"What is your problem!" Elle exclaimed in the break room. She was starting to look different, like her old self was starting to break through. "I've given you at least three chances to harass me and you've barely said a word. Are you mad at me?"
Morgan had been staring into the bull pen Friday morning. Emily's desk was empty. She hadn't arrived yet. They hadn't spoken since their spat in the car on the way back from Lyndon University. He wondered how her date with Malcolm went and was dying to ask her, but afraid if he did, she would take it the wrong way and just accuse him of being jealous again, leading to another fight. He was not jealous. He could get any girl he wanted, including Emily. He had never cared before about who his dates went out with after him… why start now?
"Morgan!" Elle cried.
"What?" He yelled, meeting her eyes.
"What is it with you?" She wanted to know. "It's like you're not even here."
"I'm here," He stated. At that moment Emily walked in, heading to her desk. She looked tired, but very bright. Like she were happy. Things must have been going well with Malcolm then, getting to know each other better and all. At the thought, Morgan felt sick.
Elle followed his gaze, letting out an understanding sigh. "Oh, I see." She shook her head at him. "Leave it alone, Morgan."
"What are babbling about?" He asked, turning his back to refill his coffee.
"Just the fact you have a thing for Emily Prentiss." She muttered. "I don't even work here anymore and I can see that. Better watch it or Hotch is going to go after your ass. Like he did to me."
"I thought he went after your ass because you had a nervous break down." Morgan pointed out.
Elle's face fell, and Morgan knew that had been out of line. She took her coffee and left the room.
"You know they don't call them nervous break downs anymore." Morgan turned to greet the voice, surprised when he saw Riley.
"Well if it isn't Dr. Parker, looking just as stunning as always." He said, giving her his famous smile.
"I don't know too much about stunning." She replied softly. Riley looked excellent, in her usual work attire, black tights with heels. Her hair was swept up with a barrette. At first sight, no stranger would be able to tell what she'd been through this past month. But though she looked very presentable, the sadness hung in her eyes.
"No Mary Jane's?" Morgan asked.
"No… they're ruined. I need to order new ones. It's hard to find size eleven in any shoe, let alone those."
"Damn you have big feet, girl." He said, pleased he managed to make her smile. "It's really good to see you. How've you been?"
"I really wish everyone would stop asking me that." She said, going to the coffee. "I mean the love of my life is gone, do people really care how I feel or are they just checking that I'm grieving the right amount of time."
"I see the five stages of grief don't always go in the same order." Morgan mentioned.
"I'm sorry. I know I need to start moving on. It was hard enough to get dressed this morning." She stirred cream and sugar into her coffee as she ranted. "But people can be so tactless. I was waiting for the elevator downstairs and I heard two interns whispering behind me, and not in a kind way. I feel like I'm back in high school and I'm trying to hide a black eye." Her eyes landed on him as she took a sip from her mug. "I see you guys are adjusting well, though."
"Yeah… well…" Morgan had to think of an excuse. "We don't have too much time before we lose Nathan's trail."
"Right," She suddenly felt selfish, lying around in her misery while the team slaved to find Spencer's killer. "I'm going to go say good morning to Emily, I'll see you later."
He gave her a nod as she walked away. It must be incredible to feel for someone so profoundly like she and Reid did… Morgan wouldn't know anything about that.
The more he told himself that, the less the words made any sense.
…
With Rossi at his lecture, they were another man short that day. Not to mention, leads were running short and heading to dead ends. No purchases had been made in Shakira Fallon's name since Will and Diana Reid came to DC, both of which had to remain in the FBI's custody until further notice. When the search revealed nothing useful, Hotch ordered Shakira be brought in for questioning that afternoon.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Hotch asked Gideon as they stood on the viewing side of the two way mirror.
Indeed, it had been a long time since he had been in there. "I might be a little rusty." He admitted. "But I'll be fine."
"It's like riding a bike, right?" He mentioned.
"I don't know," Gideon's voice was quiet. It often went soft when his mind was focused on something else. "I never learned how to ride a bike."
With that, he headed into the room, leaving Hotch to watch the show.
Shakira sat nervously in her chair, her arms folded over the table. Her eyes spotted Gideon as he entered and watched him take a chair in front of her. He sat calmly, folding his hands in front of him. He watched her silently for a long time, like he were trying to make sense of a complicated painting, truly deciding how best to go about this.
"I didn't do anything." Was her first response.
"Where's Nathan?" Gideon asked.
"I don't know!" She moaned, like he'd been pressing the question over and over for an hour. "Nathan was just some kid who came in all the time. He would buy cigarettes and a Diet Dr. Pepper. He was nice to me, he was friendly."
"And you fell in love with him." Gideon stated. It was best to get right to the point.
Shocked, her jaw dropped like a stone in water. "…how could you possibly think that?"
"Why else would you help him murder?"
He spoke so calmly to her, and by her fidgeting he could tell it unnerved her greatly. Her eyes darted to the mirror and at the door; a sure sign she wanted to run away. "What makes you think I killed someone?"
"Because Lila Archer's dinner was delivered by a woman at her hotel the night she died." Gideon explained. "If I were to have our computer tech look over the footage from the security videos, I'm sure it'll be you bringing her meal."
"Oh God…" Shakira sob, burying her face in her hands. He knew she felt remorse for what she had done. Shakira was not the first suspect Gideon encountered who was forced to murder like this.
He let her cry for a few moments. "He told me I had to do it." She said, sitting up. Her trembling hands wiped away the moisture in her eyes. "He said it was the only way we could be together."
"What really happened the night of Larissa's murder?" Gideon asked.
"I saw Nathan when he came in. I had had a crush on him since we met a few months ago, after he broke up with his girlfriend, Myra. I knew her, she was such a bitch, I knew he could do better… he came and spoke to Larissa… and then they went into the back room. That hurt, thinking he'd rather be someone easy than me… and then I heard a scream and a crash, like a shelf had fallen over… I went into the back to check, and… Nathan had stuck a knife in her stomach…"
"Why didn't you call the police?" He needed to know.
"I ran out to get my phone, but Nathan caught me… and I thought he was going to kill me too… and then he kissed me and told me he loved me and that the world would be a better place without a whore like Larissa in it. He said he wanted to be with me, but in order for that to happen I had to help him. I had to help him stop someone…"
"Who?" Gideon pressed, though he was fairly certain he knew the answer.
"He never told me his name, only that it was a man. Someone who let filth remain in the world. Filth worse than Larissa, and Nathan's destiny was to stop it… he told me what I good person I was… and that it was my destiny to help him. If I wanted to be with him, I had to help."
Nathan had a hold on her. It was amazing how easily a person could manipulate one who was in love with him. Gideon sat forward.
"Shakira… we can help you. We can protect you. But you need to tell us where Nathan is."
The young girl collapsed into her arms. More tears spilled on the sleeve of her top, refusing to answer. After a few minutes, Gideon got up to leave her alone.
"I'd say that counts as a confession." Hotch said as the door closed. "I'll have Garcia pull up the hotel footage, just in case the DA says that won't hold up. But at least now we can keep her here."
Nodding, he turned back to exam Shakira, shaking and crying as she leaned on her arms, obviously worried she was going to lose her beloved once he found out she told.
"Do you think she knows where he is?" Hotch asked.
"No…" Gideon replied. "But she knows what he's planning."
…
It was the end of the day. Shakira was still in the interrogation room, waiting to be brought up on charges. Garcia was still reviewing the video footage. They wanted to make sure they had enough evidence before they put the girl in lock up. Hotch worked in his office. JJ, Elle, and Emily were conversing in the bull pen when Rossi and Riley returned from the academy.
"Hey," JJ said when they joined them. "How'd the lecture go?"
"Very well," Rossi replied. "Dr. Parker was a big success."
"Oh, that's not true." Riley denied, though pleased. "Dave did most of the work. I did mostly presentation… kind of like a lovely assistant."
Everyone laughed at that, and Riley sported her first effortless smile in weeks. "I didn't want to put too much pressure on you. I really appreciate the help."
"Yeah, I didn't think I'd enjoy it, I'm not too good with public speaking, but it was better than I thought it would be."
"Maybe someone should reconsider taking JJ's job while she's gone." Emily hinted with a suggestive grin.
She had meant it as a joke, expecting her to decline immediately. Riley was silent a moment, but gave a nod. "You know what… okay."
"You're serious?" JJ asked.
Riley nodded. "After everything you've done for me, I think it's the least I could do."
Stunned, JJ managed to speak. "I'll… start putting in the request. I just need your résumé."
"I'll drop it off on Monday," A glance in the break room, her interest suddenly shifted. "You know, I think I could use some coffee."
As she walked away, JJ's surprise turned into curiosity. Looking at Rossi, she lowered her voice. "You didn't need her help with that lecture. Reid wasn't scheduled to go with you today." As their liaison, she knew where the team was to be at almost all times.
"Well…" Rossi said, a bit mysterious, "I felt it was important to get her out of her house for the day."
"Well, I'm glad you were able to." Emily replied. None of them suspected a thing.
Out of earshot, Riley stood in the entrance to the break room. Gideon's back was to her in front of the coffee pot, unaware she was behind him.
"You could have told me who you were." Riley said.
Gideon turned to face her. He gave her a smile, like she were his old friend. Riley couldn't help but feel calm in his presence. He stepped to offer his hand. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Parker. I'm Jason Gideon."
"It's Riley, and next time you may want to lead off with that." She informed as she shook it. "I had always hoped I would get to meet you someday… I didn't think it would be at the funeral, but I'm glad just the same."
"Hotch told me a lot about you." He explained. "For years, before Spencer even joined the FBI. I guess I felt like I already knew you. When he told me you and Spencer were dating, I wasn't surprised. You seemed suited for each other."
It was agony to think about him, and Riley tried not to cry. "Spencer spoke very fondly of you… he never truly got over how you left. I don't say that to offend you, but he was really hurt that you didn't say goodbye. Spencer had some issues with abandonment…" She looked away, feeling her eyes welling up again. "We kind of had that in common."
He gave her a comforting pat on her arm. Riley had a habit of pulling away from human comfort, as she had been doing recently. Not to mention, Gideon was a man she knew only from hearsay, yet she felt comforted, like she'd known him for years. She was capable of damming her tears, offering a sad smile as a silent thank you.
Hotch and Emily walked in, giving Riley time to dab the remaining moisture from her eyes. Putting his arm around her, Hotch gave her a one armed hug as he said, "I heard the lecture went well."
"Yeah, it did." she agreed, feeling much less pleased than when she and Rossi had arrived.
"Garcia pulled the security footage. It's definitely Shakira; she must have dressed up as hotel staff and staked out the place."
Emily voiced her opinion. "That takes a lot of guts. Not to mention patience."
"Put her in lock up," Gideon ordered. "A night in a holding cell with the very people Nathan wants to kill may make her change her mind about helping us."
"Already done." Hotch said. It was no surprise how easily Gideon fit back into this work again. It had been that way last time… maybe he would change his plans and decide to stay permanently. "The rest of us are calling it a night."
"Riley, you know, we're all going to the bar for a drink," Emily said with a smile. "Why don't you come with us? We'll make it a girl's night."
She thought about it for a few minutes; at least she wasn't immediately denying their company. But when it came down to it, she wasn't interested. She had been around enough people today. "No… no, I want to go home."
"Well, we could move it to your place if you want." She continued to push. "Girl's Night In?"
Riley shook her head. "Please… I appreciate it, Em, I do… but I really just want to be alone."
With that, Riley took her leave from the break room. The three watched her until she made it to the elevators. Emily spoke softly, wanting desperately to yell. "Hotch, how long exactly do we have to keep lying to her?"
"Not much longer," Hotch replied as Morgan walked into the unit, returning from his solo assignment for the day.
…
The march up the stairwell was slow. This was starting to feel like her regular routine. Dreading coming home after such a long day, dealing with troubled agents and finding herself alone. But Spencer wasn't more than a few days away, and he always called her at night, even if it were for just a few minutes to tell her he loved her. Getting a new place may need to be sooner than she first considered. It might be the only way she could start moving on. Coming up these steps, unlocking that door, and entering that apartment was just too painful.
Slowly, she let herself inside. The soft light from the living room met her as she entered. It was warm in here, the temperature a welcoming change from the cold outside.
Setting her keys and bag on the table, she began to unbutton her coat. Slowly she pulled it off. Removing her shoes, she observed the mess she'd made over the last three weeks. Disorganized, maybe, but Riley had gotten better at keeping up with her messes since she moved in. It wasn't uncommon for people, especially women, to turn into hoarders after losing their mate. That wouldn't happen. Eventually it would bother her, but right now Riley didn't care.
Something was wrong. It was hard to pin point, but there was definitely something different since she left this morning. But what was it? She searched the room, looking for what was out of place. The sheets were on the couch, undisturbed. The food cartons littered the room. Books were on the shelves, her books mixed with his. They hadn't been touched in all the time. Everything seemed as it was but she was sure something was off. And then it dawned on her.
The lights were on.
Riley had turned off all the lights when she left this morning. How could she not notice that? She had seen the lights on through the window when she got home, but it hadn't registered with her. Someone had been here.
As the awareness occurred to her, there was a rustle in the kitchen. Whoever the someone was, he was still here. Waiting for her.
It seemed, though, her intruder was not conscious of her arrival. If she could keep calm and quiet, Riley could sneak back out and get out of the building without alerting him. She'd run to the mini-mart on the next corner and call Aaron or Emily. All she had to do was get out the door.
Not wanting to leave her things, she reached down and grabbed her bag and keys. The coat she could do without. She'd rather be cold than dead. Items in hand, she slowly tiptoed, thankful she was in her stocking feet. The door was in sight, the handle was almost in reach. Riley took a glance at the kitchen to make sure no one was leaning on the swinging door, listening or about to jump out and attack her. The glance was quick, but it was enough to lose her footing. She stumbled, managing to stay on her feet but dropping her keys with a very loud clang.
The rustling in the kitchen had stopped. Whatever the intruder was doing in there, he knew he was no longer alone. Riley's fear took hold of her. She couldn't get her mind to tell her to move. Facing the door, she listened as the footsteps met her in the living room.
She waited for her intruder to attack or at least speak. He didn't. The silence was unbearable. He must have been waiting for her to look at him, wanting her to see his face before he killed her. She knew who would be standing there. There was little chance she could fight Nathan off, no matter how hard she tried, making the probability of her getting out alive less than slim. Trying to bury her panic, she prepared herself and slowly turned.
Her eyes landed on the man standing before her, just staring at her like he'd never seen a woman before. Riley let out a petrified, sharp cry, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Let me explain." Reid said immediately.