I made it to work on time, thanks to Reid's alarm, though I trudged in, still tired. I was hoping that my paperwork would take it easy on me today, seeing as I'd left for a little while. I knew that paperwork, files, and bad guys stopped for nothing.

As the elevator dinged to the BAU floor, I got out, dreading the files already.

Morgan and Prentiss were at their desks in the bullpen. Morgan looked up and smiled at me, nodding his head. I nodded a good morning and hurried away.

Entering my office, I noticed that my name was now on the door: SSA Lauren Scott. Damn, that felt heavy. I'd never had my name on a door before!

Still feeling impressed at myself, I saw a mountain of paperwork stretching from my door to the wall it intersected. The Great Wall of Files was four feet long and three feet high. I shuddered. Maybe I wish my name wasn't on this door after all…

Wrinkling my nose, I slipped my purse off my shoulder, my blazer following it. As I neared my desk, I noticed a brown paper bag and a cup on a napkin sitting on top. I stepped closer and took a peek in the bag. There was a blueberry muffin and a note inside.

'Good morning! I hope you slept well. I decided that you probably didn't have a chance to get breakfast before you came to work today, so I brought breakfast to you! The tea is herbal but does have caffeine to alert your system. I saw the files… you're going to need it. Enjoy your breakfast, Reid.'

I grinned, setting the note down. How thoughtful! I put the note against my computer and sat down, ready to devour the muffin.

It was from the same bakery that Reid had taken me to the other day before we went and saw DC. The muffin was amazing and the tea was savory. They were paired perfectly.

As I finished, I threw the bag away and sipped my tea, granting myself with one more sip before I started on my files.

"Did you like it?" Reid asked from my doorway, smiling and leaning against the doorframe.

I nodded, grinning. "Thank you so much, it was a very pleasant surprise!"

Reid came in, his hands on his pockets. "Good thing I got you something to brighten your day looking at all the work you'll have to do."

I rolled my eyes, brushing my hair back. "I know, there's a lot for me to do."

Reid came closer, blushing already, leaned down, and kissed my forehead.

"You'll get it done, don't worry," he offered.

I nodded, smiling.

"And if you don't, I'll be here to help," he kissed my forehead again, staying close.

I sat looking up at him, adoring everything about him. I tugged on his sweater.

"You're the best, Dr. Reid, thank you," I said warmly, really appreciating him.

"I'll see you later," he told me, winking.

He shot me a look over his shoulder as he left that left me feeling warm and giddy. Then I looked at my pile of paperwork. Ugh. Talk about a mood killer.

I grabbed a few files off the top of the stack and dragged them back to my desk, carefully placing my tea out of the way. I opened the top file and tried to stay positive.

The first three files made it hard for me to breath and the fourth rendered me needing a break. I held my head in my hands, took a deep breath, and opened the next file, powering on.

I made it halfway through The Great Wall of Files when JJ came by to thank me for going on the last case.

"I'm so sorry I didn't give you notice before," she said gently, concern on her face.

"It was really no problem," I offered, trying to let her know it was really okay.

"Something just came up with Henry and I needed to be here…" she continued, crossing her arms.

"Really, JJ, it's okay! Being with your son is more important than going on a case. I didn't mind going," I pushed, but still hoping I wouldn't need to go again.

"I felt really bad… I took care of some of the files that came while you were gone. The files after the Houston case have all been recorded. They just need to be filed in the storage room, they're all taken care of!"

I grinned. Yes! The Houston case was already on my desk, which meant the ones after it were already done. All I had to do was file them! Yes!

"JJ, you're the best!" I beamed.

"I hoped that'd make everything better!" she grinned, brushing her long blonde hair back, "About that Carson case you put on my desk earlier, we need to go. I'm going to call the authorities there but I need you to present the case to the team."

I thought back to that case… Carson… oh… right…

"Sure, that's no problem. I'll go get the brief ready, I'll let the team know when I'm ready," I said, glad I was getting away from The Great Wall of Files.

"Sure, is thirty minutes enough time? I can let the team know that you'll be ready with a brief then…" JJ offered.

I nodded. "Thank you, I'll go get started now."

She handed me back the original case file so I could get started. I took it from her, heading to the scanner to get the photos and documents.

As I scanned, I looked through the file.

Carson City. Five men had been poisoned outside nightclubs in three weeks.

They had interviewed bouncers, owners, club-goers, and liquor supplies, and everything, but still had no leads. There were no connections or suspicious behavior.

As I finished scanning the documents, I checked my watch. Five minutes left. I had just enough time to get everything in the conference room ready.

Walking down the hallway, arms full of papers, I felt a surge of pride. I felt like I was actually settling into my new job and life here. I liked being able to do my job without having to ask for help every two minutes.

Getting the tablets ready, I laid out the files and set the chairs. Although I hated public speaking, I was determined to be confident and seen as such.

Just as I turned the screen on, the team came in, Morgan making a joke and laughing on his way in. I smiled as if I'd heard the punch line. The team took their usual seats, Reid shooting me a wink. I tried not to make it obvious that I saw it. I still wanted to be professional at work. I tried not to think about I'd fallen asleep on him last night.

"Carson City has five men that were poisoned outside nightclubs in three weeks. None of their friends saw them leave with anyone but they were approached by different women. They couldn't identify them," I started, showing pictures of the clinics on the screen.

Reid frowned, looking through his tablet documents. "What did they find in the autopsies?"

"Sulfuric acid," I answered, "Ingested orally."

"There was no sign of physical stress or bruising?" Morgan asked, looking up.

I shook my head. "None."

"If we're assuming they're women, what kind of woman could coerce these men or overpower them enough to get sulfuric acid into their system?" Prentiss asked cautiously.

Reid shook his head. "She may introduce it as another substance or con them into taking it."

Rossi pursed his lips. "What's the point? Why poison? There are far more effective ways of killing someone.

"Women typically use passive means of killing… poison being one of them," Reid said simply.

The one thing I hated about giving briefs is that I felt like I had to have an answer for everything.

"How many nightclubs were there?" Hotchner asked.

"A different one every time," I said, "There are a lot of nightclubs in Carson…"

He nodded. "This unsub's five people. She won't stop… Wheels up in thirty."

Everyone nodded in agreement, getting up. I started gathering my papers and shut of the display.

Reid looked like he wanted to wait for me and then had second thoughts, leaving with the rest of the group. I was kind've happy he went… I didn't want anything to look obvious.

"Thanks, Scott," Hotchner said, "And don't worry, JJ will be coming with us on the case so you'll have to handle everything here."

I nodded. I was more than all right with that. Guys being poisoned outside bars wasn't something I wanted to see.

"Thank you, sir," I said, hoping he wouldn't think that I wanted to stay locked in my office for the rest of my career.

After I cleaned up, I headed back to my office, already seeing a new stack of cases. Whoopdedoo.

Sitting down at my desk, Reid came in, his hands, again, in his pockets.

"We're leaving in a few minutes…" he began slowly, almost apologetically.

"I heard," I nodded with a slight smile, "I'll be here."

Reid smiled. "I don't know if I prefer you to be here on or on the case with us… Of course, it's better to see you and know exactly where you are, but being in the field always carries an inherent risk of safety. At least in the office, I know you're secure and the worst that could happen to you is a paper cut…"

I smiled. I hadn't even thought about personal safety in this job.

"Someone has to take care of the paperwork," I reminded him with a grin, trying to brighten the mood.

He nodded. "Well don't take it personally if I call to check on you…"

I wasn't going to tell him that I knew when he called Garcia to check on me.

"Alright, well," Reid said, taking a step towards me, "I've got to get going…"

I stayed in my seat. If we'd been at home, I would've given him a hug and a kiss… but I was still letting him take the lead on this, especially in the office.

He leaned down and kissed me on the lips gently, and then on the forehead, lingering there. I closed my eyes and leaned into it, wishing that I could throw my arms around him and tell him to hurry back. I didn't.

He winked at me as he left, waving regretfully.

I didn't feel bad that he was leaving…. I felt bad because it looked like he felt bad. He looked like he wanted to say that he was sorry for leaving. This was his job. He did this long before I showed up. I didn't want him to apologize for his job, especially when I was the one finding the cases and sending the team off on them.

As I adjusted my seat to get started on my files, my phone buzzed; I had gotten a new text message.

'Reid:

I'm taking you on a genuine date when I get back. The lecture and DC didn't count… this will.'