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Misunderstandings

The inside of the restaurant continued the glass and steel theme to the tables and chairs. Steel blue paint covered the walls from floor to ceiling. The tables were all different kinds of geometric shapes, mirroring the Art Deco period. There were mirrors on the ceiling, which distracted Reid for a minute as they waited for the hostess.

"Wow… I've never seen a place like this before," Kira said in whisper.

"I heard you can't get near this place on the weekend." Reid said.

Kira grinned up at him. "I guess it's a good thing it's Thursday night."

As it was, they only had to wait fifteen minutes for a table, which was shaped like a glass pentagon.

"Did you know that a pentagon can be simple or self-intersecting? The internal angles of a simple pentagon equal 540 degrees. A pentagram is an example of a self intersecting pentagon." Reid said matter-factually.

Kira studied him with a cocked head. "Do you know everything?" She asked seriously, not in a teasing way like other people.

"No, I read a lot." He squeaked. "I haven't read everything ever written that would be nearly impossible." He pointed out.

"I like to read too. I used to spend the summertime reading in my room. I didn't have any friends when I was little."

He looked up from his menu. "I don't believe that. You're a very nice person."

Her cheeks went pink. "People don't like introverts. They think we're odd or strange."

His heart thumped in surprise. She said the very same thing he always thought about the way others saw him even after all this time on his team.

"I know what you mean." He said softly.

Their waiter appeared seemingly out of thin air. "I'm Danny," He smiled at them. "I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Yes," Kira said. "I'd like a root beer."

"I'll have an iced coffee." Reid said very casually.

"Are you ready to order, or do you need a few minutes?" The young man asked smiling around a mouthful of brilliant white and straight teeth.

"We'd like a couple of minutes," Reid answered.

"You like coffee, don't you." Kira said while perusing her menu.

"Why does everyone say that?" Reid squeaked, hiding behind his menu.

"Because you drink it like it's about to be banned," Kira pointed out.

"I do not," Reid responded, still hiding behind his menu.

"Then why is it that in the three times we've been together I've never see you drinking anything else?"

He didn't speak because she was right and he didn't want to admit it. Instead, he said, "I'm going to have a club sandwich and fries."

He finally looked over to see her eyeing him over the top of her menu. "Do you always change the subject when other people talk about you to your face?"

He gulped audibly. "No," He lied outright.

Kira stared at him, disbelief in her beautiful green hazel eyes. "It's okay, I don't like attention either. It makes me feel like I have to talk. Then I do and I say something stupid and I mess it up."

"You haven't messed it up with me." He said very softly.

Her cheeks went pink. "Really?"

"No, um I mean yes," He stuttered.

They were staring at each other when Danny the server came back with their drinks and a basket of sourdough bread that was supposed to be the specialty of the house.

"Have you decided what you want?" He asked breaking into their silence.

"Oh," Reid snapped his eyes away from Kira. "I'd like the club sandwich and fries.

Danny looked expectantly at Kira, "I'll just have a dinner salad with the honey mustard dressing on the side."

"Are you sure that's all you want?" Reid asked after the server left the table.

She looked down at her hands. "I'm trying to lose a few pounds."

"What? You don't need to lose any weight. You look good."

She picked at the short sleeve of the white tee shirt she wore with a new pair of jeans. "Let's just say that food's not my best friend. I always eat when I'm stressed or upset, or bored."

"You should watch your intake of sodium because it increases cravings." Reid began to lecture.

She glared up at him and he gulped. "I'm sorry… I'm doing it again."

Her eyes went soft again. "It's okay… I never had problems with my weight until college. I think it's all the stress of trying to decide what you going to do with your life. I have all the money I'll ever need because of my parents death. I don't have to get out there and work hard like other people do so I just wonder what to do with my life that contributes something."

Reid picked up the small loaf of bread, tore off, and couple of pieces. "Eat this…" He ordered placing it on the small plate next to her water glass."

"Yes sir," She saluted and picked up her butter knife.

"I get what you mean." He said while watching her smoothes some of the butter onto her bread. "I was going to the University of Virginia and working on my last doctorate. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do when I was down. I mean, I loved school, but I didn't want to be one of those professional students."

Kira choked on her first bite from the chunk of bread. She took a large sip of water and grinned at him. "I know what you mean. There's a couple like that in my creative writing class."

"When did you start writing?" Reid asked her around his chunk of bread. "Sorry, I don't usually talk with my mouthful."

She laughed. "Oh no you don't, we were talking about you, remember?"

It was his turn to choke on his water. "We were?" He stammered.

"Yeah… You were about to tell me all about how you decided to become a profiler."

Danny came back and left her salad. "Are you sure that's all you want ma'am," he asked her.

She looked at the salad, and then at Reid. "What the hell just bring me the pasta I saw on the menu?"

Danny nodded and added it to their order. Kira narrowed her eyes at Reid. "Happy now…"

"Yes, I'm very happy." He shot back cheekily.

"Now tell me what you were going to say before we were so rudely interrupted." She demanded.

"I met a man named Jason Gideon when I was at the university. I was twenty years old at the time and very interested in the psychology of the deviant mind. He came to speak at a recruitment seminar. He said I asked all the right questions and he was impressed with my enthusiasm. When I decided, I wanted to join the bureau he pulled strings to get me into the BAU. Usually you have to be a lot older to join a unit like the Behavioral Science Unit. I was twenty-two when I started there. Of course I had to go through all the training programs and pass all the physical requirements to get in."

"Did you have to do defensive driving courses and learn how to shoot and all that?" She asked as Danny came back with their orders.

"Yes… Profilers don't have to carry weapons, but everyone else on the team could shoot so I wanted to do it. I was really bad the first couple of years in the unit. I failed my qualifications twice my second year."

She put a mouthful of three cheese ravioli in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully as he talked. "So have you ever shot anyone?"

His hands went ice cold and he couldn't look at her. "Yes, but I'm not proud of it."

"Did I say something wrong?"

He raised his eyes to see fear clouding her lovely face. "No, I'm sorry for sounding so harsh. I really can't talk about it."

"It's okay." She reached over and touched his hand.

He flinched and pulled his hand away from her. She stared at him for a very long minute as tears welled up in her eyes. "Um… I need to go to the restroom." She jumped up from her chair and fled.

"Nice going," he berated himself under his breath. "Why didn't you just slap her across the face idiot?"

He pushed his food around on his plate for about five minutes until he heard an unfamiliar voice address him in a way that sent shivers down his spine, and not in a good way.

"Hello Ian… What are you doing here all by your lonesome?"

He looked up to see a tall, raven-haired beauty standing over his table. Her scarlet painted lips pouted down at him. "I'm pretty mad at you for leaving me in the middle of the night."

She wagged her finger at him as if he was a naughty little boy.

"I don't know who you are ma'am." He denied, feeling his heart begin to race and his face get very hot.

"It's me… Mindy." She cooed at him. "Don't you remember that night we spent at the Fairview inn. The honeymoon suite with that hot tub for two and those delicious, red strawberries.

She licked her lips and reached for his hand.

"Don't touch me." He said loudly enough for the other patrons to look at them. "I don't know who you are." He said more softly. "You've mistaken me for someone else."

There was movement behind the woman who'd sat down in Kira's chair. It was Kira, and she was looking at them like she'd received an electric shock to the bottom of her feet.

"Don't be shy Ian. I said no strings attached last time and the same goes. I do not like your wardrobe though. Where did you get that sweater?" Her high pitch giggle would've set dogs barking had they been within a ten-mile radius.

"I don't know you." He insisted.

Kira turned and almost ran out of the room ignoring Reid calling after her. He jumped up leaving a couple of bills on the table and hurried after her as fast as he could.