They were in town anyway, he had said, by way of explanation. They might as well just pop in for a second and enjoy the sights and sounds of the city, he had continued, not quite able to meet her eyes. But she'd seen his hands, seen how they seemed to vibrate with excitement.
And the truth was there, undeniable by him.
Dr. Spencer Reid was home. Back in his playground.
Back in Las Vegas, Nevada.
She'd only been there once before in her life - as a twenty-one year old college athlete. Her team had been invited to a soccer tournament and though they'd washed out monstrously quick, she could distinctly recall enjoying the few days spent there entirely too much.
She could vividly recall a weekend spent partying entirely too hard.
Which for an athlete had been a very big no-no. But then, she always reasoned, what had they expected she and her teammates to have done? Stayed up in their rooms and watch Pay-Per-View.
No, sir, no, sir. They'd been no Pay-Per-View that weekend.
This time, however, she was in town on business. With the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Her BAU team as liked to call them. The case had been ugly, but then again, weren't they all? Still, in the end, they'd caught the bad guy. His days of murdering innocent young women were over and now the seven members of the team could all celebrate.
Just a little.
Because if they didn't, well then they'd probably all crack under the stress of the job. And how would that help anyone?
A knock on the door of her hotel room pulled her away from her dark thoughts. She blinked and looked down, realizing that she was standing naked under the faucet of the shower, the now ice cold water slapping down against her pink skin.
And so, in reaction to the chilly water, Jennifer Jareau squeeled a bit. Thankfully just to herself. Reaching out, she grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her wet body and stepped out of the shower. Reaching back, she turned off the water and then exited the bathroom.
"Who is it?" she called out, pulling the towel tighter.
"It's Emily," came the reply, her voice a bit hesitant. Emily Prentiss, after all this time, was still getting used to being of the team. One of the gang.
Family.
"Oh, come in," JJ replied, her voice cheerful and inviting. She was the kind of girl who could set anyone at ease instantly. It was her skill. It was her gift.
The door opened and thankfully, Emily saw her friend in her semi-undressed state before the person she was with entered with her.
"And Reid," she amended quickly, sounding like she wasn't quite able to hold back a grin. "Reid's with me, too, JJ."
JJ blinked, bright color flushing her face. Which was strange because she was seldom the type to get embarrassed. Back during her school days – both high school and college - well she'd had a bit of a reputation for being the ballsy and unflappable one. The one voted most likely to walk into the men's bathroom to pee if the line going into the women's was too long. Somehow though, this was different.
"Oh." And with that she fled back into the small bathroom of the motel room, grabbing a pile of fresh clothes as she went.
"So," she asked, her voice stuttering just a bit, "Who's with us tonight?"
"Just us and Morgan. Hotch and Gideon took a flight back on a commercial jet. We're still on call, but they both ordered us all to stay the night and have a good time."
"Aw," JJ laughed, pulling her pants on. "Look at that. Mom and Dad are letting us kids out to play."
"But not without a warning to behave," Reid commented, his tone suggesting that he was still pondering this order.
"And that bothers you?" JJ asked as she pulled on a shirt. She glanced at herself in the mirror, taking in her freshly scrubbed reflection. She slid her hand under her hair, lifted it a bit, frowned and then reached out and grabbed a ponytail holder. Not like she was trying to impress anyone.
"Still", her inner voice countered, "you don't want to look like you just rolled out of bed." And so she brought her hair done and began to brush it straight, waving a blow-dryer over it a time or two.
"Not bother exactly," Reid answered, voice squeaking slightly. Between a mouthful of toothpaste, JJ smiled at this. " I just –"
"Reid thinks they were warning him not to cheat," Prentiss put in, her voice cracking with laughter.
"They were," JJ said dryly. She spit out a mouthful of toothpaste, rinsed and then exited the bathroom. She held up her hands. "How do I look?"
"Uh-" Reid stammered, seeming surprised by the innocent question. He suddenly found that he couldn't quite meet her eyes." You look, I mean you look-"
"Amazing as always," Derek Morgan commented as he entered the room, wearing jeans that perfectly complimented his figure and frame. His shirt was tight against his body, fairly advertising his six-pack physique. He clapped a hand on Reid's shoulder and squeezed, letting the kid he treated like a little brother know that yes, he had bailed his ass out of that awkward situation.
JJ beamed and nodded to him. He nodded back. Then he turned to Emily and Reid. She was in jeans just like JJ, a beautiful woman looking like she was ready to take on the town. Reid on the other hand, well yeah, he had a thing for sweaters. Even sweaters that looked his grandfather might have owned them.
Grinning, Morgan said, "Garcia sends her regards. Says we all owe her for having fun without her."
"Hey, if she can get out here," Emily laughed, even though the statement was absurd. Quantico was on the other side of the country from Nevada.
"Yeah, yeah, she's promising revenge. I told her bring it on, baby."
"I…I wouldn't piss off Garcia," Reid warned, but he was smiling, too.
"Uh huh." Morgan smirked. Then, "Anyway, I took care of getting us rooms over at the Bellagio for the night so we can check the hell out of here anytime we want."
"Good," JJ sighed. "That bed was hard as a rock." She motioned back towards the queen sized mattress in the middle of the room. "Remind me again, who made the reservations to stay here of all places?"
"Hotch," Emily and Morgan said at the same time and then laughed.
And then, with a boyish grin, Morgan said, "We ready?"
And the answer was a definite yes.
8-8-8-8-8
The floor of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino was bouncing with raw energy and as the foursome entered, they all felt the chill of excitement wash through their bodies. It wasn't often that they all got to unwind and enjoy life like normal people. It wasn't all the time that they got to cut loose and have fun, pretending that the monsters of the world were someone else's problem for just a few hours.
"Okay, my friends," Morgan said, rubbing his large palms together in anticipation. "I will catch up with you in a bit."
"Where you going?" Emily asked.
"To celebrate life, Em. As much as I can." Morgan grinned, catching sight of a gorgeous woman standing over by a nearby bar. She saw him looking at her and smiled back at him, her posture undeniably welcoming. "Ladies, I leave you to take care of the good Doctor Reid. Try to get him up and out of that sweater, huh?"
"I don't...I don't need to be out of my sweater," Reid said quickly, blushing a bit. Morgan, of course, didn't hear him - he'd already walked away and was off introducing himself to the young lady, who by the excited look of her was quite happy to make his acquaintance.
JJ thought it cute so she quickly countered with," Oh, I don't know, Spence, I'm sure there's a girl here who would love to rip away your Mr. Rogers look."
"Uh," Reid stammered, swallowing hard. Then, trying desperately to cover his unease about the subject, he added "Did…did you know that Mr. Rogers drove a second hand Impala and after it got stolen, his fans reacted with such rage that the car was returned to him less than forty-eight hours later with a note that said 'if we'd known it was yours, we never would have taken it?"
The two women exchanged a look and then, as if it was simply too much to bear, they both started cracking up, Emily even lurching forward, having to plant a hand on her knee to steady herself.
"Fascinating, Spence," JJ pushed out, between fits of laughter.
But of course, Spencer Reid was far from done. "And did you know that over the course of his show, her wore twenty-four different cardigans?"
"Reid," Emily said, standing up. "Fun, we're here for fun. Not TV trivia. Come on, lighten up and let that genius sized brain of yours relax for a moment."
"My brain isn't actually sized any - right," Reid stopped himself. Then, as if seeing his chance to maybe get even, he pointed over towards the bar area, where Morgan was talking to the beautiful girl. Next to them was a handsome young man, maybe around college age. He was eyeing Emily and JJ like a wolf seeing a fresh and nubile sheep. "I, uh, I think you two have a fan."
JJ and Emily turned, both evaluating the boy. "He's young," JJ commented. "Twenty-one, twenty-two?"
"Not too young for you," Emily replied.
"Or you," JJ shot back. "Besides, does it matter that he looks like his mommy still washes his underwear?"
"At this moment?" Emily shrugged. "No. Long as he's legal."
And now Reid laughed. He didn't quite know why, but somehow this scene amused him to no end. It had started out as the college kid sizing up the two hot women, only unbeknownst to him, the girls had turned it around and were now eyeing him like chocolate in a candy store.
Emily locked eyes with the boy, then moved her hand between her and JJ, as if to say, "her or me?" The kid shrugged, could care less.
"Go get him, Em," JJ laughed. "But watch out for Morgan. He sees you with a highschool boy, you'll never live it down."
"So what are you suggesting I do?"
JJ grinned devilishly. "Get him upstairs quick."
And this time Emily blushed.
"Actually, I think he's in college," Reid said obtusely. "I mean, he is wearing a shirt that says Chico State on it."
"Thanks, Reid," Emily laughed, patting his cheek and then crossing over towards the boy. He greeted her with a warm grin, like it was his lucky day and he damn well knew that, too.
"I missed something, didn't I?" Reid murmured.
"Yeah," JJ nodded. Then, "So I guess it's just the two of us now."
"I'm sure there's a guy around here for you, too," Reid murmured, not looking at her, instead glancing around at all of the tables in the pit, as if sizing up each.
"Aw thanks," JJ said dryly. "That's sweet."
Reid turned quickly, seeming to realize that he had unintentionally insulted her. "Oh, I didn't...I didn't mean that you couldn't or that anyone wouldn't, I just meant-"
"I know what you meant and I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that later. How about for now, you sure me how you to play poker."
"You know how to play poker, JJ," Reid replied, shaking his head. "We play it all the time on the plane."
"Your kind of poker, Spence" she grinned.
Then he nodded. "This way." he said, leading them towards the pit. Towards the table that he'd already picked out as an easy mark. A glance up at a clock above a nearby bar said that it was just after nine at night.
8-8-8-8-8
Twelve midnight came quickly. At least by the twitch of her watch. The Red Bull and Vodka combination racing through her bloodstream made her oblivious to the changing of the hour. She literally felt like she was flying. Caffeinated beyond all reason, drunk beyond all good sense. And watching Reid clean up, winning just enough to have a good day, losing just enough to keep the eyes above off of him, well it was a pleasure.
And she even won a few hands of her own, not near as deftly as he, but she knew her way around a deck of cards.
That said, she had quickly discovered that playing craps was even more fun.
Of course she was mostly drunk by the time they started that game, so she figured that maybe playing the slots would have been a blast as well.
"Okay," Reid instructed her, his hand very lightly on her back as they both bent forward to examine the table. They were part of a larger crowd made up of a buxom blonde with a seventy year old sugar daddy in a cowboy hat, a drunk as a skunk Irishman who was hitting on an on obvious lesbian and a woman with hair the color of cotton candy. All around them, the smell of cigarette smoke swirled in the air. "We're going to say "yo".
"Yo," JJ grinned, her voice made even raspier by the smoke in her lungs.
"No, yo means you're betting on the roller getting an eleven." Reid patiently instructed her. He put his hand over hers and took a chip from her. As he did so, he met her eyes for just a moment, seeing how wide and blue they were. He was a good deal less drunk than she, but even he could feel the lack of normal inhabitation. Of course the brainiac side of him wondered why he was thinking about his reactions. Did that mean he was truly uninhibited or just thinking he was? And if he was just thinking he was, was he culpable for anything he did?
"Hand," JJ sang out. "Need my hand to yo."
"Oh," Reid stammered, releasing her hand and then tossing the chip down and calling out "yo" to the Stickman. "And actually, you just need your voice, your hand doesn't do anything. You yo with your voice."
And of course, to make it just that much worse, JJ giggled.
Reid winced a bit. JJ typically wasn't a girly-girl type. Yes, she dressed well and she took immaculate care of her hair and nails, but at her root, this ex-athlete was definitely a tomboy. She was more likely to let out a snorting bellow of laughter than a wispy whimper of glee. And yet now, seven Redbull/Vodka's into the night, she seemed awfully damn girlish to him.
And awfully damn beautiful as well.
The sound of clapping pulled Reid's thoughts from her laughter back to the table. He saw the dice spin and settle. Eleven.
"We won, JJ!"
She lit up and he was once again struck with how stunningly gorgeous she was.
This time, she seemed to notice that he was staring at her. Looking at her more intensely than he probably should. "What?" she asked.
"Uh, nothing. We won," and he took the chips and settled them into her pile. His as well. She was too drunk to notice. That and she didn't really know how to play, didn't really know what the payouts were.
"Hey, guys," a voice said from behind them. They turned to see Morgan there, grinning and looking completely laid back. He glanced down at the piles in front of JJ and Reid, JJ's just a bit bigger than Reid's. "Looks like you're having a nice night."
"Yup," JJ grinned.
Morgan lifted an eyebrow. "A really good night." He turned to Reid. "How many?"
"Seven," Reid told him. "Uh, eight," he amended as a waitress passed by and handed JJ a new glass. The blonde reciprocated with a poker chip and then took a hefty swig from the glass.
"I see. Well, long as you're having fun," Morgan shrugged. "You seen Em?"
"Uh, she was with that guy?"
"The ten year old in the Chico State shirt?"
"Getting some monkey love," JJ grinned between sips.
"I'll be sure to tell her you said that," Morgan laughed.
"What happened to the girl you were with?" Reid asked, frowning as JJ emptied the glass. Morgan seemed unconcerned by JJ's inebriation, but he was starting to think that maybe it was time to cut his friend off.
"She's waiting for me. I went to get some ice," Morgan smirked. Then he winked. "Make sure she gets to bed, huh?"
"Oh, he will," JJ said, throwing her arms around Reid's midsection. "Won't ya, Spence?"
"Uh-"
But Morgan just winked in response. "When you see Em, tell her I'm looking forward to all the details." And with that catty comment, he was away, headed towards the elevators on the far side of the casino.
And suddenly Spencer Reid was fully aware of the fact that a beautiful blonde was draped all over him. "JJ," he started. "Maybe we should call it a night."
"Pish."
"Did, did you just say 'pish'?" Reid asked curiously, turning around to face her.
"Hey, man, you in?" the Stickman asked. Reid turned his head slightly and glanced back towards the craps table.
'Uh, yeah, we'll play the field. Both of us."
"Okay," the Stickman replied, accepting the poker chips and turning back to the other players. Reid returned his attention to JJ.
"I did say 'pish', but I'm not drunk," she insisted, slurring her words for affect. "I'm giddy."
It made him laugh. "JJ, you're drunk."
"Oh," she said, as if learning the secret of life. Then she shrugged. "You should get drunk with me. It's fun." And with that she leaned forward and pressed her lips up against his, the softness and heat of the sensual embrace overloading his mental circuits.
After a beat, just a beat, he pushed away. "JJ, you're not…in charge…yourself and…" he stammered out. "And we need to call it a night."
"Spence, why aren't you drunk?" she asked. "You'd have more fun if you were with drunk with me."
"That logic is...illogical frankly. You don't know how much fun you're actually having because you're too inebriated to be able to think straight and so you only think you're having fun, but-"
And then of course, to shut him up, she kissed him again. Only this time she pulled back and away, lips just inches from his and she whispered in a throaty smoky tone, "Shut up, Spence."
And he promptly shut up. Leaning forward, she bit his lip slightly, pressing her nose up against his. She held that for just a second and then pushed away from him and lifted up her glass, nursing the last drops from it.
"Twelve!" the Stickman suddenly called out, once again signifying that they'd run the roll. "Three to one pay-out," he told Reid.
"Thanks," Reid said thickly, his heart hammering in his chest, his head spinning. Calling the feeling lightheadedness hardly seemed significant enough to describe the moment. He glanced over at JJ, who was staring down into the empty glass. Suddenly, she looked up at him.
"Spence?"
"You okay, JJ?"
"Ugh, I think I need to lie down," she groaned.
And he could see that she had quickly gotten green around the gills. He was thankful that their rooms were at the casino and not the uncomfortable motel they'd been at when they'd been working the case. He was thankful that Morgan had thought ahead.
"Okay," Reid said, reaching out fot her and sliding an arm around her. "Let's get you to bed."
And damn if she didn't giggle again. Even looking ten seconds from yakking, she was still managing to spin him in circles.
8-8-8-8-8
About halfway through the elevator ride to the tenth floor of the Bellagio, Spencer Reid was cursing Morgan instead of praising him, wondering why he couldn't have gotten rooms on the first floor.
And he was also realizing that he himself was a little more drunk than he cared to admit. Five, he thought to himself. Five Redbull/Vodka combinations. Only because JJ had insisted they were the best drink ever. He'd have been happy just guzzling Red Bulls.
"JJ," he whispered, looking down at the blonde who was leaning against him. She still looked unsteady, but the apparent immediate need to throw up had passed. Which was good, because vainly, he was reminded of the fact that his shoes were vintage and hard to find.
She rolled her head and looked up at him, the alcohol on her breath mixing with the coolness of the mint toothpaste that he could still detect traces of. "We did good today, right? We won, right?"
"Yeah," Reid said, not knowing If she was talking about the case they'd been on earlier in the day or the gambling they'd been doing just minutes earlier. "We won, JJ."
8-8-8-8-8
She was out before her head hit the pillow, her blonde hair framing her face. He removed her shoes and socks and then covered her up with a blanket. Once he was satisfied that she was sleeping, he settled into the bed opposite her. Once again, he was thankful. This time because Morgan had got them all double occupancy rooms.
This time because he could watch over her.
8-8-8-8-8
She woke up twice during the night. Both times to throw up. She was barely sensible, barely conscious and just barely aware of his presence as he guided her into the bathroom. Both times he held her hair and rubbed her back. Both times time he helped her back to bed and covered her up.
His own sleep was restless and his body was pulsating from the effects of his own inebriation. And yet he fought against it, didn't dare to give into the need to fall into deep slumber.
Just in case she needed him.
And so instead he lay in bed, alternately dozing and staring at the ceiling. Wondering if maybe he'd let his chance go. Realizing that like this, no matter how goofy and fun she was, was not the chance he wanted.
8-8-8-8-8
The loud pounding on the door brought him to his senses. Turning slight, catching a full eyeful of sunlight as it streamed into the room though the just slightly open window, Spencer Reid replied, "Hang on."
Groggily, his head pounding, he pushed himself to his feet and then glanced over at the other bed. She was still there. Still sleeping soundly, all the blankets wrapped tight around her.
He opened the door to find Emily and Morgan standing there. Emily was wearing a slightly sheepish look, one which suggested that she'd already been harassed mercilessly by Morgan. He, of course, was grinning, lounging against the doorframe.
"Rise and shine," Morgan chirped.
"Uh, morning."
"You seen JJ?" Emily asked. "She didn't answer her door."
"Yeah, she's…she's here," Reid said, knowing full well what the response he was about to get would be.
"Really?" Morgan said, eyebrow lifted. "Reid, attaboy."
"No," Reid said shaking his head. "She was drunk.'
"So were we all," Emily sighed, before lightly punching Morgan on the shoulder as he smirked at her.
"So, " Morgan asked. "Can we come in or is she in a state of-"
"No, I'm not naked," JJ mumbled from behind the door. She appeared a moment later, her blonde hair going every which way, showing off a true case of bed-head. Her eyes were red and bleary and she was squinting.
"JJ," Morgan laughed. "Girl."
"Shut up, Derek," she said, but even she was smiling a bit.
"Why don't we go down and get us a table for breakfast at the café," Emily offered. "Give JJ some time to clean up."
"Ooh, big sister to the rescue," Morgan teased.
"Yes," Emily agreed. "Now let's go."
"Fine, but this isn't over," Morgan promised.
And with that, he and Emily exited. As soon as the door shut behind them, JJ turned to Reid.
"I don't…I don't really remember much of last night."
He shrugged. "We gambled."
"So I didn't do or…say anything stupid?"
"No, nothing," he promised, his minds eye flashing on her kissing him.
"Good," she sighed with relief. "I don't get drunk often, but when I do, well let's just say I've been told once that there a certain incident involving the top of a table and several hundred dollar bills."
"Well yeah, there was that," Reid couldn't help, but grin.
She lightly slapped his arm. "Nice." Then, shaking her head, but still amused. "I'm gonna head back to my room and shower."
"Okay."
She started towards the door and then stopped and turned back. "Hey, Spence?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"For…for what?"
She didn't reply, just offered up that beaming smile of hers.
8-8-8-8-8
"So," Morgan asked, glancing back behind him, back towards the row of seats where JJ was sleeping. The plane had been in the air less than an hour and already the girls had turned in.
Hard to blame them. It'd been a hell of a night for all of them and it was a long ride home.
"Hm?" Reid murmured, glancing up from his game of solitaire.
"So nothing happened? Nothing at all?"
"Nothing," he reassured Morgan.
And Morgan just smiled. He reached forward and squeezed Reid's shoulder. "All in time, my friend, all in time."
"I don't-"
But Morgan's look, like JJ's before, stopped him cold. So instead, he just nodded and continued playing solitaire.
-FIN