A/N: Here's the first tie-in one-shot to BAU High School! It feels good to write in this universe. Anyway, this takes place right after Chapter 17 (Savior) which is when Aaron stops the football team from harassing Spencer. This idea was orginally greengirl82's idea that was mentioned in a review several months back, but I really liked the sound of it, so here it is! I hope you enjoy it! =)

After watching a few episodes of Star Trek, Emily noticed that their popcorn bowl was unfortunately empty. She discovered this after reaching into it and coming up empty handed.

"Crap," she muttered.

"What?" Spencer murmured without tearing his eyes away from the screen. Aaron just looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"We're out of popcorn," she said sadly, picking the bowl up and heading into the kitchen. Aaron leapt up and followed her.

"What, are you planning on making more?" he asked, watching her walk aimlessly around the room.

"Well, I'm a little hungry…" Her voice trailed off when they heard the unmistakable sound of a stomach growling.

"Sounds like you're more than a little," replied Aaron lightly.

Emily frowned and came to a stop in the middle of the room. Eyeing the cabinets, she strode over to one and threw it open. Nodding to herself, she called, "Spencer! Are you hungry?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," came his quiet reply, still engrossed in the show. Emily grinned and turned to Aaron.

"What about you?"

His stomach growled at that moment as well, and he gave her a sheepish smile.

"I could eat." Emily laughed and pulled out a box of spaghetti. Crossing the kitchen, she yanked out a steel pot and filled it with water from the sink. Then she set it on the stovetop and began to boil the water. Next she rummaged around in the pantry and pulled out a jar of sauce. Dumping in into a saucepan, she placed it next to the pot on the stove.

Aaron watched this all with a mixture of amusement and surprise. He sank down onto one of the kitchen stools and shook his head slightly. Emily caught this motion and frowned.

"What was that for?" she asked angrily. They had only been friends for a few hours, and she wouldn't put it past him to ridicule her.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "It's just… I always thought girls who moved a lot couldn't cook. And you seem like you could've had someone always cooking for you, so…"

"You're surprised I can actually cook a meal?" she finished. Aaron nodded lamely, and she grinned.

"Well then, get ready for the best spaghetti you've ever tasted," she declared. Spencer had walked into the room at the last second and caught her statement.

"You're making spaghetti?" he asked excitedly.

"Yep. Is that okay?"

"It's perfect! Did you know that Italians eat over sixty pounds of pasta per person each year?"

"No, I didn't know that," Aaron said interestedly, though there was definitely an amused edge to his voice. Emily had to turn away to hide her grin.

All afternoon Aaron had been incredibly nice to her and Spencer. He asked questions about Star Trek at appropriate times and never teased Spencer for getting excited. Emily could see the younger boy slowly relaxing around the football player, and for that she was grateful.

"Anyway," Aaron was saying, "Emily seems to think she can make the best spaghetti. What'd you think about that?"

Spencer thought about it for a moment before saying, "I've had some good pasta. You'll have to work hard to beat that."

"Yeah, Prentiss," Aaron said teasingly, "You've got some big shoes to fill."

"How would you know?" Emily countered. "Spencer's the one who's had the 'good pasta,' not you."

"I don't know," he said slowly. "Coach Rossi is big on team get-togethers, and he's one hell of a cook."

"I never would've pictured that," Spencer said in awe, slipping into a seat next to Aaron. The older boy smiled a little at the way he immediately sat down. He was already accepting him.

"Oh, yeah," Aaron said quickly, pulling himself from his thoughts. "He says a good Italian always knows how to cook."

"Well, I speak Italian," Emily said with a shrug. "So that's close enough."

"We'll be the judge of that," Aaron replied with a cocky grin. Emily had to suppress one of her own.

While the pasta cooked, Emily focused on the sauce. She kept adding things to the saucepan, though she wouldn't let the boys see what. They kept shooting each other looks of confusion.

"Okay," Aaron said finally, after Emily sprinkled something into the pan. "What are you doing?"

Emily shot him a devious grin. "A good chef never reveals her secrets."

"That's a magician," Spencer said confusedly.

"Same thing," Emily replied indifferently.

"You know," Spencer said slowly, "One could claim that chefs are like magicians because of the way they can work with food."

"Exactly," Emily said quickly. She returned to the food and began to stir the pasta. Aaron glanced at Spencer.

"You're the genius. What's she adding?"

"He's not a mind-reader," Emily called heatedly over her shoulder.

"I know that, but he might know what are common things to be added to pasta sauce."

"I'm not really good with food," Spencer answered quietly. He stared at the countertop, and Aaron worried that the boy was upset that he may have let Aaron down in some way.

"That's okay," Aaron said softly, nudging Spencer's shoulder. "I don't either."

That seemed to cheer Spencer up a bit, and a moment later he was back to spouting off facts and statistics.

Finally, the pasta was ready, and so was the sauce. Emily pulled out three plates from the cupboards and placed them in a line on the counter. She doled out equal amounts and served them to the boys. Sitting down next to Spencer after she gave them forks, she watched them expectantly.

"Well, go on."

Shrugging, the boys picked up their forks and twirled it in the pile of spaghetti. Spencer took the first bite, and Aaron watched his reaction closely. When he grinned and nodded, Aaron took a tentative bite before shoving the whole forkful in his mouth.

"Well?" Emily prompted. Spencer nodded again.

"I approve," he declared. Emily grinned, then looked at Aaron.

"And you?" she asked. "Does it meet your expectations?"

He hesitated, then said, "No." At Emily's crushed look he added quickly, "It passed my expectations."

Her unhappy look turned into a doubtful one. "You're just saying that."

He held up his right hand. "I swear on my coin collection from third grade that I'm not lying."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. "You have a coin collection?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I spent a lot of time looking for a 1944 penny."

That caused Emily and Spencer to lose it, and they burst out laughing uncontrollably. Aaron's smile grew a bit as well.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh. I know, I'm a nerd."

"I never would have guessed," Spencer said honestly.

"What about that summer before freshmen year?" Aaron asked. "We spent hours watching Harry Potter at your house."

Spencer blushed and smiled a bit. "No, I remember. I'm just surprised you do."

Aaron smiled gently. "Of course I do. That was one of my favorite summers."

Emily had to duck her head to hide the massive grin on her face.

After eating all the spaghetti, they looked at the clock and realized it was nearly six o'clock, and they all had tons of homework to do.

"C'mon, Spencer," Aaron said, putting his empty plate in the sink. "I'll drive you home."

Emily walked them out to Aaron's trunk and leaned against the driver's side, preventing him from getting in.

"Excuse me, but you're in my way," he said with a smile.

"You didn't tell me," Emily replied haughtily.

"Tell you what?"

"If my spaghetti is the best spaghetti you've ever tasted," Emily said innocently.

Aaron contemplated it briefly before saying, "No, Coach Rossi's still wins. However," he added quickly once he saw Emily's eyes narrow, "Yours has a lot of potential. Maybe eventually it'll get to his standards."

Emily's eyes widened a bit. "But, that would mean you would have to come over here and try it again, Aaron."

The cocky grin appeared again, and her heart thudded madly. "Yes, I suppose that's true." He gently shoved Emily away from the truck and slipped inside. He didn't have a clue as to where that flirty teasing came from, but he wasn't upset with it.

Craning his neck, he saw Emily standing on the lawn with a slightly dazed look on her face. Smiling a bit, he stuck his head out the window.

"Goodnight, Emily," he called. She snapped back to reality.

"Goodnight, Aaron," she said quickly. "Goodnight, Spencer!"

"'Night, Emily," he called back.

She retreated into her house, and Aaron drove Spencer home. As he pulled into the Reids' driveway, he turned to the younger boy.

"Thanks for the ride," Spencer mumbled, climbing out of the car.

"Anytime," Aaron replied softly.

Spencer was a few feet away from the door when he turned around.

"Why'd you save me?" he asked.

"Huh?" Aaron turned off the engine and exited the car.

"Why'd you risk losing your friends to save me today?" Spencer asked again. The confusion was clear on his face, and Aaron couldn't help but eye that growing bruise.

"Was it because I'm Emily's friend?" he continued.

Aaron sighed. "Maybe a little," he replied truthfully. "But I wasn't lying when I said one of my favorite summers was when I hung out with you. You're a good kid, Spencer, and I don't want you to forget that because of a bunch of dumbasses. I'm sorry that I haven't always tried to stop them, but I can promise you that I will now."

Spencer's mouth fell open slightly, and he turned to the door. Aaron was about to return to his car when he heard the quiet voice.

"Thank you." Aaron spun around to see Spencer watching him from the top step. "I'm glad that we're friends." Even in the growing darkness, Aaron could see the blush creeping up Spencer's face.

"Me, too," Aaron responded happily. "Me, too, kid."