4 Years Later
"Dammit!" The Chief of Police yelled as he slammed his hand on his desk. "That's the 5th woman in a month! Why haven't we caught this bastard yet?" He roared in rage at the two nervous officers that had brought him the news.
"The sites are all clean sir." One of the officers said in a respectful tone. "CSI says there's no DNA evidence that they can find—"
"Tell them to check again!"
"And none of the victims seem to share a connection with each other. The only thing in common is that they're all around the same age and gender." The young man continued on bravely.
"I know the details, Officer Jones!" Chief James Marco spat out, before taking a deep breath and calming down slightly. Staring down at the pictures scattered on his desk of lifeless women he sucked in a breath, knowing what he needed to do.
"Fisher!" He barked at the silent officer, making him jump. "Go tell Clara to call Quantico and tell them we're inviting the BAU in." He ended in a dark tone, clearly hating what he had just ordered.
"But sir-" Whatever the officer was going to say was cut off by the heated glare the chief aimed at him.
"I know what I said! I hate the thought of the feds coming down here and taking over but five women are already dead and he's not stopping." Marco said seriously. "I'd rather have my pride get beatin' than know another woman became a victim because I didn't want to accept help. Now stop stalling and go tell Clara to make that call!" Officer Fisher shot off a quick, 'Yes sir!' before darting off. Sighing, Marco ran both hands over his balding head. He was getting too old to handle these horrors.
"Sir?" Jones questioned timidly.
"What?"
"It's- not that I don't agree with your decision, but what if the BAU doesn't accept?"
"Oh they will." Marco said with a sarcastic smile. "With five already in the ringer, there's no way they can't. It'd have to be pretty damn important if they did. Believe me Jones, they'll be here."
"If you say so sir." The young man replied before shifting nervously. "Erm, if-when they come, what are we going to do about. . .him?"
"Him?" The Chief echoed with a blank look.
"The kid that works in Evidence and Archives." Jones expanded.
"You mean Reid?" Marco asked, one bushy gray eyebrow raised and received a hasty nod. "We aren't going to do anything to him. He hasn't done anything wrong that I know of."
"No." Jones agreed. "But he's- forgive me sir- an airhead and clumsy to boot."
"So?"
"I think it would be an embarrassment to the department if the BAU found out about him." He admitted before flinching as the Chief slammed his fist on the table again.
"An embarrassment? The only embarrassment I see is standing in front of me!" He yelled. "Reid may be clumsy and have his head in the clouds but he's doing his job to the best of his ability- even if he does chatter the ears off of everyone in a 2 mile radius doing it. He's part of this force and I will not have my officers put down others for any reason- especially pettiness! I hear anything like that come out of your mouth again and I will suspend you! Are we clear?" He boomed, the wrath of God in his eyes.
"Yes sir!" The abashed officer replied quickly.
"Dismissed." The Chief said tartly and watched in satisfaction as the officer hightailed it out of his office. Looking down at his desk, he frowned at the pictures but refused to put them away just yet. Instead he turned to look out at the dying sky, needing a break from the mangled bodies. Slowly his thoughts drifted back to their newest addition to the Downtown Police Department.
Spencer Reid was not a police officer. There was no way he would have passed the physical training-even if he had, he would have shot somebody or himself on accident no doubt. He did, however, have a Criminal Justice degree which allowed him to work in Evidence as well as Archives. Normally, Marco wouldn't dream of making a person do both jobs but Reid- who had been transferred from the Northeast department 6 months ago- cheerfully volunteered. The Chief had been skeptical-the moment the boy entered the office he tripped over air- but after observing Reid do his job for several days, he was convinced the boy wouldn't knock over a row of files and be crushed or accidentally contaminate evidence.
The problem wasn't Reid's ability to do his job; it was his personality and looks. The boy was alarmingly pretty. From behind, several single officers had thought he was a new secretary and had the shock of their lives when he turned around to greet them. The ladies took to him like water and he became quick friends with the secretarial pool, often sharing fashion tips and gossip at lunch. He had a sweet disposition and was kind to everyone he talked to. While his personality helped people overlook the fact he lacked brain matter, it also left people wondering about certain aspects of his life.
His actions, the way he talked, and how he looked left many in the department wondering if he was. . .bent. Not too long ago there was a big bet circling around the department over Reid's orientation but the Chief made sure to put a stop to that before it got out of hand. Reid had never mentioned a boyfriend and the secretaries admitted they had never caught him fawning over a male celebrity or model. Finally, one officer just straight up asked him, tired of the gossip, if he was gay. This was Reid's reply:
"Gay? If you mean, like, happy, then yeah!"
The pure dumb blonde moment threw the officer off so much that by the time he recovered, Reid was gone; chatting with someone else. After that, everyone knew not to expect much in the brain department from him. Admittedly though, there were times when the Chief saw something flash in those brown eyes. Almost as if the boy wanted to say something but was holding back. It was those moments that made the Chief wonder if Reid was a stupid as everyone thought.
Then the young man would say something silly or trip over his own feet and the Chief knew it was just him being wishful.
"Sir?" A feminine voice accompanied by a soft knock shook him from his thoughts. Clara stood at the door with a neutral look on her face.
"I called Quantico and informed them of what's been happening." She explained softly. "I was told a team would be sent out as soon as tonight."
"Good. That means they'll be here by morning then." He grumped back, happy they had responded quickly but still peeved he had to ask for them at all. "Let's just hope this bastard's taking a break tonight. Doubtful, monsters like him never stop." He said more to himself than to her as he once again took in the dead eyes staring up at him from his desk.
"Perhaps not." Clara agreed. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't sir. Get some sleep. We wouldn't want you to look bad when the BAU comes." She advised in a teasing tone before leaving with a small giggle.
"Feh!" He snorted before becoming silent. Unable to look at the picture anymore, he neatly sat them in a file folder and grabbed the jacket off the back of his chair. Clara was right; just staying around here wasn't going to help. At least with some sleep, he might be little more civil tomorrow.
Spencer Reid both loved and hated his life. Loved it because he loved his job, the people he worked with and all the friends he made the past for four years.
He hated it because people only liked him because of how he acted. Four years ago, when he started Operation Dumb Blonde, he had resolved to fix the gay vibe he had accidentally created in the process. Reid had every intention of changing that but, for some strange reason, the girls in his classes seemed to enjoy his company. By the end of the day he had more phone numbers than he knew what to do with. Not only that, but the girls had already conned him into going shopping that very evening for 'therapeutic purposes to fight against the harsh conditions of the classroom.'
All they did was read the syllabus.
After that fateful day, Reid knew that if he did a dramatic personality or style change there would be hell to pay. On the plus side, his days at Las Vegas University were a blast; if anybody (read: jocks) tried to mess with him, they had to go through the girls first and even they weren't willing to risk being known for beating up girls- that would be a social suicide. Reid frowned as he thought over the last four years, 7 months, 26 days, 13 hours, 45 minutes, and 7 seconds of his new life. It was slightly alarming, that, even after four years of wearing this persona, he was still having problems keeping his genius inside. Then again, he mused, it's not like he kept the act up continuously. The moment he closed his door at home, he returned to his old habits of watching Star Wars marathons, doing mathematical calculations for relaxation and reading every known Scientific and Psychology magazine he found respectable. In fact, he had written several articles under the name Dr. Pierce Derns. Hey, he had the doctorates, might as well find a way to make use of them. He didn't work so hard to get them just to watch them gather dust in his closet. Still, maybe working in the police department as a day job hadn't been the smartest idea. There were so many facts and statistics that he literately had snap his jaw shut so they wouldn't flow out of his mouth. Sometimes he couldn't even do that and had to quickly change what he was going to say to something completely random like, 'I love cake!'
At least he made people laugh, right?
The hardest part was probably not being able to help with the cases, he thought glumly as he put some files back in their rightful place. Back at Caltech he had watched a seminar presented by Jason Gideon, an agent from the BAU, and he fell in love with the idea of catching criminals by getting into their heads. At the time he had been too afraid and in awe to even speak, let alone asks questions, so Mr. Gideon never even glanced his way. That was ok though. It was a tough pill to swallow, but Reid knew that he would have never made it into the BAU. For one, he was too clumsy and, another, he would have had to go through the FBI Academy which he didn't see himself passing. In fact, he could envision himself being arrested and possibly sued for several reasons; most involving him accidentally shooting someone.
"Can you believe it?" His heard someone say in an eager whisper. Sometimes this place was just like high school, he thought darkly as he jammed a file into place with more force than necessary. Officers and secretaries gossiped like teenagers.
"No joke. They're really coming." An officer replied to one of the secretaries before glancing over and meeting Reid's gaze. "Hey Reid!" Officer Fisher called out happily. "Did you hear the news yet?"
"No. Is something happening?" Reid asked in a bubbly voice that had become his default voice over the years.
"Yeah! The Chief just gave the go ahead to call in the BAU to help with those murders! The big boys are comin' to Vegas! Ain't that right, Clara?" He called to the pretty secretary who just came back from the Chief's office.
"You really don't wait to spread the news do you, Fisher?" She said with a big grin. "But yes, they confirmed they'd be here by morning. I'm surprised at you though, I have a feeling most of our force won't enjoy knowing the BAU's about to step in." She commented as she sat back down at her desk.
"Hah!" Fisher laughed cheerfully. "I don't care. Like Chief said, if my ego has to get crushed in the process then so be it, but I am not going to be the reason more women killed. Especially over something as silly personal feelings." He ended seriously, making several officers who had been eavesdropping squirm and wipe the sneers of their faces. The secretaries all looked at each other, feeling the tension in the air and becoming nervous because of it. Reid himself didn't like it, and decided to change subjects before one of the more bull-headed officers decided to dig their own grave.
"So, um, I'm confused here." He admitted, stumbling slightly as he walked closer to put some files on a nearby desk for an officer to sign off on.
"About what?" Fisher asked, returning his attention to Reid.
"Well, what's the Beauty Association Union going to be doing here? Looking for models?" Reid asked in his best clueless voice.
Silence. A small part of him sort of enjoyed doing that to people. Damn, he was good.
"And the Chief doesn't want us to hide you." An angry voice from the doorway said. "Unbelievable." Jones spat as he shuffled inside, ignoring the glares his comments got.
"Chill out Jones," One of the veterans, Officer Watson, reprimanded from his desk. "There's no shame in getting things mixed up; many organizations have the same initialism."
"Don't make excuses for him!" The younger man snapped before giving Reid an ugly. "The BAU stands for the Behavioral Analysis Unit. They help crack cases that would have otherwise gone cold. They are not here to look pretty or take pictures and they probably have more intelligent thoughts in one day than you have your whole life."
Reid doubted that. Then again, Stupid him was really, really, really, dumb and some people couldn't stand idiots. Officer Jones was one of those people. If he ever had to come clean, Reid would pay to see the look on Jones's face. Doubly so if the man ever discovered just how many diplomas Reid had. Alas, the show must go on.
"Oh! I had no idea! Thanks for explaining it to me, Jones!" Reid said sweetly before giving the man a hug. "You're such a good friend!" Was he a sadist for enjoying this?
"Get. Off. Me." Jones gritted out.
"You don't like hugs?" Reid pouted, letting go of the man and returning to work. "How sad. Everyone should love hugs." He chided as he continued shelving files.
"It's you I don't like. I've seen objects smarter than you."
"And I've seen toddlers with more manageable tempers." The Chief growled from behind, causing everyone to jump in surprise.
"C-Chief!" Jones stuttered as the older man moved past him. "I was just. . ." The man trailed off, unable to think up a plausible excuse.
"No need to explain Jones. I know exactly what you were doing. Tell me, do I need to put you on suspension while the BAU's here? If you treat your own comrades like this, I don't think I want to see you around the feds." Marco said before turning to address Reid. "Put these back in place for me. Also, tomorrow, I need you to have everything ready for the people coming in. They're very important so be respectful." He told Reid slowly, like he was talking to a small child.
"Sir!" Jones cut in aghast, though whether it was for the reprimand in front of everyone or the fact that the Chief was allowing Reid to interact with the BAU was up for debate.
"Jones," The Chief started out. "If I hear so much as a whisper of you even looking at anyone wrong these next few days, I will suspend you. Is that clear?" Seeing the officer bob his head quickly, he continued. "Good. Now take the rest of the night off. Maybe tomorrow you'll be better company."
The young officer, red from being humiliated in front of everyone, muttered a 'yes sir' before grabbing his coat and keys and walking quickly out the door.
"Wow James," Watson started out, using the Chief's first name. "I know the boy needed to be kicked down a peg but wasn't that a bit harsh?"
"No," James said sternly, looking at his old partner. "That was a warning meant for everyone." He stressed. "I want the BAU to think we are professional, so you all better be on your best behavior! Understood?" He barked out.
"Yes sir!" Everyone shouted back.
"Good." He nodded. "Reid, don't forget to make sure the BAU has everything they need when they get here tomorrow." He reminded to boy one last time.
"Of course! I'll make sure all the evidence and paperwork is ready!" Reid replied cheerfully.
"All right then." James said satisfied. "I'm heading out tonight. See you all in the morning." He waved goodbye to his men before leaving for home. He really needed some sleep if he wanted to make it through these next few days.
"This should be interesting." A secretary said after a moment. "You think any of the feds will be cute?" She asked one of her co-workers as she pulled out a nail file and began working on her nails.
"Does it matter? They're not staying forever."
"Doesn't mean we can't look." The first muttered before blowing on her nails.
"I bet they're all old men!" Officer Fisher joked.
"What? Don't say that!" One of the girls said in an offended tone. "It's almost sinful to say that!"
"How?" Fisher cocked his head to side. "Isn't it more sinful to be having naughty fantasies about them like I know you're gonna do?"
"Nothing wrong with looking." Clara felt the need to add in.
"It is when you start to drool." Fisher grinned before laughing as he dodged a pen.
"See, this is the type of behavior the Chief doesn't want you to show, children." Watson chided but he had a smile on his face as he said it. "You all right there, Reid?" He asked when he saw the young man hadn't moved and had a frown on his face.
"Huh? Oh! Yes, yes, I'm fine!" Reid said quickly. "I was just thinking (they all winced at this. Whenever he said that it led to disaster) do you think I should set a room up for them? That way they can work in peace?" The boy asked nervously, twiddling his fingers.
"Y'know, that's not a bad idea." Watson said after a moment of silence. Honestly, that was probably the only sentence he had ever heard the boy say with any common sense in it. "We could probably set up one of the conference rooms for them."
"Good idea! I'll go get one ready right now!" Reid scurried off, leaving the others to stare at his retreating form.
"He's sure taken with the idea of helping the BAU out isn't he?" Watson chuckled. "And he didn't even know what that stood for 20 minutes ago."
Before Reid clocked out for the night, he had spent the remainder of his time cleaning up one of the unused conference rooms. He cleaned the white bored, made sure there were plenty of markers, checked to make sure the projector was working and that all the seats were comfortable and stable. He was actually very excited about his assignment; he never thought he'd get the chance to meet anyone from the BAU and now he'd be able to meet a whole team! It was a dream come true, or, it was until he excitement waned as he laid in his bed that night.
The BAU were experts in behavior. Would they be able to see behind his mask? He began to fret, conjuring up images of buff men picking him up and yelling, 'liar!' before tossing him out a window. They couldn't do that, right? Of course not, he assured himself. They won't be focused on him; the case will grab their attention. He wasn't anyone important.
'Everything's going to be ok.' He thought, drifting off to sleep. 'Just do as you normally would. They'll never know.'
The next morning, Marco watched with Watson as a jet landed on the strip. After a moment, six people came down, each caring a bag of what he assumed to be clothes.
"Hello," A stern looking man said as the group reached them. "I'm SSA Hotchner." He introduced himself.
"Chief James Marco and this is one of my men, Officer Watson." James replied, giving the man a firm handshake.
"A pleasure. This is my team, Agent Morgan," A dark skinned man gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Agent Rossi," An older man who looked like he should be with the mafia, looked calmly into Marco's eyes; clearly a veteran of his work. "Agent Prentiss," Hotchner continued, gesturing to a pretty woman with dark hair who gave a respectful, 'hello' along with a nod. "Our media liaison, Agent Jareau," A blonde woman with blues eyes gave him a charming smile. "And finally," He heard Hotchner give an exasperated sigh, "Our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia." A woman with blonde hair streaked pink in pigtails let loose a happy squeal.
"I'm so happy! I can't wait to see the strip!" She told Agent Morgan excitedly.
"Technical analyst?" Marco questioned as they moved toward the SUVs.
"Normally she would stay behind in Quantico but she was very. . .enthusiastic about coming on this case." Hotch replied, remembering how persuasive Garcia had been yesterday when they got the call to come to Las Vegas.
"Ah." Marco said, wondering what kind of duo would come out of this bubbly Penelope Garcia meeting their own chipper Spencer Reid. Was the world ready for that? He wondered as he climbed into the driver's seat, Hotchner taking the passenger and Rossi and Prentiss taking the back. Hopefully, Watson would be alright driving the other three.
"Can you give us any more details on the murders?" Hotch asked as they turned onto the highway.
"In the last month we've found five women dead in various public places. They all died differently. The first was strangled, the second one was found with her throat slit; another was stabbed to death with a broken wine bottle, the one after was found with a bunch of pearl earrings stuffed down her throat." He shook his head sadly.
"Pearls?" Prentiss questioned from the back.
"Strange isn't? The guy just keeps getting weirder the more he kills."
"He seems to have a fixation with the throat." Rossi commented. "With the exception of the stabbing, all of them have had their life ended through their necks."
"We thought the same," Marco replied, eyes on the road. "But the latest victim was completely different. Up until now, they had all been young white women. This poor gal had her heart carved out and put in her own hand and she was Mexican."
"You're sure it was the same unsub?" Hotch asked.
"Unsub?" Marco asked.
"Unidentified Subject." Hotch clarified.
"Oh. Yes, it's him. He marks all his victims and this was definitely his handy work." The Chief growled.
"Mark?"
"Yeah. Always carves a butterfly on their foreheads." He told them and could feel their confusion.
"How bizarre." Prentiss muttered.
"That's why we called you." Marco said as they pulled into the parking lot. "Listen," He started as they began to unbuckle. "I told my men to be respectful and to do anything you ask of them. They give you any lip, tell me and I'll deal with them."
"We normally don't get that kind of offering." Rossi commented lightly.
"Look," Marco sighed in frustration. "I don't like the thought of you guys taking over but I'd feel even worse if girls kept dying because I didn't want to accept help. Just, please, if you're going to do something, clear it with me first?"
"Of course." Hotch agreed as they stepped out of the vehicle. "We're here to help, not take over." He told the Chief as they moved toward the doors.
"Thank you." Marco said, relief evident in his voice. "Watson informed me that Conference Room 2 was set up so your team can work in relative peace. All reports and evidence should be in there." He informed the man. Just then, his cell began to buzz. "Marco." He said shortly as he snapped it open and listened intently to the person on the other line. "What?!" He yelled loudly, making Garcia jump as her, JJ, and Morgan joined the others at the door. "Fine. I'll be there as soon as I can." Marco ended before turning to the team. "I have to leave. There's been a disturbance at one of the casino's that needs my attention." He said grey eyes apologetic.
"We understand." Hotch replied shortly but not harshly.
"Thank you. Like I said, Conference Room 2 should have everything you need. Watson, you're with me." Was the last thing Marco said before heading towards one of the patrol cars.
"If you have any problems finding the room, just ask one of the officers or secretaries; they'll lead you to the right place." Watson told them kindly before following the Chief. Left alone, the group looked at each other.
"Shall we?" Rossi asked, gesturing towards to door.
"Secretaries, huh?" Morgan said with a grin.
"Morgan we are not here to play." Hotch reminded him sternly.
"Hey man, what happens in Vegas. . ." Morgan trailed off with a laugh as they entered the building.
Oh yeah, they were going to need directions finding this room, they all thought as they took in their surroundings. The front part of the building was filled with cubicles on one side where officers were working on their paper work and on the other side was a counter bar that had some nicely dressed women typing away and taking phone calls. In the middle was a walkway that led all the way to the back that split up into several hallways.
. . .and there was no directory. Fun.
"Perhaps," Rossi started out. "We should ask one of the secretaries. I don't think anyone on the force would happy to direct us at the moment." He ended wisely. It was true; the moment they entered, the atmosphere seemed to have grown tense.
"I think Rossi's right." Morgan said with a grin. "I'll go ask one of those fine ladies to help us and I think I know just the one." He said, looking at a woman standing in the walkway, leaning over the counter as she talked to one of girls. Her curly brown hair went down a little past her chin and hid most of her face but Morgan saw a pert nose and pretty pink lips stretched into a smile. She had a slender build; her arms were crossed over the counter which hid her bust, but with her frame he was guessing there wasn't much up top. That was all well and good, he thought as his gaze lingered on her fine long legs encased in some form fitting pants that showed off her perk butt. Damn, what he wouldn't give to see her in a skirt!
"Morgan . . ." Hotch started in a warning tone, seeing his comrade's look that resembled a tiger about to eat a bunny.
"Its fine, Hotch. I got this." Morgan said confidently as he swaggered up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Excuse me miss, could you direct me to- whoa!" Morgan yelled in shock as she turned around.
She was turned out to be he. A really pretty he.
"Can I help you?" Reid asked with a big smile as his brown eyes glistened in the light. On the inside, he was holding back the punch of fury that had wanted to be let loose the moment the man called him 'miss.'
"You can help Morgan get his dignity back." Prentiss muttered under her breath and JJ smirked as the team walked closer.
"I'm SSA Hotchner." Hotch took over before any true damage control needed to be done. "My team and I are from the BAU. We were told a room was set up for us."
"The BAU? Yes, we have a room ready for you. Conference Room 2 is where you need to go!" Reid told the stern looking man with a boyish grin. 'Keep it together Spencer, c'mon, they don't know you're acting, keep it together. . .' He repeated the mantra in his head.
"You." Penelope said as she made her way to the front of the group. "Are the most adorable thing I've seen all year." She told him bluntly, holding back the urge to hug him.
"Aw, thank you! I get that a lot." He confessed with a small blush dusting his cheeks. "Don't know why though."
"Can you lead us to the room?" Hotch cut in before Garcia could list every reason she found this kid cute.
"Sure! Follow me!" Reid said excitedly as he began walking. "I'm Spencer Reid by the way."
"Even your name is cute!" Garcia squealed as she walked in line next to him. Hotch and Rossi following close behind with JJ and Emily both dragging a mortified and shocked Morgan.
"Here we are! I, uh, hope it's up to your standards. I'm the one that set it up." Reid admitted opening the door. Hearing someone call his name, he gave them an apologetic smile. "Someone's calling me. Oh, I've been meaning to tell you; you're outfits? Amazing." He told the girls with a shy smile.
"Thank you." They all said at once. It had been a long time since anyone had commented on their style and it was nice to know someone noticed.
"Hey! If you crack this case early, we can talk fashion! I've got a bunch of neat tricks I've read in magazines. Um, I'm not very good with manly things." He told the guys sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "If you need anything, just let me know, ok? See you later!" Then with a cheery wave, he dashed off and ended up smacking face first into a wall. "I'm ok!" He assured them, seeing their concerned looks. "This happens all the time! It's only bad if blood comes out of my head!" Before they could answer, he vanished around the corner.
Garcia opened her mouth.
"Hotch, can we-"
"No." He cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say.
"But he's-"
"Garcia. I don't care how cute he is, we are not taking him back with us after this case is over. He's not a toy."
"But he's too adorable to leave behind!" She protested.
"Yeah." Emily agreed. "Even Morgan thinks he's cute. Why else would he try to hit on him?" She ended with a grin and JJ had to stop herself from laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Morgan griped, still in shock that he had been checking out another guy. "It was an accident."
"Keep telling yourself that." JJ said as she stepped inside the dark room and flipped on the switch. As light and the others filled the room, they looked on in surprise.
Honestly, the room was nothing special but never before had they seen a handmade banner with the words, 'Welcome BAU!' in bright pink and glitter, hung over the white board. In the corner, there was a table with coffee and an array of sweets ranging from cookies to cakes. On the table in the middle were several packages that had 'EVIDENCE' stamped on them and several manila folders neatly stacked next to them.
"Somebody went through a lot of work for us." Morgan whistled in appreciation.
"Didn't you hear, my Chocolate God?" Garcia asked. "My sweet boy out there said he fixed this room up for us. I want that banner. We can't not take that home with us." She said, looking at Hotch who just shrugged. If she could fit it in her bag then he didn't care.
"Well this is different." Rossi, who was secretly a cookie monster, said as he held up a cookie. "I wonder if I should trust this." He pondered, stroking his beard.
"Why?" Prentiss asked as she fixed herself some coffee.
"Because Mr. Reid left this note next to the cookies." He said handing to her. Sipping her coffee, she choked slightly as she read the words.
"Alright there, Prentiss?" Morgan asked in concern.
"Yeah." She wheezed before beginning to laugh. "Read this." He did and before he could stop himself, an amused snort escaped him as he handed it on to the next person. Similar reactions happened before it ended up in Hotch's hands.
Dark eyes scanned the words.
I promise the cookies aren't poisoned! Hope you have fun! :)
"Should we be worried?" Rossi asked, even though he had already bitten into his cookie. It was delicious.
"Why should we be worried? He's already shocked Morgan, became Garcia's next stuffed animal, Emily and JJ's fashion consultant and your source for cookies." Hotch said seriously and they only knew he was joking because he let loose a tiny smile before slipping back into his frown.
"Let's get started."
12 pages. Pretty big leap from 5, huh? If anyone can figure out why I used the name Pierce Derns as Reid's pseudonym, I'll write a scene request if you have one (within reason, nothing M-rated).
Please tell me what you thought of the chapter. I would really like to know.