What Happens In Vegas
(A CM fiction. A string of missing scenes that would better explain the absence of Reid in season 11 episodes 8, 9, 10)
The sound of the phone vibrating caught her attention and she reached over to the nightstand to read it. The time – 2 49 am—caused a grimace to cross her face but she picked the offending device up anyway and read the text it offered. Instantly, the young blonde woman was up, and rushed over to her desk to flip on her computer after replying hurriedly to the text.
She spent several minutes searching online for a flight, found one, paid for it and loaded the paperless ticket onto her phone. Heading into the bathroom, she quickly showered and did her makeup then padded into the kitchen. She made her first coffee of the day, gulped down a bowl of cereal and dug her suitcase out of the hall closet. After wheeling it down to the bedroom, she packed it full of clothes and cosmetics, then rang for a taxi and went downstairs to the apartment lobby to wait for it.
The BAU agents milled around Agent Jennifer Jareau's desk, nursing their coffees and listening to her tell them about the arrival of baby Michael's first tooth. It was early; Hotch was already in his office and the door was closed. Agents Derek Morgan, David Rossi and Tara Lewis laughed as JJ talked about the baby and the four of them stopped talking when the young blonde woman suddenly entered the bullpen area. Obviously she'd passed security to make it this far, but she looked lost as she approached them.
"Uh, excuse me, but could you direct me to Agent Hotchner's office please?" her eyes took in the entire room but she couldn't detect which one would be Hotch's without circumnavigating the entire area and decided asking someone would be faster.
Morgan answered by indicating, and showed her up the steps, knocking on Hotch's door when they arrived.
She murmured her thanks, and as Hotch opened the door, he immediately broke into a smile, acknowledged Morgan, but ushered in only the woman, shutting the door behind them.
Back at JJ's desk, the others watched and wondered who this woman was and what was going on. Morgan rejoined them commenting that she and Hotch obviously knew each other but he had no idea who she was or why she was here. They watched through the office window as the woman and Hotch spoke, and shook hands after the woman handed him an envelope. She nodded in agreement with something Hotch said to her, and then broke into a smile as Hotch hugged her. Again they shook hands, and the woman turned to leave, Hotch took out his phone and made a call.
Hotch assembled the unit members in the conference room, handed Garcia the remote for the smart board and told the group he had a plane to catch and was leaving Morgan in charge of the case Garcia was about to present. Five pairs of eyes were left to look to each other wondering what was so important that it was calling Hotchner away from their case. As the group left to work on their latest case, Garcia, along with her assigned protective agent who had just arrived, headed into her office to support the team.
She settled into her seat by the window above the wing of the plane, yawned and closed her eyes, hoping for a nap. The three am wake up was catching up with her and she craved a little more sleep. She had a four and a half hour flight ahead of her, plenty of time to sleep she hoped. Fortunately her seatmate, an older woman with a Judith Krantz novel in her hands, seemed to be amenable to not being engaged in conversation. The steady thrum of the plane's engines soon soothed her into dreamland.
Hotch had gone home to pack a few items and explain his upcoming absence to Jack and ended up on a later flight. Giving his son a firm hug and kiss, he promised he'd be home in time for the child's Saturday morning soccer game. Settling into his seat, he pulled out his cell phone and texted Morgan, asking for an update on the case. He read the response, but ignored Morgan's inquiry about his whereabouts and destination, and instead sent a new text message to Spencer Reid.
"I'll be back in a couple of hours, I'm just going to the airport to pick someone up," he explained to the woman at the nursing station. "Please let my mom know I'm only gonna be a little while if she wakes up and wonders where I am."
"Of course, Dr. Reid," she smiled up at him.
Garcia punched a few keys on the computer keyboard and made a face when the search results came in. She called Morgan.
"I did a search, My Prince, and found out where Hotch is going. I know I probably shouldn't do that, but we were all wondering. He was being so cagey-"
"Where'd he go Baby Girl?" Morgan interrupted her.
"Vegas, Derek. He went to Las Vegas."
"Reid!" they said together, Garcia's mind conjuring up all sorts of terrible scenarios as to why Hotch would be called suddenly to Las Vegas. Her face fell, she was used to being such a positive person but the current Dirty Dozen case coupled with the apparent deterioration of Reid's mother's condition weighed heavily on her and she found herself near tears.
"Let's not be jumping to any conclusions Princess, maybe it's good news."
She nodded, then murmured affirmatively and returned to her work on the case.