Disclosure
Reid sighed as he twisted back and forth on the rolling chair at his desk. The team had just gotten back from a case, and was spending the day doing paperwork. Reid had already finished his paperwork, being the genius that he was, and was tremendously 'd offered to help Morgan, who was slightly behind, with his paperwork but had been declined. Morgan was trying to prove to Reid that he could finish his paperwork before Emily, something that Reid seriously doubted.
He found himself watching Emily as she scribbled away on a page of paper, across the table from him. She had recently returned to the BAU after spending a few months living undercover in Paris, hiding from a man named Ian Doyle. He couldn't help but admire the way her charcoal colored hair draped over the page as she tilted her head forward, trying to read something in fine print.
She was wearing a dark grey tee shirt that contrasted beautifully with the smooth alabaster that was her skin. It was a fitted V-neck, and at times slipped rather low down her upper chest. Reid was watching her hands fly across the page, and something caught his eye.
On her upper chest was an upraised mark. It was red, like a brand that was healing into a scar. He was sure Emily had her fair share of scars, but this one caught Reid's eye because he had seen it before. It was the same mark that he'd drawn for the team before Emily had died. It was Ian Doyle's mark. Reid gasped aloud but covered it by coughing. Emily glanced up briefly but looked back down at her stack of papers. She leaned back in her seat, and her shirt shifted to cover the clover mark once again.
Finally, the office clock ticked to 7:00. People began standing up and gathering their belongings, ready to head home after a busy day. Emily began scribbling faster and faster, trying to finish her reports before she was the only one left in the office.
"This is what I get for zoning out half the afternoon," she told herself wearily.
"Need some help with that?" Emily heard Reid's voice ask from across the desk.
"Yes, thanks," she responded gratefully, handing him half the stack. Reid cleared his throat.
"You know, Morgan had a bet with me that he would be able to finish his paperwork before you. Usually you're one of the first to finish, are you ok?" He wanted to ask her if she was ok for a different reason, but didn't quite know how. She probably wouldn't appreciate the intrusion on her personal life.
Emily sighed. "Yeah, I guess I was just distracted… and tired. I've been trying to keep my eyes open the whole day." She glanced up and realized that the office was almost completely empty. Only Strauss was still there. "Wow, I guess everyone's in a hurry to get home today. Usually Hotch is still here when I leave."
"It must be the holiday season," Reid responded. He wondered if Emily ever noticed when he left.
"I'm sorry to keep you here like this," Emily apologized. "Honestly, I'd rather be here than my apartment," said Reid. "It seems like I'm the only person who goes home to an empty apartment every day."
"Don't forget about me," Emily said lightly. "But I guess Sergio counts as a living thing." Reid smiled at the thought of the furry black kitten that resided in Emily's house. It was a playful, cuddly little thing.
"Maybe I should get a kitten," he thought. He was about to voice the thought when Emily said,
"Well, that's my last review. Finally." Truthfully, Emily hadn't minded staying late and talking to Reid. He was one of the people she loved to talk to most, and lately she'd felt shut out by him. He had been mad at her for lying to the team about her death, but Emily thought he'd finally begun to forgive her.
The two stood and slung their bags over the shoulders. At least, Emily slung her bag over her shoulder, while Reid merely lifted his. They walked towards the elevator and rode down to the ground level in silence. The elevator doors dinged open, and the stepped out into the evening air.
Reid brushed his hand against hers as she turned away to walk to her car. She hesitated and looked back at him. Something in his brown eyes broke her heart, and she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Reid stood there frozen for a second, but relaxed and wrapped his arms around her lower back. He could feel her head resting lightly on his shoulder, and he buried his nose in her hair. Too soon, the hug was over and the smiled at each other, then walked away to their cars. Emily watched as Reid's car peeled away, and was filled with a deep, longing sadness. She didn't know why, but she'd begun to feel like the gentle, geeky genius was someone who she could spend her life with.