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Good Friends
Chapter Eight: It's Worth It
By Ann Parker
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"You think Reid is going to be okay?" asked Emily, staring down at her cup of coffee that Agent Granger had given her a few hours ago. By now it was cold and she only held on to it for the sake of having something to hold. She was sitting in a black unmarked FBI car with Morgan, waiting for Pullson to finally show up. When they had arrived at his place last night he was nowhere to be found. When they realized he wasn't there, they paid Garcia a quick call and learned that there was no record of his current employment, if he had any, so they only had his last known address to go on. The good news was that it did appear like he at least visited that house. Morgan and herself were pulling the second shift on staking out his place.
Morgan glanced over at her, but not before noticing agents Granger and Sinclair slowly approaching in another unmarked car. "I hope so. Charlie seems to understand him, apparently better than of us. Hopefully he can help him cope." Agent Sinclair got out of his car and was soon climbing into the back of theirs. Emily nodded and looked back at Pullson's shack of a home. "Although I wish he'd let us in a little."
"Maybe you guys should give him a little space and not baby him as much and he will," commented David. Morgan and Emily both turned and looked at him, stunned and angered. "What? You were talking about Agent Reid, weren't you?"
"Maybe we were, but it's none of your business," retorted Emily before Morgan could say something worse.
"Yeah, maybe. And I may not be a profiler, but it was pretty clear to me that he doesn't appreciate being treated like a child. Something I noticed Charlie doesn't do," added David. Morgan and Emily shared a glance as David's comment hit a nerve. It was a valid comment, however. "So, still no Pullson?"
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"Any sign of him yet?" Hotch asked Don as he made his way over to the agent's desk.
"Not yet. Colby, David, and agents Morgan and Prentiss are still staking out his place," stated Don. "I just hope he shows up before we find another dead body."
"He'll go back. He's a creature of habit," commented Gideon, appearing next to Hotch with JJ.
Don nodded and stood up as the group made their way into the conference room. "That was a nice catch by your Agent Reid last night, by the way." Don noticed Gideon smile slightly at the comment. Now was as good of a time as any. "What's with his forced vacation?" Hotch and JJ glanced at Gideon who nodded.
"Things went…array…on our last case and he experienced some things," Hotch answered, trying to leave it as vague as possible. He wasn't sure if he liked this agent prying into things.
Don studied him for a minute, able to read right through that comment. Maybe Megan was beginning to really rub off on him after all. "I see. Megan went through something a bit similar a few months back."
"And if I bounced back, so can he." The group spun around at the sound of a familiar voice to see Megan standing in the doorway.
"Hey! When did you get back?" asked Don, walking over to her and pulling her into a brief hug.
"Last night," she replied when they pulled apart. "I see you had to call in the cavalry in my absence," she stated as they walked over to the other three. "Hotch, JJ, Gideon, good to see you guys again although I'm guessing it's not under the best of circumstances." Just as Gideon was about to answer, Don's cell phone rang.
"Eppes. Great, thanks David." He hung up and looked at the others. "They've got Pullson. They're brining him in now." The others nodded, except for Megan who didn't know anything about the case yet. "Morgan and Prentiss are searching his place and car. All signs are pointing to him."
"Can I go tell Reid?" asked JJ, briefly showing her concern, her feelings, in her voice and eyes. She wanted him to stop doubting himself. Gideon smiled slightly.
"Sure, I bet he could use a boost to his confidence," he replied. JJ was about to ask him how he knew, but Megan spoke before she found her voice.
"Where is boy wonder?" Megan asked, using her nickname for Reid. They hadn't worked together very long before she made the move to LA, but were quite friendly while she was there. She could tolerate his discussions about science and math more than most. It was probably why she was quick to accept Charlie's assistance on cases when she joined this team. And then there was the matter of Professor Fleinhart.
"With Charlie," answered Don. Megan turned to him and grinned.
"Now there's a dangerous combination," she stated, amusement in her voice. "Come on JJ, I'll take you. I've got to see this for myself."
"You just want to see Larry," teased Don.
"That too."
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"Okay, by my calculations----"
"Our."
Charlie smiled at Reid's correction as they walked over to the back of his car. "Sorry, our calculations, this should be the optimal design for your boat, Larry." The three were at the beach, getting ready to test out the design they had come up with yesterday between working on the case. Larry and some of his students had built it afterwards. They wheeled the boat down into the sand from the cart that was attached to Charlie's car.
"Ready to go for a test ride?" Larry asked, looking at Reid. He noticed that the young man seemed much better than he had the day before, which was a nice relief. He didn't like seeing Spencer carrying such a big burden on his shoulders and it appeared to be much lighter today.
"Oh no you don't, Fleinhart. This is your competition, you're getting in this boat," countered Reid with a smile. He actually felt real good this morning. Probably because he actually had a full night's sleep for once. As Larry tried to negotiate his way out of having to get in the boat, none of them noticed three women getting out of two vehicles and making their way to the group. They continued to push the boat down the sand, just about to the water, as Charlie and Reid ignored Larry's comments.
"Hey boys, look who I found," greeted Amita, carrying the swimming gear Charlie noticed Larry "forgot" in his office. She was a few feet ahead of the other two. The three turned in the direction her voice and smiles quickly formed on all of their faces.
JJ grinned at the sight of Reid; she had never seen him this way before. He had on a pair of khaki shorts and a red t-shirt. He had a pair of shades on and his hair blew around his face from the light breeze. He actually looked his age and carefree for once. When Morgan had told her about his demeanor from the night before, it had worried her, but it appeared that he was okay now. Maybe that chess game had really helped him out. She slipped off her heels and walked a little faster towards him, enjoying the feeling of sand between her toes.
Larry's eyes immediately lit up as they took in the wonderful sight of Megan approaching. He had been quite miserable the last few weeks while she had been gone. Now to see her before him, he didn't think he had ever been happier.
Amita and Charlie smiled at each other as they watched the rest. She was the first to reach the three men, quickly handing Larry his gear even though it was sure to be forgotten in just a matter of seconds. Charlie slipped an arm around her and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
"Where did you find them?" he whispered before the agents reached them.
"They were looking for you and Spencer in your office when I was getting ready to leave," she stated. Charlie nodded just as the other two women made their way to them.
"Just what are you boys up to?" teased Megan, walking over to Larry. Before anyone could answer, Larry pulled her into a hug and quickly kissed her.
"Whoa, what was that?" stated Reid. He turned to Charlie, "Larry and Megan?" Charlie and Amita just laughed and nodded. Megan briefly separated from Larry to hug Reid before he could protest the contact.
"You always said that I would like physics if I gave it a try," she commented when they pulled apart. Reid smiled, remembering that conversation from long ago. Before Tobias, before, well, lots of things. "Now, just what did you geniuses do here?"
"Is this the boat you came up with?" asked JJ.
Reid grinned, "Yes it is. Larry here was just about to take it for a test ride."
Larry groaned and grabbed his gear, walking off to change, Megan following him. Just then, JJ's cell phone rang.
"Jareau." Reid watched as a grin crept across her face. "Thanks Hotch." She hung up and smiled at him, but didn't say anything.
Reid studied her for a moment. "What?"
"Oh nothing, I was just thinking of what Agent Eppes had said yesterday. If he hadn't called Hotch, you probably could have helped him solve the case on your own. With Charlie's assistance, of course," she stated, sending a quick smile at the professor.
Reid blinked at that comment, "What makes you say that?"
"Well, you came up with the same profile as the rest of the team and you found the key piece of evidence to the case that helped us catch the killer, Spence," she replied, pushing some of her blowing hair back.
"So Pullson was the guy?" asked Charlie, smiling. He knew this was just was Reid needed to hear.
JJ nodded, "Yep. Morgan and Emily found enough evidence at his place to tie him to the murders. Your brother and Gideon just about got a confession out of him before he lawyered up as well." They noticed a smile grace Reid's features as Larry and Megan came back.
"Alright, let's get this over with," stated Larry. Charlie and Reid smiled at each other and began to push the boat into the water. The girls joined in as Larry climbed in. Reid handed him his oars and the group watched anxiously.
"This is all on you if he sinks," teased Charlie.
Reid lightly punched him in the arm, "Hey, you're the genius mathematician, I just studied under you. If he sinks, I say fault lies with the teacher." Larry began to row the boat quite effortlessly across the water, easily a success. "Although, since it's working I'll take the credit." Charlie opened his mouth to argue that point, but Megan interrupted him.
"You two knew each other before this case?" she asked. Reid and Charlie exchanged smiles and she just started to laugh. "Of course you did." Larry turned the boat back after a few minutes to come ashore since they knew it worked. The less exposure to the salty water, the better it would perform in the race.
Charlie noticed out of the corner of his eye that JJ was looking at her teammate as he began to walk in Larry's direction to help him with the boat. "Spencer, I'll get it. You stay here." Before Reid could say anything, Charlie walked over to Larry with Megan and Amita following him. He shook his head slightly at his friend's blatant attempt to leave him alone with JJ.
"So Spence, are you staying here in LA for the rest of your vacation?" JJ asked, gaining his attention.
He turned to her and smiled at the sight of her hair softly blowing in the wind. It glistened in the sun, making her look like an angel. "I was planning on it. I need to see if Larry actually wins the race. Why?"
She smiled, taking a step towards him. She took a deep breath before answering. "Well, Hotch wanted me to take some time off as well and I was thinking that I've never really been able to go sight seeing when we've come to LA. It might be nice." She took another step closer, now just mere inches from him. "Want some company?" she asked, the slightest bit of fear of rejection in her voice.
Reid swallowed hard, hardly believing his ears. Never mind how close she was to him. "You want to spend time with me?" He hardly got the question out, trying to fight back his nerves.
JJ smiled and linked their hands together, pulling him even closer. "More than you know, Spence." It was then that Reid finally saw the feelings he had for her reflecting back at him in her eyes. It gave the courage to close the distance and lock his lips with hers. She released his hands, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands found her back. Things were definitely going to be okay between them.
"Wow, Reid, I didn't know you had it in you." The pair pulled apart at the sound of Megan's teasing voice to see the rest all watching them. Charlie had the largest grin on his face, although Reid knew that Garcia's would probably rival that when she found out.
"Told you it was worth it," Charlie stated, wrapping an arm around Amita. Amita smiled at Charlie, kissing him briefly.
"Yes you did," Reid stated, regaining his voice. He smiled at JJ, bending down and kissing her again. If he hadn't already made up his mind earlier about what to do about his career, this just made it a lot easier.
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