Pros: Cons:
Doctor Spencer Reid tapped his pencil against the notepad, feeling ridiculous and even somewhat guilty. It wasn't that decisiveness was a problem for him. On the contrary; once he had made up his mind on a subject, it was very difficult to sway him. However, all aspects of a question must be carefully considered for a conclusion to be reached, and Avery Mitchell was a complex and nuanced quandary indeed.
The past few weeks had unfurled in a mess of confusion. What had begun as a grisly but routine investigation into a series of murders took an unexpected turn when they implicated the last person on Earth Reid might have expected. Avery Mitchell had been a stranger to him, then (moreso than she was now); an affable, magnetic woman with whom he had happened to enjoy a silent the evening before.
Reid cringed to himself as he remembered how terrible Avery's interrogation had gone; how he had insisted on her implication, despite the profile and lack of evidence. The memory of her face, pale and horrified at the sight of the crime scene photos, was etched into his brain.
Pro: Forgiving.
It had taken a surprise late-night delivery of Chinese food and a sincere apology to convince her to speak to him. If Spencer were being honest, he was surprised that was all it took. He stifled a smile at the memory of Avery closing her gallery and leading him to her office, where they picnicked in desk chairs over sketches and paperwork.
Con: Likes grunge, punk revival
Spencer tapped the pencil tip against the paper, dissatisfied with his addition. It felt petty.
Pro: Likes Tom Waits, Marcel Mouloudji, Nouvelle Chanson
"Fair is fair." He thought, considering the extensive CD collection visible in Avery's office. He could appreciate her varied interests. In fact, he found it fascinating. For what seemed like the hundredth time, he replayed the evening in perfect clarity. Their conversation flowed easily and exuberantly, punctuated with laughter and threaded together by
Pro: her smile
Spencer was almost surprised to read the words back, written in his own hand. It hardly seemed like worth listing, but as the night replayed, it was a highlight he couldn't ignore. Like the way he smiled whenever she answered his calls, though the subject was hardly flirtatious.
Once again, he stifled a smile, his spirits falling as the reality of the situation set in.
Con: Involved in case.
"It's not exactly a deal breaker," he thought, remembering the handful of women he had met during cases. The difference between them and Avery was that distance had limited their relationships to little more than the occasional phone call.
Con: Involved in case.
He wrote again, counting it twice. Spencer tapped the tip of his pencil against the paper, feeling hollow, knowing the weight of the single con counted more than anything else he could write in the opposing column. Avery's direct connection to the case made things difficult, especially since they had met before it all started. Though young, the doctor was no longer a stranger to the nuances of courtroom politics and the ability of good defense attorneys to use unrelated circumstances to cast shadows of doubt on a charge. It was this knowledge that kept him from being anything other than professional in his phone calls to her since their evening together.
"Reid." Agent Dave Rossi's voice shook the doctor from his thoughts and he looked up.
"Yeah." He acknowledged his superior, slipping the pad of paper into his desk drawer.
"Working on something?" Rossi asked as he leaned against the corner of Reid's desk.
"Uh, no." Spencer answered, trying to lean back cavalierly as he cleared his throat.
Rossi nodded, knowing the young man was hiding something and choosing to overlook the fact.
"How was court?" Spencer asked, knowing Rossi followed cases closer than the other agents, going so far as to attend court dates whenever possible.
Rossi nodded. "Hannah plead guilty." He informed Reid. "On all charges. All that's left is sentencing."
Reid nodded, taking in the information.
"Avery was there." Dave mentioned, studying the man opposite him carefully, searching for a reaction. Reid, tellingly, gave none, remaining neutrally stoic.
"I thought you'd like to know." he continued casually, smirking slightly.
Reid shrugged casually, the pencil bobbing between his fingers. "Thanks."
The older agent nodded, standing and continuing across the bullpen, toward his office.
Spencer Reid watched him go, waiting til he disappeared into his office before moving. He leaned forward in his chair once again, reaching for the handle of his desk drawer. He paused, the revelation rolling around in his head. He chewed the inside of his lower lip, bouncing the pencil against the desk before dropping it, his other hand abandoning the desk drawer-pull as he reached for his cell phone.
He dialed the familiar number nervously.
"Hi."
Spencer caught himself smiling as Avery's voice answered the phone.
"Uh...hi." He composed himself. "It's, uh – it's me. Rossi said he saw you in court."
"Yeah." Avery responded. "Yeah, I was there."
"Yeah." Spencer replied, unsure what he was agreeing to. He took a breath, deciding first to address the professional questions he assumed she'd have. "So... now Bobby Hannah will await sentencing, and -"
"Spencer, do you want to have dinner?" Avery's voice nervously interrupted, knocking the agent off guard.
"Uh..." He opened his mouth, a dry chuckle catching in his throat.
"I'm sorry." Avery apologized awkwardly. Spencer imagined her, her face flushed, grinning in embarrassment. He grinned.
"I just... I didn't want to wait and hope you'd ask me." She explained. "I mean, when we met... at the theater... and I wanted you to ask for my number, and you didn't even ask my last name, and..." She trailed off, aware she had started to yammer.
"Don't be sorry." Spencer assured her. He slid the desk drawer open, ripping the page out of the notepad. Without bothering to look at it, he crumpled it, tossing it idly into the garbage bin beneath his desk. "I'd... I'd really love to have dinner with you."
