-Joel Osteen
Evie took a deep breath looking at all the papers spread out on her desk in her small apartment. Her name stared up at her fom all the information and admittance packets: Evelyn Charlotte Lawrence they all said. SSA Evelyn Lawrence... she tried out in her mind. She smiled she liked the sound of that. Hopefully someday soon she could own up to that name. Her first day as an intern at the BAU started tomorrow, and she couldn't possibly bemore excited and nervous at the same time. She heard these people were good. Real Evelyn was one to freak out and overthink small matters, but she couldn't help herself. Before she had even though of sleeping, she had been stayingup learning as much as she possibly could about her next division, the protocols, the guidlines, past cases, and all of the team members whose names she went through one last ime" Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, David Rossi, Spencer Reid, and Derek Morgan. She hoped she was ready.
Evie yawned and stretched back in her chair. Her eyes stung with fatigue although her mind still raced with thoughts of tomorrow. She had to at least try to go to bed though. It was already 1:30AM and she had to get up at 6:30. Evie stood up and shoved the admittance files into the brown folder with the FBI logo on the front. She padded across the tile floor, through her living room full of sketches and paintings on the tables, walls and chairs, into her bedroom.
Standing in front of the mirror plastered on her wall, Evelyn combed her hand through her deep red-brown hair that reached right past her shoulder and ever so slightly curled at the ends. Her own deep gray eyes stared back at her as she fixed her hair into a loose bun as she always did before bed. Her tihgt gray tee hugged her waist right above her favorite navy blue plaid pajama pants. Satisfied with her comfort, Evie switched off the light and crawled into bed and tried to fall asleep. The same questions kept running through her mind though. What if the BAU agents didn't like her? What if she screwed up? What if she just didn't belong there?
'Stop it, Evie.' she scolded herself. Why'd she have to overthink everything? She used to be so easy-going and so loose. Ever since her mother died however, she just had become more high strung. Not to mention more distant, shy, secluding...
Evie sighed and turned to face her window on the far side of her bedroom. She liked being alone though, didn't she? She had her art, her books, her job; what more could she need?
'A friend. Someone who loves me.' she thought, but then quickly dismissed the thought. She didn't need that. She was fine being alone. She was fine.
"Damn..." Spencer muttered under his breath. He wasn't one for swearing unless it was a special occasion. This was definitely a special occasion. The line stretched all the way out the store; how was he supposed to get his coffee now? Dr. Spencer Reid glanced down at his watch again. He only had fifteen minutes to get to work at his normal time. Granted, his normal time was unecessarily early, but he didn't want to mess with the system. To wait for his favorite coffee, or to settle for the coffee at the office... couldn't he just do both? Spencer put his arm back down at his side and took a couple steps forward in line. Yeah, he could do both he decided.
By the time Spencer got to the front, he had seven minutes and twenty four seconds to get to work, so he ordered his usual in a hurry. Unpatiently and rapidly tapping his foot, Spencer let his mind wonder to whatever came to mind first, this time being going through Shakespeare's Othello word for word for fun. He never missed a scene, or a phrase, or even a word for that matter. The same went for nearly all of Shakespeare's work as well as many other of his favorite authors and writers. An eidetic memory was always very helpful.
"Sir, your coffee." a girl said from behind the counter, holding out Spencer's coffee to him. He gave her the money for his drink and a small smile before glancing down at his watch. Only five minutes and 53 seconds left to be on his regular time. Reid spun around and began to hurry out the cafe, but he wasn't expecting another girl to be directly behind him with her own coffee in one hand and papers that she was trying to get in order with the other. Spencer bumped into her arm accidentally, and she lost grip of her coffee cup. Thank god Reid had fast reflexes. He had the FBI to thank for that.
Spencer shot a hand forward and grabbed her cup before it could fall and gave her an apologetic look. That's when he realized how completely gorgeous she was... her brown hair with the faintest tint of red, her flawless skin, her petite figure, and what Spencer loved most of all were her eyes. Her eyes were the most peircing of grays that he has never seen before. Reid noticed that he was staring and cleared his throat.
"I- Um, sorry. Didn't know you were there." Spencer apologized as he handed her back her coffee. She gave him a shy and sweet smile that made Reid want to smile back.
"It's okay. I probably shouldn't be standing here." she said, taking the coffee. "Thanks, by the way. Great reflexes."
Spencer would've said something else, but dear god her eyes... What was he doing? This was just some random girl that he ran into at the cafe... literally. Why was he so nervous?
"I have to go, I'm running a... um... bit behind. Sorry, again."
With that, Spencer gave her a small nod and smile and rushed out of the cafe. Part of him wanted to kick himself for acting in such a way with some girl who he didn't know and would never feel the same about him. Another part of him kicked himself for not getting her number. Reid decided it was just best if he shook it off. He'd never see her again, so why did it matter? The thought made Spencer strangely dissapointed. He had to get to work though. Spencer took a sip of his coffee once he reached his car and then climbed in, forgetting the beautiful shy girl in the coffee shop.
"Hey, leave some sugar for the rest of us!" Morgan smirked as he nudged Spencer playfully.
"I'll give you some sugar." Garcia's voice cheekfully said from behind them as she passed through the kitchenette, her heels clicking against the floor.
"Mmmm, I like the sound of that." Morgan played along, smirking as he watched their Technical Analyst leave. Spencer gave a small smile as he stopped the excessive flow of sugar into his cup and set the container back down at the counter. He loved mornings at the BAU before they were burdened with awful gruesome cases of mutilated bodies and sick serial killers. Before they engaged in that, his team was loose and fun. Spencer loved that about them.
"You know, the reason sugar is so addictive is that it releases an opiate-like substance that activates the brain's reward system." Reid said in rushed words. Morgan grimaced as he poured himself some coffee.
"It is way to early for your weird facts, genius." Morgan joken in his deep voice. Reid sipped his coffee and then eyed it suspiciously. Making sure Derek wasn't looking, Reid added one more swig of sugar.
"I saw that..." Derek chuckled without looking up from his own cup. Reid smiled mischeviously and excited looked down at his coffee. Yes, he had already had a coffee from the cafe, but there wasn't much harm in another. Well he knew the harm, he just didn't care. No wonder he was an insomniac.
"I need more energy!" Spencer defending, returning back to the conversation.
"You're the last person who needs more energy, Reid. You talk at like, a thousand miles per second."
"Actually, you can't measure the speed of speech in miles. You'd rather say-"
"Reid!"
"Right, sorry. I'm done now." Reid smirked as he took another sip of coffee as Morgan did the same. He enjoyed his morning conversations with Derek. The two were the most unlikely of friends, being polar opposites. They were basically brothers though, and Morgan had taken Reid under his wing after he warmed up to him when Spencer first joined the BAU. Not to say that everyone kind of took Spencer in as a baby brother. He was the baby of the team as they often reminded him. Most of the time he didn't mind. He knew that they understood Spencer was capable of taking care of himself, but for some reason they liked to baby him. It wasn't all that bad for a majority of the time. It came with it's perks.
"Hotch wants everyone in the round table room." JJ's voice came from the doorway. Reid and Morgan turned to look at her, but she was already turning and leaving, her blonde hair cascading down her back. Spencer sighed and looked down at his coffee. How he'd love one quiet morning in the BAU to just do something relaxing... like paperwork, even if the others didn't like the idea of paper work all too much.
"You think it's another case?" Morgan asked, looking over at reid. Spencer frowned up at Derek.
"You're guess is as good as mine. We just got back from one late last night, though."
Morgan took another swig of coffee and then started out the door, Spencer following behind.
"This job never sleeps." was Morgan's answer. They made their way past the bullpen where people were mindlessly working in their desk cubicles, not minding them as they passed. The two agents walked into the room to something they weren't expecting, especially Spencer. He felt like he was hit with a wall and he couldn't help his eyes as they widened beyond normal. The very same girl from the cafe was standing on the far side of the room, nervously tapping her foot and biting her lip. She seemed distracted by her thoughts, so she didn't see Spencer thankfully. He quickly sat down and tried to hide his face with his folders.
"Why do you look so nervous?" Morgan asked, making Reid jump. He smirked at Spencer's discomfort. Reid just shook his head quickly to tell him to shut up. He decided it safe to spare another glance at the girl. She was just as he remembered her. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders and her eyes didn't lose a bit of their effect that they had had on him earlier. One would expect gray eyes to be cold and uninviting, but hers were everything but. They were soft but determined, unsure but strong. Spencer could see a lot of history behind them, history that he craved to uncover. He couldn't help but stare as more of his team members walked in and seated themselves, gratefully not bothering Spence.
Why was she here? He'd never seen her around the BAU before, so why now?
Reid watched as Hotch walked in and approached the woman with a firm hand shake. She instantly tried to cover up her nerves as she smiled confidently. Spencer was impressed with how quickly she could cover up her demeanor. They were in a room full of profilers however. The others might not have cared to notice, but Spencer did. He cared. But why did he? He didn't understand why she felt so different to him. Spencer tried to stop staring but he just couldn't. He wished he could somehow make her feel less nervous.
"Everyone." Aaron spoke up, quieting any side conversations. The team instatnly quieted down and turned to Hotch eagerly. It seemed they were all wondering the same thing as Spencer was.
It was then when the mystery girl looked up making eye contact with Spencer who was still observing her. Her eyes went wide with surprise for a moment beofre Reid hurriedly looked away.
'Stupid' he thought to himself. Why didn't he just wave or at least smile? Something about her made him different. Usually he'd be confident at work with girls, just considering them co-workers and nothing more. But this was so different, he was sure of it.
"This is Evelyn Lawson. She's going to be JJs intern and a temporary member to this team. Please make her feel welcome. I know how some of you can come off as at first." Hotch added, specifically looking to Rossi who threw his hands up in defense.
Spencer felt excitement rush through his body, but instantly pushed it back down. He couldn't do this... it was naive to even think of her that way when he barely new her at all. Besides, why would she ever like him back?
"Miss Lawson, this is SSA David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, and Dr. Spencer Reid." Hotch introduced the team sitting around the table, each one nodding or smiling as they were introduced. Spencer couldn't help but notice that she kept glancing at him... or was he just imagining it?
"Nice to see you again, Dr. Reid." Evelyn said as Spencer was introduced. He nodded and gave her a small smile.
"Just Reid... or Spencer. If you'd like, that is." he said all too quickly. Morgan chuckled besides him and Spencer kicked his shin under the table. Derek grunted an "ow" but continued to smile in mockery. Yes, Derek was like a brother. That didn't just come with perks however.
"You two know eachother?" Hotch asked, looking from Spencer to Evelyn with a look of confusion.
"Um... Yeah, he saved my coffee earlier this morning." she said, while smiling at him with the same shy and unsure smile he loved.
'No. get yourself together, Spence' he scolded himself.
"Well, yeah. After I nearly killed it." he added. He hadn't meant this to be funny, but she seemed to think it was as she surpressed a laugh. Hotch raised his eyebrows at the way they were smiling at eachother across the room, making Spencer snap out of it. He watched Hotch smirk in the corner of his eye. Why were him and Morgan seeming to have a secret understanding of what Spencer was thinking? There wasn't anything going on between him and the new girl.
"Alright. Well then we'll put Miss Lawson's desk across from yours, Reid. you think you can help her move in?" Hotch proposed. Spencer knew that look. He was trying not to smile and keep his normal serious expression. Reid wasn't fooled. He knew exactly why he put Evelyn next to is desk. Reid played along and shyly nodded. He acted intrigued in his folders so that they wouldn't see how uncomfortable he was.
"How long will Miss Lawson be with us?" Rossi spoke up from the head of the table. Everyone turned to Hotch expectantly.
"Miss Lawson?" Aaron cued her to explain. She stepped forward hesitantly, but looked strong at the same time. Sure it was apparent that she was nervous, but she kept confident as well and created a sense that made you want to hear what she had to say.
"Well if you'd like, you can call me Evie." she started. Evie... Spencer liked it. "I'll be here for about nine months or until I'm assigned elsewhere. I'm helping with only the communication aspect for now, but hope to move onto learning a bit about profiling." she finished.
"This will be great. I could use an extra hand these days." JJ spoke up as she smiled sweetly at her. That's one of the main reason Spencer loved Jayge so much. No matter the person or the situation, JJ was welcoming and friendly. She was like the team's rock in a way and always kept them on their feet. Spencer watched some of the tension fall away from Evie. Another example of what JJ could do.
"Alright. Well that's all. I'm sure we'll get a new case soon." Hotch concluded. Everyone stood and exited the room either giving a smile or a handshake to the new intern on the way out. Of course Spencer was last and was left alone in the room with her. He realized the situation he was in and tried to remember to keep calm and casual. He couldn't let anyone know how nervous she made him, in a good way.
"I'll show you to your desk." Spencer said, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder and collecting his papers without lookingup. When he turned to walk out the door, he nearly ran itno Evie who was standing closer than he though.
"Sorry, sorry! I keep doing that!" she apologized frantically. He laughed which made her look at him with a lost look.
"What?" she asked tentively, as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.
"Don't be so nervous. You'll fit in fine here. They may seem intimidating at first, but they're all great people." Spencer reassured her as they glanced at the team out of the window in the room. She nodded and then turned back to Spencer.
"How'd you know that I was so nervous? I thought I was covering it up..."
"Oh you did, but we all study human behavioiur. you can't really hide much around here." Spencer explained before he gestured to the door and together they walked out.
She only had a few boxes to unpack, but Spencer helped her anyway, and then went back to his desk not even five feet away.
"So..." Evie said while looking down at the papers on her desk. Spencer turned to her and raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.
"Dr. Spencer Reid..." she said, emphasizing doctor. "That must mean you're pretty smart, huh?"
Spencer shrugged.
"2 BAs, 3 PhDs, eidetic memory, I can read 20,000 words a minute and have an IQ of-"
"187." every one of the other BAU agents interupted in unison from their desks as if it was out of habit. Spencer shot them a dirty look, then turned back to Evie who smiled.
"Wow. Pretty impressive. 20,000 words a minute." she recited more to herself. "You must read a lot."
"Don't even get him started." JJ appeared next to Spencer's desk. she handed Evie a stack of papers and gave her an apologetic look. "Hotch wants you to go through these to debrief you on how we kind of work things around here." JJ explained as Evie looked through the papers.
"Oh, um... I think I went through them all last night." Evie saaid while flipping through the last of them and skimming over the information. Jennifer looked surprised and impressed as Evie nodded and shuffled the papers in line. "Yep, done." she said proudly. Spencer couldn't help but smile. He liked when she let her nerves go. She seemed happier that way.
Evelyn handed the papers back to JJ.
"Wow, you're great Evie. I'm glad you're helping me." JJ said, taking the papers back.
"Oh, and by the way, everyone around here calls me JJ." she told Evelyn. Evie nodded and whispered JJ's name under her breath like she was trying it out. Spencer watched her do so, thinking it was completely adorable.
"Or Jayge." Spencer added, looking up at JJ smiling. She smiled back and touseled his hair before walking away, making him grin wider and roll his eyes playfully. Spencer ran his hand through his hair to straighten it out when he noticed Evie intently watching him do so out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over at her making her quickly look down. Spencer smiled at this and got back to his work. He felt like this was going to be the beginning of something great.