Reid walked into a pet store one day after work, but didn't know what he was looking for.
"Can I help you sir," someone said from behind him.
Reid turned to face the person. She appeared to be about 16. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her name tag said, Alexis.
"Um, yes," Reid said.
"Great, I love helping people, find the perfect pet," Alexis said, with a smile. "What kind of pet are you looking to take home?"
"I honestly don't know," Reid said, rubbing the back of his head.
Alexis laughed a little and said, "Don't worry about that. We'll find the right one you want. Subconsciously, you know what you want. Consciously, you have no clue. We just have to get to your subconscious thoughts and turn them into conscious thoughts."
"How long will that take," Reid asked.
"It depends on how many pets we look at before you know," Alexis explained.
"What kind of pet would you suggest," Reid asked.
He couldn't believe he asking for help from a teenage girl.
"Normally, I would suggest cats, since they're easier to take care of and they can be very comforting. Plus I'm a cat person," Alexis stated.
"How did you figure out you were a cat person," Reid asked.
"I've always grown up with them," Alexis said. "Now, let's go in the back and see if we can find your perfect match."
Alexis turned and walked away. Reid followed.
Once in the back, Alexis said, "We'll look at the reptiles first. Then we'll move on to cats, dogs, and other furry animals."
Reid nodded and said, "Okay"
He wasn't to fond of things with forked tongues. But apparently this girl knew what she what doing.
Alexis opened a door labeled 'Reptiles' and said, "We mainly have snakes in here. Now snakes can get very big. The bigger they get the harder it is to take care of them and feed them. They mainly eat rats and other small creatures such as that. I wouldn't suggest one if you travel a lot."
Reid looked at a boa constrictor and said, "I travel more than I am home."
"Lizards are a little easier to take care of. Just give them some water, insects and clean their cage every couple of weeks," Alexis explained.
Reid went over and looked at one of the lizards and said, "It looks like Gieco gecko"
Alexis laughed and said, "True. That lizard right there, her name is Jewels. If you get her, you can name her whatever you want."
"Jewels," Reid asked.
"If you look closely at the top of her head there's a little diamond shape on it," Alexis stated.
Reid looked at the top of the lizards head and said, "That's kind of cool."
"Looks like she likes you," Alexis said.
"How can you tell," Reid asked, looking at Alexis.
"She keeps on looking at you," Alexis replied.
"Can we move on to the other animals," Reid asked.
"Sure and if you start to think Jewels would be perfect, we can come back," Alexis said, opening the door.
The two of them walked down the hall some more until they stopped at a room labeled "Birds."
"Birds are pretty easy to take care of, but they can get very loud and annoying at endless hours of the night. I wouldn't normally suggest a loud pet if you're the kind of person who likes peace and quiet," Alexis said, as they went into the room.
Reid looked at all the colorful birds and wondered how something so small, could be so loud. He knew how they could be loud, but still it seemed almost impossible.
"You know, sir, you can actually teach a bird to be quiet. It takes a lot of work and patience to do, but it's still possible," Alexis said, as she picked up a bag of bird food and fed some of the birds.
"You also need time, which is something I don't have," Reid stated.
"You work a lot," Alexis asked.
"More than you'd want to know," Reid said, as he walked over to one of the cages and looked at the colorful parrot inside.
"That's China right there. She's usually pretty quiet, unless she's upset," Alexis said, when she noticed Reid looking at the bird.
"Why China," Reid asked.
"It's the only thing she knows how to say," Alexis explained.
As if on cue the bird said, "China. China."
Reid cracked a small smile then asked, "What other animals you got here?"
"We have about just every kind of pet there is to have," Alexis replied. "Want to move on?"
"Yeah, let's. The birds are starting to give me a headache," Reid stated.
Alexis laughed and said, "You wouldn't be the first."
The two of them left the bird room then walked down the hall to a room labeled 'Dogs'.
Alexis walked in and said, "Dogs take a lot of patience. You have walk them at least twice a day. Clean up after every mess they make. They shed more than any other furry animal. You'll have to feed them more than three times a day a lot of the time, unless they are very small like, a chihuahua. Some can be very noisy, others very quiet."
Reid looked at a golden retriever and said, "Can I leave them alone if I have to travel?"
"As long as you have a neighbor willing to watch them, then yes." Alexis said. "That's Guitar right there."
"Guitar," Reid asked.
"When we found him, he was sleeping in a guitar case in the back of an alley," Alexis explained.
Just then Guitar started to bark happily and put his front paws on the cage.
"Want to pet him," Alexis asked, looking at Reid.
"I'm good," Reid said.
"Want to go look at the cats," Alexis asked.
Reid nodded and said, "Sure."
As they left the room, Guitar let out a mournful whine.
"Will he be okay," Reid asked.
"Yeah. He's been here for almost two years. So far no one will adopt him because he likes to bark a lot," Alexis explained. "I take him home when ever we close for the holidays. But I can't adopt him. Employees aren't allowed to adopt the pets here."
The two of them walked down the hall to a door labeled "Cats."
Alexis opened the door and said, "As I said, before cats are easy to take care of. They can be very quiet. They do shed, but not a lot. Keeping them indoors can expand their live expectancy. So can getting them fixed."
Reid looked at various cats, but none of them seemed to catch his eye.
"Thinking about Guitar," Alexis asked after a while.
"A little bit," Reid admitted, looking at Alexis.
"You're the first to admit that you're thinking about him. A lot of people feel a certain connection with him, but they ignore it and take home a different animal," Alexis explained. "It makes me sad when people don't follow their heart."
"What does it take to take care of him," Reid asked.
"He is very easy to take care of. Just take him on walks, give him a lot of attention, play with him, feed him, and just make sure he's happy," Alexis said.
"I'll take him," Reid said, finally after a moment of thought.
Alexis smiled and said, "Let's go get him."
They walked back to the room with the dogs and got Guitar.
Guitar barked happily as Alexis let him out of the cage he was in. Alexis scratched Guitar's ears and said, "You have a new home to go to. You get to leave with this very nice man."
Alexis put a collar around Guitar's neck and attached a leash to it then said, "Take him for a check up at the vet of your choice in about a month to make sure he's healthy and so he can get all his shots."
"Any vets you would suggest," Reid asked, taking hold of the leash.
"Dr. Hood. I take my two cats to him. He's the nicest man I know. I trust him," Alexis replied. "Here, let me get you his number."
Alexis grabbed a pen and a piece paper and wrote down the number, then handed it to Reid saying, "Here you go,"
Reid took the piece of paper and said, "Thanks."
"You're welcome" Alexis said with a smile.
With that Reid and Guitar left.
A/N: I know how we all say Reid is a cat person, but what if he was going to a dog. The dog would be loyal and might help crush that awful Reid Effect he's often teased about. Hope you enjoyed reading. I'm thinking about another chapter. Not sure yet. It depends on you readers.