Elusive Chapter 10
A 2012 Criminal Minds Big Bang Story

by kuriadalmatia

Disclaimers and general author's notes can be found in Chapter 1.

A/N: Only three chapters to go after this. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed so far!

Over a late breakfast, Spencer laid down the rules for gambling. The biggest one was cash only. "Actually, that goes for the rest of your trip."

Aaron looked up from his plate of scrambled eggs with toast. "What?"

"Cash only," Spencer repeated patiently as he speared a chunk of pineapple. "It's one of the ways to minimize your losses. Credit cards are convenient, but it's a different situation when you're gambling. It's easy to keep going back to the ATM to get more money or, even worse, have the window take a cash advance on your Visa. You use what you have. Period."

"Makes sense," Aaron conceded.

"When you're on the casino floor, you only bring down the cash you are going to gamble with. You don't bring along extra for meals. You take a break from the table, go to your hotel room, take out whatever you've allotted yourself for a meal, and eat."

"You've got this down to a science."

"I'm a scientist," Spencer answered with a cheeky grin. "From what I've observed, the more successful gamblers are those who set limits for themselves. Sure, you can get caught up in the excitement of a good hand, but when you run out, you run out."

"That's right. You're working on a paper."

"Was," he corrected before making a face. "I just don't have the same passion for it as I did for the injustice collectors."

"I remember you saying that in one of your letters."

"Right … Anyway, the cash rule also applies to the hotel room."

"What?" Aaron blinked. "They won't let you book without a credit card, even if it is comp'd by the hotel."

"True," Spencer acknowledged. "You do have to have a credit card on file, but when you check out, you pay in cash."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "That's foolish. With all that money on hand, you're a pickpocket's dream."

"Not necessarily," Spencer said. "You can convert your winnings into Visa gift cards and the like. But paying for your room with cash upon check out … it's another way to keep you in check. Is it convenient? No. But it will keep you from taking cash advances from the hotel. Some hotels will allow you to take up to a $1000 per day. You won't want to leave the casino destitute."

"Are you saying I'm that bad of a player?"

"Oh, no, Aaron. You're average."

"Gee. Thanks."

"I meant it as a compliment," Spencer retorted and nudged him with his foot. "I think you would fare well at poker because you're a profiler. You just need practice. I can teach you to a point—card table tells are slightly different that straightforward profiling—but unless we're at a practice dealer, I can't coach you during a live hand. Anyway, the first rule is always use cash. The second rule…"

"Just how many of these rules do you have?"

"Twenty-seven, but you only have to follow the first five," Spencer said cheerfully.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"Really."

After breakfast, they went back to the hotel casino. Aaron withdrew $500 from the casino ATM (which amusingly only did increments of $100 and Spencer lectured on why) before they headed back to the suite. At Spencer's suggestion, he kept $100 for the day and put the rest in the hotel safe. He tried not to gape when Spencer counted out his own daily allowance, which was ten times what Aaron had, because that allowance was itself one tenth of the total cash Spencer had.

Professional gambler, he reminded himself but wondered why Spencer put so much trust in a safe that quite a few people in the hotel had access to. He also saw a stack of credit cards rubber-banded together and tucked in the same pouch that held Spencer's cash.

"How many credit cards do you have?" Aaron couldn't help but ask as he powered off his cell phone and tossed it in the safe. He knew he was going to have a hard time not having it on his person, but sometime between sex with Spencer this morning and now, Aaron decided that he didn't want any work-related interruptions.

He was, after all, suspended. If the office needed to track him down so badly, they'd sic Garcia on his trail.

"Gift cards," Spencer corrected. "Visa and American Express, specifically. They're actually easier for me to manage. I wasn't returning to DC all that often—I plan to change that by the way—and tracking down a local branch of a bank to deposit my winnings all the time was just too cumbersome. I mean, for the bigger tournaments, I have the House wire-transfer my winnings to my account, but for the day-to-day things? I prefer these."

Aaron knew he was staring, because if ten grand cash plus however much was on those gift cards was "day to day," just how much did Spencer pull down in a major tournament? He mentally shook himself and acknowledged Spencer with a nod. Another thought struck him, "You don't get any crap about using a gift card for a hotel room?"

"Sometimes. It depends on the property." Spencer shrugged as he placed the bills in his wallet.

"And you just, what? Go into a bank and get one?"

"Usually. You can get them at grocery stores, too. Really, it's not that uncommon anymore." Spencer then favored him with a wide grin. "So, are you up for your first video poker lesson?"

"Let's go."

When Aaron turned on his cell phone for the first time in six days, he wasn't expecting Garcia to call him the moment the phone got a cell signal. It was almost four in the afternoon.

"Where have you been, mister?" Garcia demanded, not bothering with a witty greeting. The phone made her voice sound higher and shriller than normal. "You trek on up to Atlantic City, take out five hundred bucks, and then poof! You're gone! Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

"I'm fine, Garcia …"

"You went off the grid!" she snapped harshly. "First Gideon goes AWOL, but he at least had the decency to formally resign. But you?! Are you deliberately trying to kill me by making me worry so much?"

"Garcia … I'm sorry," he apologized. Aaron knew she had gotten more protective of the team since the Fisher King case but just what kind of tabs was she keeping on him? It made him think about JJ, Griffith and Morgan. "Did something happen with the others?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "But you! You! I don't care if you're the unit chief, the grand Poobah of the Stoic or the Monkey King! You're not allowed to go off the grid like that!"

Aaron looked around the hotel room he shared with Spencer at the MGM Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. They had taken the train from Atlantic City this morning, spending most of the eight hour trip reviewing Spencer's treatise on gambling. Aaron agreed that it lacked the polish and enthusiasm as his lover's other paper, but he did his best to encourage the man to keep writing and offer suggestions on where to improve it.

Once at the hotel, Spencer had taken care of checking in, mentioning something about rewards points and the system. Aaron was expecting another suite, but instead, they had regular hotel room. Admittedly, Aaron was disappointed, but quickly shrugged it off. The room was clean, smelled fresh and the mattress was comfortable. Once they unpacked, his lover headed off to the shower to clean up after the long ride.

"Garcia, I'm sorry," Aaron repeated as he stared out the window. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but I really needed to do this." He dropped his voice low, "It's been a shitty year."

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. "When I couldn't find you, I went to a really dark place that I never want to go again," Garcia finally said, but her voice was soft and full concern instead of hostility.

Aaron winced. Had he been so worn down that she'd thought he'd eat his gun? Had the rest of the team thought the same thing? Was that why Morgan hadn't said much more than, "Take care of yourself" instead of going off on how the suspension was bogus? He was at a loss for words.

Garcia broke the silence with an impish, "Please tell me you were swept off your feet by some gorgeous heiress and living la vida loca."

Aaron laughed as he thought about how he should answer. It was a conversation he already had with Spencer: how far "out" did they want to be? Spencer preferred not to be flamboyant about their relationship; he had always been a private person, which suited Aaron just fine. They agreed to tell the team that they spent time together, and if the team figured it out that it was just more than a friendship? Then, good for them.

But with Garcia actively searching for him, Aaron knew that she would discover hotel records and see that Spencer had booked a single King room. However, he also knew that she would be discreet. After all, she hadn't whispered a word to the rest of the Team when Aaron had moved out of the home he had shared with Haley while he was still married.

So Aaron opted for the truth. "I met up with Reid in Atlantic City and he let me crash with him. We're up in Connecticut now."

There was a split second pause. "Reid's with you?"

"He offered me to teach me the ways of video poker," Aaron went on. "I took him up on it." As if on cue, Reid emerged from the bathroom, one towel wrapped around his waist and another around his shoulders. At Spencer's curious expression, he mouthed 'Garcia' and rolled his eyes a little. Spencer chuckled as he began getting dressed.

"Is here there now?"

"Yes."

"Put him on!"

As if sensing Garcia's demand, Spencer approached. "She wants to talk to me?"

Aaron nodded and, after his lover gestured for the phone, he handed it over.

"Hey, Garcia …" Spencer greeted. Although Aaron couldn't clearly make out Garcia's words, he knew she was giving him grief. "No, I didn't shanghai your unit chief. Shanghaiing implies that I kidnapped him and I most certainly did not … Yes … Yes, I will …" Spencer mouthed the words 'she wants to talk in private' and Aaron nodded. Spencer then turned and walked to the bathroom. Once inside, he closed the door, but could clearly hear Spencer say, "burned out" before he did.

Aaron sat at the table, mildly annoyed that his lover and his tech analyst were talking about him so brazenly. They care about you, Aaron's mind whispered. And you know damn well Garcia's been keeping tabs on you. You even told Spencer about those meals in the BAU fridge! Those thoughts erased his irritation.

The conversation was brief, Spencer returning to the main room and handing the phone back to Aaron. He winked and mouthed, 'It's okay.'

Aaron smiled gratefully as he placed the phone next to his ear. "Garcia …"

"I just worry about you, mon capitain," she told him, her earlier ire replaced by affection.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I promise to keep my phone on."

He swore he heard her hold back a giggle. "You just follow Doctor Reid's orders, you hear?"

"I'll do my best," Aaron promised as he wondered just what Spencer had disclosed.

"Take care, sir."

"I will." He ended the call, placing the phone on the table. "What did you tell her?"

"That I was making sure her favorite unit chief was getting the downtime he deserved." He settled his arms on Aaron's shoulders. "And when she asked if you were getting lucky, I said that you were a stud at video poker. When she asked if you were studly in other ways, I refused to answer because a gentleman never tells."

"Well, thank you for easing her fears," Aaron said.

"No problem. Although I think bringing her something sparkly as a peace offering may be a good idea."

"Good point."