THREE. TRIVIA NIGHT, PART TWO

"MARGARET THATCHER, JAMES MCAVOY, AND FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS," RHEA READ OVER THE LAST FEW ANSWERS OF THE CELEBRITY ROUND, TAPPING HER PEN AGAINST THE TABLE. She and Spencer were now seated next to each other, as the rest of the group had long ago given up and were instead laughing and exchanging stories.

"Who are the Flight of the Conchords?" Spencer asked as Rhea handed it to the worker collecting answer sheets.

"A comedy duo from New Zealand," she explained, reaching for the Fanta and sipping on it. She had decided one drink in that she didn't want to have alcohol in her system, and had swapped Samuel for the position of designated driver. He was currently babbling about his favourite band to Penelope, who was listening with a wide smile on her face, glad the shy man was finally opening up. "Bret McKenzie won the Academy Award for best song this year. It was from the, uh, Muppet movie."

"They made another Muppet movie?" Spencer's brows were deeply furrowed. He was practically clueless when it came to popular culture, as he'd rather busy himself with classical music and literature. It just made more sense to him.

"It's not as bad as you'd think," she chuckled, writing their team name and the round at the top of the next slip. "The kids at school love it. The song he won for isn't too bad either."

"How does it go?" Spencer found himself smiling at the woman. She was a lot like Daisy, but at the same time completely different. Daisy was upfront and bold, while Rhea withheld her true nature until she felt comfortable. He knew how important the woman was to his coworker, and how she'd gone out of her way to take care of things she didn't need to.

"Gosh, okay," Rhea scoffed, before nodding her head side to side. "Um...Am I a man, or am I a muppet...am I muppet?"

She deepened her voice for the last part, and he laughed, his fingers tracing the seam on his trousers. "I think I'll stick to French New Wave films."

"I'll find a way to make you watch it one day," she teased as the speaker began the next round.

"Which of Victor Hugo's novels was adapted into a Disney animation in 1996?" he said into the microphone, not even bothering to look at their table. The Beanie Babies had been attending the trivia night for years now and had become some of the bar's best customers.

"Hunchback of Notre Dame," Spencer said, though Rhea was already writing it down. He had never seen the movie, but he remembered reading the book growing up.

"What is George Eliot's real name?"

Rhea's eyes flickered up to Spencer for help. He leaned forward a little, bringing his hands to rest on the table. "Mary Anne Evans. She wrote under a pseudonym due to women only being acknowledged as romance authors at the time."

"Weren't there other women who did that?" she asked as she scrawled the answer onto the paper.

"Certainly," Spencer was glad to continue. "The Brontë sisters, Louisa May Alcott and even modern authors like J.K Rowling have all pretended to be male to appeal to certain audiences."

"I don't trust J.K Rowling," Rhea muttered, shaking her head. At Spencer's curious expression, she shrugged. "She called the one Asian character Cho Chang, and waited until after all the books had been published to say that Dumbledore was gay. If she had included it in the actual text, it would be far more impactful to misrepresented communities. But, instead, she chose to speak it into existence to, as you said, appeal to certain audiences."

Spencer hummed. "Fair point. It's common for influential celebrities to continue to draw attention to themselves after what they've done has become less significant to their fans. She'll probably be doing that for the rest of her career."

"What Danish author is considered by many to be the most prolific fairy tale writer?" called the speaker.

"Hans Christian Anderson," Rhea managed to say it before Spencer did. She glanced over at his surprised expression. She sent him a slightly smug smile. "I'm an elementary school teacher, man."

That was how the rest of the night went; the two answered all the questions and got every single one right, earning them the win (which was a voucher to the bar and a hamper of assorted goods). As soon as they brought it over to the table, everyone had stuck their hands in, before Aaron had smacked them all away and told them to leave the prize to the ones who actually bothered to participate.

Just as Rhea was about to open up a multi-pack of water crackers, her phone buzzed on the table. She looked down, stopping what she was saying to Spencer when she saw the number. She grabbed the device and jumped up. "I'll be right back."

Spencer's brows furrowed as he watched Rhea rush outside the bar so that she could hear the phone call better. He looked over at Daisy, who was in deep conversation with JJ about morning sickness, so he took it upon himself to get up and follow the woman he hardly knew.

By the time he made it outside, Rhea was pacing back and forth with her free hand tangled in her dark hair. "I applied for this months ago, I-I don't get why this keeps happening...yes, I know it's a complicated process...yes, I understand. I'm sorry, this is just really important to me. Thank you for calling, Amy. Okay, bye."

She hung up the phone and sighed deeply, squatting down to sit on the steps, just out of the entranceway. She hadn't seen Spencer yet, as she was far too busy mulling over her own thoughts and muttering angered comments to herself.

"Everything okay?" he finally plucked up the courage to ask, making her jump a little. She looked up beside her and saw the tall man towering over her, his hands deep in his pockets.

"Yeah," she nodded, her voice quiet. Spencer didn't believe her, and she knew it.

"It's not the best idea to lie to a profiler," Spencer managed a smile, walking around so that he was standing in front of her. "Is something wrong?"

Rhea tapped her phone against her knee, her eyes focused on the courtyard before her. The area was lined with restaurants and bars, fairy lights twinkling over the fancy fountain in the centre. It was nice, just a little too over the top for someone like her. "I'm just having a little bit of trouble with one of the kids in my class."

Spencer tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Rhea finally looked up at him, and he saw her red-rimmed eyes. "I'm trying to adopt this little girl called Katie. She's in foster care at the moment, and I've known her since she started at school. She's the sweetest little thing, and I'd love to give her a forever home, but it's tough."

"Adoption is a serious thing," Spencer noted. "Are you ready for that kind of responsibility?"

Rhea sighed, her hand lifting to scratch her throat - a coping mechanism, perhaps. "I, uh, I've always wanted to adopt. It's something I've been saving for since I was a teenager - to be able to provide for someone other than myself. I hate the idea of kids like Katie getting lost in the system."

"Like you did?" he inquired, catching her off guard. Rhea's eyes widened a little. Spencer's smile was slightly lopsided. "The way you talk about Katie...it's like you've been through the same thing."

He didn't sit beside her, seeing as the ground was a little wet, but he made sure he was in her line of sight. She pulled her sleeves over her hands and used the material to wipe her eyes. "I never got out. I worked three jobs and got a scholarship to put myself through college. I know what it's like."

"Statistically, it's more common for couples to get accepted for adoption," he tucked a strand of long hair behind his ear. "Maybe that's why it's taking a little longer."

"It's hard to get someone to put up with the things you want in life," Rhea shrugged, exhaling into the cold night air. She looked up at Spencer once more. "I'm sure it hasn't been an easy road for a child genius like you."

"You're right about that," he chuckled, looking down at his feet. He didn't take any offence to her words, knowing she wasn't the type to make others feel bad for no reason. She was also correct, but she had somehow found a way to not embarrass him about it. "But, I made it in the end."

Rhea now found herself smiling too. "Oh yeah? Who's the lucky girl?"

The Doctor's cheeks flushed a rosy red as he thought about her. "Maeve. She's a, uh, geneticist."

"That's great," Rhea was genuinely happy for him. Granted she didn't know him as well as his coworkers did, but it was clear to see that he was smitten. She moved her foot to gently touch his shoe. "You'll have to bring her to the next trivia night. If she's anything like you, the other teams are done for."

"Yeah, maybe," Spencer knew she was just trying to steer the conversation away from her problems, but he didn't mind when it came to Maeve. His heart skipped a beat when he thought about her, and there was a hope deep inside him that told him that soon they'd finally be together.

A slightly awkward silence washed over them, and the doctor was reminded of the reason he came outside with her in the first place.

"So, what's Katie like?" he asked, surprising himself with how he managed to keep the conversation afloat.

Rhea's face brightened a little. "She's gonna grow up to do amazing things, Spencer. She's reading at a fifth grade level, doing multiplications, and asking about how the world works..."

"But she's struggling to make friends?" Spencer watched Rhea nod. He thought for a moment, before he cleared his throat. "I was a lot like her, you know. It's not easy being the smart kid."

Rhea knew what he meant, but she also found herself disagreeing. She knew several smart children who may not have excelled in mathematics, but thrived in the arts or sports. "There's some who have it a little harder than others, and I suppose Katie's one of them."

Spencer twisted her shoe into the concrete, hesitating for a moment before he spoke again. "Maybe...maybe I could come in and talk to her?"

"You'd do that?" Rhea's jaw slacked a little. Spencer nodded quickly.

"Of course," he was surprised she wasn't opposed to the idea. "I never had an inspiration growing up, so it might be helpful for her to see that being different from the other kids is okay, you know?"

"That would be..." the teacher shook her head in disbelief. "So, so, amazing. Oh, you don't know how happy that would make her."

Spencer found himself smiling once more. It was only a suggestion, but it was comforting to know that he was on the right track. "Really? A-Are you sure?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her focus shifting to the new possibility. "We're having career day in a couple of weeks...maybe you could drop in as my 'person'? I usually ask Daisy, but I'm sure she'd understand!"

Spencer's blush had returned at the sight of her eagerness. "Okay, that would be perfect. I cant guarantee we won't have a case, but I'll try to make it."

Rhea nodded enthusiastically. "Spencer, thank you so much for doing this, you have no idea how much it means."

"It's no problem at all," the doctor assured her, hesitating before taking a step towards the bar. Rhea noticed his movements and remembered he had issues with germs, so she followed his lead and got to her feet, brushing herself off. The pair of acquaintances exchanged polite smiles before they trudged out of the night and back into the lively building.

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