Chapter two! Thanks to my two reviews, I really appreciate it! Still not owning the show.
"Let's just see what Dr. Weber has found." Emily said to JJ. For a short while it had seemed that Reid forgiven them, but for the last week, he was as distant and sarcastic before. She and JJ had been discussing what to do, but there was little they could think of.
They were now on a case in Arizona. A couple of dirt bikers had stumbled on a dead body, only partially buried. Further canvassing had found a mass grave in the desert with 23 skeletons. As neither the little town closest, or even the coroner form the city, had the skills or resources to identify skeletons, the team had brought Dr. K. Weber, a forensic anthropologist, who had previously worked for the UN. They had been assured she was good.
Emil wasn't sure if she was, as she personally couldn't tell a femur from a humerus, but fact remained, they had nothing for one of the most important aspects of profiling: victimology. But, as they'd been told by a harassed Dr. Weber, life didn't end up in Braille on your bones. All they had was sex and an estimate age within 5-10 years. Any other characteristics like hair or eye color, so important for many serial killers, would remain a mystery unless the bones could be linked to a missing persons report. Reid had gone to see if there was anything new, but it had been while ago and he hadn't called.
"Tell me they're wrong." Emily heard Reid's voice it sounded angry and upset. She motioned for JJ to stop and listen. JJ made a 'you-can't-eavesdrop!' motion with her arms, but she was won over when Dr. Weber spoke.
"They are wrong." Dr. Weber sounded even, slightly distracted and a little dismissive. There was a pause.
"Now tell me the truth." Reid sounded a little petulant. Dr. Weber sighed. Emily frowned; she hadn't known Reid knew Dr. Weber, something he would've told her before.
"They're wrong." She sounded apologetic. "But you're not helping either." There was a pause again. They couldn't see what was going on between the two and as one Emily and JJ inched sideways to see better. It wasn't necessary, as Dr. Weber continued.
"Look, I don't know enough about FBI procedure to make a complete judgment call, but if they broke protocol to play online games, not telling you because of protocol is hypocritical. And personally the idea of watching you suffer when she could change it, is offensive to me. So yeah, they're wrong. On the other hand your, for lack of a better term, passive-aggressive bitching, isn't doing you, or your team any favours either." Dr. Weber concluded and there was a long silence again, in which there was pencil scratching and little else.
"What are you saying?" Reid asked. Dr. Weber sighed slightly.
"You once said these people were family. So ask yourself, do you love them? Cause that's what family is, you love them, even when you don't particularly like them. And, can you forgive them? Because if you can't and you can't trust them sufficiently, get a transfer. You can't change what's done; all you can do is move forward. So think hard about this. What can and can't you do and feel?" Emily felt shame creep up. She was well aware that the Scrabble games between her and JJ were a bad, bad, bad idea, but she had missed her family so much. They had used the words to spell out news about the team members. Besides her she could see JJ bow her head.
"I really dislike you sometimes." Reid mentioned, a hint of surprise in his voice. Dr. Weber snorted. "Thanks."
Reid and Dr. Weber must know each other rather well; this was not something you talked about with a stranger. As the silence stretched, she and JJ moved to see into the morgue. There was Reid and Dr. Weber, kissing. Not a polite kiss, a full-on searching-for-cavities kiss. Emily suppressed a gasp. Reid was seeing someone, he'd never told her, thier relationship had efinitely changed for teh worse. JJ must've been thinking along the same road, she looked heartbroken.
Slowly they tiptoed backwards, before walking towards the morgue with heavy steps. When they were almost at the door Reid came out and walked past them quickly without acknowledging them. JJ sighed sadly. They stepped inside.
"Agent Prentiss, Jureau." Dr. Weber acknowledged. She gave no sign of having recently concluded a conversation about them or kissing during work-hours. Emily had to give her props for that. She briefly considered confronting the girl, but decided against it and focused on the findings.
Three days later Emily was on her way to Reid's apartment. The case was over, the unsub caught, but the latest victim lost. Reid had stopped his 'passive-aggressive bitching' in Dr. Weber's words, but he avoided them and hadn't interacted in any non-professional way.
She walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor; she'd never actually been here before, but Garcia had provided the information. She wasn't sure why she was there, to apologize, to smack him upside the head? She rapped her knuckles against the door; they were going to find out.
Reid opened a minute later, it had taken longer than she'd expected.
"Emily." He greeted, though he sounded grumpy.
"Reid." There were several moments where they stared at each other. She realized she'd underestimated him. He'd always been this sweet, sensitive kid with a super brain to her. But now she realized he had some unmovable standpoints and he wasn't budging.
"Can I come in, to talk?" Emily asked. Reid nodded and stepped out of the way. The apartment was.. bland. It was functional, but nothing really interesting. The only interesting thing seemed to be Dr. Weber. She was dressed in bold colours and drew attention. The profiler in Emily found it interesting that the most notable thing in Reid's place was his girlfriend.
"I'll be doing something, elsewhere." She told them with a wry smile. She touched Reid in passing and disappeared out the door. They must've been together for a while, Emily thought, that touch was loving and familiar. Reid didn't say anything, waiting for her to start. Damn the kid! He knew how to make someone squirm, she'd never noticed that before.
"So.. You and Dr. Weber know each other well?" She asked, deflecting.
"Yes." Short, to the point and grumpy.
"Have you know each other long?" Emily gave it one last try.
"Over a decade." Reid was really pissed at her.
"Look Reid, I just want to- can I sit down?" Emily asked and Reid gave a half shrug indicating she could. He himself remained standing with his arms crossed. He wasn't avoiding eye contact or ignoring her, it seemed Dr. Reid was more comfortable in his own home than elsewhere.
"I'm sorry." Emily started. "I know you're upset you lost a friend, but I-"
"Lost six?" Reid bit at her. "That's just it Emily, you didn't! To us you were dead and gone, but you knew we were alive and I'm sure JJ also kept you informed on what went on. You lost nothing but contact, and not even really that."
"I know, I know and it was wrong. When Doyle contacted me and threatened the team.. I was lost. You're family and I just wanted it all to go away. When I woke up in the hospital it was a done deal. I got my new name in a bad spy-movie like deal and I was off to Paris. It wasn't my decision." She held up her hand as Reid seemed to want to interrupt. "Maybe it was the best decision, but.. And the Scrabble thing… It was a bad idea from the beginning and I knew it, but, I guess I just couldn't help myself." It was a bad excuse, and Reid seemed to feel the same way. "Just.. Reid, I am sorry. It was never supposed to be this way."
There was a long silence. Reid was leaning on the kitchen counter, not looking at her, but not ignoring the issue. She was still seated at an awkward angle on the couch. For all that it was a boring looking thing, it was comfortable, Emily randomly noted this.
"Emily." Reid started and sighed. "I'm not mad that you left, I'm mad you kept contact with one person but not everyone else that mourned you. And I'm pissed that somehow you all think that it's okay. That I don't have a right to be mad. I wish I could just accept your apology and not feel like this anymore, but it just doesn't work that way." He finished. She sighed now too.
"Just.. Please don't quit the team?" she pleaded. She'd always really liked the doctor and she'd miss him, like she had in Paris. Reid looked at her confused.
"I, ah, overheard you and Dr. Weber in the morgue.." She confessed, but Reid didn't seem upset about that at all about that.
"I'm not leaving the team." He assured her. There was another uncomfortable pause. Then Emily picked up her coat and purse and moved to the door.
"I really am sorry. Good night."
"Night." Reid echoed.
Over the next few weeks Reid came around slowly. They went from a bare minimum professional relationship, back to normal and after about three weeks there was a team dinner where there was joking and random factoids no one could follow. She and Reid were fine again. It made her realize that forgiveness was a process, not an action.
JJ and Reid however.. Reid had quite any signs of hostility, but their relationship had noticeably cooled. Emily though it was because JJ had never really apologized, but she kept it to herself. She was just glad to be back.
Thanks for reading and please review!
