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Spencer walked with Morgan and Hotch towards the front gate of the prison. A serial killer they had arrested a few months before was just transferred to the prison and the higher-ups wanted an updated profile of the man.
The Goose appeared out of nowhere, as it always did.
"HONK!" It screeched.
All three men were startled as it started to quickly waddle towards them.
“It’s headed towards us.” Morgan said in shock, openly staring at the bird.
The agents stopped walking as Spencer mumbled, “Oh, fuck.” He had made the connection that his coworkers hadn’t yet. The Goose was there for him. Hotch had married his soulmate years ago and Morgan was straight, so that meant that The Goose was there to lead Spencer to his soulmate.
The young agent’s heart plummeted as The Goose got closer. His soulmate was in a maximum security prison. And he doubted he was lucky enough that they were a guard and not an inmate.
Morgan and Hotch reached the same conclusion about who The Goose was intended for as it reached them. Another loud honk and a sharp beak to the shin had Spencer cursing loudly and already moving towards the gate again.
“I’m going!” He snapped at the bird. “We were waiting for you.”
Morgan held back laughter. “I don’t think it cares, Pretty Boy.”
“I’ll go ahead and alert security.” Hotch told them and lengthened his stride to reach the entrance ahead of them and The Goose.
Security was a hassle and a half as their progress into the prison was slowed. Spencer received numerous more bruises to his shins and the prison employees looked like they were about to attempt to murder the loud bird. Hotch and Morgan thankfully stayed with the guards in the security office to give Spencer some privacy during his first meeting with his other half. The youngest FBI agent didn't hesitate to follow The Goose, despite the fact that it was headed further into the prison and there were inmates watching from both sides as they got farther.
The Goose appeared just outside of his cell. Neal was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling until the shuffling sound made him look out. He was startled by the bird’s appearance. It didn’t walk past.
The Goose was there for him. Neal stood just as a tall, lanky man appeared in front of the closed cell.
“Well, this doesn’t paint me in the best light.” Neal said with wry humor, letting instinct guide him as he processed the shock of meeting his soulmate. He walked the few steps to the cell bars so he could get a good look at the man The Goose decided was the perfect fit for him. “I’m Neal.”
The man was dressed in a button down and a checkered sweater vest and Neal couldn’t help but thinking he looked adorable in it.
“I’m Spencer. It gets worse.” The man told him, somewhat bluntly but not judgmental, which Neal counted as a win.
“How so?”
“I’m an FBI agent.” The man wrung his hands together nervously and Neal winced visibly.
“You’re not White Collar, are you?” Neal asked, mentally resigning himself to having a soulmate that had somehow helped put him in jail.
The man frowned again. “No. BAU, the behavioral analysis unit. I track down serial killers.”
Neal relaxed. “Oh. Well then you can forgive some light bond forgery?” The question hid a level of desperation that the conman was good enough not to show. He wanted his soulmate to like him, to accept him as he was. He had always assumed his other half would be another criminal or con or something adjacent. He certainly never would have guessed that the person meant for him was a federal agent. He prayed that his criminal record wouldn’t be an issue for the gorgeous man standing outside his cell.
The man blinked, as if he were surprised. “So long as you haven’t committed any violent crimes, I probably have no problem with whatever you’ve done. I’m worried because the Goose appeared while we were bringing a killer here.”
Neal’s eyes widened slightly, catching on to the man’s train of thought. “And if they find out I’m your soulmate…” He didn’t need to state that the killer would likely attempt to murder Neal in revenge.
The man nodded solemnly.
“The Goose should be reason enough to get me put into solitary confinement.” Neal told him. “You’ll just have to go visit with the warden, though he might make it tough for you; I’m probably not his favorite inmate right now.”
Spencer stepped closer to the bars, close enough that Neal could reach out and touch him, but he refrained.
“That should work for a couple of days, but solitary confinement isn’t a long-term solution. The effects of extended periods of isolation are significant. It can increase psychological issues and cause paranoia, depression, anxiety, and aggression.” Spencer rambled.
Neal patiently waited for him to finish sharing, then gave him the good news. “It won’t be long term. I made a deal about a week ago with the agent that arrested me four years ago. I’ll finish out my sentence working for the white-collar office here in New York. It’ll be a few days at most.”
Spencer’s brows furrowed and he leaned on the bars of the cell. Neal had a fleeting thought about the instinct to get as close to one another as possible before his soulmate spoke. “How long do you have left on your sentence?”
Neal pressed his lips together. “Four years.”
“They gave you eight years in a maximum-security prison for bond forgery?” Spencer asked, slightly shocked.
Neal hummed. He knew he’d tell Spencer about his breakout; it wasn’t as if he couldn’t easily get the file and find out on his own, but he didn’t want to admit another thing that he wasn’t sure the other man could forgive. “They gave me four years and they put me here because I was a ‘flight risk’. I had three months left but I broke out a week and a half ago. I was given four more years.”
That made Spencer lift his head sharply to meet Neal’s eyes. “Why?”
“My ex-girlfriend is in danger.” Neal admitted. He didn’t pause to feel awkward about the situation; he didn’t want to lie to his soulmate so getting the truth out as quickly and as bluntly as possible was his best move.
Spencer tilted his head and gave him an odd, assessing gaze. “Is? As in currently?”
“I missed her by two days, I don’t know where she is now, but something is wrong.” Neal said, putting enough emphasis on his words to hopefully get Spencer to believe him.
Spencer nodded. “I may be able to help you with that, but for now we need to worry about you. I’ll coordinate with the warden, you need to tell me who your arresting agent is.”
“Peter Burke.” Neal told him.
Spencer was getting ready to leave, he still had work to do after all, but there was one last important piece of information he needed to share with Neal. He reached out to wrap a hand around one of Neal’s that were gripping the cell bars. Neal glanced down at the unexpected contact and smiled softly.
“This may not have been the ideal meeting that either of us had hoped for, but I am glad you are my soulmate.” Spencer said firmly.
Neal grinned. “I’m glad too.”