The group briefing was nearly finished just as Aaron Hotchner saw one last note he had on his agenda.
Tell team about Kennedy
The note was scribble in his normal, sloppish handwriting. He looked at the note for a moment before deciding on how to break it to everyone.
"One last thing," Hotch said as all eyes were on him. He saw raised eyebrows and interested faces peer at him.
"We've been assigned a new team member. Her name is Dr. Rowan Kennedy. She has outstanding credentials. She still resides near the city that we will be investigating at. She is meeting us there to help with the case than she will be relocated here. She will be our youngest member but I expect everyone to treat her with respect."
He let the news sink into the minds of his coworkers. He observed the various faces they were making.
"Finally a little bit more girl power in the group!" Jennifer Jareau, AKA JJ, said with a chuckle, nudging Emily Prentiss, her only female co worker that was in the field all the time. She wished Penelope Garcia would be allowed on more cases.
"Not just a little." Hotch said, almost smiling to himself. It seems as if they had a brilliant mind coming to their team, a mind to impress and challenge their very own Dr. Spencer Reid.
"What do you mean?" Dave Rossi asked his boss and friend. Aaron twitched a smile. Rossi nodded. Dr. Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan exchanged looks. Derek had a small smile creeping on his lips, almost knowingly.
"You all will meet her once we land. Wheels up in 30." Hotch said, leaving the room without another word.
The only two left in the room after the gentlemen left, were Emily and JJ.
"Hotch said youngest member. But he also said Dr. Do you think the FBI recruited Spencer's
soulmate without knowing it?" Emily joked, sort of.
"We can only hope." JJ chuckled in response.
"Good morning, Dr. Kennedy. I'm Aaron Hotchner and this is Dave Rossi. Welcome aboard." The young doctor received a smile from the usually cold SSA, and an even warmer smile from the older and quite obviously, Italian man. They each exchanged handshakes with the young doctor.
"It's nice to finally meet you! Both of you. You can call me Rowan or just Kennedy if you'd like." Dr. Rowan Kennedy smiled. Her inviting, golden brown eyes shimmered in the Nevada sun. The warmth on her skin made her feel so much better about her nerves.
"Follow us inside and we'll introduce you. Did you read the case file?" Hotch asked just before turning on his heel. Rowan thanked herself for wearing flats, these men walked fast and heels weren't her strong suit anyway.
"I did. I read over the file and the notes the technical analyst added as well." Rowan finished her sentence as they three agents entered the office of the Nevada Sheriff's Department.
An officer, presumably the sheriff, shook the hand of all three agents.
"I know it's not much but it's a place of hang your hats." The Sheriff started with a smile. Rowan took in her surrounding quickly. She spotted a friendly, pregnant blonde woman.
"All we need is a table and an evidence board." Hotch informed, looking at the small space they were provided.
"Sheriff, if you wouldn't mind, some of us would like to go to the crime scene." Rossi started, wanting to dive right in on the investigation.
"I can have a deputy take you. Rebecca Galan's father is coming in to claim the bodies." Sheriff said, his voice sounded a tad bit upset.
"Let us take care of that." Hotch offered.
"I appreciate that. I'll drive you myself."
"Do you have any aerial photos of the crash sites?" Rowan asked, attention was turned to her. She felt like she stepped out of place. It was only her very first case. Maybe she should just watch the madness unfold.
"We didn't think to get any."
"Good idea, Dr. Kennedy. We can have our technical analyst get some from the NSA. It'd be good to see what the areas surrounding the highway were like." Rossi backed Rowan up. She breathed in relief.
"Kennedy, you're with JJ and I for now." Hotch said. The small but pregnant blonde smiled at Rowan softly.
"You must be Dr. Kennedy. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm agent Jareau, but you can call me JJ." JJ smiled, even brighter for the young doctor.
"The pleasure is all mine, JJ. My first name is Rowan if you'd like to call me that." Rowan smiled at all of the kind greetings she had gotten so far.
Hotch lead the two female agents to the evidence board, where there was a tall man with longish brown hair pinning photos and maps to the board. Rowan studied the man for a split second before he turned around. His cheekbones were high and jawline define, but not in an overly muscular way.
"Dr. Kennedy, I'd like you to meet Dr. Reid. Our resident genius." JJ smiled. The man looked at Rowan and smiled kindly. Rowan returned the smile, as well as a blush creeping up her cheeks.
Rowan kicked herself mentally. \
Honestly, the first day of her new job at the FBI was not the time to check out the attractive, yet adorably dorky looking doctor.
"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Kennedy." Spencer smiled. Like actually smiled.
All it took was one look at the new member. Her fair skin was painted elegantly with small freckles. A reddish tint to her brown to semi-blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight that leaked in from the outside. Honey brown eyes looked him over and he also felt a blush on his cheeks. Hotch spoke, snapping them both out of it.
"The first victims, Fritz and Joanna Dietrich were found 10 days ago, visiting from Germany." Hotch spoke as Spencer continued to pin things to the board.
"Their accident site was on highway 50 just south of Tahoe." Spencer looked up at the group again, trying not to make his, unusual, attraction to the younger doctor obvious.
"Second couple, Melissa and Tom Taylor, were from Oregon. They were found on the 267, northeast of Tahoe, Not far from the interstate." Hotch looked into the case file once more.
"It's right here." Spender added a pin to represent each crash site.
"And the latest victims, Jonathan and Rebecca Gallen, were from Arizona. Their accident occurred between Reno and Carson city on highway 395." Rowan looked at the map as Spencer placed his pins. "All three couples were staying in the area without reservations." She added.
"And the only transactions on their credit cards Were from gas stations hundred of miles away." Hotch voice perplexed.
"The only common theme here is that there is no paper trail. If no one can contact them or trace them, They become the perfect victims." Spencer's voice trailed off as if he was distracted.
"Rebecca Galan's father is going to be here soon." JJ started as she looked at her watch.
"I'll take Rowan with me to talk to him. He may be able to help us." Hotch nods to JJ and Spencer as he leads Rowan away.
Once they were out of earshot, JJ spoke up.
"She's pretty, isn't she?" JJ said and she noticed Spencer shift oddly.
"I-I, she. Uhm she's nice." Spencer felt that damn heat in his cheeks again.
"Mhm." She chuckled. "If you think she's pretty, why don't you talk to her once she's in Quantico?"
"Jayge, I appreciate your hopes for me but I could never talk to her. At least not in that way. I'd say the likelihood of anything going beyond a coffee or a casual conversation are-"
"Spence, don't count yourself out just yet." JJ smiled and Spencer contemplated.
1 minute and 27 seconds worth of interaction was not enough to even begin to know someone but it was enough to want to…
Hotch lead Rebecca Galan's father and Rowan into a conference room before lightly closing the door behind them.
"Mr. Sanders, I'm very sorry That you have to be here under these circumstances." Hotch said, his voice sincere.
"No father should have to claim his daughter's dead body." Mr. Sanders' voice was unstable and his eyes red.
"You're also here for your son-In-Law Jon, correct?" Rowan questioned the man.
"Uh, I'm gonna I need a full copy of that accident report. We're suing that truck driver and his employer."
"Mr. Sanders, your daughter and son-In-Law were hit by the tractor trailer, But that's not how they died." Hotch confessed.
"What are you talking about?"
"They were dead hours before the collision with the tractor trailer, Mr. Sanders." Rowan's voice did not falter, but she knew this was not information they were supposed to be relaying. However, she trusted Hotch.
"No. The police told us they died in the accident." His voice becoming more and more alert and confused.
"Yes, sir. I understand that. We had to wait for the autopsy results. And they confirmed that they had been murdered." At Hotch's words, Mr. Sanders retired to the red couch that was in the small room. "Sir, I do understand how hard this is. We believe Rebecca and Jon are the third couple to die in these circumstances."
"Who would want to kill my baby?" Mr. Sanders' words hurt Rowan's heart.
She was not a mother and couldn't possibly understand what he was going through as a parents, but her heart hurt for him and his loss.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sanders but we have a couple of questions." Rowan began. "We found camping equipment in the back of Jon's car."
"Yeah, yeah. He was real big on the outdoors. This time he had to drag her along with him."
"Do you know where he liked to camp?"
"No."
"Where he liked to hike?"
"I don't know."
"Did he ever bring Rebecca souvenirs? T-Shirts from anywhere?"
"I don't know."
"How about restaurants? Places he liked to eat?"
"My baby has a... Had a sweet tooth. And, uh... Jon would always bring her back these donuts."
"We found a matchbook from a diner...flo's? Does that ring a bell?" Rowan asked, remembering the case notes.
"Maybe. I can't be sure. It was a real popular place. But... He always brought some back for her."
"Thank you."
Rowan knelt down to be on level with Mr. Sanders.
"This will not be easy. That I can promise. But as long as you never forget about much you loved each other, you will heal." Rowan said gently. Mr. Sanders looked into her eyes. His heart was touched by the kindness in them.
"Thank you, agent." He said, wiping a tear from his eyes.
As they exited the room, Hotch got a call. She joined JJ and Spencer.
"We have a witness who can put the Gallens at a diner in Sherwood." Hotch quickly put his phone away and circled a section of the map.
"So it's possible they were staying close by." JJ started. Spencer dialed a number on the phone very quickly. The dial tone rang and the call was picked up.
"I thought you forgot about me. It hurt." Rowan heard a friendly female voice and smiled.
"Garcia, what information do you have on Sherwood, Nevada?" Spencer leaned over and spoke into the phone, that was on speaker.
"Uhh...Sherwood. A lovely town that is east of lake Tahoe Near the state line. This area has close to 300 hotels, motels and resorts." A female enigma said through the phone.
"Garcia, can you send us a list of-" Hotch began.
"Addresses and phone numbers? On its way, kind sir. Anything else I can do you for?"
"Not for now. Thank you, Garcia."
"You, my fine furry friends, are welcome." The call was ended and Rowan smiled to herself. She couldn't wait to meet the person behind that sense of humor.
"Remind me to have her drug tested." Hotch said. Rowan chuckled.
"So, what's our plan?" Rowan asked after she collected her thoughts.
"I'll start narrowing down the list." Spencer offered.
"Then what?" JJ shrugged.
"We knock on every door and show pictures of the Gallens. That could take days, weeks even. I know we don't have the manpower, But at this point, what choice do we have?" Hotch made a semi dramatic exit.
Rowan walked down the hall to her designated hotel room. Just as she was about to open the door, the door across from her opened. She turned to see Spencer exiting his room.
"Oh- Hi." Spencer said awkwardly.
"Hi, Dr. Reid." Rowan smiled and Spencer could feel his heart beat in his neck.
"You can call me Spencer if you'd like." He said, nervously, but it made it out in one piece.
"Sounds good, Spencer." She smiled at him, a warmth sneaking onto her cheeks. "And you can call me Rowan."
"Welcome to the team, Rowan." He smiled at her.
"Glad to be here." Rowan bit her lip slightly before moving into her room, leaving Spencer in the hall by himself. His grin was undeniable.
"Sorry for the wake-up call." JJ said, something was obviously bugging her.
"It's all right. Wasn't sleeping." Rowan said with a yawn. Spencer looked over to her. He golden brown eyes were tired and low.
"It looks like we've got a possible missing persons. Ian and Abby Corbin were in Reno for the weekend. They were supposed to be home yesterday." JJ sated, handing a file folder to Hotch.
"Where's home?" Spencer questioned. He wanted to put up another pin.
"San Luis Obispo."
"They could've driven right through Sherwood. They've already been missing a night. His mom's looking after their two kids."
"Call me when everybody gets here." Hotch walked away just after he finished his sentence.
What is this? Left-Over kung pao chicken? That's disgusting." JJ held her stomach.
"What? The smell of Chinese food makes you sick, But you don't even flinch when you look at those pictures." Sheriff chuckled.
"It's not uncommon for your sense of smell to change in pregnancy, and more often than not it becomes more sensitive. It could be food, drink, toiletries or even other people that become less or more appealing." Rowan commented with a shrug.
"You're totally right. When I first found out I was pregnant, I couldn't stand the smell of certain cheeses. I always thought it was weird." JJ agreed with Rowan. "How did you know that? Do you have kids?"
"Uhm, n-no I don't have any children but several of my classmates got pregnant before I graduated early and it seemed like a general consensus." Rowan chuckled nervously.
"Wait how old are you?" JJ asked. Spencer listened in as casually as he could.
"I'm 25. The FBI has been trying to recruit me for like 3 years but I wanted to finish the police academy before I did. So I could technically have some policing experience." Rowan chuckled again.
Before they could continue, Rossi walked in with a very pretty brunette and a handsome mixed man with dark eyes.
"Emily and Derek, this is Dr. Rowan Kennedy." JJ introduced them. Rowan shook each of their hands with a smile. They were joined by much of the police officers.
"Ian and Abby Corbin have already been missing for over 24 hours, Which means we may only have until tonight to find them. According to their families, they left Reno yesterday And were planning on stopping somewhere for the night." Hotch paced by the evidence board.
"They didn't use a credit card. Unless they travel with a lot of cash, The room wasn't too expensive." Rossi states to the crowd.
"They were not traveling on the interstate. That eliminates over half of our previous search." The pretty brunette, Emily, as Rowan learned.
"Sounds like we're looking for somebody Who works the night shift at a back road motel." Sheriff clarified.
"And we think he's most likely in his early to mid-Thirties." Spencer spoke up, making brief eye contact with Rowan.
"Why is that?"
"Abducting couples is an ambitious task. And this guy's had time to perfect his skill." Rowan crossed her arms after moving some of her hair out of her face.
"He could be older."
"Don't get hung up on his age. That's the hardest thing to predict."
"What we do know is females take extensive beatings from him. That, combined with the sexual assault, Tells us he's a violent anger excitation rapist. A sexual sadist like this can't get off Unless he's torturing and watching the effects on his victims." Derek, the handsome mixed man said, holding up photos of victims.
"Part of the torture is psychological. This is another reason he takes couples. Chances are he forces one to watch his power over the other."
"Because only the women suffer sexual torture, He's likely a malignant misogynist. This typically stems from an extreme hatred towards a woman Who was relentless in her psychological and physical abuse." Emily continued.
"How do you know the dad wasn't the abusive one And he's just continuing the cycle?" Questioned a deputy.
"Only a woman could make him hate women this much." Rowan said, her mouth dry at the excruciating details she remembered from the case file.
"The idea of the "terrible mother" is best illustrated In world mythology by the negative aspects of the great mother. Instead of nurturing her children, she destroyed him." Spencer sat down on a section of the table, just a few feet from Rowan.
"And given this upbringing, It's highly unlikely he'd ever been in a relationship, Let alone been married. It's highly unlikely that this level of hatred towards women would be controllable enough for him to cover his tracks by living the 'normal life' with a wife and kids. He can suppress it but not long enough to establish any real relationship." Hotch related this information to deputies.
"And since he works in the service industry, He's forced to deal with a lot of people. So he can probably hide his aversion to women until he gets them behind closed doors. With that said, we shouldn't rule out anyone with prior offenses toward women." Derek said.
"Given the amount of time he spends with his victims, He requires a great deal of privacy. He may even utilize an ATV to get away from the accident sites, So the property may back up onto an off-Road trail. We should therefore concentrate on the most remote motels first. Thank you."
"Kennedy, You're with me for the time being." Rowan followed Hotch to one of the large Chevy Suburbans the FBI uses.
"Sorry about that. I was around back."
"Aaron Hotchner, Dr. Rowan Kennedy. FBI."
"I'm Wayne Dryden. I'm the manager." The man said. Rowan was getting some odd vibes from him.
"We're looking for these people. Have you seen them? Their names are Abby and Ian Corbin." Rowan states, crossing her arms.
"They must have done something really bad To bring the FBI all the way out here." Dryden said, nonchalant.
"They're missing. Is there anyone else here who may have seen them?"
"Well, it's just me and the old lady. And she's down at the mall for this Hummel expo. She
collects those things. Do you know them?"
"I've heard of them." Hotch says, unamused.
"She's got those things taking over my office. They are everywhere in there. It's a sight."
Just as the finished, someone opened the door behind the two agents. A large man with dark skin asked if they had any rooms.
"If you find anything or see anything, give us a call." Hotch out his card down on the counter.
Once Hotch and Rowan were in the Suburban again, Rowan had to get something off her chest.
"Hotch, I got a bad feeling from that guy." Rowan started while looking out of the window.
"What do you mean?" Hotch asked as he turned on his turn signal.
"Did you notice how quick that guy left after we did. I noticed the manager guy rush him out. The lot was almost vacant. There's no way they were full." Rowan picked at the skin around her fingernail.
"Keep that in mind and see if you can make any other connections once we get back to the station." Hotch suggested. Rowan nodded, thinking further.
"It's already dark, And we've barely gotten through half of the motels. Maybe he's not in the remote areas." JJ said as Hotch and Rowan approached the evidence board. She was speaking to Spencer.
"You think he's hiding in the middle of everything? Maybe. Let's go." Hotch determined. As her started to walk away, Emily appeared.
"Wait. Guys? Garcia found a connection between a motel handyman and Rebecca Gallen. They went to high school together. So, I thought maybe he was connected to other victims. It turns out he's not, But there's something else that all of the women have in common. Rebecca Gallen was found in a bra, t-Shirt, Skirt and flip flops. Johanna Dietrich in a dress and sandals. Melissa Taylor was wearing a bra, tank top, and jeans. None of them were wearing underwear." Emily revealed to the group. Rowan's gears were turning.
"How do you know it was taken?" Spencer questioned.
"Because they all packed it in their bags, But none were wearing it during the collisions. He leaves his victims in a car without their underwear And waits for them to be hit. A violent collision of metal against flesh. It's like the accidents are the final rape. This sexual aspect didn't show up over night This is something he's been building up to." Emily continued.
"So, he's taking the underwear as a trophy?" Spencer inquired.
"Well, that or he's taking them as a taunt to the future women. Think about it. He takes his victims underwear. Makes a different pair show up and the woman knows it's not theirs. It's a part of the psychological torture." Rowan spoke, her hands moved with the flow of her sentence.
Spencer looked at her for a couple seconds longer. Thinking, already, that she was incredible.
"So this guy sees these collisions as some kind of rape." Sheriff paced around the group.
"We know that an underwear fetish typically begins In adolescence with peeping in neighbors' windows." Spencer explained.
"When that no longer satisfies them, They'll burglarize homes and start taking the object that arouses them." Derek added.
"If they get away with that long enough, They become more confident. Then the object becomes he woman wearing it. That's when rape can occur." Rossi continued.
"The one constant is they always take the underwear as a souvenir. Is it possible a pervert like this has ever been arrested?"
"There's a good chance a serial sex offender with an underwear fetish has been caught before." Hotch thinks it over before answering.
"Right again, Agent Hotchner." Garcia said from the other side of the speakerphone.
"What is it, Garcia? For the last two days I've been searching through vicap For similar rapes and murders in cases that are still open. That has yielded me diddly squat. So I regrouped. I looked at some pictures of baby pandas. I went back I and I started searching for similar rapes and murders in cases that had been solved. Ok?" Rowan chuckled at Garcia's methods of thinking clearly.
"What did you find?" Rowan asked.
"Five months ago this guy named Clint Barnes Is convicted of 5 rapes that have been 30 miles away in Selbyville. Now, what's interesting And by interesting I also mean icky and sad and wrong, Is that Mr. Barnes only stole the undergarment of his last victim and she was beat in exactly the same manner as our current victims. And she was the only one who died. The first four showed no sign of torture? According to statements made by the survivors, yes Some questions about his performance, Things ike, "did you enjoy it?" Garcia's voice sounded said towards the end.
"That sounds like a power reassurance rapist. That doesn't fit his last crime at all." Spencer observed.
"The last victim wasn't his. It was our unsub," Rowan started. The gears that were turning, finally clicked.
"Files rushed over from the DA's office." Sheriff set down boxes with the help of a couple deputies.
"How many suspects did the have in the Selbyville case?" Rowan asked, seeing all of the file boxes.
"Let's see. Including Clint Barnes, Says they had about 10 other men who looked good for it. Brought in double that for questioning." Spencer looked into Rowan's eyes for a brief moment before Rowan got distracted by the hustle and bustle around her.
"JJ, cross-reference these names of suspects. See if you get a match with people we still need to talk to in Sherwood."
"You got it." JJ nodded.
"You can use my office." Sheriff lead her in the direction of his office.
"Almost all these guys had criminal records." Rowan looked in disgust while she read some of the files.
"Offenses range from spousal abuse, sex crimes, molestation and attempted rape." Derek pointed out.
"Our unsub is using brutal, physical force and extreme violence. Look for somebody who's angry and hostile towards his victims." Spencer rushed over to another box.
"Look for an intellectual component. This guy used the MO of another rapist to make sure the wrong person went to jail for his crimes." Rossi rolled his eyes.
"The Selbyville police talked to our unsub. He looked good for these crimes. He's in here somewhere." Hotch encouraged us to continue to look. It wasn't hard for two of the agents to easily skim through and make assessments. Perks of having an eidetic memory.
"Alright, Garcia, let's try again." Hotch requested.
"Go for it."
"Name's Floyd Henson. Lived and worked in Sherwood his entire life. Went to jail at 25 for breaking and entering."
"Our friend got caught red-Handed with some bloomers, charged with attempted rape. Jerk served time, got out a year ago. His last known address is at the crest cottages."
"Hotch, that's the one we went to." Rowan revealed.
"Employee records say Wayne Dryden was fired from the crest cottages six months ago. The only employee now is the owner... Floyd Hansen." JJ looked between Rowan and Hotch.
"You were right. Let's go." Hotch rushed away. "JJ, tell Garcia we'll call her from the car."
The rest of the team followed.
Rowan rode with Spencer in the back seat while Hotch and Rossi were up front.
"I should have listened to you, Kennedy. You were right." Hotch frowned. "I should have gotten some rest and been more alert."
"Hotch, it happens to the best of us." Rossi intervened. Rowan didn't know what to say.
"Do you hear me, Garcia?" Spencer asked. He held the phone between him and Rowan. She leaned closer to hear Garcia.
"Yeah, that's better. I can sort of hear you. So, like I was saying, It looks like Floyd Hansen didn't even have a chance. His mother drank herself to death when he was two. Father remarried but to a prostitute." Garcia informed through a spotty reception.
"Where's his father now?" Rowan asked.
"He died six months ago. Floyd inherited the crest cottages from-" Garcia's call was dropped.
"Garcia? We lost her." Spencer puts down his phone.
"Timeline fits. He gets out of jail a year ago, He's on good behavior for a few months. But the urges are too strong, Rapes and kills a woman, But he's smart enough to blame it on another guy." Rowan says, pulling her arms to her torso, feeling uncomfortable.
"His father dies, he inherits all the privacy, control and victims he could ever need."
Once we arrived, we all jumped out of the vehicle. Hotch hands Rowan a gun, which catches her off guard.
"Know how to use one?" Hotch asked. Rowan nodded and put in her empty holster. She didn't have her gun qualification test until Monday, when she was set to start.
There are 10 cabins on 10 acres. There are maps outside the office. He's got a lot of privacy. There's a garage, there's the sheds, there's stables." Hotch said, pointing all around.
"Why not keep them in one of the cabins?" Emily asked.
"Kennedy, you're with Rossi and Reid. Morgan, Prentiss, this way." The group dispersed.
Spencer, Rossi and Rowan were accompanied by the sheriff as they scoured through the office building.
"He's been following the investigation." Spencer reveals as he flips through newspaper articles.
"He's also been at this longer than we thought." Rossi turns to Spencer and Rowan with a bag of women's underwear in his hand.
"This guy is all kinds of disgusting." Rowan mumbled.
Over the radio came Hotch's voice. They caught the unsub but the unsub was hit by a semi before anything.
"Well, roadside motels definitely go on my list. Of things to never do again." Emily started after taking out her earpiece.
"You've got a list?" Spencer asked.
"You don't?" Rossi chuckled. Spencer shrugged.
"It's going to take a while to get this mess cleaned up." Morgan said, entering the group conversation.
"Well, it's going to take a hell of a lot longer for that couple to recover." Emily sighed.
On the plane back from Nevada, Rowan stood to make herself some hot chocolate.
"Kennedy, may I have a minute?" Hotch asked, standing beside her. Rowan smiled.
"Of course." She mixed her hot chocolate a bit more.
"I'm sorry about not listening to you. We're taught to not ignore a gut feeling and I tossed yours aside as a teaching opportunity." Hotch looked intensely at Rowan. He took his job very seriously and he didn't feel like he was doing his job correctly when someone opinion wasn't addressed correctly.
"I'm not upset about it. I'm just glad we got there before the unsub could do much more damage. Thank you for addressing it."
"Welcome to the team." Hotch cracked a very small smile. When he turned he was Spencer looking in their general direction. Hotch knew what he was looking at. The young doctor was looking at the younger doctor. He smiled slightly.
Spencer thought of excuses to himself. Excuses to go stand by her, start a conversation. Hotch saw the wheels turning in Spencer's thoughts.
"Hey Reid, You need coffee?" Hotch said, taking a sip of his own. Spencer looked down at his coffee cup. It was half full. Spencer looked at Hotch with a confused face.
"Yeah, Spence, maybe you should get a little more." Emily smiled from next to Hotch.
Spencer put the pieces together and stood up nervously.
There she was. Her hair reached to just below her shoulder blades. The cascading radiance of her hair. She took a sip of her drink and went to turn to sit. She noticed Spencer approaching and stayed still. She smiled at the fellow doctor.
"Hey, Spencer." Rowan smiled and she nearly took his breath away.
"Hi, Rowan." He stopped right next to her and set it hands on the counter, realizing that he forgot his 'excuse'. He left his damn coffee cup on the table.
Back at the seats, the rest of the team members were having a conversation.
"How long?" Emily said quietly amongst them.
"I give it less than a month." Morgan said, casually flipping through his music selection.
"That long? I'd say like two weeks." JJ added in while putting over the ear headphones around her belly.
"I agree with JJ." Hotch smiled quickly.
"Guys think about it; Yes they're probably soul mates but Spencer is not efficient in the department of girls. It took him an hour to go say hi just now and he forgot his coffee cup."
"They're perfect." JJ noted. The others nodded in agreement.
"So, How did you enjoy your first case?" Spencer made a face at his wording. "Not that it was enjoyable or-"
"I think I'm going to stick around for a while, if that's what you mean." Rowan let the words slip out. She was so surprised at her self, flirting had never been her strong suit.
Now that she thought about it, boys weren't on her mind much up until she turned 22ish. And even than she was finishing up her PhD. She never had interest or time for boys. They were either too immature, invalidated her intelligence or just didn't work.
"O-oh good. I'm glad to hear that." Spencer nearly choked on his words. "So, I hear you're in the process of relocating to Quantico? How long is that process?"
"I should have everything done by Sunday morning. I have the whole weekend to get settled. Just before I met up with everyone, I had a moving truck loaded up with my stuff." Rowan took another sip.
The rest of the plane ride consisted of Spencer chatting with Rowan about their varying educations. He was not only impressed by her, he was finding himself wanting to know everything he could.
Spencer made her smile effortlessly and Rowan took his breath away.
"And so it begins." JJ said quietly to Emily and she observed the way they looked at each other.
