A/N:This is next in my 200 series, it's the sequel to When Words Fail. It takes place right after the end of episode "200", beginning when Emily is flying back to London.
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any character associated with it, no copyright infringement is intended.
Two hours into her flight back to London, Emily Prentiss could still taste Spencer Reid on her lips. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers.
When she opened her eyes, she same words came to her mind - what the hell was I thinking?
Why did I invite him to kiss me? There is no way this can work. Absolutely no way.
That was the voice of experience, and she knew it was right but that kiss felt so right. For most of the plane ride the voice of experience battled against the memory of that kiss. She needed someone to talk to about this. Her closest friends were the people she left in Virginia, JJ and Penelope.
The problem is that they were too close to her and Spencer. She needed someone a little more objective and a little more geographically closer.
As she pulled her cellphone out and selected a number in her speed dial, she wondered if he would be sober.
Dietrich Peterson's phone rang. He was lying on his side on his couch, doing his best to ignore the phone. At least his brain was trying to ignore it, but his hand had other ideas. His hand grabbed the phone and answered it.
"No one I know would be calling me right now." he said drowsily.
"Dietrich, it's Emily."
"I don't know any Emily."
"Emily Prentiss."
"Doesn't ring a bell."
"I need to talk."
"Good for you. I recommend a shrink. Doesn't matter which one, they're all quacks."
"I'll buy."
"Buy what?"
"As many drinks and food as you want at the pub."
"Emily! Darling! Where are you? When should I meet you?" Dietrich sat up. "Where the hell am I?"
Emily had to suppress a laugh. From the first time meeting she had with Dietrich in Paris, he stayed exactly the same. "Tomorrow night. I need some sleep and then I have to work."
"You can sleep when you're dead and jobs are for suckers."
"I need to pay the bills."
"Don't let the man keep you down."
"Tomorrow night."
"Fine. What is it about? That brand of yours?"
"Not exactly."
"Just have someone take a laser to it."
"I thought you had an idea for a tattoo to cover it."
"Emily," Dietrich said," we both know you will never cover that thing. Stop pretending otherwise."
The first time Emily met Dietrich Peterson was in Paris, while she was pretending to be dead. She had nothing to do but stay away from everything and everyone that had to do with Emily Prentiss. That gave her plenty of time to obsess about things, including the tattoo Ian Doyle burned into her skin.
JJ gave her an idea about getting something to cover it, an appropriate tattoo. Nothing seemed appropriate. Then some one gave her the name of Dietrich Peterson. She met him in a cafe.
"They tell me you're a tattoo whisperer," she said.
"Tattoos can't hear, they don't have ears. Don't you know anything? Of course, if you buy me dinner I'll whisper anything you want to whatever you want."
He immediately reminded Emily of Jason Gideon, David Rossi, and Spencer Reid all at once. He seemed to be as precise about words as Spencer was, as casual in his attire as Gideon, and had Rossi's lack of concern what anyone thought of him.
That night in Paris lead to an unusual friendship that continued when she came to London to work for INTERPOL. Last year Dietrich moved to London, for business he said. The only problem with that statement was that he didn't seem to have any formal job. Emily had learned he used to be a police officer in Montreal, but he went on a leave of absence five years ago to visit Europe.
He just never returned.
When Emily entered the pub, Dietrich was already seated at a table drinking a pint. He was wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, an unbutton blue oxford. He would have looked like a student if it wasn't for his salt and pepper beard. He smiled when he saw Emily.
"There you are. Have a seat. You have to work hard to catch up to me, but that's what you get for working for a living."
"It's good to see you Dietrich."
"You said you needed to talk. Is this about that brand of yours?" Tact was not one of Dietrich's strong suits.
"It's complicated."
"That's your specialty."
"What do you mean?"
"When I met you were pretending to be dead after getting branded by your psychotic ex-boyfriend."
"He wasn't a boyfriend. He was a job."
"You say potato, I say psychotic ex-boyfriend. Then you go back to the States, go back to the FBI, only to go back to INTERPOL. And I have yet to see you happy. So what's your big complication this time?"
"I just back from the States."
"Again?"
"I had a family emergency."
"You finally started talking to your mother?"
"Not that family. This was my FBI family."
"The one you left for your glorious existence here?"
"They're some of my best friends."
"Then why are you here?"
"It's ..."
"Complicated. Right, I know. So, what about your FBI family emergency is creating a complication, now that the emergency is over?"
"I kissed someone."
"Boy is Pope Francis going to get on you like a ton of bricks."
"Will you be serious?"
"Give me a serious problem to be serious about."
"You don't understand."
"So explain it to me."
"It wasn't just a kiss."
"What does that mean?"
"You know what it means."
"The beard should be an indication that I'm not a chick. So explain why the kiss is a problem."
"It's the guy who kissed me."
"Another bad guy?"
"No, he's a good guy. A very good guy. One of the best."
"And that's a problem why?"
"Because he's there and I'm here."
"Yeah, if only there was some way you go from one continent to another."
"Will you be serious."
"You want serious?"
"Yes."
"Fine. Did you like the kiss."
"Yeah."
"Do want to do it again?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to do more?"
"Yes."
"Then find a way to make it work."
"You don't understand."
"I understand. You're the one who doesn't."
"What do you mean?"
"You've spent too much time with government agencies doing complicated stuff, and it has messed up your head. If you like this guy, make it work. If you don't, then don't worry about it. It's that simple. No complications required."
"This is why I don't see shrinks."
"I thought you didn't shrinks because you lie to them."
"Only if someone is forcing me to see them."
"Whatever."
"Thanks Dietrich."
"For what?"
"For helping me."
"Did I help?"
"Yes."
"Then I deserve another drink."
She smiled. "Sure."
A/N: So now both Spencer and Emily have everything worked out, right? If only it was that simple. The next installment in this series is called the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, where Reid and Emily have a long-distance conversation that becomes a train-wreck.