The First Meeting
Spencer
Spencer braced himself as he walked through the doors to the Bullpen. He knew his first day back would be hectic, and he wasn't sure he was ready for his friends' reactions. He'd already seen most of them over the weekend, individually or in small groups. He would have to face them all at once this morning, and the idea itself already exhausted him. He considered coming in late, so they wouldn't have the opportunity to bombard him right away, but that would be too suspicious. They would know automatically that something was wrong, especially since he'd done such a good job over the weekend acting like everything was back to normal.
"Welcome back sweet cheeks!" Garcia was sitting on Spencer's desk with a bouquet of flowers in her arms.
"I hope those aren't for me." Spencer couldn't help the lopsided grin that spread across his face upon seeing one of his best friends waiting for him.
"Of course not, boy genius." Garcia set the flowers on the desk. "This, my dear, is for you." She reached in her purse and retrieved a small package, presenting it to Spencer with a huge smile.
Spencer started to open the package, when he was nearly knocked down by a strong pat on the back. Morgan laughed when Spencer flinched and braced himself.
"Hey kid, I hope you're not still hungover from Saturday night." Morgan winked at Spencer, recalling Saturday's "guys' night" at Hotch's house. Spencer was never one for drinking much, especially not whiskey, and Morgan had insisted on playing drinking games until midnight. Spencer's Sunday afternoon lecture at Georgetown had been miserable.
"I'm actually feeling pretty good this morning, no thanks to you and Hotch." Spencer wondered if this was what it felt like to be an actor. He felt like he was playing a character. Garcia hopped down from Spencer's desk.
"Speaking of Boss Man, I need to take him some files. I'll see you gents shortly." She headed in the direction of her office, and Spencer wished he could follow her there, and hide among her computer screens and fluffy ended pencils for the day.
"Something on your mind, kid?" Morgan asked, narrowing his eyes at Spencer, who was staring off into space long after Garcia turned the corner.
Shaking his head, Spencer replied, "Nah, I guess I just got lazy over my vacation. I just got to work and I'm already tired." Morgan chuckled.
"You, get lazy? That would be the day. Go get your coffee with half a cup of sugar and you'll be rearin' to go." Spencer dropped his bag, along with Garcia's gift, on his desk. He noticed she'd left the bouquet there.
"That's a good idea. I should take these back to Garcia's office while I'm at it. I don't even know who they're for." He picked up the bouquet and started toward the break room.
"I'll see you in the conference room." Morgan started toward Hotch's office. "Oh hey, will you bring me a cup of coffee on your way back?"
"Sure," Spencer took off on a single-minded mission for coffee.
"Oh, Dr. Reid, you're back." Chief Erin Strauss leaned out of her office door as Spencer passed. "I need to see you when you get back from the new case."
"Of course," Spencer dreaded whatever Strauss wanted to see him about. He kept walking down the hall.
"Wait, Dr. Reid," Strauss called after him as an afterthought. Spencer turned back toward her office door. "Can you drop these off at the mailroom when you pass by?"
Spencer knew what this was. The mailroom was not on his way to the BAU's break room. Strauss hadn't wanted to approve of Spencer's three-week leave, but it had been up to Hotch, and not her. She was showing her disapproval by treating him like an assistant. He took the envelopes without comment and continued to the mailroom.
"Spence!" JJ called from the lobby as Spencer entered. He walked towards her, genuinely glad to see his friend, but secretly wondering if there was actually any coffee in his near future. "How was your trip?" JJ asked as he approached her.
"It was nice. I spent some time with my mom and saw some old friends. How have you been?" Spencer shifted the bouquet to his left arm, freeing his right arm to give JJ a friendly hug.
"It's been hectic. Henry seems to be hitting the terrible two's a little early." Spencer noticed that JJ looked tired. She had extra makeup on to cover the dark circles under her eyes, and her hair, which was usually impeccable, seemed to have been hastily arranged in a messy bun at the nape of her neck.
"Well now that I'm back, if you and Will ever need a break, I'd be glad to watch Henry for an evening here and there." The last thing Spencer wanted to be responsible for was a baby, but since he was Henry's godfather he felt socially obligated to offer.
"Thanks, Spence. I'll keep that in mind." JJ's expression changed slightly the longer she looked into Spencer's face. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" Spencer could hear the concern in her voice and didn't want to lie, but could absolutely not tell her the truth.
"I've just had a lot on my mind since I've been gone. You know, the job and everything." Spencer knew JJ would understand without asking for too many details.
"Spence, you've been through all this before. You'll be fine, you're tougher than you give yourself credit for." Spencer shifted his gaze from her worried face.
"Yeah, I guess so." he shifted the bouquet to his other hand, nervously. "I just constantly feel like I'm waiting for something to happen. Like some random singular event that will change everything, change the way I feel..." He trailed off, sure he sounded like an idiot.
"We all feel that way sometimes. Just take it a day at a time, you'll figure it out." JJ gave him an encouraging smile.
"I need to take these to the mailroom for Strauss, and try to get some coffee before we have to meet in the conference room. I'll see you when I get back up there." He started to back away slowly, waving the envelopes Strauss had handed him.
JJ's hand flew to her mouth as Spencer backed right into the girl, dropping the envelopes and bouquet.
Carrie
Carrie stepped into the crowded lobby of the FBI Quantico headquarters juggling an armload of case files Chief Erin Strauss had instructed her to pick up from the Nashville field office and review before coming in to work. She was walking a little too fast in her stylish yet slightly impractical purple stillettos, and as she looked down to check the time on her cell phone she ran straight into a tall man who was backing up right in front of her. Holding her phone in a death grip, she managed to save it from sharing the fate of the case files, which went flying into the floor at the man's feet. A bouquet of flowers and a small stack of envelopes fell from his hands and joined the files in a disorganized heap on the floor between them.
"I'm so sorry," Carrie gushed, stooping to pick up the wreckage. At the same time, the man bent to help her and they bumped foreheads, knocking Carrie off her balance and into the floor. She was thankful her wavy blonde hair fell across her face, hiding her blush. The man quickly reacher for her hand.
"Oh no, are you ok?" He asked, giving Carrie an apologetic frown. She took his hand, looking into his serious brown eyes. He was tall and lanky, with careless curly brown hair that contrasted his impeccably neat attire.
"Oh Lord, hun, it's not your fault," Carrie stammered, straightening her pencil skirt. "If I was any more clumsy I'd probably fall straight off the face of the earth." She bit her lip, immediately embarrassed by her rambling Southern drawl and the fact that she'd held onto his hand a bit too long. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, but there was an undeniably boyish charm in the lopsided grin he gave Carrie when she abruptly dropped his hand. Gathering her composure, Carrie picked up the bouquet as the man straightened up the files to hand back to her. Acting on a feminine impulse, Carrie held the flowers near her face and breathed in the aroma of the cream-colored roses with dark pink tips, which happened to be her favorite. She noticed a small card in the bouquet, and turned it around to see what it said. "Oh my, you brought me roses?" Her blush deepened.
"Um...no, our technical analyst left them on my desk. I was taking them to her office." He seemed as embarrassed as Carrie.
"Well, the card has my name on it." She showed him. Sure enough, the card read Caroline L. Scarlet.
"You're Dr. Scarlet?" The man's face suddenly broke into a full-on smile. Carrie nodded, confused. "I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, from the BAU. We've been hearing about you all weekend from Garcia."
Carrie relaxed. "Oh, boy genius! Penelope's told me a lot about you too." Carrie shuddered inside at her dorky outburst. As an afterthought she added, "You can call me Carrie." Spencer just stood, holding the envelopes in both hands, smiling at Carrie.
"Carrie, it's nice to finally meet you." A pretty blonde broke up the slightly awkward moment, holding her hand out to Carrie. "I'm Jennifer Jareau. You can call me JJ."
"JJ! I've heard about you from Penelope. It's absolutely a pleasure to meet both of y'all." Carrie encompassed both JJ and Spencer in her gesture.
"So, Spence, you should get those to the mailroom and get some coffee. I'll show Carrie to the Bullpen." JJ pushed Spencer in the direction he needed to go.
"Thank you, I had no idea where to go and wasn't real sure who to even ask." Carrie realized she was starting to ramble again, and clenched her jaw.
"I'm glad we we happened to be there to meet you. Spence running into you with the flowers was just priceless." JJ laughed.
"Yeah, it was quite a welcome." Carrie laughed with her, feeling more at ease.
Spencer
Walking to the mailroom, Spencer couldn't get the girl's face out of his mind. Carrie couldn't be older than twenty-four, and Spencer hadn't expected that. When Strauss told the team Dr. Caroline Scarlet was coming from Vanderbilt, and that she was an M.D. and the best forensic expert in her field, Spencer had pictured more of a Dr. Temperance Brennan type. Carrie was a fresh-faced Southern belle, exuding charm as if it were a perfume.
He dropped Strauss's envelopes in the mail slot and walked back to the break room quickly, hoping JJ had taken Carrie there. He felt guilty, having recently had a conversation with Devin about wanting to improve their relationship. Spencer didn't think breaking his neck to see the new M.D. would help matters with his girlfriend, but he had never felt this attracted to anyone, not even Lila Archer.
"Where ya headed there, Ricky Bobby?" Garcia called from inside the break room. In his hurry, Spencer almost passed by it entirely.
"I need coffee. Right now." He called back to Garcia, turning back toward the break room. As he entered, he blushed. Seated at a table between Veronica and Prentiss was Carrie, smiling radiantly and apparently laughing at something Prentiss had just said. Garcia sat on the table where they were seated, chatting.
"Just made a fresh pot there skippy, don't freak out on me." Garcia winked at him, gesturing to the steaming pot of fresh coffee. Spencer welcomed the chance to turn away from the women as he poured two cups of coffee, for himself and Morgan. He had hoped Carrie would be in here, but now that they were in the same room he hadn't the slightest clue what to say to her.
"So, Reid," Emily called across the room, "Carrie here beat you to college. She was already at Vanderbilt at age ten. How old were you when you went to college? Fourteen?"
"Twelve," Spencer corrected her, turning around. "But it's not a competition anyway."
"Sure, you say that now," Veronica piped up, "because if it WERE a competition, you would have lost this round!" The girls laughed, and Spencer managed a chuckle. Carrie looked embarrassed and Spencer wished he had come into the break room and found her alone, although he still wasn't sure what he would have said to her.
"Guys, it's time." JJ popped in the door, motioning everyone to follow her back to the Bullpen. They meandered down the hallway behind her like a group of schoolchildren dreading the day's lesson. Spencer lagged behind, self-concious and confused.
Carrie
Carrie followed her new teammates down the hallway. She saw Spencer in her peripheral vision, falling back behind the group. She felt self-concious and wondered if he thought she was a bitch for the joke Prentiss made about Carrie beating Spencer into college.
No one spoke as they all filed into the conference room. Hotch, Rossi and Morgan were waiting for them there. JJ took her place at the head of the table, arranging some files and paperwork in front of her. Carrie was ushered into the seat between Garcia and Prentiss. Veronica sat across from her. Spencer perched on a table in the corner of the room, since all of the seats were taken.
Hotch stood up and faced the group. "I think you all know by now that we have a new team member." He gestured to Carrie. "This is Special Agent Dr. Caroline Scarlet. She's a medical doctor and leading forensic analyst. I'd like everyone to help show her the ropes on this first case. Considering her track record with the Nashville field office, I think she's going to be confident in the field, but may not be used to the way we build our profiles."
"Don't worry Boss Man, little Carrie will be a pro in no time!" Garcia patted Carrie's shoulder as she spoke.
"I don't doubt Dr. Scarlet's abilities, I just want to make sure she's comfortable with the way we work together as a team." Hotch's expression hadn't changed since the team entered the room. It didn't make Carrie uncomfortable, just quietly respectful. She had heard about what the Boston Reaper had done to Hotch and his family.
Hotch sat down and JJ started her briefing.
"In the past month there have been three murders in Baltimore. All of the victims are young women in their twenties. Each body was left in a different part of town, and each murder had a different MO." JJ handed out the case files and crime scene photos. "The Philly P.D. didn't connect the first two murders, but after the third one they noticed a pattern. The first was originally declared a suicide, after the autopsy showed COD to be an overdose of heavy sedatives. The victim was found in her bed, in a dress, as if she were sleeping.
"The second victim was found in her kitchen floor, COD poisoning. She had eaten an apple injected with cyanide. The coroner suggested a pattern when the third body was found, posed on a rock in the Chesapeake Bay, COD drowning."
"The UNSUB is using his victims to recreate fairy tale princesses." Spencer thoughtfully examined the crime scene photos.
"Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, The Little Mermaid...That's the only connection between the murders. None of the victims are connected. They lived in different parts of town, none of them worked together or went to school together." Rossi seemed perplexed at the lack of a common MO between the murders.
"I'll do some digging. I'll find out if any of them so much as ate at the same restaurant." Garcia popped out of her chair and hurried to her office with her notebook, which she had been scribbling in furiously.
Carrie hesitantly spoke up. "How can we be sure the first victim wasn't actually a suicide? It's a convenient coincidence but based on the autopsy photos there are no defensive wounds, ligature marks, or any signs of a struggle at all."
"It's possible that it's just a coincidence," Hotch answered, "but it fits the pattern closely enough that we shouldn't rule it out."
Spencer had taken Garcia's chair, next to Carrie.
"We'll examine every possibility. If there's any connection between the victims, Garcia will find it. Once we have all the forensic evidence and background information we can build a profile. Until then, we can't eliminate any possibilities." He spoke as if he were addressing the entire group, but he looked straight into Carrie's eyes.
For a moment, Carrie forgot that there were six other people in the room.
"He's right." Morgan agreed, bringing Carrie back to reality. "And to be honest, Dr. Scarlet, I think it would be a good idea if you took a look at the bodies. There might be something there that they didn't notice in the autopsy."
"Please, y'all can all call me Carrie." she blushed and thought to herself that she should try to drop the word "y'all" from her vocabulary. "And I wouldn't mind at all. I'm glad I can make myself useful."
"As soon as Garcia gets back with some information we can work with, I want everyone to get started. This case is close enough to home that we can get a lot done before we drive up to Baltimore." Hotch was all business. "Reid, I want you on those maps. I want the victims' homes, the dump site of the third body, and everything Garcia comes up with."
Spencer handed JJ the crime scene photos and rose from the table. "I'll go get started." As he left the room, Hotch handed out assignments to the rest of the team.
"JJ, I want you and Veronica to visit the victims' families. Morgan, Prentiss and I will go straight to the Baltimore PD. Rossi, I want you and Reid to go with Carrie to the morgue." Rossi gave Carrie a welcoming nod.
"Everyone get with Garcia for the additional information you need. Meet outside in no more than an hour. Morgan and I will drive. I'd take your go bag just in case." Hotch finished as he walked out of the room.
And with that, the team dispersed. Carrie had no clue what to do or where to go, so she was relieved when Rossi approached her.
"Dave Rossi, it's good to finally meet you." He extended his hand, and Carrie shook it.
"Carrie Scarlet, and thanks. I'm lucky to get to work with this team." Rossi winked at her, a knowing look in his eye.
"It can be intimidating at first, but they warm up. Trust me." He chuckled. "Come with me and I'll show you to your desk. You can take a closer look at the autopsy reports and photos while we wait for everyone else." Rossi led her into a large open area with a collection of desks arranged in almost-circular patterns.
"This one's yours, the one in front of you is Prentiss. She'll be a good person for you to talk to. Approachable, and she knows what it feels like to be the new person with this crowd." He patted her on the shoulder in a paternal way as he left her to examine the autopsy reports.
Spencer
As Spencer plotted locations on the Baltimore map, he couldn't help being distracted by the crime scene photos. All young girls, about Carrie's age. He'd barely spoken to Carrie, and really didn't know much about her, but he worried that this particular case might not be good for her to start off with. There was no way to keep her from going to Baltimore, Hotch and Morgan were already set on having her examine the bodies. Spencer realized she wasn't new to this sort of thing, but dealing with serial killers was unpredictable. Even with the most thorough profile, they couldn't predict exactly what they would find in Baltimore.
There was a soft knock at the door, and Spencer looked up from his map to see Carrie standing in the doorway.
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" She wrung her hands and seemed like she was afraid to enter the room. Spencer shook his head.
"Not at all, come in." He still wasn't sure what to say to her, but she came to him, maybe she would speak first. Spencer went back to his map, sticking a pin in the last location on the list Garcia had given him.
"What was it like?" Carrie bit her lip as if she were afraid to ask him questions.
"What was what like?" Spencer turned to face her, trying not to be awkward and failing as he knocked the entire packet of push pins on the floor.
"When you joined the FBI." Carrie explained, helping him pick up the pins. "Well we must be going for a record or something today, I knocked over Prentiss's cup full of pens on her desk before I came in here." They both laughed softly, and Spencer relaxed. Carrie got up from the floor, straightening her skirt and depositing the pins into their package.
"It was scary, and intimidating. But I wasn't like you when I was twenty-three." Spencer sighed thinking about the past.
"How do you mean, you weren't like me?" Carrie looked confused.
"I mean I was so awkward and shy it took me weeks to be able to speak to JJ. I would only answer questions. And I didn't get their jokes for the longest time. Sometimes I still don't." Carrie smiled.
"Whatever." she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"It's true!" Spencer laughed. "Ask anybody on the team. I even had to ask JJ what a BFF was one time." Carrie laughed with him.
"Well I may know what a BFF is, but I'm like a bull in a china shop. And I can't make myself quit saying 'y'all.' I just hope they don't end up thinking I'm a dumb hick."
"How could they?" Spencer was amazed that a young woman who was so beautiful, charming, smart, and accomplished could feel insecure about anything at all. "You're the best in your field. That's why you're here. They have nothing but respect for you."
Carrie blushed. "I just hope I don't screw anything up." Spencer looked at the clock.
"We should get going. Hotch doesn't like it when anyone is late." Spencer picked up his maps, and tried to reach for his bag. Carrie took his bag from the chair.
"I got it, just you worry about not sticking yourself with like ninety-two thumb tacks."
Spencer couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. The first genuine smile in weeks, maybe even months.