Disclaimer: see my profile.
A/n hello all. This will be a two chapter story with my two favorite guys, Reid and McGee. I like the idea of them as good friends. The time frame is about six months after Paraguay and a year after Reid's stint in prison.
A discordant hum, not much different from a hive of restless honeybees arose from the auditorium when Dr. Spencer Reid brought his lecture to a close. "That's all for today," he said while shutting off the overhead projector. "Don't forget chapters 11-14 in your Abnormal Psychology textbooks."
Spencer shouted his last sentence over the noise of students talking, shutting books, and grabbing book bags filled with tablets, paper and other paraphernalia that made up the life of a modern-day student. Most of them ignored his assignment reminder, but some of the younger female students listened as they tried to make flirtatious contact with him. As always, he smiled politely and wished that he could make them stop trying to get his attention. Spencer wondered how many of them would read the chapters he'd assigned. He expected it from them because, after all, there were only three and for him, that was nothing, but he knew that his mind had given him a huge advantage in school.
He began to pack his messenger bag and tidy the room before he hurried out into the hallway that was fast emptying of students, and teachers. He looked at his watch as he approached the elevator and a tiny bit of relief filled his chest. It was Friday afternoon, and because he was on teaching rotation, he had the weekend off.
The bullpen was empty when Spencer walked through the glass door emblazoned with the emblem of the FBI and the BAU.
"They're called away on a case," said Agent Anderson, who never seemed to go home. "Sorry."
Spencer shrugged and went to his desk. "Thanks," he said absently to Anderson.
Reid unloaded his arms and his messenger bag of everything he didn't need to take home; then stood to stare at Luke's desk. He turned toward the upper level and the closed door of Emily's office. His eyes flicked toward Rossi's office; then he turned back to Tara and Matt's desks, finally allowing them to rest on JJ's tidy space.
"Looking around won't make them magically appear," he said, under his breath.
He briefly flirted with the idea of calling JJ or going to Garcia's office, but then he dismissed that thought and walked slowly back out the doors to the elevator.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
The wind followed Spencer into the coffee shop on Fifth Avenue. The cold breeze gave way to the alluring aroma of coffee, freshly baked muffins, chocolate, vanilla, orange and other spices that made this his favorite place after a lecture.
"Hi there, Spencer," greeted Eve the barista as he approached the counter with all its delicious offerings to tempt those who entered this temple of coffee worship.
"Hello, Eve."
"Usual?"
"Yes, please."
"How are you?"
"Good, glad it's the weekend."
Eve winked at him then laughed which made her curly brown hair swing in its ponytail under the baseball cap she wore as part of her uniform. The scarlet shirt worn with black slacks complimented her green eyes, which twinkled as she worked to prepare his coffee just the way he liked it, nothing fancy, but lots of sugar and a bit of cream.
"Here you go," she said as another man walked into the store. "Want a muffin today? We got your favorite fresh out of the oven."
"Spencer?"
Reid looked up and saw a familiar face, which he hadn't seen in months. "Timothy McGee?"
"Yep," said the NCIS agent. "It's me."
"Almost didn't recognize you with the beard."
The addition of a beard wasn't the only change Spencer noticed. His long-time friend wore his usual work outfit, coat, slacks, shirt and tie beneath a dark brown overcoat, with shoes and a brown, white and yellow patterned scarf. It wasn't what McGee wore; it was the expression in his eyes that Reid recognized. There was exhaustion, probably from the new twins, but there was something else in their depths that made Reid understand the toll taken on his friend after months in the hands of Paraguayan terrorists.
"Long story," Tim said as Reid made these silent observations.
"I heard about Paraguay."
"You want the muffin," asked Eve into the silence that followed Spencer's comment.
"What? Oh, yes, I'll have one."
"Me too," Tim said. "I'll take a double latte with caramel and chocolate."
Spencer's eyebrows went up. "Rough day?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Tim observed as Eve set out Spencer's coffee and a muffin. "Here, let me get that."
"No," Spencer argued. "My treat."
He pulled his wallet from his messenger bag and dropped a couple of bills on the counter before Tim could respond.
"Thanks, Spencer."
Reid nodded, and they took their coffee and muffins to a table near the back of the café. They sat and didn't talk for long minutes. Finally, Tim sighed and put down his coffee. "All right, Spencer I give up."
"Not sure what you mean," Spencer asked with a tiny smile after he took a sip of his wonderfully sweet coffee.
"Of course, you don't," Tim complained. "I keep forgetting I can't outthink you."
"Nonsense," Spencer disregarded Tim's assessment. "Remember that time at the Crystal City Station."
Tim flushed a little, then laughed and his tired face relaxed into calm lines. For a minute, he looked like the Tim McGee Spencer knew from before Paraguay. "Yes, I remember. I still say it was more luck than skill."
"I doubt it, but I'm still impressed by how you managed to talk our way out of there."
Tim shrugged. "Thanks, but I'm glad the train arrived when it did."
"So am I," Spencer agreed.
"Thank goodness Tony wasn't there," Tim said.
"I was just thinking the same about Morgan."
Tim shook his head and chuckled. "Can you imagine them with us?"
"They would've tried to encourage us to accept the offer, and then teased us until the end of time for saying no."
Tim almost choked on his coffee. "How did we manage to keep it a secret for so many years?"
Spencer shrugged. "I have no idea."
"I did tell Delilah."
"What did she say?" Spencer wondered, then almost laughed at the chagrin on Tim's face.
"She wondered why I waited so long to tell her, and that next time I'll know better than to get off at the wrong VRE station on a Friday night."
"In our defense, we were distracted by that last game of chess."
"The last game was your idea," Tim reminded him. "I wanted to take a nap."
Spencer drank the last of his coffee. "You're right," he admitted. "It was my fault."
"Still," Tim said after swallowing a bite of his muffin. "It took years, but when I think about that night, I laugh."
"Me too."
They smirked at each other than, lapsed into silence. Spencer looked out the window at the sun dying on the horizon. "I'm sorry I haven't called you, Spencer. I know it's been six months since the escape, but with the twins and –"
"You don't have to apologize," Spencer interrupted. "I understand more than you know."
"Yeah, I guess you do."
"Look, let's enjoy the fact that we ran into each other and had our snacks. We'll talk and then – I don't know what we'll do."
"I have an idea about that," Tim said.
"What?"
"You haven't met Morgan and Johnny yet. Come to my house for dinner this weekend. Delilah asks about you all the time. She misses you."
Spencer looked at his coffee cup and the remains of his muffin. "Alright. I'll come for dinner. "
"Good, Delilah will be thrilled. She's been perfecting her chicken curry recipe."
Spencer's eyebrows went into his hair. "I thought you hate curry."
"I don't hate it," Tim argued. "It's not my favorite cuisine. However," he added before Spencer could speak. "I have developed a certain liking for Delilah's version."
Spencer grinned at him. "You sure, or do you tell her that to make her happy."
Tim rolled his eyes. "I refuse to answer that question because I may incriminate myself."
"I knew it."
"Hey, one of these days, you'll find someone you love more than your life, and you'll see what I mean."
"I don't think so," Spencer said softly.
"Hey, I didn't mean that the way it came out. I know that Maeve –"
Spencer held up a hand. "It's okay, Tim."
They sat through another long silence until Tim broke it with, "I'm only saying that Eve's cute and she's staring at you right now."
"She's twenty-one," Spencer squeaked.
"So? She's over eighteen. What's the problem? Wait," Tim stopped Spencer from speaking. "How do you know her age."
Spencer blew out a breath, and his face began to turn a rosy pink in the cheeks. "I made the mistake of bringing Garcia here, once and, well, you know her, Tim."
McGee smirked at him. "Let me guess; she decided to vet her because she saw how Eve flirts with you."
"Yes, and she doesn't flirt with me. I'm old enough to be her father."
Tim laughed out loud and made several other patrons turn and look at them.
"Keep it down, would you?" Spencer hissed at his friend.
"Sorry," Tim gradually brought his laughter under control. "You're not old enough to be her father, Spencer."
"I'll be thirty-eight on my next birthday."
"My point exactly. You and I are three years apart. We're not old men; we're middle-aged. Anyway, I'm older than you, Spencer, so quit complaining about your age."
Spencer finally smiled as his face cooled. "You're right, but I maintain that Eve is too young for me."
"If that's what you believe."
"Yes, it's what I believe." Spencer sighed. "The truth is that I want to meet someone, fall in love and have kids, like you, but I wonder at times if it will ever happen."
"I don't know if it will Spencer, but you have to be open to it."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to date women nearly twenty years my junior."
"All right," Tim held up a hand. "I'm sorry."
"I know. Thanks for your concern."
"I'm concerned because we're friends."
"Yes, we are. Look, I have to go, Tim. I have papers to grade." Spencer looked at his watch as he spoke.
"Yeah, me too."
"I'll see you this weekend."
"What if you have a case?"
"I'm on teaching rotation until next Monday."
"Good."
They shook hands, and Spencer watched Tim walk out into the night that fell over DC as the cloak of some mysterious stranger bent on ruling the denizens that populated the streets. He looked at his coffee cup, thought of getting a refill, and then he grabbed his bag and hurried out into the night.
