Genius at Work, Chapter 2/15
Jun. 24th, 2010 07:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madlorificGenius at Work
A "Criminal Minds" fanfiction by MadLori
Chapter 2
MONDAY
Reid arrived at the BAU extra early the next morning, but found that Emily was already there, which had been precisely what he'd hoped to avoid. He wanted home-court advantage in this little game they were playing, which meant getting here first so that she'd see him sitting at his desk like everything was normal while she walked in the door. Instead, he had to studiously avoid looking at her as he crossed the bullpen, which was difficult since their desks were right next to each other.
He sat down and took off his coat. She was at her computer. She didn't say anything or look at him, which was already weird, because on any other day she would have smiled and said "Good morning" and he would have done the same. Instead, he put down his Starbucks cup and signed in to his own computer, ignoring her.
But she was aware of him, oh yes, she was. Hyperaware, just as he was of her. She wasn't clicking her mouse or typing as fast as usual, and his view of her fingers let him know that she typed the same phrase several times, which meant she was distracted and making mistakes. Her posture was unusually stiff and straight, like she was intentionally trying to look normal. Reid slouched over the keyboard and slurped on his coffee.
They'd have to talk eventually, of course. But he'd be damned if he'd blink first.
Morgan walked in a few minutes later. "Hey, how was Minnesota?" he asked, looking from him to Emily and back.
"Stimulating," Reid said, before he could stop himself. Emily shot him a Look. "I think we're going to get an interesting paper out of it."
Morgan grinned. "Careful, Prentiss. Anything you write is going to get marked up all to hell. He is a monster with the red pen."
She shrugged. "Maybe I don't mind getting marked up." The tiny glance she flicked at Reid was imperceptible to Morgan, but Reid nearly splurted coffee all over his desk.
"Well, best of luck, then," Morgan said, oblivious. "I'll be interested to have a look at your interview notes."
"I'll email you a copy when I've got them typed up," Reid said, gathering his composure.
"Cool." Morgan took his seat and went about his own business. Reid and Prentiss were both back at their computers, but her mouth was now set in a satisfied little curl.
No one spoke for the next hour or so. Finally, Reid got up to dump the cold dregs of his Starbucks and refill his mug from the coffeepot. He knew even before he heard her get up that she'd follow him.
He dumped the coffee and tossed the empty cup. She took down her mug and his from the shelf where they kept them and rinsed them both out. Reid picked up the coffeepot and filled both mugs, reclaiming his once the coffeepot was back on its warming plate. She handed him the sugar and he dumped some in.
The entire time they performed these tasks, they didn't take their eyes off each other.
Emily took a cautious sip of the hot coffee, then her tongue snuck out and licked her upper lip. Slowly. Reid just stood there, calmly stirring the sugar into his coffee, matching her neutral, speculative gaze.
They might have stood there all day trying to make each other blink, but JJ walked in. "Conference room, guys."
The team boarded the jet in silence. The case they were about to work was, to be blunt, horrific. Reid was usually able to detach from the things they saw and maintain his scientific objectivity, but this one was tough. Teenagers, raped and disemboweled, left out in the open like garbage, mutilated – an UNSUB like this was enough to make even him wonder if evil really existed.
Emily was already seated, staring off into space with the file on her knees. He'd hoped she'd sit at the table so he could sit next to her, but she was by herself, facing the rear of the plane. He stood near her chair while the others boarded, staying out of their way. He felt a light touch on the back of his hand, then he felt her grasp his fingers and squeeze them quickly before letting go. No one saw, and Reid kept his eyes front. He risked a glance down at her; her eyes were lowered. The other team members were starting to take their seats, he'd better do the same. Out of view of the others, he reached out and quickly skimmed the back of his index finger over her cheek as he walked forward to sit next to Rossi.
Once they got to Indianapolis, it was all business. The case, while brutal, nevertheless gave them a lot of material to work with and a profile quickly started to take shape. Still, Reid felt beaten up and sore in his heart as he returned to the station with Morgan after interviewing the family of one of the dead teenagers. He took a seat at the conference table where they'd set up camp while Morgan went outside to get some air. Emily appeared, holding a cup of coffee. "How was the interview?"
"Useful. Brianna Rogers was a careful girl. She wasn't wild, she was private."
"Like the others."
"Which just makes the question of how he's targeting them more important." He sighed. "I never know what to do when the parents cry," he said, quietly. "You and Morgan and JJ, you always seem to know what to say. I never know how to look or how to act. I just want to start babbling and I know that's not helping."
"It doesn't matter what you do right now. The best thing you can do for them in the long run is find their daughter's killer." She reached out and tucked an errant curl back behind his ear. It was a casual but undeniably intimate gesture, and more than even the kisses they'd shared it communicated to him that he wasn't alone in whatever he was feeling about them. He looked up at her. She set the cup down in front of him. "Brought you a coffee."
"Thanks," he said, gratefully. He took a sip; it was light and extra-sweet, just how he liked it. She patted his shoulder and left the room.
Ten minutes later he was given a momentary break by his cellphone ringing; it was a DC area code. He recognized the number, it was his realtor. "Spencer Reid."
"Oh, Mr. Reid. It's Doug Eisenman."
"Hi, Doug."
"I just wanted to check in and see if you'd made a decision about the library. I don't think there'll be a better time to buy it, the seller's desperate to unload. I think you should make an offer at ten thousand less than the most recent quote and see if they bite."
Reid took a deep breath. He'd been going back and forth on this for weeks now, but suddenly today, the decision seemed so obvious. "Make the offer."
"Great. I'll submit the paperwork and give you a call when they respond."
"Thanks, Doug."
"It's an amazing place. I can't wait to see what you do with it."
"I'm a little curious about that myself."
Doug laughed. "I'll be in touch."
"Goodbye." Reid hung up and stared at the phone for a moment, waiting to be terrified by the enormity of the step he'd just taken, but he felt oddly calm about it.
Oh, no. Don't tell me that you're buying this house because of her. That's crazy. You don't know what this is with her, it could be nothing and then you'll have this house.
But I'll still want to live in it myself either way. And I am not buying this house because of her. I was seriously considering making the offer before anything happened with us.
Yes, but now something's happened with her and suddenly you've made the offer.
It's not because of her. It's really not.
Reid smiled to himself. I can't wait to show it to her.
TUESDAY
They solved the case fast, to everyone's relief. In the whirlwind of activity, Reid was almost able to forget about whatever was going on between himself and Emily, but soon enough it was all over. They apprehended the UNSUB when he tried to visit a staged memorial service for one of the victims. That was such an old trick, Reid sometimes marveled that UNSUBs still fell for it.
They'd all lurked in the back of the room as JJ and the local chief of police gave the press conference announcing that a suspect was in custody. Reid felt two tons lighter. Morgan, standing next to him, had that look of grim satisfaction he got when the outcome was positive but there were still a bunch of dead teenagers, so celebration wasn't quite appropriate. He looked down the group at Emily, standing at the end next to Hotch, and let himself dip a toe back into that memory of what it had felt like to kiss her. As if she could feel his eyes on her, Emily looked over at him. She dropped him a quick, near-invisible wink and then shifted her eyes forward again. Warmth blooming in his belly, Reid had to concentrate to keep himself from grinning like an idiot.
They'd be leaving in the morning. Everyone was exhausted and it was after eleven o'clock, so Hotch had ordered everyone back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. They all walked down the hallway, talking in those familiar, relieved, end-of-a-case tones, as one by one they peeled off to go into their rooms. Reid's was at the end and Emily was across the hall from him, conveniently enough. They cast sidelong glances at each other before splitting up and going to their respective doors. He heard Emily's keycard in the lock, but then did not hear the expected sound of her door opening.
He looked over his shoulder. She was just standing there, still facing the door. Without a word, she reached one hand back toward him, palm up, and wiggled her fingers in a "gimme" gesture. Reid took her hand and squeezed it. She looked back at him, her thumb leaving one stroke across the back of his hand. "Night," she said.
He nodded. They let go of each other and went into their rooms.
WEDNESDAY
Emily was wearing the red tank top today. Some of the time she had her jacket over it, so it might have been any other red shirt, but at her desk she'd sometimes take off the jacket.
If he were of a more devious bent of mind, he might have suspected that she'd worn it just to mess with his mind.
He was grimly determined not to be caught staring, to the point that he feared he was being rude to her by avoiding any and all eye contact and minimizing conversation. But it was inevitable. He couldn't sit there across from her all day, possessing a Y chromosome and a pair of functional eyeballs, and never look. So naturally, when his guard was down and he found himself looking before he even realized he was doing it -- that was when she caught him.
The awareness that his gaze was firmly glued to her chest came upon him in a rush of embarrassment and he gave a little jerk in his chair. On reflex he looked up at her face and found her looking back at him, one eyebrow cocked, and in that moment he realized that she had absolutely worn that shirt today to mess with his mind. He gave her a withering look. Are you happy now? She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, smirking across at him. Whatcha gonna do about it?
Oh, he'd do something about it, all right. He turned to his computer and shot off a quick email. Someone owed him a favor.
At lunchtime, Morgan came back to his desk to check his email, read the messages, then said "Well, shit."
"What?" Emily said.
"Jane Donovan had to cancel on me. She's my demonstration partner for the hand-to-hand class, which is…” he checked his watch…”in an hour. Dammit! I hope you're caught up on files, Prentiss. You're spending the afternoon slamming me into a mat."
"Huh?" she said, eyes widening.
"You said if I needed a sparring partner for class that you'd do it! Remember?"
"Oh," she said, deflating. "Yeah, I remember."
"Good. C'mon, get your stuff, we’ll need to go over the lesson plan for today before class so we better go now. I'll go tell Hotch." Morgan headed off for Hotch's office.
Reid couldn't keep the smile off his face as he pretended to ignore the goings-on. Emily got up and started yanking on her jacket. "You think I don't know that you tutored Jane Donovan's son to a passing grade in chemistry?" she grumbled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
She stood next to his desk. "Have a productive afternoon, Dr. Reid."
"I will now," he said, with a flick of his eyes down at her shirt.
She tried to keep up the irritated-face but it crackled a little at the edges and a smile poked through. She flicked her finger against his shoulder, then headed off with Morgan.
Just before three o'clock, Reid was coming back from Garcia's office, his nose buried in a file full of printouts, when he saw Emily coming down the hall toward him – jacketless, of course. The spit dried up in his mouth and he had to fight to maintain his stride. Her hair was up and she looked flushed and sweaty from her afternoon of sparring with Morgan and his students. She had a couple of red marks on her arms and neck. She was glowing, she looked fierce, and she was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.
She didn't meet his eyes until they had almost drawn even with each other, then she shot him a glance and a wink. He couldn't help himself, he looked back over his shoulder. She turned around and took a few backwards steps so she could give him a big bright grin, then faced forward again and continued on her way.
Reid picked up the pace toward his desk, holding his file folder in front of his crotch.
THURSDAY
Reid strode through the parking garage, his head down. He'd gotten a rather distressing call from Bennington before leaving for work, and it was weighing heavily on his mind. He was almost looking forward to diving into folders full of murder. And looking forward to seeing Emily.
The two of them were dancing very intentional, deliberate circles around each other, and he was surprised to find that he was enjoying it. He'd have thought that it would be frustrating to have no actual forward movement, no acknowledgment out loud, no repetition of the physical moments they'd shared, but it wasn't. There was something sexy about this unspoken game, like a treasure hunt where the clues were tiny stolen moments and subtle signals offered and received. Every time they shared a knowing glance, every time they brushed up against each other accidentally-on-purpose, every time they caught each other looking – it was like collecting points for a prize as yet to be determined. He was still waiting for some kind of signal from her that she actually wanted to upgrade the status of their relationship through a real live date of some kind. He didn't want to crowd her, or exert any unwelcome pressure.
"Reid!" He heard his name as he reached the elevator and turned to see the woman herself hurrying toward him. "Didn't you hear me calling you since way back there?" she said, slightly breathless.
"Oh – no, I'm sorry, I didn't. I guess I'm a little distracted."
She frowned at him, looking concerned. "Something wrong?"
He sighed. "I got a call from my mother's doctor this morning. She's just having a few bad days and he wanted to see how I'd feel about switching up her medication to something a little stronger."
"Maybe that's a good idea," she said, her tone gentle.
"It might be, but stronger medications will just make her foggy and confused. She values having her senses intact, I hate to take that from her. It's almost all she has."
"She also has a son who cares about her," Emily said.
He met her eyes and saw real understanding and concern there. "I suppose." More agents were gathering for the elevator, so they fell silent. Just co-workers waiting for the elevator, nothing to see here, move right along.
They boarded the elevator, gravitating to the back. As the car rose, Reid felt her fingers brush against him, then she slipped her hand into his coat pocket and pushed her shoulder against his. He pushed back and his hand joined hers in his pocket.
When they got off the elevator car on the BAU floor, their hands and bodies were separated by a foot of space, as if they had always been so.
FRIDAY
Reid wasn't looking forward to the weekend. Usually he viewed them with equanimity. He enjoyed his work at the BAU, but weekends were a good time to read and work on his personal projects. All he could see about this upcoming weekend was that it would be two whole days that he wouldn't see Emily.
Unless he took the plunge and asked her out. Or he could make it more innocent, just suggest coffee. They'd done that before, as purely platonic friends. But he knew damn well that they couldn't pretend that that's all they were anymore. Besides, it wasn't time yet. He couldn't put his finger on how he knew that, he just knew.
Yesterday he'd been glad for the distraction after the call about his mother. Emily hadn't been around for part of the morning, she'd had a dentist appointment. When he came back to the office from lunch, he'd thrown caution to the wind and brought her a latte. She'd smiled broadly with her newly-sparkling-clean teeth and let her fingers linger over his as she took the cup from him. He'd found the presence of mind to wink at her before taking his own seat. When they left for the day, without discussing it they'd both timed it so they were alone in the elevator. They didn't speak, just watched the numbers slide downwards, but Reid's hand had been tracing light circles on the small of her back, and she'd let her own hand slide down his arm as they parted to go to their cars.
Today he felt much encouraged after he'd been allowed to talk to his mother on the phone briefly, and she'd said she wanted to try the new medication and see how it went. He could support that plan. He'd sat down to read journals in the evening but found himself preoccupied with thoughts of Emily. Normally he'd view such preoccupation with annoyance, but oddly, he didn't mind so much. It had been rather pleasant to let his thoughts dwell on her. It was interesting how quickly things could change, too. A week ago, he would hardly have spared her a thought once he'd left work, unless it was to think to ask her opinion about something he was working on or reading. Or recommend an article to her because she might find it interesting. Sometimes after reading a novel or seeing a film, he'd think to himself that she'd like it and he ought to tell her about it. And then there were the times that he'd be out for a bite and he'd remember her mentioning that she loved Thai food, or that she couldn't stand too much foam on her cappuccino, or...
Damn. I've been thinking about her more than I realized.
How long had this been going on? Had Emily been steadily worming her way into his thoughts, little by little establishing a presence, until now it felt natural to him?
He wasn't sure of the answer to that, he just knew that right now, she was almost all he could think about.
She smiled brightly at him when he came into the bullpen. No smirkiness, no cocked eyebrows, no suggestive lip-licking. Just a normal smile. "Morning, Reid."
"Morning," he replied.
"No Starbucks today?"
"Didn't have time. Got a bit of a late start." He sat down at his desk and started getting himself situated. Emily was busily typing away on something, her eyes on her monitor. He sat there for a moment, just letting himself look at her.
She glanced at him and caught him looking. He resisted looking away. He expected a smug little look or a teasing eyebrow, but instead she just smiled, a sweet smile with – was he imagining it? – a hint of longing in it. He cleared his throat and dropped his eyes, and they both went back to work.
The end of the day came too quickly. Everyone was working on consultation files today, including himself. The only fun he got to have with Emily was at lunch. He, Morgan, Emily and JJ took a little longer lunch break than usual and drove into Alexandria to the Hard Times Cafe for chili. They sat four in a booth, Reid and Emily across from each other at the wall, an ideal arrangement for acting natural while they tangled their feet together under the table. Even when both Morgan and JJ got up from the table, leaving them momentarily alone, they just talked about which was the best microbrew pub in the area, ignoring the fact that his foot was trapped between her crossed ankles.
Once they returned to Quantico, it was back to work and more work. Before he knew it, it was after five and everyone was packing it in for the night. He found himself being decidedly pokey about it, and he didn't think he was imagining that Emily was taking her own sweet time, too. Morgan bid them goodnight and hurried off to whatever hot date he had planned. Garcia dropped by and made some suggestions about dinner or going to a movie, but they both demurred, so she left as well.
Finally, it could be put off no longer. Once again timing it so that they left at the same time (they were getting pretty good at accomplishing that without looking like they were trying), they rode the elevator in silence and walked through the parking garage to the point where they had to split up. They both stopped walking and turned to face each other. Reid rocked back and forth on his heels, hands in his pockets, looking at the concrete at his feet. He didn't know what to say. Part of him just wanted to blurt out, "Let's go out and do something and actually talk about what's going on with us and then I'd like to kiss you some more because that was fantastic." The other part wanted to draw out this tension until it got so taut you could walk across it with a balancing pole held across your shoulders.
"Plans for the weekend?" she asked, her tone carefully neutral.
"Not really. Just work."
"All work and no play make Dr. Reid a dull boy," she teased.
"I'm already dull."
"I don't think you're dull."
He looked up at her. "Thanks."
She glanced over in the direction she'd soon be walking to reach her car. "Well, I guess..."
"You have plans for the weekend?" he asked, just wanting to delay the inevitable.
"No. I might have lunch with my mother tomorrow. Other than that – no."
Trying to hear if there was an implication or an invitation hidden in those words was making his brain hurt a little. "I guess I'll see you Monday, then."
She seemed to deflate just a hair. "Yeah. Monday."
"Okay."
Neither of them moved.
"Have a good night," she finally said.
"Oh, you too." She nodded, taking her turn to examine her shoes and fidget back and forth.
Reid took a deep breath and then stepped closer. She looked up at him, part expectant and part apprehensive, as if she weren't quite sure of his intentions. He reached out and touched her elbow, then slid his hand down her arm to her gloved hand. He clasped it between them and smiled again, not his normal and polite smile but the new smile he'd had to develop just for her, the one that knew their secret. "Good night, Emily," he said.
She answered his secret smile with her own. "Good night, Reid." She gave his hand another squeeze, then released it and walked off. Reid watched her go, wondering when he'd first hear her call him by his first name, but encouraged by the realization that he was no longer wondering "if" but "when."
A "Criminal Minds" fanfiction by MadLori
Chapter 2
Back at the BAU, normal life resumed. They had a new case right away and had no time to talk to each other...but without it being discussed, a covert and nonverbal courtship had begun right under the noses of their fellow team members.
--How to Fight Loneliness, Chapter 3
MONDAY
Reid arrived at the BAU extra early the next morning, but found that Emily was already there, which had been precisely what he'd hoped to avoid. He wanted home-court advantage in this little game they were playing, which meant getting here first so that she'd see him sitting at his desk like everything was normal while she walked in the door. Instead, he had to studiously avoid looking at her as he crossed the bullpen, which was difficult since their desks were right next to each other.
He sat down and took off his coat. She was at her computer. She didn't say anything or look at him, which was already weird, because on any other day she would have smiled and said "Good morning" and he would have done the same. Instead, he put down his Starbucks cup and signed in to his own computer, ignoring her.
But she was aware of him, oh yes, she was. Hyperaware, just as he was of her. She wasn't clicking her mouse or typing as fast as usual, and his view of her fingers let him know that she typed the same phrase several times, which meant she was distracted and making mistakes. Her posture was unusually stiff and straight, like she was intentionally trying to look normal. Reid slouched over the keyboard and slurped on his coffee.
They'd have to talk eventually, of course. But he'd be damned if he'd blink first.
Morgan walked in a few minutes later. "Hey, how was Minnesota?" he asked, looking from him to Emily and back.
"Stimulating," Reid said, before he could stop himself. Emily shot him a Look. "I think we're going to get an interesting paper out of it."
Morgan grinned. "Careful, Prentiss. Anything you write is going to get marked up all to hell. He is a monster with the red pen."
She shrugged. "Maybe I don't mind getting marked up." The tiny glance she flicked at Reid was imperceptible to Morgan, but Reid nearly splurted coffee all over his desk.
"Well, best of luck, then," Morgan said, oblivious. "I'll be interested to have a look at your interview notes."
"I'll email you a copy when I've got them typed up," Reid said, gathering his composure.
"Cool." Morgan took his seat and went about his own business. Reid and Prentiss were both back at their computers, but her mouth was now set in a satisfied little curl.
No one spoke for the next hour or so. Finally, Reid got up to dump the cold dregs of his Starbucks and refill his mug from the coffeepot. He knew even before he heard her get up that she'd follow him.
He dumped the coffee and tossed the empty cup. She took down her mug and his from the shelf where they kept them and rinsed them both out. Reid picked up the coffeepot and filled both mugs, reclaiming his once the coffeepot was back on its warming plate. She handed him the sugar and he dumped some in.
The entire time they performed these tasks, they didn't take their eyes off each other.
Emily took a cautious sip of the hot coffee, then her tongue snuck out and licked her upper lip. Slowly. Reid just stood there, calmly stirring the sugar into his coffee, matching her neutral, speculative gaze.
They might have stood there all day trying to make each other blink, but JJ walked in. "Conference room, guys."
The team boarded the jet in silence. The case they were about to work was, to be blunt, horrific. Reid was usually able to detach from the things they saw and maintain his scientific objectivity, but this one was tough. Teenagers, raped and disemboweled, left out in the open like garbage, mutilated – an UNSUB like this was enough to make even him wonder if evil really existed.
Emily was already seated, staring off into space with the file on her knees. He'd hoped she'd sit at the table so he could sit next to her, but she was by herself, facing the rear of the plane. He stood near her chair while the others boarded, staying out of their way. He felt a light touch on the back of his hand, then he felt her grasp his fingers and squeeze them quickly before letting go. No one saw, and Reid kept his eyes front. He risked a glance down at her; her eyes were lowered. The other team members were starting to take their seats, he'd better do the same. Out of view of the others, he reached out and quickly skimmed the back of his index finger over her cheek as he walked forward to sit next to Rossi.
Once they got to Indianapolis, it was all business. The case, while brutal, nevertheless gave them a lot of material to work with and a profile quickly started to take shape. Still, Reid felt beaten up and sore in his heart as he returned to the station with Morgan after interviewing the family of one of the dead teenagers. He took a seat at the conference table where they'd set up camp while Morgan went outside to get some air. Emily appeared, holding a cup of coffee. "How was the interview?"
"Useful. Brianna Rogers was a careful girl. She wasn't wild, she was private."
"Like the others."
"Which just makes the question of how he's targeting them more important." He sighed. "I never know what to do when the parents cry," he said, quietly. "You and Morgan and JJ, you always seem to know what to say. I never know how to look or how to act. I just want to start babbling and I know that's not helping."
"It doesn't matter what you do right now. The best thing you can do for them in the long run is find their daughter's killer." She reached out and tucked an errant curl back behind his ear. It was a casual but undeniably intimate gesture, and more than even the kisses they'd shared it communicated to him that he wasn't alone in whatever he was feeling about them. He looked up at her. She set the cup down in front of him. "Brought you a coffee."
"Thanks," he said, gratefully. He took a sip; it was light and extra-sweet, just how he liked it. She patted his shoulder and left the room.
Ten minutes later he was given a momentary break by his cellphone ringing; it was a DC area code. He recognized the number, it was his realtor. "Spencer Reid."
"Oh, Mr. Reid. It's Doug Eisenman."
"Hi, Doug."
"I just wanted to check in and see if you'd made a decision about the library. I don't think there'll be a better time to buy it, the seller's desperate to unload. I think you should make an offer at ten thousand less than the most recent quote and see if they bite."
Reid took a deep breath. He'd been going back and forth on this for weeks now, but suddenly today, the decision seemed so obvious. "Make the offer."
"Great. I'll submit the paperwork and give you a call when they respond."
"Thanks, Doug."
"It's an amazing place. I can't wait to see what you do with it."
"I'm a little curious about that myself."
Doug laughed. "I'll be in touch."
"Goodbye." Reid hung up and stared at the phone for a moment, waiting to be terrified by the enormity of the step he'd just taken, but he felt oddly calm about it.
Oh, no. Don't tell me that you're buying this house because of her. That's crazy. You don't know what this is with her, it could be nothing and then you'll have this house.
But I'll still want to live in it myself either way. And I am not buying this house because of her. I was seriously considering making the offer before anything happened with us.
Yes, but now something's happened with her and suddenly you've made the offer.
It's not because of her. It's really not.
Reid smiled to himself. I can't wait to show it to her.
TUESDAY
They solved the case fast, to everyone's relief. In the whirlwind of activity, Reid was almost able to forget about whatever was going on between himself and Emily, but soon enough it was all over. They apprehended the UNSUB when he tried to visit a staged memorial service for one of the victims. That was such an old trick, Reid sometimes marveled that UNSUBs still fell for it.
They'd all lurked in the back of the room as JJ and the local chief of police gave the press conference announcing that a suspect was in custody. Reid felt two tons lighter. Morgan, standing next to him, had that look of grim satisfaction he got when the outcome was positive but there were still a bunch of dead teenagers, so celebration wasn't quite appropriate. He looked down the group at Emily, standing at the end next to Hotch, and let himself dip a toe back into that memory of what it had felt like to kiss her. As if she could feel his eyes on her, Emily looked over at him. She dropped him a quick, near-invisible wink and then shifted her eyes forward again. Warmth blooming in his belly, Reid had to concentrate to keep himself from grinning like an idiot.
They'd be leaving in the morning. Everyone was exhausted and it was after eleven o'clock, so Hotch had ordered everyone back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. They all walked down the hallway, talking in those familiar, relieved, end-of-a-case tones, as one by one they peeled off to go into their rooms. Reid's was at the end and Emily was across the hall from him, conveniently enough. They cast sidelong glances at each other before splitting up and going to their respective doors. He heard Emily's keycard in the lock, but then did not hear the expected sound of her door opening.
He looked over his shoulder. She was just standing there, still facing the door. Without a word, she reached one hand back toward him, palm up, and wiggled her fingers in a "gimme" gesture. Reid took her hand and squeezed it. She looked back at him, her thumb leaving one stroke across the back of his hand. "Night," she said.
He nodded. They let go of each other and went into their rooms.
WEDNESDAY
Emily was wearing the red tank top today. Some of the time she had her jacket over it, so it might have been any other red shirt, but at her desk she'd sometimes take off the jacket.
If he were of a more devious bent of mind, he might have suspected that she'd worn it just to mess with his mind.
He was grimly determined not to be caught staring, to the point that he feared he was being rude to her by avoiding any and all eye contact and minimizing conversation. But it was inevitable. He couldn't sit there across from her all day, possessing a Y chromosome and a pair of functional eyeballs, and never look. So naturally, when his guard was down and he found himself looking before he even realized he was doing it -- that was when she caught him.
The awareness that his gaze was firmly glued to her chest came upon him in a rush of embarrassment and he gave a little jerk in his chair. On reflex he looked up at her face and found her looking back at him, one eyebrow cocked, and in that moment he realized that she had absolutely worn that shirt today to mess with his mind. He gave her a withering look. Are you happy now? She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, smirking across at him. Whatcha gonna do about it?
Oh, he'd do something about it, all right. He turned to his computer and shot off a quick email. Someone owed him a favor.
At lunchtime, Morgan came back to his desk to check his email, read the messages, then said "Well, shit."
"What?" Emily said.
"Jane Donovan had to cancel on me. She's my demonstration partner for the hand-to-hand class, which is…” he checked his watch…”in an hour. Dammit! I hope you're caught up on files, Prentiss. You're spending the afternoon slamming me into a mat."
"Huh?" she said, eyes widening.
"You said if I needed a sparring partner for class that you'd do it! Remember?"
"Oh," she said, deflating. "Yeah, I remember."
"Good. C'mon, get your stuff, we’ll need to go over the lesson plan for today before class so we better go now. I'll go tell Hotch." Morgan headed off for Hotch's office.
Reid couldn't keep the smile off his face as he pretended to ignore the goings-on. Emily got up and started yanking on her jacket. "You think I don't know that you tutored Jane Donovan's son to a passing grade in chemistry?" she grumbled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
She stood next to his desk. "Have a productive afternoon, Dr. Reid."
"I will now," he said, with a flick of his eyes down at her shirt.
She tried to keep up the irritated-face but it crackled a little at the edges and a smile poked through. She flicked her finger against his shoulder, then headed off with Morgan.
Just before three o'clock, Reid was coming back from Garcia's office, his nose buried in a file full of printouts, when he saw Emily coming down the hall toward him – jacketless, of course. The spit dried up in his mouth and he had to fight to maintain his stride. Her hair was up and she looked flushed and sweaty from her afternoon of sparring with Morgan and his students. She had a couple of red marks on her arms and neck. She was glowing, she looked fierce, and she was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.
She didn't meet his eyes until they had almost drawn even with each other, then she shot him a glance and a wink. He couldn't help himself, he looked back over his shoulder. She turned around and took a few backwards steps so she could give him a big bright grin, then faced forward again and continued on her way.
Reid picked up the pace toward his desk, holding his file folder in front of his crotch.
THURSDAY
Reid strode through the parking garage, his head down. He'd gotten a rather distressing call from Bennington before leaving for work, and it was weighing heavily on his mind. He was almost looking forward to diving into folders full of murder. And looking forward to seeing Emily.
The two of them were dancing very intentional, deliberate circles around each other, and he was surprised to find that he was enjoying it. He'd have thought that it would be frustrating to have no actual forward movement, no acknowledgment out loud, no repetition of the physical moments they'd shared, but it wasn't. There was something sexy about this unspoken game, like a treasure hunt where the clues were tiny stolen moments and subtle signals offered and received. Every time they shared a knowing glance, every time they brushed up against each other accidentally-on-purpose, every time they caught each other looking – it was like collecting points for a prize as yet to be determined. He was still waiting for some kind of signal from her that she actually wanted to upgrade the status of their relationship through a real live date of some kind. He didn't want to crowd her, or exert any unwelcome pressure.
"Reid!" He heard his name as he reached the elevator and turned to see the woman herself hurrying toward him. "Didn't you hear me calling you since way back there?" she said, slightly breathless.
"Oh – no, I'm sorry, I didn't. I guess I'm a little distracted."
She frowned at him, looking concerned. "Something wrong?"
He sighed. "I got a call from my mother's doctor this morning. She's just having a few bad days and he wanted to see how I'd feel about switching up her medication to something a little stronger."
"Maybe that's a good idea," she said, her tone gentle.
"It might be, but stronger medications will just make her foggy and confused. She values having her senses intact, I hate to take that from her. It's almost all she has."
"She also has a son who cares about her," Emily said.
He met her eyes and saw real understanding and concern there. "I suppose." More agents were gathering for the elevator, so they fell silent. Just co-workers waiting for the elevator, nothing to see here, move right along.
They boarded the elevator, gravitating to the back. As the car rose, Reid felt her fingers brush against him, then she slipped her hand into his coat pocket and pushed her shoulder against his. He pushed back and his hand joined hers in his pocket.
When they got off the elevator car on the BAU floor, their hands and bodies were separated by a foot of space, as if they had always been so.
FRIDAY
Reid wasn't looking forward to the weekend. Usually he viewed them with equanimity. He enjoyed his work at the BAU, but weekends were a good time to read and work on his personal projects. All he could see about this upcoming weekend was that it would be two whole days that he wouldn't see Emily.
Unless he took the plunge and asked her out. Or he could make it more innocent, just suggest coffee. They'd done that before, as purely platonic friends. But he knew damn well that they couldn't pretend that that's all they were anymore. Besides, it wasn't time yet. He couldn't put his finger on how he knew that, he just knew.
Yesterday he'd been glad for the distraction after the call about his mother. Emily hadn't been around for part of the morning, she'd had a dentist appointment. When he came back to the office from lunch, he'd thrown caution to the wind and brought her a latte. She'd smiled broadly with her newly-sparkling-clean teeth and let her fingers linger over his as she took the cup from him. He'd found the presence of mind to wink at her before taking his own seat. When they left for the day, without discussing it they'd both timed it so they were alone in the elevator. They didn't speak, just watched the numbers slide downwards, but Reid's hand had been tracing light circles on the small of her back, and she'd let her own hand slide down his arm as they parted to go to their cars.
Today he felt much encouraged after he'd been allowed to talk to his mother on the phone briefly, and she'd said she wanted to try the new medication and see how it went. He could support that plan. He'd sat down to read journals in the evening but found himself preoccupied with thoughts of Emily. Normally he'd view such preoccupation with annoyance, but oddly, he didn't mind so much. It had been rather pleasant to let his thoughts dwell on her. It was interesting how quickly things could change, too. A week ago, he would hardly have spared her a thought once he'd left work, unless it was to think to ask her opinion about something he was working on or reading. Or recommend an article to her because she might find it interesting. Sometimes after reading a novel or seeing a film, he'd think to himself that she'd like it and he ought to tell her about it. And then there were the times that he'd be out for a bite and he'd remember her mentioning that she loved Thai food, or that she couldn't stand too much foam on her cappuccino, or...
Damn. I've been thinking about her more than I realized.
How long had this been going on? Had Emily been steadily worming her way into his thoughts, little by little establishing a presence, until now it felt natural to him?
He wasn't sure of the answer to that, he just knew that right now, she was almost all he could think about.
She smiled brightly at him when he came into the bullpen. No smirkiness, no cocked eyebrows, no suggestive lip-licking. Just a normal smile. "Morning, Reid."
"Morning," he replied.
"No Starbucks today?"
"Didn't have time. Got a bit of a late start." He sat down at his desk and started getting himself situated. Emily was busily typing away on something, her eyes on her monitor. He sat there for a moment, just letting himself look at her.
She glanced at him and caught him looking. He resisted looking away. He expected a smug little look or a teasing eyebrow, but instead she just smiled, a sweet smile with – was he imagining it? – a hint of longing in it. He cleared his throat and dropped his eyes, and they both went back to work.
The end of the day came too quickly. Everyone was working on consultation files today, including himself. The only fun he got to have with Emily was at lunch. He, Morgan, Emily and JJ took a little longer lunch break than usual and drove into Alexandria to the Hard Times Cafe for chili. They sat four in a booth, Reid and Emily across from each other at the wall, an ideal arrangement for acting natural while they tangled their feet together under the table. Even when both Morgan and JJ got up from the table, leaving them momentarily alone, they just talked about which was the best microbrew pub in the area, ignoring the fact that his foot was trapped between her crossed ankles.
Once they returned to Quantico, it was back to work and more work. Before he knew it, it was after five and everyone was packing it in for the night. He found himself being decidedly pokey about it, and he didn't think he was imagining that Emily was taking her own sweet time, too. Morgan bid them goodnight and hurried off to whatever hot date he had planned. Garcia dropped by and made some suggestions about dinner or going to a movie, but they both demurred, so she left as well.
Finally, it could be put off no longer. Once again timing it so that they left at the same time (they were getting pretty good at accomplishing that without looking like they were trying), they rode the elevator in silence and walked through the parking garage to the point where they had to split up. They both stopped walking and turned to face each other. Reid rocked back and forth on his heels, hands in his pockets, looking at the concrete at his feet. He didn't know what to say. Part of him just wanted to blurt out, "Let's go out and do something and actually talk about what's going on with us and then I'd like to kiss you some more because that was fantastic." The other part wanted to draw out this tension until it got so taut you could walk across it with a balancing pole held across your shoulders.
"Plans for the weekend?" she asked, her tone carefully neutral.
"Not really. Just work."
"All work and no play make Dr. Reid a dull boy," she teased.
"I'm already dull."
"I don't think you're dull."
He looked up at her. "Thanks."
She glanced over in the direction she'd soon be walking to reach her car. "Well, I guess..."
"You have plans for the weekend?" he asked, just wanting to delay the inevitable.
"No. I might have lunch with my mother tomorrow. Other than that – no."
Trying to hear if there was an implication or an invitation hidden in those words was making his brain hurt a little. "I guess I'll see you Monday, then."
She seemed to deflate just a hair. "Yeah. Monday."
"Okay."
Neither of them moved.
"Have a good night," she finally said.
"Oh, you too." She nodded, taking her turn to examine her shoes and fidget back and forth.
Reid took a deep breath and then stepped closer. She looked up at him, part expectant and part apprehensive, as if she weren't quite sure of his intentions. He reached out and touched her elbow, then slid his hand down her arm to her gloved hand. He clasped it between them and smiled again, not his normal and polite smile but the new smile he'd had to develop just for her, the one that knew their secret. "Good night, Emily," he said.
She answered his secret smile with her own. "Good night, Reid." She gave his hand another squeeze, then released it and walked off. Reid watched her go, wondering when he'd first hear her call him by his first name, but encouraged by the realization that he was no longer wondering "if" but "when."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 01:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-26 12:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 01:41 am (UTC)I love how you keep both of them true to their characters and how you keep the setting true to the show. I cannot wait to see what happens with all of this (well, I know, but it's nice to see it from Reid's perspective).
And the 'marked up' bit made me laugh out loud. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-26 12:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 01:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 02:17 am (UTC)Thank you for this story as well! I do love your Reid and Prentiss and I truly love seeing this start as well. The first story was wonderful but there was that part always wondering about the full beginning so this is just awesome!
And thank you again for jogging my memory LOL
M
no subject
Date: 2010-06-26 12:23 am (UTC)Glad you're enjoying the story, too! I did feel like I hadn't written a full origin story for their relationship, more like sketched it in during the flashbacks, so here's the rest of the story.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 03:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 05:03 am (UTC)<3
no subject
Date: 2010-06-26 12:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 06:42 am (UTC)Perfect as always.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 01:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-26 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-29 12:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 12:15 am (UTC)I knew sending Emily to spar with Morgan would backfire on him!