Disclaimer: see my profileStrauss wants to transfer Emily. Reid wants to fight it but Emily's all for it. Can Reid deal with the reason why?
Reid was feeling pretty good about how things turned out. Emily was able to calm down his Mom. In fact, Mom seemed to like Emily a lot. Once they got his mother to the BAU offices, they were able to get things settled quickly. Hotch gave them a stern talking to. Apparently he figured out JJ and the others knew about Reid and Prentiss. Hotch wasn't happy they kept it a secret, but he wasn't intent about stopping it or punishing anyone. Reid was going to take his mother back to Las Vegas the next day, so everything was going to be fine.
Until later that day. Hotch told him Reid and Emily needed to go to Strauss's office.
"I'm sorry," Hotch said. "I tried to prevent this, but she was adamant on talking to the two of you. I...I tried." It was the first time since Foyet that Hotch looked defeated.
It was never pleasant being in Strauss's office. Reid was beginning to believe she never smiled or was capable of warmth. Of course, the fact that he and Emily were in her office because of their newly announced relationship might have something to do with it. Reid didn't think it violated the rules. Not really.
"Agent Reid. Agent Prentiss." Strauss' tone suggested to Reid she wasn't going to view their relationship in quite the same way. "Do you understand the fraternization rules at all?"
"We really aren't violating the rules," Reid began,"neither one of us supervises the other."
"I understand that Agent Hotchner didn't know? Did you not think it was relevant?"
"No ma'am." Emily said.
"And why is that, exactly?"
"For starters," Emily said, "it hasn't affected our work. Secondly, we didn't want to have discussions like this."
"The rules are not optional." Strauss said. "You two cannot work together if you are going to have a romantic relationship."
"Why not?" Reid asked. "In what way has it affected our performance on the job?"
"That isn't the issue."
"Why not?" Reid asked.
"Because it isn't a question of if your relationship with have a negative impact on the team, but when."
"You don't know that." Emily said.
"By the end of the day, one of you will transfer from the team or you be both be removed from the team. Good day."
"But..." Reid started, but Strauss cut him off.
They walked back to the bullpen in silence. After the shock of it wore off,Reid said "We can fix this Emily. I know she's in charge, but there's a way to fix this."
"I'm not going to use my parents connections to fix this Spencer."
"I wasn't talking about doing that. We both know Strauss is always looking for reasons to split up the team or hurt Hotch. That's all this is. We've already demonstrated we can work effectively while maintaining a personal relationship. We can fix this."
"I don't want to fix this," Emily said.
"What?" Spencer was taken aback.
"I'm going to transfer out. I'm going to request someplace in Quantico. Either anti-terrorism or white collar crime, I think."
"I don't understand. You don't want to be together anymore?"
"Of course I want us to be together, Spencer. I do. And I choose being together as a couple over being team mates."
"I always thought we should be both. I thought you felt the same way."
"This is how it has to be Spencer. What we've had up to now, it's been fun." She smiled thinking about some of the times. Especially the sex. "But it's time for what comes next. I don't think it can happen if we're on the same team. I'm going to take a transfer. You have to decide what you want. What I want is to keep going, and for things between us to move forward. What do you want? Do you know? Is this a relationship that is going somewhere, or have I just been low-hanging fruit for you?"
"What do you mean?" As he asked the question, a knot began to form in Reid's stomach.
"I mean," Emily said,"am I only attractive to you because of the access. We see each other every day, most of the week. Do you think we might be over if we didn't work together?"
"I ...I don't know. You've said yourself, with our schedule it's hard to maintain relationships. Being on the team makes that easier, that's all."
"If we weren't on the same team, would you have asked me out? Would you have wanted to?"
"But being on the team is how we met." Reid didn't know how this started, but he wanted to a way to end it.
"Take that out of the equation for a moment. Am I any less attractive to you if we don't work together?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all."
"What are you saying Spencer? That it's going to be too hard? When did you back down from a challenge?"
"That's not the point."
"I see. I understand Spencer."
"Emily, what's wrong."
"You want it to be easy. I understand. I'm sorry life isn't easy."
"Emily, please, I just...I don't understand."
"It's simple. I am leaving the team. Because either we need to not work together because we're together or if we aren't a couple, then I don't want to be close and not be able to have you."
"Why wouldn't you have me?'
"Because of the job. Because of the rules. Because if you can't put up with inconvenience, if you you're not willing to fight for us, what future do we have?"
"I'm the one who wants to fight Strauss for us."
"So you can have your convenience and your booty calls on cases. It's going to take more than that if we're ever going to be more than what we are. Have you ever thought about where you want this to go? How far you want us to go?"
"I...I never gave it much thought. I was just enjoying being with you."
"And as sweet as that sounds, I need you to think about it. I need Dr. Spencer Reid's massive intellect applied to the question about us. I need you think about the future."
"I don't know what I think about us. I never thought beyond us right now."
"Try. And when you know what you want, then call me. But right now you need to take your mother home. I'll be here when you know what you want." Emily turned around and walked out of the bullpen. Her back was to Spencer so he couldn't tell there were tears in her eyes.
Her back was to him, so she couldn't tell there were tears in his eyes too.
