There's No Place like Home
"Wheels up in thirty." Hotch said. The team dispersed from the conference room. Victoria hurried to grab her go bag. She dialed Jason's number, told him she'd be out of town for a while and then called Korey.
"What?" Korey snapped.
"I'm going on another case." said Victoria, flinching.
"Whatever." muttered Korey.
Victoria frowned. "Is something wrong? I had fun on our date this weekend."
"I gotta go." said Korey. He hung up without waiting for a response. Victoria's chest stung.
"You okay?" asked Prentiss.
Victoria blinked. "Hm? Oh, yeah." she said.
Prentiss frowned but didn't argue. Victoria gathered her belongings and headed with Spencer to the hangar. Victoria texted her friend Sophie, asking her to watch the boys for a few days. Sophie responded with an enthusiastic thumbs up. Victoria boarded the plane and glanced out the window. The sky was dark with ominous clouds. She got out a notebook and began writing a poem to calm her nerves. She was so submerged in her work that she didn't notice the plane take off, or the team's speculations about the case.
The plane trembled with a patch of turbulence, knocking Victoria's lettering askew. She closed her notebook and decided to listen to the team discuss the unsub. "It could be a forensic counter measure." suggested Prentiss.
Victoria glanced at the dark clouds out the window. "He could be awed by storms." she said. The plane went quiet. Victoria glanced up to see the team staring at her. She pursed her lips awkwardly. "Sorry."
"Actually, I think Victoria's right," said Spencer.
"Yeah," said Morgan. "It's pretty risky using a tornado as a forensic counter measure. The unsub could get killed himself."
The plane shook with another bout of turbulence. Victoria tilted her head curiously when Rossi crossed himself. She barely listened to Rossi's spat with Reid. "Rossi, are you Catholic?" Victoria asked.
"Casually. You?" said Rossi.
"Er, I grew up Catholic, yeah. I guess I'm more nondenominational now," Victoria replied. She noticed Spencer staring at her and turned back to the window. What was Korey so upset about? Was it her traveling? No, he hadn't known what she was calling about and he'd been upset when he'd first picked up the phone. So what could be irritating him?
Spencer sat across from her. Victoria glanced at him. "You okay?" Spencer asked.
The plane dipped unexpectedly. Victoria closed her eyes until the plane settled itself. "Are we landing?" she asked, opening her eyes.
"Yeah," said Spencer. "Are you okay?"
Victoria nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
Spencer frowned. "You don't sound fine."
Victoria's eyebrows pinched together. "If you're just going to profile me, why even ask if I'm okay in the first place? It seems you already know the answer."
Spencer's eyes fell away from her face. "I'm just making sure you're okay."
Victoria sighed. "I'm sorry," she murmured. Spencer met her gaze. "Korey's mad about something and won't talk to me. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
Spencer nodded. "It's okay."
Victoria crossed her arms. "Love sucks."
Spencer's lips twisted with a small smile. "I don't think it's all bad."
"Do you have a special girl in your life?" Victoria asked, suddenly curious.
"Not right now." said Spencer. Victoria scrunched her lips together.
"Well, any girl would be stupid not to be with you. You're awesome." she said.
Spencer smiled. "Thanks."
…
"His dad used to beat on me, but he stood up for me. He was really protective. But… he ran away because he couldn't take it anymore." The mother of the victim, Jason, dissolved into sobs.
Victoria glanced at JJ and then reached across the table to take the mother's hand. "He sounds like he was a great kid." Victoria said gently.
The mother nodded. "Is that all?" she sobbed. "Did it help?"
"Yes, thank you." said JJ.
"Do you need anything?' Victoria asked.
Jason's mother shook her head. "Just catch this guy."
"We will." Victoria promised. She and JJ left the room. "I can't imagine…" Victoria said, shaking her head.
"Are you okay? I know your brother's name is Jason…" said JJ.
Victoria smiled. "I'm okay. Are you? I heard Henry was sick."
"Yeah. Will's taking care of him. His fever broke finally." said JJ, looking relieved.
"Good," said Victoria, squeezing JJ's arm in comfort. Her phone rang. Victoria glanced at it. It was Korey. Victoria stepped into the hall and answered the phone. "Korey, hey."
"I can't fucking believe you." Korey seethed.
Victoria's stomach twisted. "What's wrong?"
"You had your team over for dinner the other night." Korey snapped.
"Yeah?" Victoria replied, not sure where Korey was going with this.
"Most of your team is a bunch of fucking men!" Korey yelled.
Victoria gaped. "Korey, they're my colleagues. And there were women there, too."
"I don't give a shit. You probably just want to get in all of their pants, you dirty whore." Korey snarled.
Victoria's eyes stung with tears. "That is not true. They're just my friends. One of them is my boss! It was purely innocent, even work-related. I swear."
"What about that one guy, Spencer? You've gotten coffee with him before." said Korey.
"It was one time. He's just a friend. He's going through a rough time." Victoria explained.
"And I'm sure you're making him feel better with sex." Korey accused.
"No, I'm not. It's not like that at all. Spencer's just a friend." Victoria insisted.
"Are you cheating on me?" Korey asked.
"No, I swear." said Victoria.
Korey was quiet for a long time. "I want to read your texts with Spencer. All of them. I'll know if you delete any messages."
Victoria nodded. "O-okay." she whispered.
"Fine." Korey hung up. Victoria blinked, and the tears that had welled up in her eyes spilled onto her cheeks. She put her phone in her pocket. Footsteps clacking down the hall jerked her out of her daze.
"Are you okay?" It was Spencer's voice. Victoria glanced at him. Prentiss stood beside him. Spencer's face fluttered with concern when he saw the tears on Victoria's face. She wiped at them.
"Y-yeah," Victoria croaked. "I'm all right. Excuse me." She pushed past Spencer and Prentiss and hurried to the bathroom.
The door opened and Prentiss entered. "What's wrong?" Prentiss demanded.
Victoria sniffled, trying to compose herself. Prentiss grabbed some paper towels and handed them to Victoria. "K-Korey is mad at me for having the team over for dinner." Victoria admitted, wiping her eyes.
"What? Why?" Prentiss demanded.
"Well, h-he thinks I might be cheating on him with Reid," Victoria answered. Prentiss raised her eyebrows. "I'm not," Victoria insisted. "Reid's just a friend. But Korey… He can be jealous sometimes."
Prentiss frowned and searched inside her purse. She handed Victoria a tube of mascara. Victoria gave a watery chuckle and began reapplying her makeup. "Victoria… Has he ever hurt you?" Prentiss asked.
"God, no. He's just very protective." said Victoria. "Thank you." She handed the mascara back to Prentiss.
"No problem," said Prentiss, sounding distant.
…
"Hey, Reid," said Prentiss.
Spencer glanced at her. "Yeah? How's Victoria?"
"She's fine," said Prentiss. "Look, I was meaning to ask you… Have you ever met Victoria's boyfriend?"
Spencer frowned. "No," he answered. "Why?"
"Not sure. He just upset Victoria. I was just wondering." said Prentiss.
Spencer's frown deepened. "Is she okay?"
"I think so," said Prentiss, though she seemed troubled. "Do you and Parker hang out outside of work?"
"We've gotten coffee together one morning, but that's it," said Spencer. "What's going on?"
"Korey thinks Victoria is cheating on him with you." said Prentiss in an undertone.
Spencer widened his eyes. "Oh. We're not. She's just a friend. And not even a really close friend."
Prentiss raised her hands. "I'm not suggesting you are. Just warning you."
Spencer nodded slowly. "Thanks."
…
The storm outside raged while the team worked to profile the unsub. Victoria concentrated on scheduling counseling sessions with the team. The lights flickered occasionally, but Victoria kept at her paperwork. The room plunged into darkness when the power went out.
"Hold on Garcia," said Hotch into the phone. Victoria glanced around. She couldn't work on her paperwork with the lights off. The lights flickered back on when the generators kicked into gear.
"It's Frankenstein," said Reid by the window. Victoria glanced at him, frowning.
"What?" said Hotch.
"The unsub isn't just trying to put his brother back together, he's trying to bring him back from the dead. He believes tornadoes have the power to take life, so reversely they should have the power to restore it." Reid explained, joining the group.
Victoria nodded. "Frankenstein's monster was brought to life in the middle of a storm, too."
"Exactly." Reid said, nodding to her. Victoria returned to her paperwork while the team worked on catching the unsub. She decided that the best time to counsel the team was as soon as they returned from the case.
The team packed up to hunt down the unsub. Victoria approached Spencer. "Hey," she said. Spencer glanced at her as he strapped on his bulletproof vest. "Be careful out there." Victoria muttered.
Spencer nodded. "I will."
Victoria dipped her head awkwardly and turned away.
…
Spencer stared in horror as the tornado swirled closer, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. The unsub was sucked into the vortex. Spencer waited by the shelter for JJ and Morgan to hurry over as the cyclone charged closer. Spencer's heart pounded. What if they didn't make it? What if he didn't get to see Victoria again? Despite the dire situation, Spencer couldn't help but frown at himself. Why did he care? Well, she had become a good friend of his…
JJ and Morgan hurried into the shelter. Spencer followed quickly. Morgan struggled to close the door, but eventually it slammed shut. Spencer panted in the corner, willing his heart rate to return to its normal pace. A sudden thought occurred to him: Victoria was his closest friend outside of work. His lips twitched with a small smile.
…
Back at the BAU, Victoria made the grim announcement that she had to counsel the team individually. "I'm sorry guys. I won't take long, I just have to send a report saying I did it. JJ, you and I can reschedule, I know you have important family matters." Victoria said.
"No, we can do it now. Can I go first?" JJ replied.
"Sure," Victoria said. "Hotch, may I borrow your office?"
"Of course," said Hotch, handing Victoria the key. Victoria led JJ to the office. She unlocked the door, flipped on the light and then settled into one of the armchairs. JJ sat in the other.
"How are you holding up?" Victoria asked.
"I'm all right," said JJ. "The traveling has been hard on my relationship. But Will understands that this is where I belong."
"Reid treating you okay?" Victoria wondered.
"Yeah, we're on good terms again. I just…" JJ trailed off, biting her lip.
"What?" Victoria prompted.
"Well, I still feel guilty. I mean, I hurt them. But they've all forgiven me, which I'm grateful for…" JJ trailed off again.
"You haven't quite forgiven yourself." Victoria guessed. JJ nodded. "You did the right thing. You protected Emily. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to do the right thing. In this case, you sacrificed the team's trust. But you earned it back. Do you think there's some other method that could've been used?"
"We could've told the truth." said JJ.
"But then they would've been targets of Doyle, because they would've known Emily's whereabouts and status. And secrets get out, no matter how trustworthy a person is. You made a difficult decision, but it was the right one." said Victoria.
JJ nodded. "Thank you."
Victoria smiled. "Now, go home to your son."
JJ smiled and left the room. Emily entered, looking a bit awkward as she sat across from Victoria. "Hey." Emily said, her hands gripping her knees.
"I know this is awkward. You haven't had to sit and talk with me one-on-one before. Whatever you say in here will not be shared with anyone. I'm just getting a feel for how you feel about the team and your place here." Victoria said.
Emily puffed out a long breath through her lips. "Okay," she said. She looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "I feel good. It's good to be back. I don't know how they feel about it, though."
"They're over the initial shock. Why are you still uncertain?" Victoria said.
Emily smiled. "That obvious, huh?" Victoria nodded. Emily sighed. "I feel like they think I'm throwing off their rhythm or something. I mean, Morgan told me he didn't feel that way. He's just afraid he'll lose me again."
Victoria bobbed her head. "They all are."
Emily worked her jaw. "And… I can't forget what happened. I can't pretend that nothing happened, you know?"
Victoria tilted her head. "Don't. What happened to you was traumatizing. Don't forget and don't pretend. But don't get stuck on the past, either. You don't have to be okay 24/7. But reminding yourself constantly or burying it deep inside won't help you, either."
"I'm back. But I don't feel as if I've really come back, if that makes sense." Emily admitted.
"It does," said Victoria. "Maybe you need to plant some seeds. Dig in some roots. Make it more permanent that you're here, you know?"
"What do you mean?" Emily replied, frowning.
"Buy a house. Date. Look into starting a family. Make friends outside of work. Join a club. Get a dog or a cat. Something to keep you grounded. Something to make this place feel more like home." Victoria suggested.
Emily nodded. "That's actually a good idea," she said. "Although I don't think I'm quite ready for a family. But a house could work."
Victoria smiled. "I know dating and family talk is huge step. Given the massive changes you've had already, I wouldn't expect you to be ready for all of that."
Emily laughed. "I don't know if I ever will be," she said. Her smile faded. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if I like you being around."
Victoria wasn't surprised. "I know that the team didn't when I first arrived," she said. "I know I'm poking into deeply personal stuff. I'm an outsider. But I would like to think of you guys as my colleagues and hopefully my friends."
"Well, hanging out with you outside of work has helped. We should go get coffee sometime. Or I could use some new clothes. You could go shopping with me or something." Emily suggested.
Victoria felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I'd like that, Emily."
Emily huffed. "So, tell me about yourself."
Victoria laughed. "I'm the counselor here!"
"Getting to know you better will help me open up." Emily bribed.
Victoria worked her jaw. She decided to bite. "There's not much to know about me. What do you want to know?"
"This boyfriend you have… He seems controlling." said Emily.
Victoria frowned. "I don't hear a question in that statement."
"Is he?" Emily prompted.
"Not really," said Victoria. She thought for a moment. Wear something sexy. I need to read your messages. "Well… He can be a bit of a dominant kind of guy. Alpha male sort of thing, you know?"
"Are you and Reid…?" Emily asked.
Victoria shook her head. "God, no. He's just a friend. We got coffee one morning. I told you this already."
"But Korey still thinks you're cheating." said Prentiss.
"Well, I've talk about Reid some… But I have about the team in general. He shouldn't see Reid as a threat, though. It's just a misunderstanding." Victoria said.
"Do you love Korey?" Emily asked.
Victoria blinked. "I…" She swallowed. "I don't know. I've never been very confident in relationships and love and stuff. So… I don't know. I think I do."
"Then you won't mind my saying this," said Emily, leaning forward. "A little jealousy is okay. But a lot can be dangerous. Be careful, Victoria. Don't dig a hole you can't get out of."
Victoria stared at Emily, feeling the color drain from her face. Her heart began to pound. She checked her watch. "Well, we're out of time. Send in Morgan, please."
Emily stood, frowning. But she didn't argue and left the office. Morgan entered a few seconds later and plopped into the armchair across from Victoria.
"How do you feel about Emily being back?" Victoria asked, scribbling down a few notes.
Morgan's eyebrows shot up. "Well, hello to you too, Parker."
Victoria sighed and stopped writing to give Morgan an exasperated look. "Hi, Morgan. How are you?" she said monotonously.
Morgan grinned. "I'm pretty good." he said. He sobered. "It's good to have her back."
"But you're afraid you'll lose her again." Victoria pointed out.
"Not so much anymore now that we've trained together. But yeah, some." Morgan said.
"I know it's easier said than done, but you have to accept the fact that death is out of your control. It might not even be Emily next time. This job is dangerous. It comes with the territory. It could be JJ, Reid, Hotch… Any of you. Death is an enemy you can't conquer until you accept it. Fighting it will only make you paranoid and angry." said Victoria.
Morgan nodded. "Anyone ever told you that you're wise for your age?"
Victoria grinned. "No, but thank you."
He tilted his head. "You okay? You seem a bit agitated."
Victoria nodded, pursing her lips. "I'm fine. How'd the ten hours of training with Prentiss go?"
"It went well. I can see that she can take care of herself. With each case it gets a bit better." said Morgan.
"Good," Victoria murmured, scratching down a note. "You're good to go. You can send in Rossi."
Victoria noticed Morgan frown out of her peripheral vision, but the man left the office without protest. Victoria sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Why did Prentiss have to say that about Korey?
Rossi sat across from Victoria. "Relationship trouble?" Rossi asked.
Victoria blinked. "What?"
"You're fiddling with your necklace. You only do that when you're stressed or upset. Usually you tell us what's going on, but you never talk about your relationship, even though you're in one. So, relationship trouble?" Rossi said.
Victoria hadn't even noticed she was fiddling with her necklace. She stopped. "Damn you profilers," she muttered. Rossi chuckled. Victoria inhaled deeply. "Korey gets jealous easily. And… Emily told me to be careful because too much jealousy isn't good. I just… I don't know. We're talking about marriage and stuff and I don't want him to get jealous over every guy friend I have."
Rossi nodded thoughtfully. "Are there any other red flags?"
"No," said Victoria. She blushed. "He's like freaking Prince Charming. A jealous Prince Charming."
Rossi raised an eyebrow. "IF that's his only major flaw, don't worry too much about it. If his jealousy gets to be too much, he can come talk to me and I'll set him straight."
Victoria grinned. "Thanks," she said. "So, how do you feel about Emily being back?"
"Well, it feels like old times. I already told you that I had suspected that something was up. I know we're all concerned we might lose her again, but that'll go away on its own, especially now that we're falling back into a routine. How do you feel about her being back?" said Rossi.
"It's weird. I didn't know her before. I'm just worried that if we do lose her again, that the team will be distraught and I won't be able to help." said Victoria.
"I think we can handle it. We're stronger than we think." Rossi said.
Victoria smiled. "Do you finally trust me?"
Rossi held his head high as he stood. "I don't know what you're talking about." he said. He winked and patted Victoria's knee before stepping out of the office.
Victoria continued with the sessions. Penelope was her bubbly self, glad to have her family whole again. Penelope invited Victoria over for dinner, which Victoria accepted. Hotch was relieved to not be holding that secret of Emily's anymore. Victoria was dreading Reid's session. She knew he knew something was wrong.
Spencer sat down. He watched Victoria with his lips twisting to one side thoughtfully. "So, you're not mad at them anymore?" Victoria asked.
"No," said Spencer. "I thought about it. I know they did it for the right reasons. And Emily lost us, too. And… It brought you to the team."
Victoria couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad I'm here, too."
Spencer cleared his throat. "So… Emily told me that, uh, your boyfriend thinks you're, um, cheating on him with, er, me?"
Victoria looked at him. "Emily told you?"
"Well… She thought I had, uh, the right to know." Spencer said, shifting awkwardly.
Victoria sighed and closed her binder of notes on the team. "Yeah, he does. But trust me, it's a misunderstanding. I mean, we got coffee once."
Spencer nodded. "Yeah, of course."
Victoria huffed. "He wants to read our conversation, though."
Spencer frowned. "We haven't said anything. We don't text much."
"Yeah, I know. I told him you're just a friend and not even a really close friend. There's nothing for him to worry about. He won't come knocking on your door, I swear." Victoria promised.
Spencer shrugged. "I wasn't worried about that," he said. Victoria grabbed her jacket and purse and led the way out of the office. She turned off the lights and locked the door. She walked with Spencer toward the elevator. Hotch had already left, so Victoria would show up early to work with his keys. "I just want to make sure that you're okay. You were pretty upset at the police station." Spencer said, hitting the button for the lobby.
"Oh," Victoria said. "Yeah, I'm great. I just need to talk to him."
"I'm guessing you don't want to get coffee with me tomorrow, then?" Spencer asked. He kept his voice casual, but to be frank with himself, he was kind of disappointed. He had wanted to get to know Victoria. She was pretty cool. She was smart, but goofy. She was pretty but nerdy. She was awkward but adventurous. She was unlike other girls. She seemed to have many layers to her.
"I never said that," said Victoria, frowning. The elevator dinged their arrival to the lobby. Victoria and Spencer walked to the parking lot. Spencer walked Victoria to her car. She looked at him and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow at Starbucks, okay?"
Spencer nodded and his lips twitched with a smile. "Okay."
…
Victoria handed her phone over to Korey, who read the messages from Spencer. There was nothing incriminating there, just stuff about work. Victoria wasn't nervous at all. She waited patiently. At last, Korey handed her phone back. She took it and stared him down. "Spencer is my friend and my colleague. You're going to have to trust me." she said.
Korey snorted. "What if I don't trust him? I've never met the guy."
Victoria rolled her eyes. "You want a picture?" she snapped. She opened up her work bag, flipped through Spencer's file until she arrived at a picture of him. She handed it over.
Korey stared at it for several seconds. "Oh."
"He's like a puppy, Korey," Victoria said. "You're hot. I only want you."
Korey handed the picture over to her and smirked. "Well… Do you want me to take you?" he drawled suggestively.
Nervousness knotted Victoria's stomach like a pretzel. "Korey… I told you… I'm not ready for that."
Korey huffed. "It was worth a shot."
Victoria relaxed. "Thank you for understanding."
"Yep." Korey said. He sounded disappointed.
"Hey," Victoria murmured. She wrapped her arms around Korey's waist and peered up at him. "I do want you. Sometimes I can hardly stand how much I want you. But… I'm just more traditional, okay?"
Korey smiled. "You're such a dork," he said. He kissed Victoria's lips. His blue eyes sparkled when he withdrew. "I'm in love with you."
Victoria's heart fluttered. She gaped up at him. "I-I'm in love with you too."
Korey grinned and kissed her full on the mouth again. After making out for a few minutes, Korey left. Victoria leaned against the door, her heart still pounding from that mind-blowing kiss. Don't dig yourself into a hole you can't get out of.
"Shit."
…
"Let's play a game," said Victoria.
Spencer raised his eyebrows at her over the brim of his coffee. He set down his drink. "Okay, what game?"
"It's just an icebreaker," said Victoria with a shrug. "Really, I'm just going to ask you a bunch of questions."
Spencer smiled. "Okay." he chuckled.
"Well, if we're friends, we've gotta know each other, right?" Victoria said, grinning.
Spencer nodded. "Right. What kind of stuff do you want to know?"
Victoria screwed up her face in thought. "Hm… What's your favorite color?"
Spencer laughed. He'd been expecting her to ask a harder question. "Green. But I also really like purple. You?"
"Aquamarine," said Victoria.
"That's really specific," said Spencer.
"Don't judge," Victoria chided playfully. "Favorite food?"
Spencer thought for a moment. "Coffee."
"That's not a food," Victoria laughed.
Spencer grinned. "Chicken fried lobster."
Victoria's amusement vanished. She looked bewildered. "Chicken… Fried… Lobster?"
"I get in Las Vegas with my mom a lot." Spencer explained.
Victoria laughed. "I have never heard of chicken fried lobster. It sounds… Interesting."
Spencer grinned. "What's yours?"
"Um, anything with carbs," Victoria said. Spencer chuckled. Victoria shrugged. "If I had to pick… Macaroni and cheese."
"Good choice," said Spencer.
Victoria winked. "Hm… What is your favorite… animal?"
Spencer frowned. "I'm not sure I have one," he said. "Domestic, wild or fantasy?"
"Uh, all three." Victoria said.
Spencer laughed. "Um, for domestic I'd say… I guess dogs… Wild… I'd have to say giraffe. They're pretty elegant. And fantasy… I honestly have no idea."
"For domestic, mine would be dog I guess… Although I think my spirit animal is a cat, but I don't really believe in spirit animals so… Anyway, for wild, I really like tigers. For fantasy, I'd have to say dragon. Or maybe phoenix." Victoria said.
"Good choice." said Spencer.
They went on like this for an hour, asking each other simple questions. It was the most fun Spencer'd had in a while. Victoria was actually pretty cool. She liked riding her bike, swimming and riding horses. She enjoyed doing something creative every day. She was also a fan of animated children's films and horror movies. Spencer had found that a bit contradictory, but also thought it was cool.
"I like finding obscure horror movies and watching them," said Victoria. "Some of them, in fact most of them, end up being horribly stupid. Every now and then I find a really good one."
"I don't watch a lot of contemporary films." said Spencer.
"That doesn't surprise me," said Victoria, rolling her eyes. "You should come over sometime and watch an obscure scary movie. Or a classic one, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Although that's mainly gore porn, which I'm not a huge fan of… But yeah. It could be fun."
"Yeah, I'd like that." Spencer said.
"I'm actually excited because my brothers got this game that's an RPG that's supposed to simulate a horror film. You play as eight different characters and make decisions on how to survive the night." said Victoria.
"That sounds pretty cool, actually," said Spencer, furrowing his brow. "What's it called?"
"Until Dawn," said Victoria. "I watched a trailer for it and… You know what? I'll show you." Victoria got out her phone and opened up the YouTube app. She found a trailer and sat next to Spencer on his armchair. She was extremely close, squished against him in the small space of the chair. But it wasn't uncomfortable. Spencer frowned as he watched the character moving around a house, sleuthing like they do in horror films. A masked figure starting chasing her. Two options appeared on the screen: run or hide. The player selected run, so the character did.
"They don't give you much time to make decisions," said Spencer. "Which makes sense, because in real time, you wouldn't have much time to."
Victoria pulled away and sat across from him again. "Yeah, I think it looks really cool. You should come over and play it with me. Help me make some decisions on how to survive, Mr. Know-It-All."
Spencer pressed his lips together. "You're on."
Victoria widened her eyes. "Really?"
Spencer's smile faded. "Uh, is that okay?"
"Yeah, I just wasn't sure if you'd want to or not." Victoria said.
Spencer shrugged. "It sounds… fun."
Victoria tilted her head. "Does it?"
"It does," Spencer insisted. "It's different from what I'd normally do."
"And if you don't like it, we can always watch a movie or something." said Victoria.
"As long as it's some obscure horror film." said Spencer.
Victoria grinned. "Agreed."
Spencer's phone buzzed. He checked it. "There's a case."
"Oh, crap," Victoria muttered.
"What is it?" Spencer asked.
"I forgot to give Hotch his keys. He's probably locked out of his office right now." Victoria said.
Spencer chuckled. "I'm sure he could've gotten in somehow. Let's go."
Victoria nodded and stood. Spencer glanced at her. She wore a rich green dress and navy tights and matching heels. She pulled on a navy coat and flipped her blonde hair around as she shouldered her bag. Her glasses glinted whenever they caught the light. Spencer looked away from her. He hoped that Korey was treating her well.
…
Sorry for the language… I will warn you guys that the language might get worse. If it bothers you, don't read. That's one reason I'm considering changing the rating from T to M, but it probably won't until later… Much later, actually.
To the Guest who reviewed: Wow, that is a huge compliment! I'm usually picky about ReidxOC as well, so I thought I'd write my own. Thank you so much for your kind words and review!
Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter!