I awoke to the bright light shining through my sheer white curtains, and felt the presence of Spencer to my left. I run my eyes and check the clock.

9:23 am.

My eyes grow wide and I immediately check my phone. 3 missed calls from Hotch, 2 from Garcia, and 5 texts from Morgan.

Work started at 8.

I quickly turn around and shake Spencer. "Spencer, I forgot to set an alarm. It's 9:23."

Spencer opens his eyes slowly and then looks at the clock. His face grows panicked and he practically jumps out of bed and gets dressed. I follow in suit and run into my closet and quickly throw on dress pants, a blouse and some flats.

I walk out of my closet to Spencer rapidly brushing his teeth and fixing his hair. I run a hairbrush through my own hair and brush my teeth, and then grab my purse.

"Are we going together?" Spencer asks.

"Two cars would take too long. I can just take you back here after work to get your car." I offer.

"Alright, sounds good. Let's go." I nod, and we race out the door and down to the parking lot and I hop in the drivers seat.

On the way there, it involves me slightly speeding and weaving in between lanes, passing people who have the audacity to go under the speed limit.

"Stella, we are already late. You don't need to get a speeding ticket." Spencer stated, patting my thigh.

I let out a sigh. "I know, I just don't want to be any later than we already are. We are only five minutes away."

Spencer nodded at my response and took his hand away from my leg and rested it in his lap. I loosened my knuckles on the steering wheel as I saw the sign directing me to the parking lot of our building.

-

"Alright, get ready to be bombarded with questions." I mumble as the elevator doors open, and Spencer and I walk out and open the tall glass doors.

As soon as the sound of our shoes hitting the floor echo loud enough for everyone in the bullpen to hear, Derek and Emily immediately look up to see Spencer and I speed walking to our desks.

Derek dropped his pen and turned to me and Spencer as we sat down at our desks, which just happened to face each other.

"Did you two finally do it?"

I felt my cheeks grow red and before I can respond, Spencer speaks up. "No, we didn't. We were both having a rough night so I came over and we watched a movie and then fell asleep. We forgot to set an alarm."

I give him a confused look and he just turns to me with wide eyes, telling me to go with it.

Derek raises his eyebrows and then turns to me. "Stella, can you confirm?"

I look up and him and nod my head quickly, and then turn to the computer on my desk and login. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Derek turning back to his own desk and grabbing a file out of the stack.

When Spencer said that, I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I mean, this has been going on for over a year, basically. We've never walked into work together, but is he ashamed of me? Is he afraid to make things official?

I look away from my computer and at Spencer who is running his finger down a file, not paying attention to any of the commotion filling the bullpen.

I sigh and turn back towards my work. I try to read what I have in front of me, but it's like my mind all of a sudden can't comprehend what I'm reading. My mind is full of thoughts, specifically Spencer.

Why would he lie?

-

Later that night, it was just Spencer, Hotch and I left at the office. Hotch told us that we had to stay late to make up for what we missed this morning.

Soon enough, Hotch said his goodbyes and exited the BAU, leaving just Spencer and I, and a janitor who kept coming in and out of the bullpen.

I shut my file loudly as to catch his attention and he looks up at me, and I raise a brow at him.

"What?" Spencer questions, furrowing his brows.

"Why'd you lie to Derek earlier?"

Spencer gulped. "I don't know. I didn't know where you stood, more specifically, where we stood. I didn't want to say what we did last night and make you uncomfortable."

I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. "Well, where do we stand, Dr. Reid?"

Spencer shrugged. "Are we dating? Do people consider this dating?"

Not even I knew the answer to that one. "Would it be something you're open to?" I ask, hoping it's the right thing to say.

"Possibly."

"Well, Spence, we have been impulsively having sex for the past year or so. I do have feelings for you, and I'm hoping you have them too." I conclude, and watch as he leans back in his chair.

"Stella, I do have feelings for you. I just feel like a relationship would cause so many problems within the Bureau. Plus, how would we tell the team?"

I furrow my brows and really try to think this through. I see how telling the team could be difficult, considering the only time people suspected that something was up with us was when I joined the BAU, but it eventually became a topic of the past.

"Maybe we could start being a little more affectionate towards each other at work but not too much. I'm not a fan of PDA, personally." I suggest.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of it either. I don't know Stella."

I stand up and walk over to his desk and sit on top of it. "What are you unsure about?"

"Well, if I'm being honest, it would be the constant teasing from the team. You may not get teased about it, but I definitely will." Spencer admitted, looking down.

I reached my hand out and lifted his chin up with my index finger. "They would probably only joke around for about a week or so. Then it would be old news."

Spencer stared deep into my eyes. "I'm not the biggest fan of labels, so maybe we could act like boyfriend and girlfriend and not put a label on it for awhile."

I shrug. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

There is a pause in conversation as I stared back into Spencer's pupils. I inched closer to his face and attached my lips to his.

He brought his hands to my cheeks and cupped them lightly, and brushed my cheek with his thumb.

I ran my hands through his hair and all of a sudden, the clicking of heels filled the almost silent bullpen.

"Hey guys- woah."

I immediately broke the kiss and Spencer and I both looked over at the woman who had stopped in her tracks.

JJ.

"Am I interrupting something?"

My cheeks turned bright pink as I get up from his desk. "Nope. You didn't see anything." I muttered.

"Yep, that's right. I saw nothing. The rest of the team is on their way here. We have a case, conference room in 15." JJ answered, giving Spencer and I a wink as she headed up to the conference room.

Once she shut the door behind her, I turned to Spencer.

"Holy shit."

Spencer was running his hands through his hair. "I am never going to hear the end of this."

I give him a sympathetic look. "Hey, it was just JJ. At least it wasn't Derek, or Penelope. Now that would've been bad."

Spencer sighed. "For all I know, Garcia is going to check the cameras and see. Sometimes when cases are slow, she will watch old footage. Don't ask me why."

I shrugged. "Oh well, I don't care if she sees. Maybe telling the team will be easier." I shot him a wink and walked back over to my desk as the rest of the team began to enter the bullpen. I grabbed a pen and a pad of paper and made my way up to the conference room.

-

"Don't get comfortable, there will be time to debrief on the plane." Hotch exclaims as we all enter the conference room.

"Where are we headed?" Spencer asks from behind me.

"New York."

"5 shooting in 2 weeks. It's about time we got a call." Rossi murmured.

"We are going to take Garcia with us, hopefully they'll give us access to their surveillance system." Hotch stated.

"What do we know?" Emily questions.

Hotch sighed. "All of the killings occur during the day. Single gunshot wound to the head with a .22."

"Any witnesses?" I take my opportunity to speak up.

"No."

Spencer cleated his throat. ".22 caliber pistols are only 152 decibels, uh, New York streets and subways are routinely well over 100, it could be that people aren't even registering the gunshot until the unsub is already leaving the scene."

Derek furrowed his eyebrows. "They sound like mob hits."

"Except none of them have ties to organized crime."

"Do they have any connection to each other?" Emily questions.

"None they found."

"How about communication with the police? Has the unsub tried to make contact?" Rossi asked.

Hotch gestured towards the monitor. "Surveillance feed has captured video of three of the murders. Here is the latest."

Hotch hit play, and we watched the black and white screen as a hooded figure came up behind a man and shot him in the back of the head as he walked by.

I can't make out a face, or even if it's a man or a woman. "That's the best image they have?"

Hotch nods. "They're all the same. Wears his hood and keeps his head down."

He then proceeded to show us the videos of the other two killings.

"This guy is bold. Crowded areas, broad daylight."

"Son of Sam all over again." Spencer mumbles, and then turns to walk out of the room as Hotch shuts off the TV, and we all follow in suit.

-

a/n: this is quite bad i'm sorry

this fanfic i'm pretty sure is nearing its end. i'm not sure how i'm gonna end it yet i have a few things planned out, but get readyyyy.