A/n here's the next chapter. Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to post a review for this, or send me a personal message. I kind of messed up on the time line. I said it was March in the first chapter when it is really set in October of 2006. My apologies to those of you who read the first chapter, before I realized, and fixed the error.
Disclaimer: I do not own CM, only my own original characters, therefore no copyright infringement is intended.
One hour later, the team was boarding the plane. Reid reached the cabin last, and had the choice of sitting next to Karen, or next to Derek. It was either that, or he had to sit at the back of the plane where he'd have to shout to participate in the discussion. He was still furious with his partner, so he decided to sit next to Karen. She smiled at him, and he felt butterflies in his stomach. She was so pretty, how did someone so beautiful get to be a profiler?
You used to think JJ was the most beautiful women in the world, what happened to that smart guy?
He made the internal voice shut up, as the team began to work out a strategy to form a correct profile. Reid put all of his concentration into the case. He didn't want to think about Agent Abbott, or her small perfect body.
He pulled his file toward him, and began to read, as though its contents were new to him. The others began brain storm about the un-sub, as they usually did during the flight. Spencer and Agent Abbott were the only ones who were silent, each with their own reasons why.
Karen kept silent because she was new, and she didn't want to upset the dynamics of the team that were already in place. If she were going to fit in, she had to figure out when to speak, and when to keep silent. And she was assessing JJ, who was on the phone with the Phoenix police. She couldn't understand why the other woman was so angry with her. She hadn't done anything wrong; all she wanted to do in the conference room was demonstrate why she deserved to be on the team.
Spencer was quiet because he didn't trust himself to speak. He was afraid his voice would squeak, or he would start rambling about some obscure fact, or another. He was so confused, he thought that he was in love with JJ, but this new woman was so beautiful, and she was smart too.
It's just your hormones Spencer, JJ is the one you know, the one you love, Karen is just the new girl so she is a mystery to you.
He didn't know if he wanted that to be true or not. On the one hand, he thought he was in love with JJ, but she didn't love him back, in fact it seemed to him that most days she barely tolerated him, and he wondered why he put up with it. No one deserved to be treated that way. He should have someone in his life that liked him for who he was.
On the other hand there was Agent Abbott. She was beautiful and smart. She was a fellow profiler so she could understand him.
What… you think that because JJ isn't a profiler, she doesn't understand you. She looks at the crime scene photos too, she see all the terrible things these killer do to others. Just because she doesn't come up with a profile doesn't make her less then you.
You don't even know this Karen, how do you know she's the one who'll accept you totally?
He didn't know, but he wanted to find out, he was tired of waiting around for some sign from JJ that she had real feelings for him.
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The plane touched down in Phoenix, and they began to gather their belongings. JJ had arranged for them to be picked up by the detectives working the case. They deplaned, and the heat of the day slammed into her like a physical blow. It was the middle of fall in DC for God's sake, but here it felt like summer had been booked for another long run. Judging from the look on the others' faces, they all felt the same. All most in unison, they pulled dark glasses out of pockets, and bags, and put them on. She nearly laughed out loud, because now they looked like the G-men they were.
They moved across the tarmac to the vehicles that were parked at one end. Hotch was approached by a tall, well muscled, African American man. He wore plain clothes, and he looked as thought he could wrestle Morgan to the ground without much effort. Then he smiled, and the image was broken.
"I'm detective Steven Harrison, and this is my partner Michael Lange." He gestured to the man next to him. He had dark auburn hair, and brilliant green eyes. He stood several inches shorter than his partner, and he was as thin as a whip chord.
"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner; this is SSA Jason Gideon, SSA Derek Morgan, Special Agent Dr Spencer Reid, Special Agent Jennifer Jareau, and Special Agent Karen Abbott."
"Hey, darlin' what's a pretty little thing like you doin in the FBI." Detective Lange said to Agent Abbott, who flushed red, and opened her mouth to reply. Hotch beat her to it. "Agent Abbott is new to the team, but she is as qualified as any of us, so I would appreciate if you would treat her with respect." He drilled the detectives with his usual stern look, and Harrison said. "Don't mind him, he's from Georgia, and I don't think they teach them manners there."
"I only said what y'all was thinkin, so don't go gettin all high and mighty on me." Hotch's lecture had stung.
Damn feebs, comin in here and thinkin they're better than us.
He was going to show them a thing or two, just see if he didn't.He put his best contrite look on his face, and turned to Agent Abbott.
"My apologies ma'm, I didn't mean no offense."
"Its okay, no harm on foul," She seemed genuinely un-offended. Reid watched the whole exchange without a word, but he could feel his face burning again, this time he was livid. How dare that son of a bitch speak to her that way?
JJ was watching him watch the cop, and the new girl. She wondered if he realized that his anger was apparent to everyone. As for herself, she was seriously pissed, and hoped that wherever they stayed for the night, it was with separate rooms, she didn't want to share a room with the little…
"Everyone… that's enough, we need to get out to the crime scene. Hotch… take Abbot and Reid, Morgan and I will go speak to her family. Gideon said, not requesting, but demanding, he needed to separate the troops before blood was drawn.
"I guess that means I'll get set up with the locals," JJ said to no one in particular, as they took off in different vehicles.
"Come on, my partner, and I will show you were you can get started." Harrison gestured to the last car parked on the tarmac.
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The drive to the crime scene was long, and made boring by the sameness of the landscape. He'd seen all of it before. Agent Abbot was in the front seat talking to Hotch, her voice had a soothing quality he didn't understand, and soon he was asleep. It must have been the heat because his dreams were full of the torment he'd suffered as a child in high school.
When he was twelve, six of the football players had ambushed him, and driven him out to the outskirts of Las Vegas It had been winter time, so the heat was bearable. They had left him in sight of highway fifteen, after they had beaten him. He'd walked back to the freeway with a split lip, and a blackening eye. He'd almost passed out by the time he reached the blacktop, and luckily a Good Samaritan stopped to help him. The woman has wanted him to take him to the hospital, but he convinced her to just take him home. He told her he would get his mother to take him to the doctor. That was a blatant lie; he had no intention of telling his mother. He never did when the other children beat him up, or locked him in a locker, or one of the thousands of other torments they could think up. She wouldn't notice anyway, she was lost in her own world, and she only saw what she wanted to see, when she looked at him.
He jerked awake when the SUV came to a stop. They were parked on the side of the road, and Hotch was getting out of the vehicle. Karen turned to get out, and her eyes met Spencer's. He felt that same connection, and wondered again, why did she affect him like that? He smiled shyly at her, and then berated himself, why couldn't he come up with a smooth remark like Derek?
They joined Hotch, and the police officers that accompanied them. There wasn't much to see. It was desert. It hadn't rained in weeks, so the ground was hard, and useless for things like tire tracks, or footprints.
"He knows the area and that we won't find anything to identify him here." Agent Abbott observed, and Reid wondered if she could read his mind.
God I hope not!
Then he realized that she was a profiler, if she were any good at all, she would have reached the same conclusions that he had.
Come on lover boy, get your head out of the clouds, and concentrate on your job.
"Yes, the lack of moisture in the ground would make finding any tracks of a vehicle, or a person difficult, if not impossible."
"Could he be a resident of the area, or does he just know his geography," Reid wondered aloud.
"He's from here, he knew when the park rangers patrol the area, and he was careful to avoid them, or any tourists." She sounded so confident; he wished he had that same tone in his own voice.
"You're right Abbott, we need to question the rangers, and see if there are any hermits, or other people living in the desert that might have seen anything." Hotch turned away, and began to speak to the officers at the scene.
"You're very perceptive," Spencer blurted out inanely at Agent Abbott. He immediately flushed the color of candy apples, and wished the ground would open up underneath him.
Smooth Reid, really smooth!
"I've always been good at reading people; I guess that's why I wanted to be a profiler." She didn't seem to be laughing at him, so he had hope that she would overlook his social idiocy, and like him one day.
Why is it so important to you? Do you just want her to like you so that JJ can figure out what she's missing?
"You ok, Dr Reid," her voice was as inviting as her eyes. It was silky smooth, like dark chocolate melting on your tongue.
"What… oh yeah… I guess I forgot how warm the desert can be even in the fall."
"I hate the heat!" She said, this with such vehemence that he just stared at her. Then it was her turn to flush. "Sorry, I grew up in the desert, and I just got tired off the constant heat."
"I did too."
"Really, where are you from Dr Reid?"
"Las Vegas," he said, thinking that now she would ask him what it was like to grow up in sin city.
Instead she said, "I'm from New Mexico."
"We had a case there once."
Oh that's good Dr Reid, can't you talk about anything besides work?
"I know," Karen said, then flushed, and looked down at the ground as though she'd said something she hadn't meant to say.
"How did -"
"I memorized your case files." She was still studying the ground as if her life depended on analyzing the content of the sand, and rocks beneath their feet.
"Why?"
"I ah - well I wanted to fit in and I figured that if I knew more about you all then I would. Oh… it's stupid… I know; just pretend I didn't say anything ok?"
Her eyes met his, and he felt that desire again, the one the made him want to take her into his arms. She was so tiny, he wanted to protect her. There was something in her eyes that he wanted to erase.
"It's not stupid to ask questions, or have a good memory Agent Abbott."
"Dr Reid, please call me Karen, I hate the whole "calling people by their last names" thing that agents do. It makes me feel unimportant, like I don't matter."
"Um… okay… Karen." He flushed again, and mirrored her activity of studying the ground in front of them. He snuck a peek at her, and found her staring at him, and something flashed in her eyes that was gone in an instant.
"You can call me Spencer if you want." He blurted it out like a challenge, and then berated himself for sounding like it was an irritation. "I'm sorry if that was harsh, I really don't mind if you use my first name." He smiled at her, and she said, "Okay Spencer… now what do you think about this guy, are we getting close on establishing a profile.
Spencer opened his mouth to answer when Hotch approached them. "Come on, we need to get back to Phoenix, the state troopers are going to go around, and question a couple of local hermits, and some others that have come out here to get away from the cities, and live off the land."
"This doesn't seem like the type of crime someone like that would commit."
"Why do you say that Agent Abbott," Hotch asked as they climbed back into the SUV, and wonderful air conditioning.
"Because these types of personalities are anti-social, usually they hate the government, or the police. They would avoid contact with said agencies, not taunt them like this un-sub is doing."
Hotch started the truck and executed a quick U-turn back onto route 190. "You're right, but we need to know if there were any possible witnesses to the un-subs activities. It's possible someone who lives out here may have seen something that is significant, and they don't even know it."
"Yes sir, of course."
"We need go back to the precinct, and find out what Morgan and Gideon have found out. JJ is working on a press release to deal with the media. There are a lot of angry parents out there. Frankly I don't blame them." Hotch normally didn't comment about the personal side of cases, but he hated the ones that involved the exploitation, and suffering of children.
The trip back to the precinct was even longer for Reid than the drive there. He was intoxicated by Karen and he was sure that Hotch knew it. He wanted to get away from her, and try to sort out what he was feeling.
