On the plane to NY.
"Alright guys we are headed to the office of the White Collar Crime Unit when we touch down. That'll be our head of operations for this case." J.J.'s statement was met without verbal reactions from the whole team, all but one member, Spencer Reid.
"Why there?" He asked with a squeak. Everyone looked at him funny except Morgan who was sleeping with his headphones on.
"The latest body was found in a museum that was broken into. Since that is their jurisdiction we will be working a joint investigation with them."
"Oh, okay then."
"Right. When we get to NY me, JJ, and Morgan will head to the WCCU. Rossi, I need you, Reid, and Emily to head to the crime scene they found this morning. They should have an agent there waiting." Rossi nodded from his window seat before looking back at the file he was reading. Reid tried to calm down as everyone separated and began doing their own thing. He leaned back in his seat by a sleeping Morgan and tried to focus on his music.
When the three special agents pulled up to the newest crime scene they saw it was an Art Museum that took up two blocks. Reid glanced up at the sign above the double doors and couldn't help the thought, 'I bet Neal lives this place'. He cringed at the memory flood that followed and entered the building. Inside two me were waiting for them. One was wearing a cheap suit that practically screamed fed and the other was obviously, well to Reid, wearing a Devore.
"Hello, I'm SSA David Rossi. This is SSA Emily Prentiss and Doctor Spencer Reid." The older looking man of the duo stepped up to shake Rossi's hand as he introduced him and his companion.
"Hi, I'm special agent in charge Peter Burke and this is Neal Caffrey. He consults for the bureau." Rossi offered his hand to Neal but he was staring at Spencer who was staring right back. The other agents stared at their respective men before Spencer cleared his throat. Stepping forward to stand beside Rossi he offered his hand to Neal, his dace devoid of all emotion.
"Mr Caffrey, I can't help but be impressed at the things I've heard about you. Only since you've worked with the White Collar unit of course." Spencer's statement seemed to be just the thing to know Neal back into reality. He grabbed the offered hand and shook it once before letting it go and stepping back. Burke spared him a glance before turning back to the visiting agents.
"Okay then, if you'll follow me the latest murder took place over here. The victim was twenty-five year old Amelia Jenkins. She was found posed like one of the five statues stolen. We checked missing persons and she was reported missing a week ago in the Hampton's just like the others." After walking the crime scene for an hour the agents decided to head back to the White Collar office. On the way there Burke decided to get some answers from his CI.
"So what was that about Neal?" The former con artist looked at his FBI friend.
"Nothing Peter, just thought he was someone else." Peter glanced over at the man in his passenger seat to notice he was staring out the window. Knowing he wouldn't get anything else out of the man Burke just sighed and focused back on the road.
In the other FBI issued car a different person was being questioned for the same reason.
"What was that about Reid?"
"What was what about Emily?"
"You know what she's talking about Reid." Spencer looked at his coworkers in the front seat.
"I honestly don't know." Emily looked back at the youngest member of the BAU who was sitting in the backseat staring out the window like the outside world had the answers he needed.
"Was he the reason you were nervous on the ride here?"
"Not exactly." Reid's short answers told the other two profilers that they wouldn't get anymore out of him. Focusing back on the road Rossi silently decided to question Reid again when Morgan was around to get him to talk.
Back in the Office
Everyone is there
After about a ten minute ride the agents returned to the office where their other half's had been getting acquainted. When they walked in the visiting agents followed their counter parts up the stairs and into the conference room where the rest of their teams were waiting. As soon as he entered Burke approached Hotchner and introduced himself and Neal. Hotchner then introduced the rest of his team.
"Hello I'm SSA agent Aaron Hotchner, this is the rest of my team SSA Derek Morgan and SSA Jennifer Jareau." While they were doing this a young, dark skinned man approached Emily, Rossi, and Reid.
"Hi, I'm Special Agent Clinton Jones and this'd is Special Agent Diana Berrigan. Burke likes to forget about us so I thought I would go ahead and introduce us." Emily smiled at the man and shook his hand.
"I'm Emily Prentiss and this is David Rossi and Dr Spencer Reid." They all shook hands and then were called over by the rest of the group to discuss the case. Both teams then spent the rest of the afternoon and some of the evening going through every aspect of the case. They finally left the office near eleven o'clock that night with Burke driving Neal home and Jones leading the BAU to their hotel. Later that night one man was arguing with a old friend while another was being interrogated by people he considered family...
The hotel
"Come on Reid just tell us the truth!" Rossi and Prentiss had decided on a confrontation in Reid's room with Morgan as the questioner while the rest of the team looked on in amusement. This interrogation had been going on for ten minutes now and Reid's patience was waining. After another five minutes Morgan finally pulled out his secret weapon, puppy dog eyes. When Reid saw them he just fell on his bed with a groan. Sitting up to see Morgan's smirk Spencer sighed.
"He's someone from a past I don't want to talk about so please leave me alone." Spencer then unleashed his own puppy dog eyes that could rival a child's. This caused all five agents to cringed and finally give the genius his room. Not three miles away a argument on the same subject was going on between two friends. June's House Up in Neal's flat he and his friend Mozzie were in a deep discussion about the past.
"He just pretended he didn't know me Moz."
"Well, you did cut off all contact with him when you went to jail. Even if you had been chasing a girl you both consider to be a sister. You left him And didn't send him a single letter while in jail. I'm not sure there's anything we can do."
"There must be something. I miss waking up with him, listening to him talk about the book he just read, watching him speed through a chapter book in ten minutes. I miss him Moz." Mozzie looked at his friend who was practically falling apart.
"Then prove it to him Neal. Show him your sorry." Neal looked hopeful for a minute before crumbling again.
"But will he believe me?" Moz sighed before jumping out of character for a minute and joining Neal on the couch.
"He will if you mean it." With that Neal and Moz got to planning what they had to do for Neal to win back Spencer Reid. The next morning the team from the BAU walked into the conference room with Agent Burke to see it completely transformed. All around the room was pictures of Neal Cafferey and Spencer Reid. In some they were together and others looked like one man took a picture of the other. There wasn't a single picture where Neal or Spencer were sad, they were always smiling and happy. At the conference table sat Neal who had came on early to beg Peter to let him do this. Only the promise of a full explanation later let Neal and Mozzie, who was standing behind Neal, full reign of the room. When the BAU entered Neal stood up but didn't move whole Mozzie approached Spencer who was at the front of the group staring slack jawed at all the pictures.
"Hey Spence, long time no see." Turning to look at the short, bald man in front of him with tears in his eyes, Reid couldn't help but forget himself. He lunged forward and grabbed his old friend into a big hug.
"I missed you Moz."
"I did too man. So did a certain mutual friend of ours." Stepping back from each other Reid gave Moz a look before wiping away the few tears that had leaked out. Through this all the BAU and Burke looked on in mild interest.
"He left me Moz. Didn't even send a letter from prison."
Before Mozzie could say anything else Neal stepped forward and cleared his throat. Getting the clue Mozzie sent Reid a supportive smile before stepping back.
"I know I left you and I have no right doing this but I have no choice Spence. You think i had to track all these pictures down from forgotten boxes I had left at Moz's? No, until this morning these pictures had permanent residence on the ceiling above my bed. I fall asleep looking at you every night. Regretting everything I did to hurt you. I think about the what ifs at least twenty times an hour. I thought I would never get the chance to apologize in person but seeing you yesterday was the best thing that has happened since getting out." By now Neal and Spencer were standing face to face. Continuing his speech Neal grabbed Spencer's hand and looked into his eyes while whispering.
"I miss you Spence." Everyone in the room could see the struggle in Reid's eyes before a wall in his eyes no one had noticed was up began to crumble. With tears streaming down his face Spencer gripped Neal's hand tightly.
"I missed you too." The slightly shorter man smiled broadly before lifting his face just a little higher until his favorite genius' lips lightly brushed his own. Before it could get any deeper Burke cleared his throat. Jumping away from Neal but keeping ahold of his hand, Reid finally remembered where he was. Causing him to blush a very deep red. His team just smirked at him with looks in their eyes promising a very in depth interrogation later. Burke had a different look in his eyes though.
"I didn't take you for the romantic kind Neal." Without even glancing away from Spencer for a second Neal didn't miss a beat.
"I guess Spence brings out the best in me."