Set after 7x02 "Proof."


Reid wasn't too enthusiastic about attending Rossi's cooking lesson. He was not exactly in the mood to socialize with the rest of the team. In the end, his stomach and a vague sense of duty brought him there. That, and a chance to see Emily off-duty, which he couldn't resist despite how mad he still was at her. He was late, but apparently still in time for the first toast.

Rossi raised his glass. "We're gonna do this all together, just like . . . a family." They clinked their glasses and drank. Spencer smiled at everyone, but inside Rossi's statement re-lit his seething anger.

What a joke. What kind of family would have lied to each other like this? And we're just going to act like it's all behind us already? Well then, I can pretend too. I'll pretend that everything's fine. I'll pretend that the woman I've loved for years didn't lie to me about being dead. I'll forget that the people I trusted most in the world didn't lie to me too. I'll pretend that I can stand seeing her alive again, having her with us again, without getting to touch her the way I need to, to feel that she's really back. I'll pretend it's ok that she'll still never feel about me the way I feel about her. I'll pretend that it's ok that I'm just one of six friends she mourned, knowing that we were alive, when my heart was breaking every day and it's breaking every day still.

As the evening progressed Emily watched Reid carefully. He smiled, he joked, he seemed to be having as good a time as everyone else. But she noticed that when he thought no one was looking the smile faded fast. And there was a hard edge to his voice sometimes, despite his efforts to disguise it.

They had finished the main course and were relaxing before Rossi's dessert lesson when she noticed that Reid had disappeared. She went out the front door, hoping he hadn't left. She found him beside his car, leaning his upper body forward against it as he kicked hard against a tire.

"Reid! Are you alright?"

She saw him sag before pulling himself up and turning to face her. "Does it look like I'm alright?"

"Well, no it doesn't. Is there anything I can do?"

You can let me hold you and kiss you and prove to myself that you're really alive, and make you promise, PROMISE to never leave again . . . but since you're not going to do that . . . "No. I don't think so."

"Can you come in then? I bet we wouldn't want to miss the tiramisu."

"Right." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Of all the things we could miss, who cares about a stupid dessert? I've had enough of this for one night. "We wouldn't want to miss that." He turned and got into his car, starting it up and backing out so quickly that Emily had to scramble to get out of the way. He peeled out of Rossi's driveway, faster than Emily had ever seen him drive before.

She was surprised, but also mad. After everything she'd been through, was it all to get run over by the man she'd missed the most? The one she'd hoped to build something new with, now that there was nothing to run away from anymore? She climbed into her own car and sped off after him.