A/N: So this is my first fanfiction work. I obviously don't own HP or CM!

I wrote much of this piece on my iPod around midnight when creativity struck while I was supposed to study for exams! So there will probably be plot holes and loose ends - mostly because I'm not decided on whether I want it to be a oneshot or multichapter thing! Although my mind is currently ruled by the APA because even though I was writing for pleasure, my first instinct was Size 12, Times New Roman :P

I would like your feedback but be gentle dear readers.

He woke up suddenly, eyes looking wildly around the small space. By the time he relaxed, another scare was ready for him in the form of a shadow moving in the dark.

Slowly, as his eyes focused, he noticed the dim light emanating from the corner and as the shadow moved forward, he finally saw that it was a person.

"Wha….How?" This was all he could utter in his shocked state.

"Spencer" His name called out as a mere sigh was all that he got back. But it was enough to kick his tired brain into gear.

"Hermione! What are you doing here? HOW did you even get in?"

"Shhhh..wake up everyone, will you!" hissed Hermione, even as she waved her hand. He could feel her magic, like a tingle up his spine, even though she didn't say the spell out loud, nor could he see anything.

For a moment there was absolute silence. Both figures waiting to see if anyone else had heard the slight commotion.

A deep breath and Hermione moved forward and down on her knees to look her oldest friend in the eyes, "Diana told me what happened. Well I called her first to check up on her, but then the caretaker told me she was freaked out but I guess she calmed down when she heard my name 'cause next thing I know I'm hearing you're in jail for MURDER?"

Spencer, who'd opened his mouth to ask a question of his own, wisely shut it as she continued.

"And at first I thought this was an April fools prank but a) its not April and b) your Mum's sense of humour is much better than this!"

"But why are you here?" was all Spencer could think and so he asked her just that.

"Because You're in here! Damnit Newton, I could've helped you! I could've gotten you out. I still can! You should've told me!"

The worry and hurt in her voice worked very well to bring out his own. Although a calm person by nature, his anger and pain exploded out of him.

"Told you? You made it very clear who you do and don't care about Hermione and I was firmly in the latter. Your actions have assured me of that. So NO! I didn't tell you and I wouldn't have told you! We haven't spoken in years for fucks sake!"

There was no response that she could come up with. The last time she had seen Spencer so angry was also the last time they'd had a full conversation. Granted it did end with a shouting match and storming out by both parties involved.

Guilt and pain was clear in her eyes, but Spencer's own emotions had currently blinded him to hers.

Ten years and it still feels too soon to be understanding, to forgive.

Deep breaths, and lets try this again, thought Hermione.

"Spencer, you're in jail!"

"I know."

"For murder and drug possession with intent to distribute."

"I know." This was accompanied by a raised eyebrow, his expression saying much more than these two measly words, something more to the lines of hurry up and lets get done with the recap so we can get to the big fat elephant. This did very little to help her temper in check.

"Well if you know, can you please put your damn pride and ego aside and fucking talk to me!"

"Pride! Really Mimi? Great! So if I hurt you, I'm a monster and its alright if you don't talk to me but when you're the one at fault and I do the same, it's my pride?"

"It is when the alternative is you rotting in a 2x2 cell for the rest of your life!"

…

No response. This silence from Spencer was getting on her last nerves. Despite this, a small part of her brain noticed that he called her Mimi again and filed away that piece of information for later examination.

"Please Spencer. Let me help you. I can get you out of here in a blink. You know this."

Still no reply from the man in front of her. His quietude was doing wonders for making Hermione all the more desperate to put her point across. She was aware of her past mistakes and the hurt she caused her friend. But she was trying to make things right now. Irrespective of that, she would never let anything like this happen to her Spencer, however he may or may not feel about her now. He's not your Spencer anymore, he's not your anything anymore sweetheart, reminded her mind.

"I-I know I was wrong Spence. I know. And I'm so so sorry. I also know nothing can make that better. Nothing can take away your pain or what I did to you. But please let me help you now. Let me do this. I'm begging you. After this if you never wanna see me again I'll go away. You won't hear from me ever again. Just….just let me get you out of here. I know you don't wanna stay here. Please."

…..

"Please. Please say something at least."

"I can't."

"What?"

"I can't let you help me escape out of here."

"Spencer don't do—"

"It's not my pride Hermione."

"Then why would you ask me to leave you here."

"Because my team is doing everything to prove I'm innocent and get me out. They're giving their all to find Lewis and clear my name. I can't let all that go to waste by doing this. If I escape, it would say that I have something to hide, that I'm guilty. I would never be able to be an agent again. And I couldn't live with that. The BAU, being SSA Dr. Spencer Reid is all I've known. Its all I ever want to do. The BAU is where I belong. And I'd lose that completely if I run away."

"So what, you're gonna spend however long that takes in here hoping they'll be successful?" Disbelief was apparent in her voice. Spencer couldn't fault her for it, there were times he himself doubted he'd survive long enough for that. He knew he wasn't made for prison. But he also knew his team. He knew his family. He knew they'd never give up. And so he couldn't either. He said so to Hermione.

"I have to. They're my family. They'd never give up trying for me. I owe it to them to do the same."

Hermione looked down as all the strength that had been holding her up seemed to seep out of her as the realisation hit her that he would go through this torture, all because he had so much faith in his team, whom he clearly loved as his family. There was a time when you were his family but you gave it up. Don't be bitter now, her brain told her.

Her eyes had filled up when she looked up at him. "So that's it. I just leave you here? How do I do that?"

"You've done it before. Easily." Came the reply. The words weren't angry or taunting. There was no scorn or even sarcasm. Just tiredness and a hint of bitterness that comes from old wounds. He felt guilty when he saw her flinch but made sure not to show it.

Hermione's voice was small when she replied "I'm sorry."

"So you've said. But it's not that easy Hermione."

"Spence.."

"It was never just about me, you know."

"What?"

"It was that you found this new world with people like you, who had your power, and suddenly there didn't seem to be any place for me or your parents anymore! And I get it, I do, how it feels like you've never belonged anywhere and then you finally find this place where you're not a freak or the weird one. Neither your parents and nor me would ever begrudge you that acceptance and belonging."

And suddenly Hermione was realising that she was so off the mark in understanding why her best friend since she was a little girl was hurt by her! He'd never before opened up about his anger, only lashing out. Now that he was starting to talk, she couldn't utter a word to him, only listen as he spoke.

"It was that we were replaced. All of us. You found Harry and Ronald and suddenly I wasn't there in your life anymore. But what hurt me more was that you left behind your parents dammit! I get that the Weasleys were like your family, they accepted you and you found people who you could look up to and they considered you as a daughter and vice versa. But you forgot that you did have parents back home. Parents who loved you unconditionally and were ready to stay away from their only child and The most important person in their lives just so you could find yourself and somewhere you belong. Did you think they were happy sending you away every year, knowing it was distancing you from them, that they could never be a part of that world? How easy do you think it was for them when the daughter they'd spent 9 months away from, wouldn't come home for Christmas and Easter year after year, preferring to stay back with her friends in school? That even when you came home for summers, you'd spend most of it over at the Weasleys? That they didn't hurt? But they did it anyways. All for you. And you very conveniently forgot about them. They tried so hard for you, expecting you to at least try to include them in your life but you'd just say they wouldn't understand because they didn't have magic, you'd never even give them the chance to be your damn parents because you had found Molly and Arthur Weasley! I wasn't hurt because you left me behind. I was hurt because you were so selfish that you didn't care what you were putting them through!"

It was like a bucketful of ice water had fallen on her. Spencer didn't mince his words and every sentence was a knife to her heart as she realised just how much she had destroyed her relationship with her parents, disregarded everything they had done for her. It broke something in her to hear from him how much she had fallen. As everything Spencer had said registered, she slowly started feeling like she couldn't breathe. Her guilt seemed to choke her and she was still frozen. It was this that softened Spencer, as her saw that Hermione was finally face to face with all she'd put them through.

The anguish was still there, but when his best friend, the first love of his life was breaking down in front of him, he finally hugged her to him. Because she would always be his best friend, the one who stayed up with him all night when Diana would have her bad days, who cursed for the first time when his father left him and his mom. He knew a part of him still loved her and will always love her. One does not get so hurt by just anyone. And one doesn't hold a grudge for a decade for just a friend.

He could feel her fight him back, and after all these years he realised he still understood her because he knew she felt undeserving of his comfort and care, but he gave it to her anyways.

He could feel his shirt soaking through as her tears ran unchecked. He slid down from his bed to the ground to hold her more easily as she sobbed in his arms, but he didn't say a word. He couldn't tell her it was alright because it wasn't, and he couldn't tell her he forgave her because he hadn't, but by just holding her in her arms he let her know that he was still there, despite everything.

"Do you make a habit of hugging people you hate? Is that one of the strategies you use on your suspects to break them?" Came the muffled voice from the woman in his arms.

Despite the serious situation, Spencer choked out a laugh at this.

"I don't hate you Mimi. I'm just hurt by you. I'd hardly be holding all this resentment for you if I hated you!"

"I-I'm sorry." There was a strangled laugh, without any humour really, that came from Hermione. "I seem to be saying this a lot. Funnily it doesn't feel enough. I know it isn't. But I'll work—"

"Hermione stop."

"No. You're right Spence. I was selfish. I left you all behind. And I got angry at mum and dad when they wouldn't tell me before going off on a holiday or some doctors beyond borders thing because then they wouldn't be there for some event I'd have but I never realised what I was doing! I just, I know I have to make a LOT of amends, a lot of wrongs to right. And right now I can't think of anything to do but beg and apologise until I come up with something I CAN do! But for now tell me how to help you Spence? You can't expect me to leave you here and just not do anything but sit and fucking wait! Give me something, anything."

"There's nothing to do Hermione. My team is working on finding Lewis, and when they do they can prove that I was drugged and I'm innocent."

"Who is this Lewis? You've mentioned him before. Is he some guy you put away?"

"Peter Lewis, or as the media called him, Mr Scratch was an unsub who drugged people with…" and so Spencer recounted the whole story behind Scratch and why the team believes he's the one behind framing him.

As he finished, Spencer was aware of a dangerous glint in Hermione's eyes, one that he knew meant she was preparing to destroy Lewis. Her words just confirmed this.

"I'm gonna find him Spence. I swear to you, I'll use every resource at my disposal but I will find this son of a bitch and he will pay! I can't get you out of this jail but I WILL get you out of this mess somehow, no matter what it takes. I know your team is doing their best and I will do too. You just stay strong."

Spencer couldn't help but smile. He recognised her fierceness and knew this quality in her never changed. This ruthlessness in protecting those she cared about was something she got from her mother. Mama Granger was a ball of love and affection but when her family is threatened, she could obliterate anyone in her way, and similar was her daughter. He was amazed that after ten years, he could still recognise this in Hermione.

"I will. I'm still hanging in there. I have to believe he will be caught. But Hermione, don't do this. You don't need to get involved. Lewis, he doesn't care who he harms as long as he gets to his targets. Don't get hurt."

"Spencer he won't get to me. I went through a war. I know how to be careful. Don't worry about me."

"You shouldn't have to be careful. Just- just take care of my mom and your parents, he goes after those close to us, he's already shown that."

"I'm not backing down. Our parents will be safe and I will be safe and so will you. The only person Not safe will be him when I find him. I need to do this Spence."

"Mimi, this is not your fight."

"It's mine as long as it's yours. I failed you once Spence, I won't this time. You'll get your life back. I promise."

"This is totally ridiculous. Ugghhh! I can't talk you out of this can I?"

"Nope."

"Just be safe. I have yet to forgive you and I won't be doing that if you're dead."

…..

There was no sharp retort to this, and so he looked down on Hermione to see what she was thinking. Before he could ask her anything she spoke. "You've changed so much. You-you're much more at ease and comfortable with yourself, despite where you are right now. It's good to see you at peace with who you are." She finished with a soft smile on her face, one hand stroking his cheek.

They both turned bashful when they realised this closeness but didn't move away, instead leaning closer. A soft touch of his lips to her hairline was all that happened, but it was as significant as any passionate kiss. But that was how their relationship had always been - silent as sleep and as vivid as dreams, passionate like a fire and calming like a breeze on an Indian summer evening.

It is a dichotomy of contradictions.

It was a reflection of how they both were as a person - silent, private, often appearing unattached due to rational thinking, but also feeling so much and so intensely.

Hermione knew there was a long way to go to mend their relationship. Forgiveness has to be earned. But she was willing to work and could see that Spencer was not turning her away. Slowly she felt the peace settle in her heart, although the guilt remained.

Spencer too felt more settled. It felt good to be able to say what had hurt him and have Hermione finally realise her mistakes. It didn't change the past but with the experience from his work, if there's one thing he has learned, it's that there is too much evil in this world to hang on to the mistakes of everyone over their heads, especially when they are repentant. He knew his tendency to not confront the main issue had lead to them not talking to each other for over ten years, but he was tired of all the hate and resentment. He was ready to give her a chance as it was clear she was willing to go to great lengths to make things right and he had missed her.

It was hardly the best timing for all of this, but he still went to sleep that night with a small smile on his face.