Little Gold Stressor

CHAPTER THREE

Laughter could be heard coming from the back porch of the crafts man style house. Smoke from the bar-b-queue could be smelt from the front yard.

"Are you serious? You actually blew up a chemistry lab!" Elle exclaimed before dissolving into another fit of breathe stealing giggles. She set the beer down on to the picnic table they had just finished eating over.

"It was an accident! I swear!" Spencer managed to force out before succumbing to hysterics himself, "but you should've seen the dean's face! Between the dry ice and the frog guts all over the counter tops, I was positive I was going to be expelled!"

"So what happened?" Elle inquired while wiping tears from her eyes. "Thanks," shyly, when Spencer handed her a napkin.

"Truthfully? He gave me a scholarship. Then he made me clean up the lab." Spencer answered. "Want another beer?"

"Why Dr. Reid! I do believe that you are trying to get me hammered." Elle accused lightly.

His wolfish grin was a dead give away. "If you drink, you'll stay over. I get laid, and you get to wear one of my comfy, yet stylish t-shirts while you cook breakfast."

"Spencer Reid!" Elle was shocked and slightly drunk. A lady would be completely offended, but she also knew which shirt she would choose. The look in her eyes was not lost on Spencer. "For your information, you will be cooking in the morning, and coffee doesn't count."

"As you wish." Spencer responded with a bow of his head.

"The Princess Bride." How do we always end up playing this stupid game?

"Your turn Princess," Spencer deadpanned.

"Fine. Let me think…okay. 'He beats his fist against the post and still insists he sees the ghost.' Try that one Genius."

"…"

"Did I get you?" Elle asked with rising excitement.

"No! Just gimme a minute, there's a lot of crap to sift through in my head. And we've been drinking half the evening!" Spencer snapped back.

"Oh my God! I totally got you! You have not idea!" Elle began laughing in earnest again.

After Elle quieted down and Spencer gave the matter ten minutes, he gave up. "Okay."

"Okay, what?" Elle was enjoying this way too much. Male ego be damned.

"What's it from?" Spencer was snapping again, but he just couldn't strike the smile from his face.

Elle considered not telling, but those big hazel eyes couldn't be denied. "I don't know where it may have originated, but I got it from IT."

Now Spencer looked a wee bit miffed. "It, what?"

Elle shook her head and began giggling again, "Stephen King, ya know IT. Killer Clown and creepy kids." She stood and took the plates inside the house through the back patio door. Spencer followed her as she spoke.

"Are you telling me that you managed to stump me with Stephen King?" He smiled and walked up behind her as she stood at the kitchen sink.

"You mad, Popi?" Elle teased.

"I'm actually kind of proud of you." Spencer reached his hands around her waist and rested them on the bare skin below her tank top. "For a while there, I wasn't so sure you could read."

She reached around to smack him, but he was already half way down the hall heading to the bedroom. Proud indeed. Elle smirked as she followed.

Elle couldn't breathe. She felt Morgan's concern, and knew that it was for them both.

"Elle," Gideon called quietly. "Do you have any information that we need to know about? Something that could possibly help?"

He knows, she realized. He's probably suspected since El Paso, but now he knows. "I've been living with Spencer for almost five months. He proposed, now he's missing." God, did her voice really just crack?

Her announcement was met with total silence. Morgan shook his head, Hotch turned and walked until he was inches from Reid's photo. Gideon's face was one of acceptance. JJ and Garcia looked anywhere but at Elle. The mystery man behind the ring was strikingly clear.

Gideon gave the team another moment to digest the news before he called them back to the case at hand. "Why just send back Reid's badge and id? Why send anything back at all?"

"This guy wouldn't pull us into his fantasy. He's probably taunting us. Gloating that he was able to pull Reid right out from under our noses." Morgan suggested.

"It's a possibility. I want to head over to the house, Elle. We need to check it out." Hotch continued.

Elle nodded. "I want to go."

"Out of the question," was Gideon's immediate response. "We don't know enough about our unsub or his intentions. And you are officially off this case; you're personally involved with the victim. I'm sorry Elle."

Hotch seemed to brace himself, "Once we clear the house, you can go home."

"Like hell! Hotch, look, I can't be involved, I get that, but I can't go home and wait around! Please, I have to be here." Elle begged.

Hotch seemed to know that there was no way Elle would leave. At least she had agreed to step aside and let them handle this.

"Morgan, you come with me and Gideon. Garcia, keep looking. There has got to be something on this guy; there's no way he's a ghost. Lets go." Hotch decided.

"I'll help you Garcia." Elle volunteered. "Give me something to keep me occupied." She explained before Hotch or Gideon could tell her no.

"Alright." Hotch allotted as he and Morgan were walking out of the office.

"Elle," Gideon called, "He's gonna be fine. We're the best there is."

"Yeah, we are." Elle could feel the tears she was trying to hold abck the entire briefing starting to form. "He'll be home by dinner."

The light was too bright. It had to be florescent. The mattress was actually comfortable, and the food, while simple, was decent. Spencer had woken up and to his surprise, he was unbound and uninjured. He hadn't seen a soul since. The food consisted of sandwiches and bags of chips, all of which were in the mini-fridge that was tucked away in a corner of the small bedroom.

"Okay, if he was going to kill me, he would have done it by now. So why am I still here?" He wondered to himself.

He had gotten up and walked the room looking for any sign, any clue. The door was locked and there was no window. Well there was a way to get out, but it felt over simple. He had no idea what was outside the door.

He contemplated the options. Stay and see what happens and who shows up. Or he could go, and risk bumping into and pissing off his very own pet psycho. He had never really been a sit around kinda guy.

Spencer pulled the fridge away from the wall and popped the back off. He found what he needed, a paper clip like wire. Then he walked to the door and went right to work.

Then he noticed it. The watch Elle had gotten him for his last birthday, he wore it everyday. It was gone.