Infinite Moments

Michou7

Disclaimer – I do not own Criminal Minds. If I did, Maeve would still be alive.

Spencer Reid crept quietly into his familiar apartment. It was late. The bright light of the waxing moon had somehow found its way through the half-drawn curtain into his abode. It fell upon several books resting on the coffee table, one of which was left open by his girlfriend.

Reid paused. His heart hammered madly against his ribcage as he traced that word again in his mind: girlfriend. He had to admit, never in his wildest imagination did he think he would find someone so perfect, so delightfully wonderful, she perfectly complimented his eccentric nature. In fact, there were days, nights when he would lay awake fearful that all of this could be brutally ripped from him. Even during the most perfect moments of his life, Spencer could feel the fragility of fate. And it scared him beyond words.

The young doctor tucked away the thick volume and blindly made his way into the bedroom. He knew she would be in there, curled up underneath the comforter. He took off his messenger bag and set it down by the nightstand, all the while keeping a vigilant eye on his sleeping beauty. God, he could not risk losing her again, after they had gotten so close to parting just a month before. He closed his eyes and forced his memories to move away from the vision of her lying on the ground with a pool of blood. She had come too close to death that day. The night he sat by her bedside in the hospital, he made an oath that they would never part again. At that point, overwhelmed by the emotion in him, he bent down and laid a soft kiss on her forehead.

He felt a slight stir

Maeve had tilted her head forward, just in time for his lip to contact her cheek. They were damp with fresh fallen tears.

He reached out, held her face in his hand and tenderly wiped her tears away. He didn't have to ask to understand why she was crying. He could see the fear and pain in her eyes. He knew she was having nightmares again. That even though she was now safe in his arm, sometimes she would close her eyes and feel the hardness of the chair against her back, the bounds around her wrists, the sound of the gun that shot Spencer's arm, and the malevolent voice of her delusional captor.

"Sorry," she hastily whispered.

"Don't be," he assured her. He pulled her close to his body. She welcomed it with open arm, embracing him and pulling him in impossibly closer. In the still silent of the night, they could feel each other's rhythmic heartbeat.

"When will the nightmare end?" she asked timidly.

"I don't know," he replied. It was an honest answer, but he felt so pathetic not being able to help her.

"I hate feeling so...weak"

Every tendon and every chamber of his heart snapped when he noticed how frail her speech was. Spencer pulled apart and held her at arm's length. He gazed into her eyes and said with as much sincerity as he could muster, "Maeve Donovan, you are the strongest woman I ever know. Nobody, no woman or man on this Earth, could have handled the situation with as much grace and strength as you did. I promise you, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise"

Maeve managed a weak smile. She loved hearing the quotes that they exchanged in their most intimate moments. It defined their relationship.

"Forgive me for all the secrets?"

"You will never have to ask me for forgiveness"

"Well, for now"

Spencer shook his head, "No, forever"

Maeve bit her lip. She didn't know what she did in any of her life to deserve someone like Spencer Reid. She pulled him close and kissed him passionately. For the first time in his life, Spencer could not think. He had one thing on his mind and one thing only: the woman he had no doubt he would spend the rest of his life with. He didn't know he was capable of feeling so much love for one person. And when he felt her soft breath brushing against his neck, he felt his body cave in to the passion that consumed him.

He pulled away slightly, "sorry"

Maeve looked him square in the eye. She knew he had been holding back for so long. He wanted her to have the time to heal, to get better from the ordeal she went through. There were times in the past month when their proximity had elicited the same effect. But Spencer would always hold back. He would always pull away and waited for the day when she would be ready.

She felt his body pulled away further but held on tight. Not this time. She was ready. She pulled him closer.

"It's okay," she affirmed.

"What?"

"It's okay. I'm okay. I'm ready for this," she winced at her own tone. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Are you sure?"

To answer him, she reached into the drawer of the nightstand beside the bed and pulled out a piece of fabric. Spencer couldn't help but smile incredulously at the sight of the blindfold.

"I've been saving this," she told him. She reached up and tied the fabric so that it covered his eyes, "I promised you I'll make blindfold fun again."

Spencer gulped. In the darkness, his heartbeat quickened unnaturally. But he couldn't tell if it's because of his fear for the inherent absence of light, or the fact that this night is finally here. The cool night breeze caressed his bare body as his clothes are slowly stripped away. Another kiss from Maeve, soft and teasing at first, but it grew in passion until the flame enveloped them.

So many doubts, so many fears that were in his mind were quickly erased. His feeling of inadequacy, of inexperience was inevitably replaced by unspeakable emotions. That night, on a planet of six billion, underneath the vast expanse of the universe, there were only two of them, intertwined and infinite, two hearts synchronized as one.

When it was over – no, not over, suspended – and they were entangled in each other's arm, Spencer and Maeve both felt that brief period of peace that had eluded many couples around the world. They knew that nothing bad could ever happen again, nothing could tear them apart from each other. Theirs was a love so pure that no unsub, no twist of fate could ever separate their soul from one another.

Maeve removed the blindfold from Spencer's eyes. He was greeted by the sight of his beautiful soulmate, an ecstatic smile on her face. Now it was his turn to hold back the tears, it was the first time he saw her truly happy, unmarred by the harsh memories of that torturous day.

She moved closer and placed her ears on his chest, "Spence?"

"Yea?"

"Your heart is beating fast," she teased

"Yes"

"Why?"

"Because I love you"