Nina's mother, Maxine, had never been a positive presence in her life. She was more of a pesky mosquito who wouldn't leave her alone because she was constantly looking for money to get her next fix.

Nina's dad had left when she was 12 and that's when the drinking started. She would wake up to go to school and she would find her mom passed out on the couch after having chugged a bottle or two of whiskey. She would come back from school to find her swaying, pouring herself a drink. Soon the excessive drinking had cost her mom her job and she turned to something harder.

On Nina's 13th birthday her mom had dropped her off at the park near their house and had gone to some crackden or another and hadn't come back until the next morning. Nina has waited all night on the swing sets.

That year Aunt Jean had forced Maxine to go to rehab. Finding out her sister was an addict and pregnant with some strangers baby was the final straw. She had stayed there for 9 months. Those nine months staying with her aunt had been a dream for Nina, she didn't have to cook, clean and look after the person who was supposed to look after her.

Maxine has Ethan on the 13th of March and everyone was thrilled, really thinking she'd turned her life around. Maxine came back from the hospital with Nina and handed her her little brother. She loved him so much it almost hurt, with his little button nose and curly hair.

Maxine has managed to stay clean a week without rehab but soon fell into her old routines again. Meaning that on the cusp of her 14th birthday, Nina had become both sister and mother to little Ethan.

This had gone on for two years, her mother would leave to get high, bring home strange men and forget her children existed.
The kind old lady that lived across the road from Nina's childhood home had called child protective services on her 16th birthday and this had led to a string of court cases and her aunt Jean coming back from her humanitarian work in Senegal to become her niece and nephews legal guardian, giving up her dreams in the process.

When Nina was 19 and packing for college her mother had shown up at Jeans door with a little bundle wrapped in a pink hospital blanket , Nina and Ethan's little sister Hope, and had sworn that she would get better. Nina didn't believe her and she was right, because that had lasted three days, Maxine snuck off in the middle of the night with $1000 dollars stolen from her sister and her six year old sons piggy bank.

She hasn't seen her mother since, last she heard she was in jail for solicitation and drug charges. Not that Nina cared.

Her Aunt Jean had been more of a mother to the three siblings than their own. Nina didn't think she could ever repay her. However, the incessant teasing she was receiving right now from her Aunt and little sister while they were sitting by Ethan's hospital bed had made her wish that her biological mother had let her die in a crackden.

"You totally like this guy Nini!" Jean teases her. "No one dresses that nice to go to a lecture, come on!"

Nina is certain her face is beet fucking red.
"We're just friends." Nina groans.

Hope pranced around the hospital room with absolute glee. "Nina's in love, Nina's in love." She chanted.

Ethan's nose scrunched up "gross."
Causing Jean and Nina to laugh.

Standing up to give everyone a kiss she dusted off her floral dress. Hope had told her it made her look like a fairy-princess, which she assumed was the highest compliment the five year old could give her big sister.

"Goodbye, I love you all but I need to get to the lecture I'm going to, with my friend." Nina Gave a playful glare to her family and made her way out of the hospital and  to the bus station.

Standing in front of the University of Quantico
Nina took a nervous breath. She had no idea where to go.

Luckily Dr.Spencer Reid was not hard to spot, standing tall with his long ,unruly hair by the door. Obviously looking around for Nina.

Spotting her he waved her over.

Spencer, who should normally feel in his element at a university of all places, was a little nervous to hang out with Nina for the first time outside of work. What if they didn't get along without work there to distract them? What if she didn't like the way he was outside of work?

All those thoughts disappeared as soon as he saw her looking around for him. He was pretty sure he'd forgotten how to breathe, she looked really pretty. Wearing a flowery summer dress and sneakers, the sunshine creating a sort of halo around her brown locks.

She smiled at him, showing off her dimples.
"Hey, this is the first time I've seen you without crutches!" She tells him.

"Yeah, my doctor said I could stop using them but I had to use this for another couple of weeks." He gestures to his cane.

"Very classy, so tell me Doctor, are you ready to learn?" She giggles with excitement holding her hand out for Spencer to take.

He hesitates for a second, before slowly slipping his hand in hers, their fingers intertwined. On their way to the lecture hall, Spencer tells Nina all about this lecturer and how he studies the differences in the human brain.

Nina just watches him as he gestures while he talks. Arriving there Spencer insisted that they get seats in the front.

Once the lecture started, cutting short their conversation, Nina could barely pay attention to what the professor was saying because watching Spencer he completely absorbed by the lecture sometimes nodding along to what the professor was saying had almost put her in a trance. He was so adorable.

Once the lecture was over they began to walk out, hand in hand, they hadn't even noticed they had started holding hands it just seemed so natural.

Spencer cleared his throat, "would you like to get coffee? I know this nice coffee shop near by." He offered, hoping he hadn't overstepped.

"Gosh, how did you know I was in need of some coffee?" Nina grins at him, "lead the way Spen."

There was that nickname again, she was the only person who had ever called him that. It was honestly starting to grow on him.

"You know, you're the only person that calls me that." He states.
Nina blushes a little, "oh, sorry." She says with a small frown, she hadn't realised he didn't like the nickname she'd found herself calling him.

"Oh no-no, it's not a bad thing, uh I-um, I actually kind of like it." Spencer stuttered over his words, gosh he was bad at this.
And by 'this' he meant talking to new people, especially new people that were pretty girls.

Nina felt less tense after he'd says that, "I'm glad, I think it suits you. it just feels right." She explains.
Spencer looks down at their hands.
"Yeah," He says moving his eyes to hers. "It just feels right."

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a small coffee shop. Spencer and Nina spoke about anything and everything. The conversation flowed so smoothly. Spencer realised that Nina shares his love for Halloween, and he'd promised to take her to the Phantasmagoria that he goes to every year.

Nina had even told him about Ethan and Hope. Mostly Ethan and his cancer, about how the doctors said he was improving thanks to chemo. Spencer listened to her, he could tell she loved her brother and sister more than anything in the world. They spoke about high school and Spencer was surprised to find out Nina had been a "theater-kid" as she'd called it, not as surprised as she had been to find out he'd been to college at 14!

They only left once the cafe had to close. Spencer walked her to the bus station as he made his way to the metro. They both felt reluctant to leave one another after having such a good time.

Both of them walked into their homes with smiles on their faces, thinking about the each other.