Chapter 21
Spencer alternated between pacing the floor of the small room, talking to Penelope about the checks into the faculty, and giving updates to the team back at the Bureau.
Currently, he was back to pacing…
"Has Scarlett found anything within the student body?" Morgan's voice asked him.
Spencer turned as he crossed the floor again. "Nothing significant yet," he responded. "But she got an invite to dinner tonight with someone she thinks may have some information… she's out with him now…"
Penelope threw Derek a look over her computer monitor. "Ah, that explains that…"
Spencer heard Penny's comment over the speaker.
"Explains what?" he asked.
"Pretty boy, we can hear you pacing the floors," Morgan teased.
"Yeah, well…" Reid huffed a little, running his hand through his hair. "You'd be pacing too if Pens was out on a date…" he snarked, irritation leaching into his voice.
"No, I'd've probably tailed them…" Derek chuckled.
"Thought about that," Spencer mumbled. "Decided it'd be a bad idea…"
"Why?" Garcia asked with a small frown.
Morgan met her questioning gaze. "Reid's afraid he'd blow his cover if he watched… right pretty boy?"
"Something like that… this is still sort of new to me," he admitted to his friends.
"What is, sweetling?" Penny cooed. "Being undercover?"
"That too, but I meant the whole jealousy thing… being possessive…" he told her.
"…Trusting Scarlett…" Derek added.
"I trust Scarlett," Spencer countered. "I don't trust the guy she's with…"
"Hmm," Penelope heard the tension in his voice. "Reid, Scarlett can take care of herself… if this guy makes a wrong move, he's toast…"
"I know… I know- I just don't like that I'm leaving her in a position where she might have to defend herself, while I just sit here!" he threw out the words angrily.
Morgan sighed. "Kid- if you don't let her do her job, you'll have bigger problems than waiting… you'll be fighting a losing battle, with her…"
Spencer glared up at the ceiling. "Again, I know! And this is why I'm here, pacing, instead of following her… She's more than capable of handling herself in the field…"
"Better believe it," Garcia nodded. "And here she comes…"
Reid moved back over to the desk in a heartbeat, watching the monitor. He saw Scarlett walking to her door, the guy she'd been talking to earlier in the classroom right behind her.
"So, thanks again for showing me around today, Boy Scout… and for dinner…" Scarlett looked up at James, offering her hand to him, putting space between them.
Thorne cocked his head slightly, looking from her face to her hand. He took it into his, raising it to his lips and kissing the back of it lightly.
"It was my pleasure," he nodded.
Penny stifled a chuckle behind her hand when she heard Reid's growl through the speaker. Morgan shook his head.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" they heard the young man ask as Scarlett opened her door.
"Of course, we have classes together," Scarlett said lightly, pulling away from his touch. "See you then…"
She took a backwards step into the room. When the James leaned his shoulder into the door, not allowing her to shut it, Scarlett blocked the entrance.
"It's still early yet, what's your hurry?" he asked her, giving her a teasing smile.
"It was my first day, I'm exhausted and I still have a ton of things to do- like unpack…" Scarlett told him, placing her hand against his chest to push him back. James gave her a cocky grin when she didn't budge him in the slightest.
She was just getting ready to put more effort into the shove when Reid opened his door. They both looked over at him.
"Problem?" he asked, throwing a look up at the camera that hung in the hallway, indicating he had viewed the little scene. He played up the role of being the RA in a supervisory position to his benefit.
"Nah, nothing wrong here, Professor Ryan," James shrugged. "Just saying good night to my girl…"
Scarlett noticed Reid's eyes narrow slightly.
"It's nothing…" she offered, turning her gaze back to James. "And one dinner definitely doesn't make me 'your girl'… sooo- good night, Boy Scout…" she gave him a cheeky grin. "See you in class…"
Thorne rolled his eyes at her, indicating Reid behind his back. "I told you this room would be a pain in the ass," he whispered.
"Oh well, beggars can't be choosers," she shrugged. "Besides, Joy was right… he is kind of a cutie," she stated a little louder, giving Spencer a quick wink. She got the expected response when he blushed furiously and turned back into his own room.
James chuckled. "You'd better be careful, flirting like that- you might give the poor guy the wrong idea…"
"Nobody is getting any wrong ideas… I'm making myself perfectly clear," she told him, using more force to push him back a step…
"I get the hint," James grinned. "Talk to you tomorrow…" he said over his shoulder as he turned down the hall towards his own room.
Scarlett closed her door and locked it. Her phone rang the second she did…
"Stop pacing Reid," she huffed out as she answered. "I took care of it…"
"I know," he responded. "Open your door…"
"Arrgh," Scarlett turned back and unlocked the door, popping it back open. Spencer moved inside.
"You are going to blow your cover," she warned him. "And mine…" she scowled.
"I checked the video first, nobody is around on the floor," he stated, moving towards her to take her into his arms.
Scarlett sighed as he held onto her tightly. "You've got to get a better handle on this, Reid…"
"I know," he huffed, burying his face into her hair and breathing deeply. "I'm trying…" he promised.
"Alright," she hugged him back, giving in for a minute as he leashed his demons.
"What did Penny find out?" she asked, pulling away from him a little as she brought him back to the case.
Spencer rubbed his cheek against hers before letting her go completely. "The faculty is clear, no red flags… she's gone through most of the students already, nothing there either…" he told her, starting to pace once again.
"Your friend came up clear," he scowled, indicating the doorway with a jerk of his thumb. "I don't think you'll get any information from him."
"Hmm. But I have already," she watched his scowl deepen.
"What did he say?" Spencer met her eyes. A break in the case would be ideal…
"Let me call Penny, give her some names and I'll explain to the both of you at the same time," she said, picking up her phone.
"Hey, little one… what's the news?" Garcia answered the call on the first ring.
"News is that I seem to be in the right circle…" she began, explaining to them about what she'd heard over dinner. She gave Penelope a list of several names to look into.
"James Thorne isn't the one we are looking for, but I'll bet my last dollar that one of his friends is…" she finished. "He is way too assured that there is no threat… I'm thinking he believes that the person he knows who sent the letters is just blowing off steam and won't follow through…"
"Or he thinks he's close enough to the person, that he can control their actions…" Spencer supplied.
"Yeah… problem is, we know that the situation can go south quickly, because whether he wants to believe it or not, you can't control someone else's actions…" Scarlett sighed. "No matter how close he thinks he is, he's not going to be able to fix this…"
Spencer watched her eyes. "Do you think you can get him to just tell you who it is?" he asked hopefully.
"Not yet- I haven't reached that level of trust. All he said tonight was that there wasn't anything to worry about…"
"And you don't think it is him?" Garcia asked again.
"No- nothing hits my radar. But I promise I won't rule it out or let down my guard…" she told her friend, meeting Spencer's worried look. "I promise," she repeated.
"Alright- I'll hit you back after I run these names…" Penny stated. "PG out…"
"I guess we aren't going to figure out anything tonight," Reid moved back towards the door. "I'd better leave before someone comes and wonders why I am in here," he frowned, looking down at the tops of his shoes instead of meeting Scarlett's eyes.
"I'm sorry…" he started, caught her raised brow and stopped short. He gave a sigh and scrubbed at his face.
"I'll figure it out…" she heard him mutter under his breath and knew he wasn't talking about the case.
Scarlett walked over to the desk, slipping her phone into the dock and turned on her music as he started towards the door. Spencer stopped with his hand on the knob as he heard "My Immortal" by Evanescene start playing. He closed his eyes listening to the lyrics, knowing she played it specifically for him. She'd told him before that it reminded her of him, especially when he'd let his insecurities get the better of him.
He sighed, knowing that's what she was telling him now.
"Reid…" Scarlett stepped around the desk. "Come here…" she held her arms out to him and he stepped back into her embrace.
"Sorry," he said again.
"Hush," she kissed his temple, moving against him, swaying to the music.
"I just…" he stopped when he felt her finger press against his lips. Instead of trying to explain anything else, he just held her, burying his face into the crook of her neck and listened to her softly singing the lyrics…
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
You still have all of me…