Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. They are property of Jeff Davis and CBS. I just like to use them. SSA Adrienne Eliso I do own, though please don't steal her. Enjoy! Please leave feedback
Manhattan Transfer
1. Here I Stand
It was 8:05 am. He was late. He knew he was late. The whole team knew he would be late. He had to take Jack to the doctor for his yearly check-up, but when the elevator door opened and he walked into the BAU his whole team was hovered by his office.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"That beautiful young lady came in about 15-20 minutes ago with Strauss. They we were looking for you. Strauss said she's your new transfer." answered Derek Morgan.
Aaron Hotchner walked into his office. The agent stood up to meet him and hand him here transfer papers. "Agent Aaron Hotchner, I'm your unit leader," he finally looked at her, and the words stopped. He couldn't believe that she was actually standing before him. "Agent Eliso," was all that managed to come from his mouth. He was in shock and disbelief. Was this another one of Strauss' tactics? He thought.
"Hotch, you seemed surprised." She said.
"Surprised?"
"Yes, Hotch, surprised. I had that same look on my face when I found out I was coming here."
"You didn't ask to be transferred?"
"No."
Well at least she isn't one of Strauss' spies. He thought.
She handed him the papers. They both sat. He looked over her papers, then looked up at her. "Welcome to back to Quantico and the BAU, Adrienne. Morning meeting is in 10 minutes. You will be formally introduced to the rest of the team.
"It's good too see you, Hotch. You always were my favorite teacher."
"Adrienne, stop."
Outside Hotch's office, the rest of the team gathered for the morning meeting.
"Is that who I think it is?" Spencer Reid asked Derek Morgan.
"You know her?" Morgan answered.
"'Know' isn't quite the word I would use."
Hotch emerged from his office with Agent Eliso following. "Everybody's here. Let's begin. First off, I would like to introduce the team to our new member, Agent Eliso. She joins us out of the Organized Crime division. I believe some of you have worked with her before. Please welcome her. Next on our list, JJ, anything for us?"
"Nothing as of yet, Hotch, but you know how it is around here." JJ said.
"Well then I guess this meeting is adjourned. Show Agent Eliso around while try to get her a desk."
Reid made his way around the table to get to her. "Adrienne.."
"Spencer!" She hugged him. Her embrace was just the way he remembered it. Warm. Inviting. He put his arms around her. Her perfume smelled just the way he remembered it. Even after six years, he didn't want to let her go.
"How are you?" he asked, still in shock to see her.
"I've been okay. Be better if I had some time to figure all this out."
"All this?"
"I was told a week ago I was being transferred. I found out three days ago, that I was coming here. That night I finished backing all of my things, gave the keys to my landlord and drove off."
"Do you have someplace to stay?"
"Right now, I'm staying about twenty minutes away at the Holiday Inn, but--"
"Stay at my place. It's better than a hotel room, and it's free."
"Spencer, I couldn't. It would be--"
"Adrienne, it's fine. It wouldn't be odd. Besides, it's just me. I have an extra bedroom So it's not like we'd be sleeping together--"
"But, what if I wanted to sleep together?" she quipped
Reid blushed. "I uh..um…I think that could be arranged."
"Spencer Reid, you haven't changed a bit." And she turned to walk away. Even after six years, it still hurt to walk away from him, even if it was only five feet.
She saw Agent Dave Rossi approaching her. She forced a smile. He was her mentor, the one that pushed to her to the limits, the one that said she could be the best.
"Am I really standing in the presence of THE 'Sniper Fox', the FBI's most beautiful, talented, and, in some cases, dangerous mind," he said, smiling and embracing her.
"Agent Rossi, please, you are way to kind. It's flattering, but I wouldn't say I'm all that."
"Please, Adrienne, you are the best student I ever had. I always knew you would become one of the FBI's top profilers. I was quite surprised when they sent you to New York instead of keeping you here."
"I wasn't. Hotch was right to keep Spencer and not me. I didn't think so at first, but I realized it later he was right. Spencer was more carefully, more cautious, and less likely to diving head first into the fire. Where as I would have thrown caution to wind."
"Which is why you are the agent that you are. You'd do anything to solve a case, save a victim, or catch a criminal. It's what makes you a good agent and he knew that."
"If that was the case I probably wouldn't be standing here," she thought for a second. "Then again, I probably would. It was good talking to you Agent Rossi." She turned and began to walk away. She walked out into the area known as the "bullpen." She looked around. She had to adjust, had to stay here. Maybe Rossi was right, maybe she always did belong here.
"Hey"
She turned to see JJ standing behind her. "Oh, hi. Agent Jareau, right?"
"JJ is fine. Listen. They're moving you a desk in. Let me show you around, help you get used to things here."
"That… That would be great. Thanks, JJ." At that they turned and walked off.
2. The Only One
Derek Morgan sat as his desk across from Spencer Reid. "You said you never asked anybody out." He said to Reid.
"I didn't ask her out. She asked me out. We went to the bar with some other recruits one night. Everyone was up dancing, drinking, having a good time. She came over, sat down next to me and asked me out. And we we're never separated after that, until she left. Today was the first time I've seen her in six years."
"Wait the two of you broke up six years ago, and you still haven't gotten over it?" Morgan asked.
"I asked her to marry me. She said she wanted to say yes, but it was impossible. Then she told me she had been assigned to the field office in New York. I kept the ring in hopes that one day I would find someone who I loved and loved me as much as her, or she came back to me." Reid was staring off, watching Adrienne and JJ walk toward the door.
"Damn, Reid."
"Yeah I know. It's pretty pathetic. They say if you love something…"
"She came back though."
"So"
"Reid, are you that dense? Why are you not chasing after her? Why is JJ showing her around? Why are you just sitting there?"
Spencer Reid stared at Derek Morgan. "Wouldn't that look desperate?" he asked
"Sometimes, Reid, it's the only way to look."
He looked back over at Morgan. "I asked her to stay at my place until she finds one."
"That's a start. What did she say?"
"She said," Reid stared at the floor, "She said it would be weird. But I told would be separate bedrooms so it wouldn't be anything but she stopped me in the middle of explaining and basically said she wanted to… sleep with me."
"That's a good thing, Reid. She's flirting with you, and if that's where things go than good for you." He gave Reid a nudge and smiled.
"Morgan, I'm a virgin."
"The two of you never..."
"No."
"Man, you're whipped." Reid stared at him puzzled. Morgan shook his head, "It means you can't get over her." He paused. The two of them sat there for a moment. "Reid!" Spencer looked over at him, "Why are you still sitting here?" Morgan asked.
With that, Spencer Reid finally got the message. If it it comes back it's yours. And down the hallway he ran.
3. It Happened One Night
Aaron Hotchner had procured his newly acquired agent a desk. He had it moved in by Prentiss and JJ's. He watched the men put it down, he gave them his thanks, and then stood there and stared at it.
"It's a desk, Hotch." Emily stated.
"It's her desk."
"Hotch, what is your issue with her? Rossi said she's excellent. He questions why you let her get away in the first place."
"I didn't let her get away. I'm the one that sent her to New York. I had to."
"You had to?"
"I had no choice. If I didn't, I might have lost everything, and probably wouldn't have Jack. She wouldn't have even had a chance."
"Hotch, are you saying you…"
"No, but it was implied. She kissed me. I took to the range to help her with her qualification for the next day. She did it out of impulse. She was so excited that she could qualify absolutely perfect she just turned around and grabbed me and hugged me and then she kissed me."
"So you sent her off to New York?"
"I couldn't risk my family, my job, or hurting her."
"But you just said-"
"I didn't realize it was impulse until much later. I always treated her better than the rest of the recruits. She was better than the rest of the recruits. If I would have known then that it was an impulsive mistake. I would have kept her and Reid. They were good for each other."
"Wait, her and Reid?"
Hotch looked over at Reid, who was heading down the hallway.
"He was miserable for awhile. He had no idea that I was the one made him that miserable."
"Hotch, you may have made him miserable, but whatever you did after that, you turned him into a good agent."
"That wasn't me. That was Gideon."
4. Yes
Reid turned the corner to see Adrienne and JJ talking and laughing about something. He walked up along side Adrienne, "You always did make friends quickly." It made her grin. It was the grin the she only gave him.
"Hey, Spence," said JJ
"Do you mind if I join you two ladies in this tour?"
"Don't mind at all," replied JJ.
The three of them walked. He could have done this all day, just walking and talking to Adrienne. Just to know that she would stay by him.
"Adrienne, listen, even if you don't want to stay, can I at least take you to dinner?" he asked. JJ looked over in shock. She couldn't believe it. It was the first time, that she knew of, that Spencer Reid ever asked anyone out on a date, except her, but even then that was Gideon's doing.
Adrienne looked over. "Spencer Reid, did you just ask me out?"
"Uh… Yes…"
"Yes. Yes, you can take me to dinner, and yes, I'll stay." Adrienne smiled at him.
The trio started walking again, and Spencer Reid felt as if he was walking on air. She said yes.
The three returned to the BAU. "Oh hey, looks like you got desk," JJ said to Adrienne and the two of them walked in that direction.
Reid sat at his desk across from Morgan's. Morgan looked up and saw the grin on Reid's face. "I'm guessing you succeeded," He said.
"Oh yeah. We're going to dinner, and she said she'd stay."
"Reid got game."
"Only a little." Only one thing was running through Reid's mind, she said yes.
"Reid."
Spencer looked over.
"I don't think I've ever seen you this happy in over six years."
"I don't think I have been."
A few hours later, Adrienne walked over to Reid desk
"Spencer," Reid looked up at her. "I have to go pick up my things. I'll meet you at your place say 7?"
"Um… yeah. Seven would be great."
"Great. So I'll see you then."
"Yeah, yeah." He fumbled with his folders, trying to stick them in his messenger bag, as he watched Adrienne walk down the hall and out the pane glass doors of the BAU.
"Reid," he looked over at Morgan, "How the hell did you manage to land 'Sniper Fox'?"
"She wasn't 'Sniper Fox' then, and I still don't know. Like I said before, she asked me."
"You are one lucky son of bitch, Reid. You know that, there are guys that would give their left testicle for her, and somehow you managed to get her."
The two of them started walking toward the doors.
"What's the matter, Morgan? Jealous?"
"Just a little."
They pushed the double doors open and walked towards the elevator.
5. Want
Reid walked into his townhouse. He started straightening things up. It was 6:15 already. He had stopped to buy a few things, and decided that he would have dinner brought in for the two of them. Hopefully the delivery guy made it here before she did.
He cleaned up, took a quick shower, and changed. He stood in front of his bureau for long time for he picked up a small box sitting off to one side and opened it up. It sat in that same spot for the last six years. That damned ring. Did she still love him enough? Just then the doorbell rang. He closed the box and put it back in the spot he got it from.
He walked out to the front door, opened his wallet paid the delivery kid, took the bag and went back inside. He gazed at the clock, 6:50. He put the bag down on the kitchen counter. He started to go through it. He had gotten all of their favorites from Little Tokyo. She always did love their sushi. If it wasn't for her, he probably wouldn't have ever tried it.
Adrienne Eliso pulled up outside the townhouse. She checked to make sure she was at the right address. She had never been this nervous in her life. She put the car in park, turned it off, and took one long, deep breath. He couldn't possibly still be in love with me, she thought. She stepped out of her car and went around to get her luggage out of the back seat. He has to know about everything that's happened. I mean he's, well, he's...him. She looked down at her watch, 7:01. Fashionably late. She smirked, picked her luggage up off the back seat, kicked the car door shut, and walked up the steps.
The doorbell rang. Go open the door you idiot. SpencerReid walked out from the kitchen to his front door. Just open it. Standing on the other side was the woman he once dreamed of spending the rest of his life with.
"Hi." She said.
"Hi." He looked at her for a moment. The two of them stared at each other. "Come in, set your things down where ever for now."
She walked inside. The place was neat and spotless. But, what did she expect from Dr. Spencer Reid, boy genius? "It's nice, Spencer. It's better than the organized mess I kept in the City, by far. Who helped you decorate?"
"JJ"
"She did excellent."
"Hey, instead of going out, I ordered in for us. I figure after the last few days you might just want to sit down, and take a breather."
She was sniffing the air. "Is that…"
"Little Tokyo"
"Over six years, and you still remembered?"
"How could I ever forget?" It was our first date, and our last.
She saw the look on his face. She knew exactly what just played through his head. "Spencer, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Adrienne, that wasn't in your control. Don't be sorry about anything. Just sit and eat sushi with me. Please?"
She smiled at him. "Ok."
The two of them sat in the living room on the floor and ate off the coffee table.
"Adrienne," She looked across the table at him. "Last time, when the team was in New York, I heard you were getting married.
"It never happened. It's part of the reason I got transferred."
"You got transferred because you were getting married?"
"I got transferred because I found out my soon to be husband wasn't who I thought he was."
"What do you mean?"
"He was involved in the mafia. I found out six weeks before my wedding. I was undercover. He came to meet with his "boss" and blew my cover. I shot him. The boss got busted. My supervisor feared for my safety. He wouldn't transfer me to another division up there, since my cover was blown, so, my supervisor made the call to the one place he knew I'd be safe. He talked to Strauss and told her that he owed Hotch an agent. She agreed and told Hotch to make room for one more. She failed to mention to him that I was his transfer. In all honesty, I'm glad it all happened. I realized that I really didn't love him. I don't think I ever did."
Tears started streaming down her face. Spencer walked around the table sat down next to her and held her. She turned into him, looked up and cradled his face in her hands. He reached up and moved the strand of hair that was in her face and tucked it behind her ear. He ran his hand down the side of her face and stopped and cradled hers too. The two of the sat like that for a moment. Then she leaned up and kissed him intensely. He welcomed her and returned it. She pushed him flat on his back on the floor. She fell with him. This is so wrong, she thought, but she didn't care, it felt right. It had been over six years since they shared a moment like this. He put his hand behind her head and they rolled over. They stopped for a moment and looked at each other. They saw the same look in each other's eyes. Want. She pulled him back down to her and kissed him again.
He ran his hand down her body as she unbuttoned his shirt. He moved his hand over her stomach and started playing with the buttons on her blouse. She gave him that mischievous smirk that she only gave him, and then he felt her grab at his belt. He stood the two of them up, threw off his shirt, and pushed her blouse off her. He cradled her face and began to kiss her again, and led her to the bedroom.
That night, he just laid there, and held her, and watched her sleep. The one person he could see himself spending the rest of his life with opened up to him in a way she never did, and he to her. This is what real love felt like. This is what Hotch felt for Haley. This what everyone dreams of. This was normal. For once, something was normal. He reached up and moved her hair out of her face. She was sleeping. She was beautiful; Morgan was right, and she chose to be with him. Why, he'll never know, or care, just that she did, and he was thankful. Thankful, to whatever deity, that he had her. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then wrapped his arm back around her, and closed his eyes. What he would dream about was a mystery,
6. Cheap and Evil
The alarm clock went off. She rolled over and shut it off, and rolled back over. She saw him laying next to her. Oh God, what did I do? She thought. She got out of bed and ran across the room and into the bathroom and shut the door. She turned the light and on and stood in front of the mirror. She looked at her own face and started sobbing. How could I do something so stupid, she thought. How could I just take advantage of him like that? She backed up against the wall and slumped down it until her butt hit the floor, and sobbed uncontrollably. She felt dirty, and cheap, and evil. "Why?" she sobbed.
He woke up and realized she was no longer next to him. His bathroom door was shut and he could hear her crying on the other side. "Why?" he heard her ask. He cracked open the door. "Adrienne?" he asked. She was hunched up on the floor, naked, and sobbing. He opened the door and bent down and stood her up. "Adrienne. It's okay."
"No. It's not. Nothing about that was okay. I took advantage of you just because you were there."
"Took advantage of me? Adrienne, it's not like you forced me."
"Then why do I feel so dirty, and cheap, and evil?"
"Because it was fun." He smirked at her.
"Spencer Reid, when did you become such a bad little boy?" she purred.
"I don't know. Probably last night. I mean I did manage to hook the FBI's one and only 'Sniper Fox'."
"You managed to do that six years ago." She leaned in and began to kiss him. He pulled away.
"I would love to start this again, but it's almost 6:30 and we need to be there by 7."
She ran her hand down the side of his face and walked out of the bathroom. She walked through the bedroom and on her way out the door she glanced down at his bureau. There, in the corner sat a little square box. I can't believe he kept it, she thought. She shook her head and proceeded out of the room to gather her clothes.
7. Afterglow
The elevator doors opened. Out stepped Spencer Reid, a million thoughts running through his head. It had taken him no more than 10 minutes to get ready this morning, but with in that 10 minutes she had already left. He opened the double glass to the BAU and saw her, across the room, sitting at her desk, making herself look busy. He walked to his desk, and set his bag down. He sat down in his chair, and turned to the pile of files.
"So… How did it go last night?"
Reid looked up and saw Morgan sitting across from him.
"It…" He looked over at her. "It was….okay."
"Just 'okay?' Reid, you get a girl like that and everything's 'just okay.' C'mon, what happened?'
"I don't wanna talk about it. That's personal and private. I don't ask you about every girl you take home, do I?"
"No, you don't." Morgan looked over at Adrienne. "So, if there's nothing going on between you two, I can ask her out then."
"I don't think you're her type," quipped Reid.
"So there is something going on between you two."
"Is not!" Reid shot back
"You two boys ain't fighting over li'l ol' me, now are ya?" came from a southern drawl
They looked up and saw Adrienne standing in front of the two of them. "Ya'll better start playing nice. There's enough sugar for both of yuns but ya'll ain't gittin' any if ya keep actin' a fool."
Morgan laughed, "Yes, ma'am. I dint mean nuttin'. I was just playin' with the boy. Please don't whip me Miss Adrienne." He said in his attempt at a southern accent.
Reid bowed is head, embarrassed. Adrienne smiled, looked down at Reid and ruffled his hair. She looked back at Morgan
"He's not a very good liar, is he?" she asked. Then, she smiled and began walking to her desk. She stopped half way turned around and looked at Morgan, "By the way, it still isn't your business. And I would like to go out sometime, as friends." Then she turned back and walked to her desk.
As Morgan sat down, Spencer looked over at him and said, "See, I told you, you just aren't her type."
Adrienne sat down at her desk.
"Was that about, what a think it was about?" asked Emily.
"Well, I guess that all depends on what you're thinking about." Adrienne said with a smile.
Hotch stormed out of his office. "Conference room. JJ's got a new case for us," he said as he stormed passed the bullpen.
The team got up
"Hey, girly girl, you ready?" Morgan quipped.
"Girly girl?! You better stick to "ma'am" your cute little pet names don't work on me, and believe me, sweetheart, I was born ready." She turned and began walking away. She called back. "Quit looking at my ass. It doesn't belong to you."
Reid walked up next to Morgan. "Denied, again. You know, Mick Jagger once said you can't always get what you want." Reid smiled at Derek and walked into the conference room for the briefing.
END
