Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When the team returned to the BAU after some well deserved rest, they discovered something shocking.

Their beloved Spencer Reid had left the BAU.

Penelope in her spare time had been searching for hours, trying to find their beloved genius, only to turn up empty handed.

~

It was a hard choice for Spencer, the BAU was like a family he’d never had, even if they did constantly tease him for spouting off useless facts.

But when he met her, it felt like everything made sense.

When he left Rossi’s party that night, he knew exactly where he was going. Hell, he could walk there with his eyes closed, the steps ingrained into his memory.

He reached the alley where she said she’d wait.

“Ah, Doctor Spencer Reid” the blonde haired woman smiled, extending a hand which he shook

“Doctor” He replies

“I see you needed another taste of adventure” She smirks

“You kidding me? I couldn’t get enough of the Ood”

“Ah yes, the Ood a peaceful civilisation” She sighs “Well come on Doctor Spencer” She gestures to him to follow, and he does.

The big blue box stands proudly.

It came as a shock to him when he bumped into the infamous doctor from another planet.

He was a big fan of the TV show, which she explained was accurate, save for a few things which couldn’t be revealed.

~

Travelling with the doctor had been a wild experience which he never thought he would enjoy.

This platonic friendship soon turned into something more, something they both wanted to pursue.

So when Spencer walked into the TARDIS one evening, ready to spout off facts, he was shocked to see that the doctor he’d grown so accustomed to had regenerated.

No longer did his doctor have short blonde hair and gorgeous green eyes.

Now the newly regenerated doctor had y/h/l /y/h/c hair and deep y/e/c eyes.

“Doctor?” Spencer asked, taking a few steps closer

“Oh! Hey Spencer!” You greeted. “Like the new me?” You gesture to yourself

“Well it’s...Different?” He replies

“I know right!” You exclaim “I wasn’t expecting to regenerate so soon, in fact I thought that I had no more regeneration left in me, turns out I still have a while left. Which reminds me, clothes!” 

“Clothes?” Spencer questions

“Yes, I need new clothes, these old clothes are way out of my fashion taste. God, 13 really had some crazy taste” You walk around the console, pressing a few buttons “Hold tight, I just finished redecorating the TARDIS” She pulls a lever downwards

The TARDIS moves quickly causing Spencer to lose his balance and land on the railings.

“Sorry!” You call, quickly pulling a blue button which jolts the TARDIS to a stop.

You quickly rush over to Spencer and help him onto a soft chair “Wait here, I’ll be back soon” And with that you’d disappeared.

~

Spencer must’ve dozed off because he woke up to someone shaking him awake.

“So...Whadya think?” you give him a twirl

Spencer stares at you for a while before clearing his throat and speaking

“You look nice” He comments, sitting up from his uncomfortable position and stretching his aching limbs

“Good! ‘Cause I’ve got an adventure planned!” You jump excitedly before running to the console

You point to the handles you installed onto the console “Come on Spencer! That way you can hold on!” Spencer smiles and walks over to one of the handles and grabs on “Let’s goooo!” You yell pulling the lever down and giggling excitedly as the TARDIS starts moving 

“Come on old girl” You pat an empty part of the console, oblivious to the soft glances Spencer was sending your way.

~

“Run faster!” You screech

“I am running faster!” Spencer retorts “You’re just faster than me”

“I obviously hit the jackpot with legs, my god I’ve never run so fast” You say to yourself, shoving Spencer into the TARDIS and then closing the doors

“Okayy so we are never going back there again” You spin around, watching Spencer lean forward with his hands resting against his knees

“You think? I thought bees just carried pollen, not spit freaking acid at you”

“Spencer you have an IQ of 187 and an eidetic memory, surely someone of your intellect would know that after travelling with me anything can happen!” You reply

“I know, it’s just…” Spencer hesitates before continuing “I haven’t really needed to use my brain so much these past couple of years, there’s no place for my intelligence when I’m travelling with you because I’m always discovering new things, my mind is no match compared to yours, all I’ve got is me and my stupid facts.” 

The silence was awkward before Spencer cleared his throat “I think I’ll just go back to my room…” He turns around and trudges away, his head hanging 

When Spencer had finally left, you pressed a few buttons, watching as the screen lit up.

You didn’t need technology to know what was wrong with him, he was homesick, missing his family.

Well...The BAU.

You knew exactly what to do.

~

A few hours later you barge into Spencer's room, where you unsurprisingly found him reading a book, leaning against the headboard

“Oi!” Spencer looks up

“Can I help you?” He asks

“As a matter of fact, you can” He arches a brow before closing the book “Some alien planet invited me to some get together thingy and I need a date, so get up and get dressed”

“What should I wear?” Spencer replies

“Something casual I don’t know, just meet me at the console in half an hour”

~

You sat patiently at the console, a smile forming when Spencer emerges

“You look lovely, Spencer” You say

“Thanks, Doctor” Spencer looks down nervously “So are we here?” 

“No, the party doesn’t start yet” You speak quickly “Well...The party has started but right now they’re eating”

“So why can’t we join them now?” Spencer asks curiously

“Because! Just trust me for once on this” He nods slowly “We’ll leave in five minutes so read a book...or 5”

~

The BAU were currently at Rossi’s

“Another case solved” Hotch sighs, downing his glass of wine 

“And another case without Reid…” JJ speaks quietly

The BAU goes quiet and looks over at the empty seat, thinking about their old friend who they haven’t spoken to in a while.

Rossi insisted on leaving a place empty in case Spencer ever dropped by.

But it’s been nearly 3 years since he left and they had just a shred of hope that he would appear.

“Well, who’s up for a dance?” Everyone murmurs in agreement, all of them getting up from their spots and walking outside.

They’d all been dancing for a few minutes when they heard something strange.

“I swear I’ve heard that noise before” Penelope exclaims “Oh my god…” Her eyes widen when she realises the familiar humming sound.

~

You quickly check the screen, fingers mentally crossed that you’d actually landed in an appropriate area “Oh! Ball Sack!” You curse

“What is it?” Spencer asks, suddenly worried

“I landed right in the party” You throw your hands in the air “One day sexy, you’ll actually land somewhere appropriate!” The TARDIS whirs 

“Wait there, Spencer” You jog over to the doors and open them slightly “Sorry everybody for the crap parking!” You give them an awkward smile

“Oh my god…” A blonde woman whispers

“Ah...You’ve watched the show too, I’m guessing?” The woman nods, her eyes fixated on you

“‘Watched the show too’ can you elaborate?” A middle aged man with a stern look asks

“Oh! My companion also watched the show” You chuckle, playing with your fingers'' which reminds me…” You quickly walk back into the TARDIS 

“Come on then, companion” Spencer obliges and moves past you

Everyone audibly gasps and so does Spencer

“Oh my…”

“Is that?”

“Spencer?!”

Spencer stood there, eyes wide, and then he turned to you

“H-how did you-”

“I’m a Time Lord, Spence, I figure everything out, I even figured out that you missed your family”

“T-thank you” Spencer cries, grabbing you by the face and crashing his lips against yours

“You’re welcome, now go, enjoy the party” You shoo him off, watching how he interacted with everyone

“She’s a lovely woman, pretty boy” Morgan whispers, nodding in your direction 

You were leaning against the TARDIS while you conversed with Penelope.

“Yeah...Yeah she is” Spencer nods, eyes softening when you laughed at a joke Penelope said

“You’re a lucky woman, Doctor” Penelope says

You look over to where Spencer was interacting with Morgan, you smiled at the way his eyes scrunched up when he laughed

“Yeah...I guess I am” You reply “Which is why he has to come back to the BAU”

“What do you mean?” Penelope looks at you with a shocked expression

“He’s been travelling with me for three years, lived with me for three years. He needs to be able to make time for himself and travelling with me prevents him from doing that. And his brain is too good to waste...I’m 2500 years old, I’ve learnt to let things go even if it’s the hardest choice” 

“But will you still visit?” Penelope presses on

“Of course!” You exclaim “Now, I best be off, tell Spencer I’ll be returning soon” And with that the doors of the TARDIS close and the familiar humming sounds throughout the garden

“Where’d she go?” Spencer asks, running up to Penelope

“She said she be back soon” Penelope shrugs

Tears form in Spencer's eyes and he gently rubs them away.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asks, the BAU crowding around the genius

“Rule 1.” Spencer chokes out a laugh “The Doctor always lies…”

Chapter Text

“Doctor!” The woman by the name of Natalie exclaims, she crashes to her knees as soon as the door to the TARDIS shuts

“I’ll be fine, Nat, just help me up” She complies, her hands gripping onto your arms tightly and hauling you up

What are you doing?” She asks, watching you bustle past her and over to the console of the TARDIS

“I need to take you home” You respond, clutching to your injured side as you punch in the coordinates and then pulling the lever, letting out a peal of cries as the TARDIS shudders, causing you to hit your side on the console

“I’m not leaving you, doctor” She rushes over to you, her hands gripping your shoulder “I need to help you”

“I’m fine!” You snap, pressing a few buttons and holding onto the handles as the TARDIS jerked to a stop “I just need you to stay home for a bit, I need to see someone”

“B-but you’ll be back, right?” She stutters and your eyes soften as you pull the small woman into your embrace

“Of course I’ll be back” You pat her back and then with the snap of your fingers the doors to the TARDIS creak open and Natalie steps back, giving you a teary smile before walking out of the doors

~~~~

The TARDIS jerked to a stop and you sighed, pushing the doors open and stepping out onto the damp grass. To any normal person, you might’ve looked like a person on a lunch break, just casually resting against a UK police box.

But not to him…

Not to the man who was laughing gleefully, with a brown haired toddler sat atop his shoulders, looking like the splitting image of him. Not to the man who had a woman standing just a few feet behind him with her hand on her swollen stomach looking at the man like he was her everything.

Not to the man who you left at his work colleagues house all those years ago.

He must’ve felt the unnerving feeling of someone watching him because he looked up, eyes locking on yours from just twenty feet away. You could see his smile falter for a few moments before he turned to the woman and said something incomprehensible, then he started towards you, the toddler still on his shoulders as he approached you.

“Doctor?” He asks, walking a little slower as his mind tried to comprehend the fact that you were standing right in front of him

“Doctor Reid” You give him a pained smile and ignored his concerned stares

“What are you doing here?” He takes a tentative step closer, practically towering over you which would’ve made you feel vulnerable, but you knew he wouldn’t hurt you

“I wanted to come see you, is that not allowed?” You place a hand on your chest and pretend to be hurt

“It’s been ten years” He snaps “I’ve waited for you for ten years” He didn’t seem to care that his daughter was clutching onto his hair just a little tighter, seemingly scared at her fathers outburst

“Spencer, you were obviously missing your home, and the BAU. I know travelling time and space is quite an adventure, but your job was always your adventure and I didn’t have the heart to tell you at the time, but, I loved you too much to see you get hurt, so I did the only thing I ever knew to do”

“And that is?”

“Run.” His stance softened as he tried to read you for any lies “And I’m so sorry”

“I- I forgive you” He whispers

“Daddy?” The little girl pipes up “Who’s this?”

You let out a chuckle, raising your hand “I’m the Doctor, and you are...?”

“I’m Penelope!” She exclaims, extending her hand and shaking yours

“Nice to meet you Penelope, great handgrip by the way, very firm and welcoming” Penelope giggles, her brown orbs lighting up at the compliment

“Thank you!”

“Doctor?” Spencer starts “Why are you really here?”

“Because I’m going to do the one thing I’ve not done in years.” Spencer urges you to continue and you smile softly “I’m going to say goodbye”

“Goodbye?” Spencer’s brows furrow as he stares at you incredulously, before it all clicks “Oh...Are you in the process of regeneration?” You nod in confirmation

“You were the first person this face saw and I only saw it fit that this would be the last person this face saw, including one extra” You grin up at Penelope who smiles back “And…” You gesture for him to lean down and he does, making sure that Penelope doesn’t fall off him, you cup a hand around his ear and lean up, whispering something into his ear

He pulls away, eyes scrunching in confusion as he tries to comprehend what you’d said.

“What did you just tell me?” So many questions in just the span of a few minutes

“Ten years ago, when you met me in my thirteenth regeneration you asked for my name, that’s my name” You chew on your bottom lip, cringing at the shooting pain which travelled up to your wound “I have to go now...I know my motto was to always lie, but you’re the exception, I promise I’ll visit you”

“It was good seeing you”

“Good seeing you too, bye Penelope”

“Bye!” She gives you a wave as her father turns on his heel and starts walking back to his wife

“Oh and Spencer?” He turns at the sound of his name “Congratulations on the wedding and children, tell Maxine that I say hello”

“I didn’t tell you her name” He calls back and you smirk

“I know everything” You look up at the back of Penelope's head, a knowing grin spreading across your face as glimpses of the adventures the two of you would have flashed before you

You turned and walked back into the TARDIS, shutting the door gently, walking over to the console and pressing the buttons, then you moved to one of the cushioned chairs and sat down.

“It was good while it lasted” You smiled tiredly, letting the glow of regeneration encapsulate your body as the whirring of the TARDIS disappearing filled your ears

Spencer watched in awe, Max gripping onto his arm and his daughter mesmerised at the police box disappearing.

“Goodbye, Y/n…” He whispers, a tear falling down his cheek

Chapter Text

“Alrighty then Miss Penelope what planet would you like to visit next? I was thinking perhaps-” 

“Home” You faltered, eyes darting away from the screen of the TARDIS and towards Penelope who stood at the entrance “I-” She hesitates for a moment, sucking in a breath of air she finally spills; “Dad doesn’t have long left, I wanna see him one more time before..” Her voice trailed off but you knew what she meant, you stepped back and dropped onto one of the chairs surrounding the console

“Oh…” You mutter, rubbing a hand down your face in an attempt to compose yourself

It barely worked.

“Oh I see” Although you’d sat down moments ago you slowly stood up, taking uneven steps towards the console and typing in the destination before pulling a lever and pressing a button. You felt the ground of the TARDIS shake as it travelled to its destination

~~~~

Even well into his sixties Spencer Reid could still recognise that sound from anywhere. His head perked up from where it was resting against the pillow as he craned his neck to see where it was coming from.

Not a moment later did a large blue box start materialising right in front of his eyes, the distinct humming and thumping sound it made brought peace to his mind ‘Penelope was here’. The door to the police box creaked open and out stepped Penelope, who, quickly rushed to the side of her father

“Dad..” She mumbled, nosing her face into his neck, the cologne she had remembered from her toddler years had evidently been sprayed recently; it reminded her of park dates, cafe outings and visits to their favourite book shop.
“I’m glad you’re here, Penny” Spencer mumbles, his eyes barely focusing on his daughter who had since pulled away slightly

You watched from the TARDIS door, back leaned gently against it “Could ya maybe move your..box, please” You turned annoyingly to look at the nurse who had just bustled in

“Well excuse me for trying to get my companion to see her father one last time” You sneered, slamming the TARDIS door shut and punching in coordinates so that the time machine sat in the rooms bathroom

“Was that…'' Spencer coughed, his eyes scrunching in pain as he leaned forward and blindly reached for the glass of water sat on his bedside table, but Penelope was quick to hand him the glass and watch as he struggled to keep the water down

“Yes..That was the doctor” Penelope answers, her hand rubbing up and down soothingly against his arm 

“Please,” He placed a hand on his daughters arm “Don’t let me die here” He let out a choked sob, blinking away the tears forming in his eyes he added; “I never wanted to die in a hospital” 

“But you can’t leave, dad, they’ll see you walking out those hospital doors and bring you right back in-”

“No they won’t” You respond, appearing from the bathroom door with an unreadable expression set on your face “They won’t know because he won’t be walking out those hospital doors” You pushed off the door and walked towards Spencer “Long time no see, aye Spence” You smile softly, a hand brushing away his greying hair from his sweaty forehead “So…Where is it you’d like to go?”

~~~~

You stood over at one of the colourful benches, watching as couples and children rushed across the pavement in glee. Spencer sat in a wheelchair beside you, his hands resting on his blanket-covered lap, his eyes darting over to each small movement.

“I don’t get it, why he-”

“Shh” Spencer placed a finger to Penelope's lips 

You too had no idea why Spencer had chosen this specific place, but then a familiar but much younger voice had your head snapping up

“Hey! I got Garcia’s text, you guys need me to come in?” And there he was, a much younger Spencer Reid standing just a few feet from you “Are you sure? I can totally come in, all you have to do is say the word. You know what? Just say that! Just say ‘the word’ and I’ll- say any word and I’ll come in. You want me to come in?” You chuckled softly, eyes crinkling as you watched the scene unfold

“You have a strange haircut”

“Excuse me?” Young Spencers brows furrowed as he turned to look at the kid standing a foot away from him

“I said, that’s a strange haircut for a grown man” The boy shrugs his shoulders, squinting towards the much taller, lankier man before him “Most men don’t have hair like that”

“Hey- let me call you back” Spencer pulls the phone away from his ear and hangs up, putting the phone in his jacket pocket “Are you- you lost, you okay?”

“You have a very slender neck!” The boy ignores the question “It makes your head look big, did you know that? That’s why I noticed the hair”

Spencer makes a half annoyed, half frustrated face as he takes a slight step closer to the boy “Where are your parents?”

“Can I touch it?” Spencer puts a distance between him and the strange child 

“Uh- you know what? Maybe not” He shrugs away from the outstretched hand

“No no no no-! Don’t touch this guy, we don’t know him” And there she was. Max, you turned to look towards the older Spencer who’s soft smile was evident by the way his eyes crinkled and his nose scrunched. “Seriously dude” You watched the scene unfold as the younger Spencer followed after his future wife, trying to explain the situation

“I have one last request” His voice was barely above a whisper and so you leant down closer to hear what he murmured, you pull away and nod slowly

~~~~

Penelope seemed even more confused at the unrecognisable scenery, her fist tightening around the handle of the umbrella as she tries to make sense of where she is “Dad what is th-”

And then once more a much much younger Spencer Reid appeared, his phone pressed to his ear 

“Morgan! Hey it's me, ye- yeah no I know it's really early-” Spencer sighs in frustration, scrubbing a hand down his face “I think I’ve figured out something with the case- Where am I?” He looks up, eyes scanning the roads “No idea, but hey, no need to worry I’ll get back to the hotel in fifteen. Yep, yep, bye” He hangs up the phone and turns around walking towards the lights

His mind was racing, thoughts rushing through his head as the pieces to the case slowly started to come together, his attention wasn’t on the road and the fact that he had just stepped onto it whilst the lights were red and a car was speeding forwards

“Watch where you’re going!” A blonde woman yells, her arm gripping his tightly as she yanks him back onto the safety of the sidewalk “Could’ve gotten yaself killed you idiot!” 

“Sorry my mind was elsewhere” He chuckles nervously “Thank you, though”

“Well it was a damn good thing I was here, otherwise they’d be scrapin ya off the damn road”

“Spencer”

“Huh?”

“O-oh, I’m Spencer- Doctor Spencer Reid”

“You’d think someone with the title ‘Doctor’ would be smart enough not to let their mind wander while they’re walking near a road” She replies, though she may have seemed annoyed at the whole situation, Spencer noticed a hint of a smile

“I have a feeling that you’re going to continue to berate me for this. If you are going to continue, may I know the name of my berator?”

“Doctor.” His brows furrow

“Doctor? Doctor who?” 

“That, my dear Doctor, is the question” She grins, her eyes sparkling with something that Spencer could only describe as pure unbridled excitement

“Is that your previous form, doctor?” Penelope asks and you wordlessly nod in response “Can we go now? It’s fucking freezing”

“Alright, Spencer, are you ready to go?” There was no sound and you turned to look down at him “Spencer?”

“Dad!” Penelope cried, rushing to kneel in front of him as she tried to wake him up “Dad please..” You sat down by her side, a comforting hand rubbing up and down her back as you quietly tried to console her “Bring him back, please”

“What?”

“You have the power to, please bring him back, I’ll do anything!” Her hands were gripping the lapels of your jacket tightly “There are so many things that we missed out on-” She choked on a sob, her eyes shutting tightly as tears continued to streak down her cheeks

“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I have seen what happens when a Time Lord tries to give a human regenerative energy and believe me, it’s not pretty” This only made Penelope sob harder, her hands curling into fists as she weakly hit you “But there is one thing I can do” You stand up and guide the wheelchair onto a wet patch of grass, quietly pulling Spencer from the wheelchair and onto the grass

You leant forward and pressed your forehead to his, eyes slipping shut as you started murmuring in a language that Penelope couldn’t decipher, but she noted how beautiful it sounded as each word breathed past your lips. At the end of your murmuring, you pressed your lips to his forehead, a single tear dripping down and splashing against his cold skin.

“Whoa..” Penelope whispers, watching as Spencer emitted a soft golden glow, it encased his whole body, wrapping around him like a blanket until it dissipated up into the night sky “What happened? What did you do?” She demands quietly

“I let him go.” You reply, standing up and brushing the loose bits of grass off your pants, you quickly put Spencer back on the wheelchair and push it in the direction of the TARDIS 

“What do you mean ‘let him go’” 

“Humans have a terrific stupidity of not knowing how to let go of their physical being, thus when they die all the peace that they would get is just out of their reach. I helped Spencer let go of his physical being so that he may rest in peace” You explain, letting out a few pants as you push the wheelchair up towards the console

Oh..” She mutters in response “Hey, will you do that for me when I die?”

“That’s only if I don’t die before you” You chuckle

“Impossible” She responds in wonderment “You can never die”

You smile tight-lipped at her words, you press one of the buttons on the console, watching as Penelope sat down beside Spencer, the tears already forming in the corners of her eyes. You turned away, pulling the sleeve of your jacket up and noticing the pigment on your hand slowly turning grey.