You guys asked for Reid's story, so buckle up for the ride, because here we go!
Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid was nervous. And he was thinking. He was probably doing too much thinking, actually, especially when his job was to observe and participate. He couldn't do his best by this project if he wasn't paying attention and being a part of it. And now he was thinking too much about thinking too much…
"Spencer!"
"Hey, Dr. Reid!"
A hand fell sharply across his shoulder blade. "Reid!"
Spencer startled into awareness, looking at the woman who had hit him. Elle Greenaway. "What?"
"Every one of us just tried getting your attention!"
"Every one of us" being, Austin Lawrence, Elle, Ashley Seaver, and Lila Archer.
"What is it?"
"What was distracting you?" Ashley Seaver asked, obviously ignoring his question.
"There's four women here, all of whom he's dated at some point;" Elle said drolly. "Take your pick."
"No!" Spencer blushed, shaking his head fiercely. "I was – I was just thinking about all that we have left to do."
"Well, right now we need to get dinner on the table," Lila said, picking up a bowl of salad for emphasis.
The four remaining adults took her lead, and each took a dish to the table.
"Does it matter where we sit?" Ashley asked, looking to Spencer.
He shrugged. "I'm supposed to be a husband, not a dictator; it's whatever you want."
"You should sit at the head of the table, right?" Austin said the first words that she had spoken directly to him since he had gotten to their home for the duration of the project – in one side of six specially-made duplexes in Alexandria, Virginia that comprised the small community of people who had been thrown together to do this polygamy project.
"I don't care," Spencer replied.
"Of course you do," Lila said. "You're supposed to be, like, the patriarch of the family or something."
As he slid obediently into the seat at the head of the table, Ashley sat down on his right side, and Spencer couldn't help but wonder if maybe that wasn't going to be a symbolic gesture of sorts. Lila flopped down on his left side.
Maybe more symbolism there?
Austin sat down beside Ashley, so Elle plopped down beside Lila, looking slightly disgruntled about something that Spencer wasn't even sure he wanted to guess at.
"Well," Ashley said as they began to get their food. "You mentioned 'all that we have left to do.' What does that entail?"
Spencer cleared his throat, trying not to stammer as he mentioned the two things that needed addressed immediately. "We need to assign who's first, second, third, and fourth wife, and decide on a sleeping schedule."
Suddenly Austin snorted as she sat back in her chair, looking amused.
"What?" Spencer asked innocently. "It's the nature of the project."
"It's just that I can tell you right now exactly how that first part is going to go."
"And how is that?" Spencer asked, feeling flustered by her sudden animation.
"I think that it's going to end up being in the order in which they kissed you; I think it's a safe bet to say that order shows how confident, or even just comfortable that they are around you, am I right profiler?"
"Something like that," Spencer answered grudgingly.
"And, I mean, really, you don't just randomly shudder when someone kisses you unless you actually feel something for her. That I know for a fact."
"Well, maybe I don't flirt with women unless I want to kiss them too," the words slid past his teeth without going through his brain, and they all saw Austin shut down because of them. She opened her mouth to answer, but Spencer cut her off before she could make a sound, saying desperately, "I'm sorry. We can talk about that later, if you want, but right now we need to get the basics ironed out."
"The only thing I want is to be the last wife," Austin said with certainty, her eyes retaining their anger for a second longer before it seeped away. "The least important one."
"That's fine with me," Spencer said quickly. "If that's what you want."
"It is," Austin said with a curt nod.
"Okay, fine, great. That's one down." Trying to look like he wasn't floundering as much as he felt like he was, Spencer looked in turn at the other three women sitting around the table and asked, "What about you three?"
Elle and Ashley both shrugged, but Lila got this look in her eye that Spencer didn't know what to do with, and that only served to help unsettle him all the more.
"I think it should be up to you," Ashley offered.
"So, it's a matter of favoritism?" Spencer asked uncomfortably.
"Well, yeah, kind of," Elle said, putting her two cents in. "Especially when we all 'get married to you' at the same time."
Spencer sighed and closed eyes, knowing that he was probably about to start something as he said, "Okay, why don't we just set it up according to Austin's theory then?"
There was a frown around the edges of Lila's mouth, but all three women agreed.
Spencer sighed again, this time with relief, and said, "Alright then. Glad we got that settled."
"You mentioned a 'sleeping schedule,'" Elle pointed out with a small smirk.
"As in which nights we each get to sleep with you?" Lila asked, sounding a little incredulous.
Spencer knew that he was as red as a tomato and he hated himself for it as he muttered, "Something like that."
"Why don't we just go one night at a time and rotate it according to the order of the wives?" Ashley asked, obviously trying to find him an easy out to this horrid conversation.
Elle snorted, leaning back in her chair as she said, "Well, now we all know what you're here for, Agent Seaver."
It took Ashley a second to realize what Elle meant, but when she did, she became as flushed as Spencer as she stumbled over her words, saying, "No, no! That's not it at all! It just seemed like the simplest conclusion that we could come to!"
"She's right," Spencer broke back into the conversation before Ashley could be given any more grief. "I say we do it."
More careless shrugs and then Spencer could finally breath freely again. They now had the basics down at least. But the problem was that they were just that… the basics. This project was only just beginning.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed this first chapter! Reviews (and votes on my poll) make my day if you feel so inclined! Thanks!:)
