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reidsaurora · 1 year

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Finale: "Not A Day That I Won't Try" ~ S. Reid

Summary: One last little story about Spencer, Imogen, and the new life they've created.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Imogen Sterren (bipolar!OC)

Word Count: 2,744

Content Warning: takes place in a hospital, mentions of Imogen's previous episodes, mentions of Spencer's abuse during childhood, mentions of Spencer'a drug addiction lmk if I missed anything!

Genre: extremely Fluffy, i love these people sm, i guess a lil hurt/comfort too

Extra Notes: i'm sorry, i hate the summary too

Based On the Song: Soon You'll Get Better by Taylor Swift

Originally Written: 02/09/2023 (re-edited on 03/05/2023 amd 5/14/2023)

Criminal Minds masterlist can be found here!

"Soon You'll Get Better" series masterlist can be found here!

"𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲." - 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐊𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐮𝐤

Penelope's heels clicked back and forth against the white tile flooring, her mind a fuzzy mess of anxiety, happiness, and anticipation all at once.

She stuck out like a sore thumb against the whites and grays of the decor—her favorite neon pink dress bouncing with every step she took, her aforementioned heels that suddenly felt about five inches too high, her now sloppy fishtail braids swinging about behind her, and her flower crown that had previously been placed perfectly atop her head, now sitting crooked from the mile she'd paced around the room.

"Penelope," a soft voice spoke across from her.

The sound of Astrid's voice was just barely enough to break Penelope from her book's worth of thoughts. "I'm sorry," she apologized, a cringed expression spreading across her face. "It's just that when I get worried, I pace. And when I pace, my mind paces along with my perfectly proportioned legs. And then when my mind paces-"

"Penelope."

"-I start to think of all the what ifs. And I know I shouldn't, considering that I was the one who made up a whole speech to Spencer not once but twice about how you should never worry about the what ifs but-"

"Miss Garcia."

"I just can't stop thinking about what if something bad happened? And what if Imogen-"

"Penelope!" Astrid shouted lightheartedly.

Penelope bit down on the thumbnail of her right hand before sitting down to Astrid's right. "I get anxious when I'm excited. Does that make sense?"

Astrid placed a soft hand on Penelope's shoulder, giving her a kind smile. "It's OK. I just needed you to sit down for a moment because the clacking of your shoes was making me nervous."

The sliding of the glass door behind them was enough to distract them from their conversation. The two turned out of both curiosity and sheer instinct, being met with the sight of JJ and Hotch, while Henry, Jack, and August followed quickly behind the adults. The three boys raced for an open sofa, gathering around the device Jack held in his hands. Penelope had the urge to ask Jack what game it was, wondering if he still found it fun to play video games with his cool aunt, but she bit her tongue and turned her attention back to the two colleagues that had sat down beside her and Astrid.

"Any word yet?" JJ asked, her mostly even tone covering up the slight joy and frenzy that sat on the tip of her tongue. She plopped down into the seat beside Penelope's, setting a gentle, motherly hand on her friend's knee.

She shook her head, her braids twisting in tow behind her. "Nothing. And it's been, like, at least an hour since the last time they came out here with an update."

Penelope paused for a moment, tapping a finger against her chin as she thought. Her eyes nearly glowed as she said, "Hey, you think you could show 'em your badge and get some information out of them?"

JJ let out a small chuckle, pulling Penelope in for a short hug. She wanted to bask in the smell of Penelope—one of strawberries, and vanilla, and familiarity—craving distraction from the horrible, overwhelmingly clean smell places like that tend to always have. "It's gonna be alright, Pen. I'm sure they're fine. Things like this take time."

As if on cue, the wooden door at the end of the hall burst open, and the group immediately popped up from their seats. To Penelope, it felt a bit like the whole thing was moving in slow motion as Spencer walked toward the group, each stride of his long legs seeming to take longer than the last.

Rossi had seen the look on Spencer's face only one other time—when his best friend, Jason Gideon, was in the same position about thirty years prior.

Spencer's eyes filled with tears as his chest heaved quite possibly the hardest it ever had. It seemed as though the world had stopped turning, and like a romance movie, a camera singled in on the tears Spencer was shedding in slow motion.

An ear-to-ear grin took over his face, pure excitement filling him from head to toe as he finally confirmed, "It's a girl!"

Penelope's mouth fell open as she sprinted down to Spencer, wrapping him up in what was quite possibly the tightest hug she'd ever given him.

Derek followed soon after, clapping the brunette on the shoulder. "Congratulations, kid."

Rossi was next, pulling him in for a fatherly peck on the forehead. "Congratulazioni, amico!"

JJ, Emily, Alex, Astrid, and Hotch all stood to the side, waiting for their own respective turns to congratulate the man on his newest achievement.

Spencer blushed at all the affection he was receiving, but he supposed it was earned. He found himself unable to stop smiling, and their kind words and sweet embraces only had his smile spreading that much further.

"Who wants to meet her first?" he asked, like he didn't already know the answer.

Penelope's hand shot up like a fourth grader ready to answer the question they'd been waiting all week to answer in science class. "Me! I do! Pick me!"

Spencer held out his hands in front of him, ushering toward the wooden door he'd emerged from just moments earlier. "It's a bit of a walk," he warned her as they stepped through the doorway. "They put us at the very end of the hall."

Penelope managed to answer, "That's OK. I'd walk twenty miles in these horrid heels if it meant I got to meet Baby Genius."

He chuckled, leading her down a hallway of doors upon doors. Finally, after what felt like years (but was really only about forty-five seconds), they arrived at a door decorated with the most wonderful sign Penelope could've ever imagined—a sleeping, angel baby with pink and blue letters that read, "Mama Reid and Co."

She practically burst through the door, waltzing straight over to the sink to rid her fingers of any hospital germs. She was going to cuddle with Baby Reid for the rest of the night if it was the last thing she did.

With a grin almost as wide as the one on Spencer's lips, she turned and quietly stepped toward Imogen—who was rubbing light circles against the baby's back—and the baby, who was thus far the most beautiful baby girl Penelope had ever laid her four eyes on.

"Can I?" she asked, though in her mind, she definitely meant it as a command.

Imogen gave her a soft nod before lifting the baby into Penelope's outstretched arms. Penelope felt like she was in the perfect utopia, holding her new favorite person and standing beside two of her other closely ranked favorite people.

"Look at you," the blonde smiled, taking in every detail of the child in her arms. From the short curls that sat atop her soft head to the green-ish blue tint in her perfectly shaped eyes, it was clear to see this baby was nothing short of the perfect mixture of her parents. "Look at those curls. You gotta teach me your routine sometime, sugar."

Penelope's commentary elicited a quiet giggle from both of the adults beside her, Spencer's hand landing on her shoulder as he watched the baby in her arms.

"Oh, I'm so glad she didn't get my eyes," Spencer chuckled. "Poor thing did get my nose though."

"And those Sterren lips," Imogen giggled. "No one in this family can get away from them."

Spencer pouted, leaning down and placing a soft peck on Imogen's lips. "I'll have you know that that's nonsense. They're the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing lips I have ever seen and I can't believe I still get to kiss yours every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed."

Imogen exhaled a soft, lighthearted scoff before reaching up to run a hand through those curls she'd fallen in love with all those years ago.

Penelope's eyes shot up from the baby, the word anticipation practically scribbled across her forehead. "OK, I love sweet moments like this but I really need to know her name and who you chose to be her godmother."

"Penelope-"

Just as she'd done to Astrid in the waiting area, she just kept on talking over Spencer. "Not that I'll complain if you choose Emily or JJ, but-"

"Pen," he stopped her again, and this time she finally bit her tongue for the first time that whole night.

"Yeah?" she asked before forcing her lips shut again.

Imogen and Spencer shared a knowing glance, but the expression only fueled Penelope's curiosity fire. "What? What? What do you two know that I don't?"

"Well," Spencer turned to face Imogen, the two sharing a knowing look, "I think it's only fair that her namesake also gets to be her godmother. Wouldn't you agree, Mrs. Reid?"

Imogen nodded, the knowing look they shared growing ever so wide. "I could not have said it better myself, my dear curly-haired husband."

Penelope's mouth fell open like she'd seen a ghost. "Namesake? Like you mean she's named after me?"

Spencer nodded, reaching a hand up to the baby's head and running a soft thumb over her hair. "Pen, meet Dorothea Penelope. Thea, meet your fairy godmother, Penelope."

The blonde's eyes welled up with tears of joy as she smiled down at the beautiful baby girl who cooed quietly in her arms. "Oh, it's the perfect name for you." Her head shot up to look at the couple across from her, a closed-lip smile appearing on her face. "I like the use of 'fairy godmother' as well. It's my favorite nickname in the whole wide world," she said, her nose scrunching in delight.

Spencer sat lightly on the end of Imogen's bed, giving her an affectionate pat on the leg. "Gosh, I see now why Will and Hotch both told me to brace myself. I didn't know my heart could hold this much love for someone that's seven pounds."

Penelope beamed, looking over Dorothea once more. "Oh, my goodness. What a little chunk! Not that there's anything wrong with that. I support all bodies. Every body is a good body."

After a few minutes had passed, Spencer had asked Penelope to invite the next person in, leaving the three to be in their own little, private world once again.

Imogen held Dorothea close to her chest, leaving small kisses on the soft curls that cascaded down her tiny forehead. "I can't believe we made this."

"I can," Spencer said, his thumb rubbing soft lines along her shoulder. "I know obviously there's science involved in the process, but if you told me this baby was made solely out of the love we have for each other, I'd be inclined to believe you."

A small frown appeared on Imogen's lips, and Spencer immediately noticed. "Hey, why are you sad, Immy?"

She looked away, knowing she couldn't bear to see the look on Spencer's face when she said her thoughts aloud. "Do you regret it?"

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Regret what?"

"We were so happy as three. Three's our number. Three's good. Three's just how it's always been."

His heart panged like he'd just received death by a thousand cuts. "Where is this coming from?"

"I just…" she paused, tears sliding down her cheeks, "It's not that I regret Dorothea in the slightest. She's one of the best things that's happened to me. But what if I get bad again because of postpartum depression? What if I get so bad that I can't handle her? I know I mostly made it through whenever August was a baby but I had Astrid to help me."

"Guess what?" he said, leaning over to peck her on the forehead. "This time you'll have me. I'm not going anywhere. Ever again."

"Spence, what if I mess everything up? I mean, I almost let August eat a battery once because I couldn't get a rein on myself."

His hand moved to her cheek, rubbing softly against the lines that had formed near her eyes. "The fact that you think you, the most perfect woman to have ever walked on this earth, is going to be the one to screw this up."

"Spencer-"

A couple tears slipped from Spencer's tired eyes. "Imogen, I didn't have a father until I turned twenty and met Jason Gideon. What memories I do have with William…" his voice trailed as a swell of horrid memories flooded his mind, "Those are memories no child should ever have of their dad. Ever since you showed me those two, little pink lines, I have been so worried that I'll screw this up. That I'm gonna turn out to be the very person I've tried my whole life not to even think about."

"Oh, Spence," Imogen said through quivering lips. "You could never be him. No matter how hard you try. You're you, and that's the thing I love most about you."

The man sniffled, tears still welling in his eyes. "You say that I could never be him, and for a while I thought it was true. Until I got addicted to the very drug that kickstarted his abuse."

Imogen's heart was beating so fast, she was surprised it hadn't erupted yet. She used her free hand to swipe away some stray tears, deciding once and for all that Spencer crying was her least favorite sight. "You aren't him."

"You know that. And I think part of me wants to believe it," he told her. "We just both have all these what if's we've been focusing our energy on when we could be putting all that attention on the beautiful baby girl in your arms."

Her cheeks turned pink as she looked down at the bundle in her arms. One of her fingers traced circles across Thea's rosy cheek, and the sigh made Spencer realize there was nowhere else he'd rather be. He wanted to be here, this moment stuck on an infinite loop, the scent of a newborn baby lingering in the air, as odd as it sounded.

"Immy," Spencer said, pulling her face to look at his. "As a wise fairy godmother once told me, you shouldn't waste your time by thinking about all the what ifs. I know you're worried about it getting bad, but so what if you spiral again? Guess what? Now that I have an MD, I can get you on a drug trial if it gets to that point. But until then, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you and I are the best parents we can be for Thea. There is not a day that I won't try to be the best father I can be. And yes, you might have an incurable disorder, but I know that there hasn't been one second in the last three years that you've had August back in your custody that you haven't tried to be the best mother for him, and I know you won't cease to do the same for Thea."

Imogen teared up again, this time with tears of joy, comfort, and an overall sense of love. She leaned up, placing her lips on his for the most passionate, adoring, and devoted kiss the two had ever shared. "Thank you. Always."

He met her with another kiss, and as he pulled away, he simply said, "Always."

Spencer had no clue seven years ago that he'd find himself here, holding what once felt like a beautiful stranger in his embrace, looking down at the perfect mixture of their flesh and blood, and feeling nothing but pure, unadulterated bliss. If you'd told him seven years ago that he'd find himself madly in love with someone who—to the naked eye—was less than ideal, and that he'd be the father of two beautiful children, he would've thought you were crazy. Would've said, "That kind of stuff only happens in fairy tales. Not to Spencer Reid."

But the second he walked into the Bennington Sanitarium and laid eyes on that beautiful, kind, amazing woman he still wholeheartedly, easily, naturally loved all those years later, he knew something had changed. A switch flipped in his heart and suddenly, it was as though nothing else mattered. Nothing else would ever matter. At least, not as much as Imogen.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐈 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝." - 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧

So this is goodbye 🥲

I can't believe I'm finally saying goodbye to this series. Words cannot express how many tears I have shed, how many times I've laughed, how many emotions I've felt while writing this. I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I posted the original version of this and I can't believe we're finally at the end.

I hope you guys have enjoyed Imogen and August and Astrid as much as I have. They are some of my favorite characters I've ever created and I'm so sad I have to say goodbye to them.

However, I do have another seri(e)s coming soon that I think you guys wi(ll) lov(e)! I can't wait for this next baby to be (r)el(e)ased (i)nto the worl(d) and I think you guys are gonna love it too.

Goodbye, Imogen. You will forever have a piece of my heart. I love you, star girl ⭐️💛

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☆𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒☆

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