Disclaimer: see my profile
Windchill and Outerwear
Emily followed Reid from the police station to the SUV they were to use for their trip to one of the crime scenes. She pushed both hands into her pockets and balled them up into fists.
Reid climbed into the driver's side, and she entered the passenger side. She slammed the door and turned to him. "Hurry up and start the car. It's freezing."
"Actually the temperature's 41 degrees," he informed her. "The wind chill makes if feel like it's 35 degrees, which is 3 degrees above freezing."
She gave him a look that would rival Hotch on his best day. "Oh really."
"Yes, as a matter of fact the average -"
"Don't start quoting statistics about average temperatures. It's the beginning of March, for God's sake. It shouldn't be this cold."
He turned on the engine and didn't speak until she reached for the heating control and cranked them up to full. Cold air blasted into the interior of the truck, but Emily held her hands over the vents anyway. Then she cursed. "Damn it, why does it take so long to warm up?"
He opened his mouth, and then shut it when she glared at him. He decided to pay attention to the directions from the GPS unit in the car. When they reached their destination fifteen minutes later, the SUV was toasty warm and Emily was smiling at him again.
"Um, we have to go around the back of the building," he reminded her.
"I know."
He parked the SUV behind a black and white and switched off the engine. "I just mean that it's going to be cold again."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "So?"
"You were upset about the temperature," he pointed out.
"I'm still mad that it's March and freezing outside, but what can I do about it?"
He pointed to her hands. "Where are your gloves?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't think I'd need them. This area of the country's been so warm the last couple of weeks."
He reached for his messenger bag and pulled something out of the inside. "You can wear these, if you want."
She saw that he had a pair of black, knitted gloves in his hand. They looked cozy and warm to her. She looked up at him and he had such a hopeful expression on his face that she took the gloves and tried them on.
"They're a little big," she said, "but, I can work with that. Thanks, Reid."
"You're welcome."
"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what are you doing with an extra pair of gloves in your bag?"
He smiled at her as they got out of the warm car and into a frigid wind that tugged hard at his hair. He pulled on his gloves and shivered. "I lost a pair of gloves in the middle of January three years ago. I hate having cold hands so I decided to carry an extra pair with me."
She reached out and squeezed his arm. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"What else do you have in that bag?"
He went a little pink in the cheeks. "Why?"
"I'm the new girl on the team. I'm curious and no one else seems to know."
"You talked to the rest of the team."
"Yeah, because you change the subject every time someone mentions it."
"We're here," he said as they rounded the corner of the building and a local LEO met up with them."
"See, changing the subject," Emily hissed.
"Time to work," Reid, answered back.
She glared at him, but it was with good-natured exasperation. He was right; they had a job to do. Still, one day…