A/N: So, I got this idea on a whim, just thinking about how Reid never gets a girl, and I thought he should get a chance to be happy in the end. So, yeah. I wrote this. It gets interesting later on, don't worry. Right now, I'm just setting up the story.
Chapter One: Do You Catch Your Breath?
"Three women are dead, and the death rate is still rising," agent Rossi said, throwing three manila folders on to the folding table, pictures flying out of the edges. The pictures were gory, revealing women decapitated, and yet no signs of trauma, or any signs that they fought back.
"It's odd that they have no defensive wounds, like they either knew their attacker, or they were killed suddenly, precisely," Spencer Reid said, running his fingers through his almond colored hair, "They had to be dead by the first hit, or they would've fought back."
"They could have drugged them," Emily Prentiss said, taking a long sip of her coffee, "Maybe it was a date rape thing? He was trying to cover his tracks?"
"No signs of rape. That's the weird thing," Rossi said, scratching his forehead, confused. He didn't like not knowing what was going on, or feeling like he didn't have all of the answers. "What gets this guy off?"
"I don't know," agent Morgan said, getting up from his comfortable position in the chair and walking towards the door, "But I do know that the longer we sit around here waiting for an answer, more women are out there dying in his hands."
"All three women went missing after visiting a local coffee shop," JJ said, looking through the files Rossi threw onto the table. "Maybe we should start there."
"What was the place called?" Morgan said, grabbing a jacket from the hook in the corner. He was eager to catch this guy. He always had an issue with cases where young women were dying, and he especially had something wrong with the brutal decapitation of said women.
"Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf," JJ said, reading directly off the sheet, "On 42nd Street."
Rossi walked around to the opposite side of the table, sighed, then responded with, "Morgan, you and Reid go to this place, go inside, ask around, see if anyone's seen anything suspicious. We'll keep you updated if anything goes down here."
Reid got up and joined Morgan as they walked out the door.
SSIMV x SSIMV x SSIMV x SSIMV x SSIMV x SSIMV
Morgan and Reid pushed open the large glass door, leading into the coffee shop. It was small, quaint, even. The walls were decorated with copies of works by Monet and Picasso. Everything was ultra trendy, with bright colors everywhere you looked.
"God, just looking at this place is giving me a headache," Reid said, almost shielding his eyes from an imaginary glare.
"I can't say I disagree with you, buddy," Morgan said, taking the lead and walking towards the cashier. She was a tall girl, red hair that reached her shoulders, and a smirk on her face that said everything but she was happy to be there. "Excuse me; I'm agent Morgan, and this is my partner, agent Reid. We're investigating a series of murders of women that have all been abducted at this residence. Has anything odd happened recently?"
"Anything," Spencer said, butting in, "Little things, like someone staring a little bit too much at the women in here, or even just being annoying beyond normal behavior."
"Um, well two dudes came in here just a while ago, asking me stupid questions," the cashier said, as Reid's face lit up, only to have the smile fade when Morgan signaled that she was talking about them, "Seriously, I've only been working here two days. I don't know anything."
"Well, thanks for your help, anyway," Morgan said, equally as sarcastic.
Reid and Morgan turned around to head for the door, when Reid spoke up and said, "Wait, shouldn't we question a few people in here, just ask if they're regulars, or something. They'd probably know more than anyone else."
"Good job, kid," Morgan said, taking his advice, and heading towards a blonde sitting in the corner, staring out the window. Reid walked off into his own direction, taking interest in a petite brunette sitting around, staring into space. He took a seat next to her, in one of the awkward wicker chairs.
"What are you doing?" he said, in a whisper.
"Oh," the woman said, snapping out of it, and looking at him, "I probably look insane right now. I'm just people watching. I know, I'm sort of weird that way. But, it is a good form of entertainment. Like soap operas."
"Really," Spencer said, taking interest in the conversation, "How so?"
"Well, you see that lady over there?" the woman said, motioning with her head, "She's breaking up with her boyfriend or husband. He's upset, he thinks she is cheating on him, and she really did, but she doesn't want him to know that she's leaving him for the other guy."
"How can you tell that?" Spencer said, slightly confused. Despite his intellectual advances, there were just some things that he had no clue about. This being one of them.
"Just facial expressions," she said, "And she keeps saying, 'I did not', 'It's not you, it's me' and 'That's just a lie'."
"Interesting…" Spencer said, realizing why he was there in the first place, "Oh, I'm agent Reid, Spencer Reid. I'm investigating some murders that took place in this area."
"Oh, I heard about those," the woman said, "Such a shame."
"Yes, well, they were all abducted from this café," Reid said, slightly jolted by her knowledge of the murders. He wasn't aware that news of them had been released. But then again, he wasn't aware of a lot of things. "So, have you seen anything suspicious around here, anything odd, or off?"
"Um, nothing substantial," she said, "Guys stare sometimes, but that's just their nature, I guess."
"Not all guys," Spencer said, under his breath.
The woman smiled, saying, "My name's Evangeline. But please, call me Evie. I hate my name, haha."
"You shouldn't," Spencer said, brushing his hair behind his ears, as it was getting in his face, "It's a pretty name."
"I know that this is really sudden, and everything," Evangeline said, "But do you want to meet up sometime?"
"Um, um," Spencer said, unsure of what to say, "Yeah, sure."
She wrote her number on his palm in big letters, black letters, "Well, call me, than." She got up, took her coffee, leaving him there stunned.
"So, any luck?" Morgan said, coming over to the corner where Spencer was.
"Um, no, not really," Spencer said, his mouth still wide open, his gag reflex almost failing him. This was one of the first times in his life that he didn't have to ask someone if they wanted to go out.
"Well, well, well," Morgan said, grabbing Reid's arm, "I think you did get a little lucky. C'mon slugger, we have to go face the wrath of Rossi. He's probably gonna be pissed that we didn't find anything, you know?"
Reid still was standing there, dumbfounded. Morgan led him out the door and said, "And you'll be completely numb to it. Lucky bastard."
A/N: Wowza. That was long for me. xD Anyway, review and you'll get the next chapter!
