The next therapy session consisted of studying the victim's case. By the time Sunday arrived, another girl's body had been discovered, just a mile from the other one.
"You're sure it's Fueller?" Reid had asked.
She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "I think so." She stated through gritted teeth. "I don't knoooow know. That's what we're doing, trying to prove it. Why won't Hotch help me?"
"The process is a little more complicated than you'd expect." Reid replied, trying to ignore the sudden stab of jealousy at the mention of his name. He wanted to ask her how she knew him – and if anything was going on between them – but knew no good would come of it at the moment.
Continuing, Reid picked up the file on the first girl. "Do you still have sessions with Fueller?"
"His attorney got his case switched to someone else. He thought it would be best to start fresh with another doctor." She set her papers down and tossed her glasses on the table. "I need a break." She said, sounding exhausted. Leaning back in her chair, Riley crossed her legs and covered her tired eyes with her hand, blocking out the light. Reid looked up from his own studying to notice she'd taken off her shoes. His eyes ran down her long black nylon covered legs to her dangling foot. Reid flashed back for a moment to weeks ago, slowly stripping off similar looking stockings from those legs and then running his hands along them.
"Stop looking at me like that," she replied, her hand no longer obstructing her vision.
"How am I looking at you?" Reid asked quickly, locking eyes with her again.
"Like you're picturing me naked." She stated.
"I was not picturing you naked." He looked offended and Riley seemed suddenly embarrassed. "Well… I am now."
"Hey, I was just kidding!" she exclaimed, sitting up.
"It's pretty easy, too. I have edict memory; I can accurately picture it whenever I want."
She leaned over and smack his arm, but it didn't matter they were both laughing. Reid was beginning to wonder… why couldn't they just move beyond this barrier. He watched her laugh, adoring the sound that filled his ears. She seemed comfortable with him, and their night together… that was more than just sex. It was lust and desire… but it was more. He knew it… she had to know it.
The laughter died down. They sat with locked eyes for a microsecond that felt like an hour and Riley took the file from him. "It's almost 1 o'clock, why don't we call it a day."
"Well, if you don't have anything to do, do you want to-"
"I have some things I have to take care of for the week." She interrupted. "So, I'll keep you posted on this and, unless there is another victim, we'll meet next week."
Reid nodded. "Right." He said, standing up. Maybe he was angrier than he thought, but he mumbled a quick goodbye and left the office. Riley stared after the door. They were running out of time… in more ways than one. It wasn't fair to waste his session time looking over these cases nor was it fair to force him to sit with her every week to talk about his problems when he was in love with her. It was beyond dishonest, especially since-
"I'm not in love with him." She quickly cut herself off. Riley couldn't let herself admit it. She had to bury those feelings, for both their sakes, even if it meant they were unhappy forever.
Could she really do that?
"I have to." She repeated, covering her face with her hands to completely block the light.
She grabbed the file once again. She had to let Spencer go… she wasn't going to let Fueller go so easily.
…
Reid didn't make it home until 4 o'clock. He waited outside the building for awhile, waiting to see if Riley would leave soon and he could follow her, maybe "accidentally" run into her when she went for dinner. Waiting a few minutes was a plan, waiting more than an hour was stalking, and so headed home.
He walked home, as he did almost everywhere in Quantico. Usually, he liked to walk. It would let him take in a world around him, much more so than one could while trying to control a car. He didn't have the best driving skills, either. That was no secret.
Tonight, however, as the sky began to turn purple and the light grow soft, Reid would have preferred to be in a car. He was taking the same path he and Riley had taken before. Tonight, now alone, he felt uneasy. The hairs began to stand on the back of his neck.
When he could take it no longer, Reid turned to look. No one was there. What did he expect to see, anyway? Some shadowy figure? This wasn't some 1940s noir film. There wouldn't be a set of unknown footprints in the snow behind him. There wasn't even any snow on the sidewalk. This morning's flurries had long ago been shoveled and salted.
Reid turned and continued home. Still, that eerie sensation sat in his stomach. For a moment, it felt like he was on the trail of an unsub… or the unsub was on his. He turned to look again. Still, the streets were deserted. He was about to call out, but decided against it. What predator would answer if he asked who was there? He looked around slowly. The neighborhood was calm. The windows of the homes glowed with light from the living rooms. A lot of them had been decorated in lights for Christmas. Reid had a sudden thought to the seen in A Christmas Story, when The Old Man stood across the street admiring his leg lamp of a major award. He chuckled at that, which calmed his nerves slightly. Taking a deep breath, he continued home.
His building was just another block and an intersection over. He noticed his feet were moving slightly faster than usual. Reid normally had no reason nor desire to use his gun, but today he was happy to have it on his side. Morgan had taught him it wasn't a bad idea for F.B.I. agents to carry a weapon pretty much everywhere… just in case.
He got inside his apartment and headed up to the second floor. He thought, once inside the building, the frightened feeling would go away. He wasn't so lucky. Quickly, he headed down around the corner to the end of the hall. His throat was going dry as he fumbled to find the right key to unlock the front door.
The sound of a floorboard squeak startled him. He dropped his keys and quickly grabbed his gun. Someone had followed him into the building. There wasn't much security here. The lock on the front doors was broken, letting people go in and out as they wished. There had been no reports of any intrusions or crimes taking place, so it wasn't too much of a concern.
Slowly, his breathing heavy and his gun poised in front of him, Reid went down the hall.
"Is there someone there?" Reid asked. No surprise, there was no answer. Nor was there another squeak or footstep to be heard. Maybe it had come from upstairs. Still, he had to be sure. "My name is Dr. Spencer Reid; I'm an agent with the F.B.I." His voice was uneven and his throat going dryer. "I have a gun. If someone is there, please say who you are and why you are here."
He heard steps again, but they were further away, like on the steps. Leaning against the wall, he prepared himself to turn the corner, hoping there wasn't some sadistic maniac trying to peer around the corner the same as him.
Reid swore he heard the stairwell door open and swung around, his gun poised in front of him. He jumped, shock washing over him as his eyes met the eyes of a young girl.
"What are you doing?" his neighbor asked, a laundry basket under her arm and a baby monitor in her empty hand.
"Sorry, Holly," he said to the twenty-something girl he lived across the hall from. "I, uh… I heard footsteps when I came in, I thought someone had followed me in."
"Be careful, kid, you'll shoot your eye out." She said, smiling.
"That's funny," Reid replied, putting his gun back in its holster, his breathing heavy now with relief. "I was just thinking of that movie." He only realized just how much sweat was on his forehead. Embarrassed, he tried to change the subject. "Can I help you with that?"
"Thanks," she said, handing him the basket, allowing her to pull out her keys. "I had just put the baby down and wanted to run and get my laundry so my husband has clean cloths for work tonight."
Reid barely listened. He was simply relieved there had been no danger.
Or had there been?
"You seem pretty stressed." She said as she unlocked the door. "I imagine working for the F.B.I. isn't exactly Disneyland."
"No, considering Disneyland is in Anaheim, California and the B.A.U. is here in Quantico, no. Plus, Disneyland was started by Walt Disney where as the F.B.I. was founded by J. Edgar Hoover."
"Right…" she replied, condescendingly. She opened the door enough to get herself and the basket in. "Well, thanks." She said, taking the laundry back from him and the baby monitor.
"You're welcome," he said, turning around and picking up his keys.
"You know, Spence, if you need anything, Mark and I are right across the hall. You just have to yell."
"Thanks, Holly, I appreciate that." He said with a smile. He listened to her close her door while picking out the right key. His hands were still shaking as he unlocked the door, thinking he'd talk to his super about that front door the first chance he got.
…
Monday morning arrived all too early. Reid was in the break room, pouring abnormal amounts of sugar into his coffee in order to keep himself awake. The fear of the intruder had kept him awake for most of the night. He began to wonder… was it just from fear and his own atypical brain and imagination or had someone really been there?
"Morning," Morgan said, walking into the break room. "Want a little coffee with your sugar?"
He was too tired to respond, simply stirred his hot drink and took a sip. It would take effect soon enough.
"You look like a zombie, man." Morgan said. "What's going on?"
"I just had a rough night." He replied. "I couldn't sleep."
"Were you… alone?"
"Yes, Morgan, I was alone." He looked at him, indicating he was fully aware at what Morgan was insinuating. "Maybe that was my problem."
Morgan laughed lightly, pouring himself a cup. "You're starting to sound like me, kid. Oh, God, does that mean I'm going to start spitting out useless facts that no one cares about?"
"Hey, guys," J.J. said, walking in, also looking rather tired.
"Hey, J.J." Reid said, "What's up? Henry still sick?"
"No, he gave it to Will. I slept on the couch so I wouldn't catch it." She pushed back her hair. "I didn't fall asleep until 4 and since Henry likes to get up at 5… the joys of motherhood."
"How is Henry?" Reid asked, having not seen his godson in awhile. "Can he say Spencer yet?"
"He's close. It sounds more like 'Pencil' right now."
Morgan took another sip and added. "Reid was just saying he had a bad night sleep because he was alone. I think he's been hanging around me too much, he's starting to act like me."
"Yeah, before you know it, I'll be flirting with Garcia." Reid said with a smile.
"I'm sorry," Riley said, walking in. "Who exactly are you flirting with?"
J.J. and Morgan looked surprised and glanced at Reid for a reaction. He was rather surprised to see her there, but let himself gather composure before he said anything.
"… Doctor… Parker. What are you doing here?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to speak, looked at the two others in the room (both staring at her intently) and then back to Reid. "Dr. Reid, could I speak to you in private?"
"Yeah," he said. "Uh… J.J., do you mind if we use your office?"
"Yeah, sure," she replied. "The door's open."
Before anyone could make a comment, Reid grabbed Riley's hand and led her to privacy. Once inside, he closed the door quickly. He almost went to close the blinds, but decided it best to leave them open… more for his restraint so he wouldn't try anything.
"What's up?" Reid asked, moving closer to her. Now he saw it: the panic in her eyes.
"Um… did anything happen last night?" she asked.
That was weird. "Happen? What do you mean?"
"Well… I left the office at a little after five." She began. (Damn, he thought, if I'd only waited one more hour.) "I went to get a bite to eat. The same diner that we ate at… do you remember?"
"Yeah," he replied, realizing his hands had both found holds on her arms. She didn't shake him away.
"I usually walk on the weekends to the office. Mainly because… gas prices are higher and… traffic is worse, especially on Sunday. The whole way to the diner I felt like someone was behind me. At first, I thought it were you…"
"It wasn't me." He stated plainly.
"No, I know that. You wouldn't try to scare me like that." From the look in her eyes, she knew she was sincere, and continued with her story. "Then, at the restaurant… I just felt like someone was watching me. Like someone's complete and utter attention was on me. It was so crowded; I couldn't tell if anyone was focused on me… I began to get really scared. I didn't want to leave. I didn't know if, whoever it was…" She hung her head; her eyes closed trying to hold back tears.
"Why didn't you call me?" he asked. "I would have come and got you. I would have taken you home."
"I was about to." She said, looking up. "In fact, I had my phone out, and I was debating whether to… when it rang. It was my colleague Dr. Andrews. He was originally supposed to be your shrink." She paused, taking a swallow. "He kind of has a crush on me… I hated to take advantage of him, but he wanted to go over a new patient with me… she's a teenager and I'm good with child psychology. I told him to meet me there. We talked… I still felt uncomfortable, so I asked him to walk me home."
Reid wanted to ask whether or not she slept with him… but what good would that have done? He already knew she didn't want to be with Reid, he already knew the possibility that she was interested in Hotchner. No good could come from that question.
"Anyway," she said, "I just… I wanted to know… you didn't feel like that last night, did you? You didn't think someone was following you… did you?"
Again, he wanted to tell her what happened, but still no good seemed evident with the outcome. She was scared enough. And if she stopped hunting Fueller, he would just continue his murders. He wanted to be her hero.
"No," he said. "Everything's fine."
"Okay," she whispered, relieved. She leaned down, resting her head on his chest as she allowed herself to settle. Reid wasn't so lucky. He was sure, she could feel his heart beat faster, her body so close to his again.
Taking a glance out of the opened blinds, Reid felt his stomach drop out. Hotch was standing in the bull pen and had spotted them.
"I think we better go," he said. "Before…"
"Yeah," she replied, standing up straight. Close again, Reid instinctively leaned closer to her, thankfully stopping himself before his lips met hers again. He forcefully pulled himself back. It had been so long since he kissed her, he was going crazy.
"Are you going out of town?" she asked.
"Maybe," he replied. "I'll call you later and let you know."
"Okay," she replied. It seemed for a moment, she was going to lean up and kiss his cheek, but stopped herself as well. "I'll talk to you then."
"See ya," he said as she left the office.
He stepped out, intending to watch her until she was gone, and felt his stomach contract as Hotch crossed her path. He whispered something to her and headed toward his office. Reid distinctly saw Riley's misshapen teeth form the word "shit" before following him and disappearing from sight.
