The scene was different than the rest of the city. Quiet and clean, and yet, the members of BAU knew there was something off about it. No homeless could be seen on the streets, no hookers, or anything of the sort. There was no trash left lying out in the sidewalk. If the agents weren't as keen as most claim them to be, they would not have suspected a thing. But they were, and they did. Not once did either of them take their minds off of the guns attached to each of their belts. Something was definitely wrong.
Despite the discreetness of the area, something did eventually catch all their ears. Somewhere in the east, a great commotion was happening: music. A party, perhaps? The agents thought for a minute, but when Reid pointed out the vastness of it, they knew it had to be something bigger. And they were right. Not a mile from their starting position, there stood a large club at the corner of Eighth and Ninth Street. With another look at their destination address, they knew this was the right place.
Everything on this block seemed dead, whereas the magnificent, black marbled building in front of them screamed liveliness at them; lights flashed from the windows of the top, all many varieties of color. They knew the amount of people inside would be hard to get through; from the heat the building gave off, there had to be a ton. When they entered, all that remained of the silence vanished.
Bodies jumped around at the beat of the loud bass. Most of the club was dark, save for the flashing rotating lights above the large dance area. And then, the bass grew quiet, until the sound was gone. People clapped, some even continued to dance with their partners and friends, but most went to the bar area. Hotch's eyes swam through the crowd. There were too many to pick out one single person. "We'll split up. She's here somewhere." He told his gang, and disperse they did.
It wasn't long after that Morgan and Reid found each other in the crowd again. There was still no music, both wondered why. "Anything?" Reid asked, though he knew the answer from the frustrated look in Derek's eyes. A rather formally dressed man suddenly approached the two men then, and Morgan immediately recognized the man as the owner of the club. He took a hold of the small, plump man's arm.
"Excuse me sure."
"Yes, gentlemen, what may I assist you with?" he had an eager smile on his face; very friendly.
"My name is Agent Morgan. This is Agent Reid. We were hoping to talk to Miss Amanda Moore. We need to ask her a few questions regarding the recent disappearances in this area. We've heard she is employed here."
"Well, Agent Morgan, you've heard correctly. But, I'm afraid she's in no position to be questioned at the moment. She's very busy."
"It's very important." Reid said, stepping a bit ahead of Morgan as the man was about to turn away. "We believe she's the key connection with the disappearances, it's essential that she sees us."
"And see her you will, my dear boy." The man said, very frustrated. "But for the time being, please enjoy yourselves. I will find you after. Now, if you'll excuse me." And with that the little man left the two agents alone (alone with the other hundred people in the club, that is.) Morgan and Reid were at a loss. "Well, we got something at least. Let's find Hotch and JJ." Reid nodded in agreement.
"It's time, ladies and gentlemen," a voice on the overhead speakers caught their attention. Reid and Morgan turned to the platform at the back of the dance floor where some equipment had been standing earlier. Now standing there was the man they had recently spoke to. "Please put your hands together for the lovely, the talented, the beautiful – Mandy Moore."
Distant music took over the speakers then. The lights above turned to all different shades of yellow, pointing only at the platform. A gold tint replaced the black, marble walls. Small, gold and silver sparkles fell from the ceiling, and gold lace shortly followed after it. Attached to the lace was a girl, twirling downward toward the floor. She spun fast, it almost looked dangerous, but they thought maybe she had done this many times before. When she finally reached the floor, it took a moment for her to tear herself away from the lace. The music slowly progressed loud enough they could hear the upbeat melody of the bass. And when the music exploded, so did the dance floor.
Morgan and Reid watched as this young woman, dressed in a sparkling, tie-up, and silver top and a pair of tight, gold and black pants, took complete control of the crowd. As she danced, they danced with her. Admittedly, Morgan and Reid nearly wanted to join her. The strands of her long, dark curls bounced along with her body, brushing against her pale shoulders. She smiled when some of the men in the crowd surrounded her. This was obviously routine, but the two agents still kept an eye on the crowd. This subject, at least, was easy to watch.
And when she sang, anyone else who she had not completely capitated was now under her spell. By the looks of the many clubbers, this was definitely the high light of their night, even the majority of the woman seemed to enjoy the presence of this beautiful, young performer. Whether they were friends or fans, every one of them could not rip their eyes from her.
Among the many muted face
You try to find me in the spaces
You're drawn to my song
You only move to keep from sinking
You close your eyes as if you're thinking
Afraid all along - That in my eyes
You're revealing you'll find out
What you're needing
Her voice was strong and lovely to listen to. The beat to her song was catchy, Reid even noticed Morgan bobbing his head to the bass and slightly smiled to himself. On the job, especially one as important as this one, you weren't ever supposed get too caught up in your surroundings. The moment you let your guard down, something might happen. But for Reid, Morgan bobbing his head was nowhere in comparison.
He returned his thoughts to the music and the Subject. The whole club seemed to be in on the show as most of the dancers were now behind Amanda as they danced all as one; it was rather cool to see. It wasn't a complicated dance, but a fun one to watch. His eyes followed every move, every curve, while still muting his surroundings from the fact that they were on the job, though he had to admit the performance was exciting, and very well done. They had probably done this a hundred times before, Reid thought. His thoughts went away though, when suddenly his gaze met with a pair of dazzling hazel eyes. He should have, but he couldn't look away. In response, she turned completely to him, dancing in his direction. Her words, though a bit hard to understand due to the speed of the song, swam through his mind. He could think of nothing else.
Nothing but pennies in my pocket
Nothing but faith to keep me warm
Well baby,
Wouldn't I be broke without it
Tell me, how much for your love?
Slip my heart in your back pocket
All that I got to keep you warm
So baby, don't leave me here without it
Tell me how much for your love?
She stopped singing, but the song went on, bouncing and filling the whole club. Reid couldn't hear anything else, not even his own thoughts; he never like clubs much. He turned back to Morgan, searching for some alternative to help him out of this state. To his surprise, Derek was slowly sneaking away from the other agent, a broad smile on his face. Reid was confused, until he turned back to the dance floor.
And there she was directly in front of him. While the clubbers continued to dance the routine, she was there singing and dancing on her own, circling around the startled agent, lightly brushing her smooth hands over his chest and through his long hair. Reid could sense Morgan laughing, and possibly JJ and Hotch were watching him too. Of course they were. He felt even more embarrassed when the performer whispered part of her chorus in his ear, seduction in her tone. His outer appearance remained unmoved, but on the inside Reid was screaming. She played with his necktie and flaunted a beautiful smile at him, which he could only return. And then she spun away, taking with her the small, silver clip from the end of his purple tie.
Relief overwhelmed him when Mandy moved on back toward the dance floor. She finished her song and disappeared among the many other dancers. When the song was over, the club exploded.
"Let's regroup with Hotch and JJ now." Reid insisted, disappearing from the bar scene.
Morgan, still with a smile on his face, leaned in to Reid's ear to dilute the sound of the screaming crowd and whispered, "I think she likes you. Maybe you should do the questioning," earning himself a harsh nudge from Reid, but not eye contact or a single word following.