesmaid?" Steve asked, feigning shock and offense as he placed a hand over his heart.

"Yeah, I agree." Nat put it. "I'd love to see you in a dress."

Chuckling at their friends, the newly engaged couple split off to finish preparing the food. "Well, I say that went well."

"Two down." Spencer mumbled, thinking about telling his team. He was super excited, there was no denying it but nervous as well.

"We should probably figure out how we're going to tell the others." Ryder commented as she grabbed the bowl of salad.

"Might want to invest in earplugs." Spencer chuckled.

"Penelope?" Ryder knew exactly what he meant. She adored the older blonde woman, loved how happy and excited she got about things and couldn't wait to announce their engagement to her.

"Sorry, I'm late." Tommy called out as he entered the apartment. "I can't believe you're getting married. And before me." He joked, wrapping his arms around Ryder in a hug.

"Well, if you'd actually date." She told him with a pointed look. "And you can't believe? I can't believe you were able to keep this from me, I'm usually so good at reading you."

"No, no." Tommy shook his head. "That's what I let you think."

"Uh-huh, sure, you keep telling yourself that." Ryder said as she walked past him, setting the bowl in her hands onto the table. "Okay, let's eat."

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It was decided that telling the team would be a group affair. Unfortunitly, the team got called away on a case before the couple had a chance. Spencer suffered through days keeping it from his friends. Luckily everyone was so caught up in the case, they didn't notice anything off about their youngest member.

They returned late afternoon only a few days later. Spencer had been texting Ryder, trying to figure out a plan. "Hey, guys." He voiced to his team, sans Hotch and David. "Ryder was wondering if you guys were up for dinner."

"I'm in." Derek nodded, not thinking anything of the invitation.

"I'll text Will." JJ said, pulling out her phone as she did.

"Sounds good." Emily agreed.

Ryder was already on her way to the building. They decided now was as good a time as any to tell them and they were all together now, so it was perfect.

There was still a little more work to be finished but by the time Ryder arrived with a text towards Spencer, they were just about done. Trying not to draw attention to himself, the young agent stood from his desk and casually walked from the room and over to the elevator.

Meeting his fiancée on the ground level, he helped her get through security before leading her to the elevator. "I'm shaking." Ryder chuckled, holding up her hand to show its trembling.

"Here." Taking her hand in his own, Spencer squeezed as the elevator opened. "Come on."

Smiling up at him, Ryder gave a nod along with a deep breath before the couple stepped out. "Well, hello." Emily greeted as she was the first to see them enter. "Didn't know you were stopping by, thought we were going to meet up."

"Yeah." Ryder smiled, excepting the woman's offered hug. "Just thought I'd meet up with you guys early."

"You won't find us complaining." JJ moved forward with her own smile, hugging the younger woman.

"How you doing, little lady?" Morgan asked with a smile.

"Good." Ryder answered. She's taken her ring off before getting there, choosing to keep it in her pocket until everyone was present. She wasn't willing to risk someone spotting it.

A gasp from behind the group drew their eyes around to see Garcia marching towards them. "Why didn't anyone tell me you were here?" She demanded, bounding over to Ryder before enveloping her in a hug.

"I'm sorry." The younger woman chuckled. "It was a last-minute thing." Pulling away, Ryder noticed Hotch and David coming down to join them. "But now that everyone is here, Spencer and I have something we'd like to tell you guys."

"You're pregnant." Penelope blurted out before anyone could get any words out.

"Penelope." Derek sighed, huffing a laugh and shaking his head.

"No, I'm not pregnant." Ryder laughed, slipping the ring on behind her back as she looked up to Spencer. "But I am engaged."

The reactions were almost instant. Spencer had made a point about needed earplugs. Garcia squealed and ran forward to hug Ryder before anyone else could move. Derek moved to congratulate his best friend as the girls hovered around Ryder, hugging before asking to see the ring.

"It's so beautiful." JJ gushed as she gently held Ryder's hand in her own.

"When did you get so good at keeping secrets?" Emily asked, looking over to Spencer with a raised brow and smile.

"Come here, little lady." Morgan smiled, moving to give the shorter woman a hug.

"Congratulations." Hotch told the young couple, his normally blank face holding a soft smile. David moved forward, clapping Spencer on the shoulder before offering Ryder a hug of his own.

"Thank you." Ryder said, smiling up at everyone as Spencer took her hand. "You guys still up for dinner?"

"Yes! We have to celebrate." Garcia shouted, earning chuckles from the group. "Married couple to be coming through."

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Hope you guys enjoyed!