Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

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Chapter Six:

Reid stood awkwardly in the New Orleans dance studio. The wedding party was getting some basic dance lessons. It was something that the Bordeaux family insisted on. When the reception came, they wanted a full dance floor. Anything less would be unacceptable.

The studio itself was relatively simple. There were mirrors along the back wall, and the dark wood floors were scuffed and scrapped after several years of use. Dance competitions were advertised on some bright, colorful posters and there were several framed photos of the instructor dancing.

Reid stood in his normal light weight slacks and button up, short sleeve shirt. His hands were stuffed in his pockets as he pushed his foot into a chipped section of wood. He stared at the ground as the dance instructor babbled on about some of the dances they would be covering in the three hour class.

Reid decided to glance around at the people in the studio. Ethan's groomsmen were standing on the other side of the room as they tried to hit on Rania and the remaining bridesmaid. Ethan has his arms wrapped around Marisa's waist. As they listened, he would whisper in her ear and make her laugh. The bride's parents had their eyes glued to the instructor. Looking around, he noticed that someone was missing from the group.

Where was Gwen?

"Miss me?" Gwen asked, popping up behind him a minute later. Her breath tickled his ear and he jumped slightly. Gwen giggled and moved so that she was standing beside him. "Sorry."

Reid sighed as he tried to calm his heart down. "Where were you?" he whispered. He didn't want to draw attention to himself.

"Was the good doctor worried about me?" Gwen winked as she looked Reid over.

"No," Reid stated quickly.

Gwen's curly brown hair had been straightened and pulled into a manageable ponytail. She was in an orange graphic t-shirt and black shorts that stopped mid-thigh. Like Reid, she wore a pair of comfortable Chuck Taylors.

"I'm just joshing with you, Dr. Reid. Relax a little," Gwen laughed. "Mary Lou wanted me to take a check over to the florist. We need to pay before the wedding so everything is in order."

Reid nodded. There was a lot to do when it came to making the wedding the perfect event for Ethan and Marisa. From the looks of it, Winston was putting out all the stops for his baby girl's big day, and nothing was slowing him down. Gwen was probably helping out with some of the arrangement because of her relationship with the Bordeaux family. It was always good to have someone run the errands.

"What kind of flowers are going to be in the wedding?" Reid asked. Some flowers made him sneeze and others were so vibrant in color that it was hard to imagine them in a wedding. Marisa seemed like the girl who would favor lilies over roses.

"That's a secret," Gwen grinned.

The dance instructor clapped his hand and caused Reid to jump again. Gwen laughed lightly and shook her head. Apparently, she wasn't the only one capable of startling the genius. She backed up and sat down on a bench that had been set up for any tired dancers. She wasn't a dancer herself. She was clumsy, and she preferred to watch other people dance. They made great subjects for photos.

Reid joined her on the bench. He didn't dance. It brought back too many painful childhood memories that involved tripping and laughter. Dances never ended well for the doctor. That much was certain.

The dance instructor came prancing over and put his hands on his hips. "And what is this?" he asked as he judged the two Virginians. "No, no, no, you two must dance. Together now, please stand up," he had a light Spanish accent.

Gwen held her hands up as if to say 'I'm not dealing with this'. "I have no intention of dancing at the wedding. I sprain my ankle in tennis shoes. I don't even want to contemplate what will happen when I pull on a pair of heels."

Reid shook his head. "I'm okay. I don't really want to dance."

"Stand up," the instructor ordered once more.

Ethan and Marisa started laughing. They knew that their best friends didn't dance. "Stop being spoil sports and start dancing," Marisa stated.

Gwen and Spencer exchanged glances and refused to move from their spots on the bench. Finally, the dance instructor grabbed his reluctant students by the wrist and dragged then to the center of the scuffed up floor. He looked at Reid. "Now, the boy puts his right hand on the ladies waist."

"What?" Reid and Gwen chorused.

Reid didn't shake hands, and now he had to put his hand on Gwen's waist. Of all people, it had to be her. His ears turned red as he tried to contain his embarrassment. Gwen was going to tease him even more, and he wasn't sure if he could handle it. Although, her vocal confusion seemed to indicate that she wasn't too keen on the idea of his hand on her waist either.

Gwen didn't know how to dance. She would write a life-altering piece of journalism that sent shivers down the reader's spine, and she could wrestle her brother to the floor, but she did not dance. There was a certain amount of grace involved in dancing, and aside from a black belt in Aikido, Gwen was pretty much graceless. Pictures of catastrophic disaster popped up in her head and she was instantly dreading this moment more than any other before.

The dance instructor grabbed Reid's hand and placed it on Gwen's hip. The profiler stared at his hand as if it was a foreign object. A second later, his other hand was holding Gwen's. This couldn't possibly get worse. Could it?

"Now, we'll do a box step. It's simple; anybody can do it," the instructor smiled.

"Not me," Gwen mumbled.

"Now ladies, look your man in the eyes."

"Your man?" Gwen asked. "Can't you just say dance partner?"

"Silence please," the instructor snapped. He had enough of the two reluctant students. "Dancing is sexy, intimate. There is a connection between two people when they dance. An understanding if you will."

Gwen scowled and looked at the ground. "Dr. Reid, I'm warning you now, I will step on your feet at some point in the next three hours. I apologize in advance for getting your shoes dirty," she whispered. "Also, if at any point your hand leaves my hip and ventures south, you'll never have children."

Reid gulped and tried to smile. "My hand isn't going anywhere, and my shoes are already dirty."

"Dr. Reid, is that a joke?" Gwen asked with a smile.

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The rehearsal dinner had everyone in dress casual attire. Reid was in one of his knit sweaters and brown slacks. He looked around as guests arrived. An hour ago, he was standing in a large church listening to separate religious prayer and instructions. He knew that the wedding would go without a hitch. The rehearsal had placed Reid in an uncomfortable position when he was forced to accompany Gwen down the aisle to their assigned spots, and later he escorted her out. The entire time she wouldn't stop teasing him about his overly tense posture and panicked eyes.

"Dr. Reid," Gwen greeted as she walked over, and Reid couldn't help but mentally groan. She was in a simple black cocktail dress with a flowing skirt. Her hair was pulled up into a thick elegant bun, and she wore a simple gold pendant necklace. A pair of black peep toe heels decorated her feet with small black bows on top.

Reid gulped as he stared at her. The past couple days she had teased him non-stop, and she remained unpredictable. He was mentally preparing himself for a night of playful jabs.

Gwen held a black clutch and used it to point to a table. "I think we're over here if I remember the seating arrangements correctly," she smiled. "It looks like we're sitting across from one another." She looked him over and nodded in approval. She liked what she saw and wasn't afraid to show it. "Are you ready for your speech?"

Reid shook his head. It was custom to give a speech if you were the Best Man. Normally, it was to embarrass the groom before he married the love of his life. He had nothing planned, and it was bothering him. He was not the kind of guy who could just wing it.

"Then speak from the heart. I'm sure there's something in that big head of yours," Gwen said as they stopped at their table. She pulled her chair out as Reid circled the table to find his own seat. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that Gwen wouldn't be teasing him tonight. Instead she was acting the same way she was dressed: Stylishly sophisticated.

It wasn't long before the dining hall was filled with hungry guests. The room was in a permanent state of medium chatter as each table had a separate discussion going on.

"Profiling is used in tandem with several other aspects of criminal investigation," Reid babbled nervously. He had been put in the spotlight for being in the FBI, and now he was just trying to shut himself up.

"Does it bother you that you chase serial killers?" one of the groomsman asked. Reid still couldn't remember his name even after spending four days in a mansion with the guy.

Reid closed his mouth before he could continue his lecture. Rania had asked him about his job. He gave them the history of profiling. He noted some well-known cases where profiling had been instrumental in catching the killer, and he talked about the general process.

Gwen leaned forward ignoring the groomsman. "Please continue, Dr. Reid," she smiled. "I'm actually really interested in what you do."

"You are," Reid gulped as he stared at her.

"Of course she's not," the groomsman scoffed.

"Shut up, you're just mad because Ethan didn't pick you to be the Best Man," Gwen snapped coldly. She looked at Reid earnestly. "Ignore him, Dr. Reid. I want to know what you do. It helped save my niece, and I want to know how exactly it helped.

Reid relaxed, and soon continued his lesson on the BAU's methods. Only Gwen listened, but that was okay with him. He didn't have to impress her. He knew that much. Gwen was a normal person tonight, and seemed to be genuinely interested in their conversation. Occasionally she would ask a question and Reid would answer it quickly. She looked him in the eye, which was a little disconcerting, but the longer he talked, the more comfortable he felt.

Gwen suddenly cut Spencer off by reaching across the table. She placed a hand on his and smiled gently. "Dr. Reid, speeches are about to begin. If you'll excuse me, I have to make sure my make up's in order before I give my own speech."

Gwen stood up and looked at him. "If you get stuck, just find me and tell me your speech. Sometimes it's easier if you're only talking to one person instead of a whole room," she said before she left the dim dining room just as Marisa's father started the round of speeches off with a history lesson on the Bordeaux family.

Suddenly, the attention was focused on Reid, and he thought that perhaps his tie was a little too tight. He took a deep breath and looked around the room. He found Gwen standing in the back. She gave him a thumbs up as she leaned against the wall.

"Ethan and I had always been adversaries academically," Reid began. "We were the only thirteen-year-olds in a Caltech Chemistry class; so naturally, we were paired up for lab." Reid swallowed as some of the guests smiled and the others laughed. "One day we were working with some corrosive materials, and we were arguing about the latest Star Trek episode of all things."

Gwen smiled from the back of the room as Spencer spoke. She should have known that they argued over Stat Trek. Then again she and Marisa argued over Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

Reid maintained eye contact with Gwen, so it was like he was talking to her. He could do that. Even if it was a sad tale of two pubescent teens.

"The floor was covered in acid and boiling water, so Ethan and I were stuck on the wall lab counter until the professor came to help with the mess. That's when we came to an agreement when it came to our views on the Star Trek universe," Reid finished.

The room laughed and Gwen moved across the room. She smiled at the FBI agent as she picked up her full wine glass. She hadn't touched it all evening and instead nursed a sprite. "I knew you'd come up with something," she said quietly so that only Spencer could hear her.

Gwen waited for the room to quiet down. "Dr. Reid, thank you for sharing that heartwarming story with us. It's definitely a different side of Ethan. I guess it's my turn to embarrass Marisa."

"You wouldn't dare," Marisa choked out between laughs.

"Oh, but I would," Gwen winked.

Everyone laughed as Reid sat down. He was happy to be out of the hot seat.

"I met Ris at Cal. She and I ended up as roommates by chance. A couple weeks into our freshman year, and we hated each other. She was this super clean neat freak, and I prefer to be comfortable. However, I finally got to see how compassionate she was when I sprained my ankle. One day, she invited me on a hike, and of course I declined because I was on crutches."

Gwen looked at Reid before she continued. "At the time, she had an old jeep wrangler and she offered to drive me up to the mountains. You know, have a picnic. The entire time I'm tripping over my crutches, and she's taking pictures of me. Then she sent them to my family. I'm pretty sure there's a great picture of my butt hanging in the air as I'm falling into the lake. Yes, my best friend is the most compassionate person I know, and I love her for it."

The room laughed and Gwen took her seat before letting a sigh escape her lips.

At the end of the night Gwen walked over to Reid as they waited for a car to take them back to the family home. "I should have pegged you for a Trekkie. The gun and badge hid your geekiness from my keen PI eyes."

Reid shuffled his feet and shifted slightly. Gwen nudged him and grinned. "I'm a Stargate fan myself," she sighed in contentment. "There's something about Colonel O'Neil that makes me smile. Maybe it's all the Wizard of Oz references." She shrugged and looked at the sky. "That was a great speech Dr. Reid."

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Author's Note: I apologize for taking my sweet time. I had trouble with the speeches. I couldn't come up with a good speech for Gwen, so I borrowed a story I heard at a wedding I went to recently. It was funny, and if I knew the woman's name I would give her credit. Alas, it escapes my memory banks.

Important News: 1.) The month of August is going to be full of changes. I'm going back and working on editing and rewriting The Death Card so that the material is more like what I'm posting at the moment. So I'll be keeping people posted on that as well. Check it out when you get the chance. You may like the changes you see.

2.) Ren Kayashima can now be your friend on Facebook. I know that many people are concerned about sharing info. Don't worry about that. I'm not saying people have to follow me there. I created the account to talk with several people on that also created separate accounts. I'll be posting links and a lot more updates there. If you don't want to do that, I also have a twitter and tumblr. Mostly because I get really bored.

Shane