Revenge Is Sweet
A/N: I think this is one we all needed to see written- what happened to Reid's tormenters after high school? If you haven't seen "Elephant's Memory" you might not find this one quite as gratifying, but I hope everyone still enjoys it!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable, including, but not limited to: Criminal Minds, the characters, or Starbucks. I made up Andrew Brown (creative, isn't it?)
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Success would be the best revenge
~Lost Prophet
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Reid checked his watch as he left his apartment building. There was still plenty of time to get a cup of coffee at the nearby Starbucks before he had to catch the subway. It would be a little crowded, but it beat bureau coffee any day.
After standing in line for five minutes, he ordered his usual sugar-laden, caffeinated concoction and stood to the side to wait. However, as he was examining the baked goods on display and wondering whether it would be worth it to order one, he walked right into another patron. He steadied himself, looking over at the man he had bumped into, ready to stammer a hasty apology, when the words died in his throat. Instead of 'excuse me', all that came out was; "Andrew Brown."
The man looked up at him, startled. He was in his mid-thirties, had fading blonde hair and stood only an inch or two taller than Reid. His name was Andrew Brown, he had been on the football team in high school, and he had tortured Spencer Reid almost every day for the better part of a year.
Suddenly, recognition flashed across Andrew's face as he looked Reid up and down. "Spencer Reid. You haven't changed a bit since high school- except, you're taller…" He said quietly.
Reid said nothing, still glaring across at the older man. He had faced scum one hundred times worse than Andrew Brown since high school, but that didn't excuse what he had been put through. "You remember me." He said finally.
"Yeah, you're not easy person to forget. What've you been up to since graduation?" Andrew asked, with an air of greeting an old friend.
At first, Reid wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted to shout at the man before him, demanding to know if he thought he could just be forgiven for everything he had done. However, before the younger man could respond, Andrew plowed right through without waiting for a response. "Yeah, I played football for a while in college. After that I decided to join the military. Still in there now, actually. I got married, settled down, had a couple kids… y'know all that stuff. I'm stationed in Quantico right now. What're you doing here?"
As quickly as it had come, Reid's desire to yell was gone. Now all he wanted was to blindside Andrew. "It's funny you should mention Quantico, because I work there too. I'm an FBI agent." Reid said, his voice even.
Andrew paled just a little but chuckled amiably. "You? You're an FBI agent?"
Reid nodded, smiling as though he was sharing in the joke. "Yeah, after I graduated I went to college, got three doctorates as well as two B.A.s. I was then accepted onto the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, which is how I know that everything you just told me is a lie."
The smirk dropped off of Andrew's face and was replaced with a scowl. "What?"
"You didn't look at me when you told me your, uh, life story. You looked everywhere but me. If any of it were true you would have looked me in the eye to see how I reacted to just how well your life is going. But you're not smart enough to fabricate all of it on the spot, most of it is probably based on a truth." Reid paused to observe the effect his little speech was having. "For instance, you probably did play football in college; you probably went there on a scholarship because you weren't getting in any other way. But judging by the way you favor your left leg over your right, you were probably injured while playing. I doubt your scholarship held up after that. That same injury would have prevented you from joining the military until it was fully healed, but you did, at least, try to join. You're obviously not in the military now, judging from the fact that you have a pony tail- your hair is too long. You were married at one point, but you're divorced. You don't wear a wedding ring and you don't have a wedding ring tan line. You were married a while ago. As for the kids- well, you might have some, either by your ex-wife or some poor girl you don't even remember."
Andrew stood there staring at Reid, unable to think of anything to say. He was saved the trouble when Reid's order arrived. Reid took the cup of coffee, raised it in a mock toast to Andrew, and turned to leave. "Have a nice life, Andrew." He called as he left the shop.
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Penelope Garcia got out of her car and headed for the federal building she called work. A short way from the entrance, she saw Reid round the corner. He was grinning and there was a definite spring in his step if she ever saw one. "Well, someone had a good morning." She greeted, grinning cheekily up at him.
His smile widened as he held the door open for her. "You could say that…"
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Well, remember what you said, because in a day or two I'll have a witty and blistering retort! You'll be devastated then!
~Calvin and Hobbes
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A/N: Short-ish and sweet. I tried to make Reid's profiling of Andrew sound realistic, I hope I didn't fail too horribly. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as Reid did! Review, if you want too. Thanks!