A/N: soz i haven't updated in forever. However, extra long chapter and i have a hunch you're gonna very much enjoy these next couple of chapters. ;)
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me.
Lola's P.O.V.
I talked to Hotch about the apartment and he talked to me later that day about my budget and distributed me with a departmentalised credit card. With my current clothes and furniture budget on it. As soon as I reported having spent that I would get my food budget, the bureau covered the rest of my bills. It was a bit tight budget but I figured I could make it work. Reid being the gentleman he is volunteered to go with me to the store and buy some furniture. I browsed I shopped a whole lot, I got everything I needed and had it delivered to my apartment. Which sounds so surreal to me, I did not think I would be able to say that before I was past 30. Yet here I was shopping with a friend from my job.
"Last thing I need is a bed. I have one bedroom so it will have to be sofa too I guess." I said as we turned to find the bed section.
I browsed around while Reid was seemingly uncomfortable, but I did not want to intrude and ask him about it. I saw one that was a reasonable price and jumped on it, he looked at me confused.
"A guy I know taught me this great trick to test if beds are any good." I said smirking at him, he looked at me confused and somewhat amused.
"Check it on along, across, and spring check" I ended my sentence jumping a little on the bed, it check out so far, he was smiling at me now.
"Come over here doc." I said and he did looking at me a little confused but I scooted over making room for him and padded the bed.
"Lie down, I need to make sure it fits two people." I said and he looked at me confused.
"Lola, it does. It says so on the sign. Plus a two person bed is all depending on the two's psychical form and sleeping habits. Like it may fit two, but if you push in your sleep, it will only fit one." He said.
I rolled my eyes at him and he sighed but obliged lying down beside me.
"Now spoon." I said turning to the side, I caught a glimpse of horror in the doctors eyes and I rolled mine looking at him.
"I need to be sure it is the right one, and if for some weird reason someone is willing to date a con like me, I wanna know it is comfortable spooning in my bed." I said and he nodded still looking horrified, and lied down wrapping his arms around me.
I do not know if it was the bed or Spencer, but wow. This was the most comfortable I have been in years, probably always, never had the money for a nice bed. Plus, it is just a normal life for a theif to never own anything. I never lived in the same place too long, never owned more than I could put it in a bag and run. It was gonna be weird, having stuff, I never really thought this was gonna be me. But here I was shopping for furniture I would probably have for years to come. I smiled and turned my head to look at him.
"My turn" I said and he looked at me confused at first but when I turned around and almost pushed him around he got the message.
I wrapped my arms around him, it was not a bad feeling, I could get used to this. Not that having a big bed to yourself was all bad, but this felt nice. We got up and Spencer did not say much to me after that, we made light chatter and I figured he would get over it later, we were just testing the bed. And Spencer was just weird because it was me and he did not think of me that way. I mean he could not, he was so fun and wildly smart, and nice there is no way he would ever be interested in sob story con whose life was fucked up. And even if he did feel that way about me, which is highly unlikely, did I care? I knew I liked Reid, we had good chemistry, we were great friends. And that was all, that was probably why that was weird, because we both knew we should not be more than friends.
I got home and dumped my bag, kindly donated by Emily as her old one, on the floor and sighed as I looked over the empty apartment. My stuff would come gradually throughout the week, hopefully I would have a furnished apartment to get home too soon. I spent the next couple of days working a lot, working at the bureau my certified hours, then going home to an apartment where my neighbor, and parole officer, had left the furniture delivered to me. I worked all night putting things together, my table and chairs, beds, tv stand, closet, eat takeout, sleep, repeat. When I had furnished my apartment I needed kitchen things, so I made a list and went out and bought everything I needed. I also decided tonight was gonna be the first night I made dinner myself.
I walked in friday morning and Morgan was smirking at me. I told exclaimed proudly how I was gonna cook for the first time last night. People were happy for me, last night. Now I wished I had never told any of them. Morgan stopped at my desk and smiled up at him, trying to hide my shame.
"So kid, how did your first home cooked meal go?" He asked and I rolled my eyes and sighed at him.
"Well, started off great, I figured I would do something really easy, tuna salad and bread. Because all you need is tuna, mayo, bread and corn. I was standing in the grocery store deciding between two cans of corn when I pulled, what can only be described as a stroke of genius. I thought, Lola, you take the can that has a can opener build in to it, because you don't own nor know how to use a can opener." I said pausing in the story looking around seeing that Emily and Reid were listning in. Well they would hear it from Morgan anyway so what the hell.
"I got home, high on that decision, started making the salad. And then I realised in horror, that tuna, also comes in a can." I said and Morgan looked at me confused as did the rest of them.
"So what did you do?" He asked and I shrugged sighing.
"I did not have tuna salad for dinner. Instead I had another lovely meal consisting of corn and mayo, on bread" I said, getting more and more ashamed as the words left my mouth.
He and Prentiss laughed at how much of a dumbass I was, Rossi disgraced me as an italian for that cooking mistake, when the story reached him. But it was not that bad, it could have been worse. And I learned to make other foods.
I walked into the office the day after a case when Morgan threw a bag at me. I fell to the floor, and he laughed at me. I was not ready for that. I looked from it to him confused.
"What the hell Morgan?" I asked and he smirked still wearing his sunglasses indoor, you know, like a jackass.
"Kid, it is time to get you physical." He said smirking and my eyes widened, physical? Like running and stuff? Because that was not my strong suit.
Ask me to break in somewhere, no problem. Ask me to run a mile? You are screwed.
It turned out that the bag contained my FBI workout clothes and I had to pass a physical exam to be able to do things in the field, even if I was not allowed to carry a gun. Morgan dragged me into a fitness room where Spencer was already standing looking pissed as well. I imagine with me standing there too, we looked like annoyed teenagers.
"Reid has a physical coming up as well, and figuring you are new to this and Reid might as well be new, I figured you'd be a good match." Morgan said and I sighed looking at Reid he complained to Morgan that he understood all the concepts but did not know how to physically perform it. I had to learn: punching, kicking and taking a gun, the basics.
I hated every part of it, it was weird and hard, and I went home from work that day sore all over. I did not like fighting, I liked talking myself out of situations but apparently that was not enough for the stupid FBI.
We were training once again the day after and Reid and I bonded over our shared hatred of Morgan at the moment. I used to like the man, but damn I hated him for putting me through this physicality thing. He told me I was a natural but kept scolding Reid for being bad at it. We were in the middle of an exercise and I accidentally punched Reid in the face. Morgan weirdly was proud and called it a good punch when Reid was done complaining. I apologised immensely and felt terrible, I did not want to hurt Spencer, I liked him. Morgan had me keep training with him, and him kicking my ass, while Reid sat on the bench holding ice to his face. When Morgan finally let me go I went over to him and smiled a little.
"You okay doc? I am really sorry about punching you, it was an accident." I said and he just smirked and shrugged a little.
"I was a 12 year old protege in a Las Vegas public school. I have had way worse." He said smiling at me, I smiled and sat down beside him.
"Sorry to hear that doc." I said smiling at him and he shrugged casually.
"Well, you did not have it easy either, I just had different struggles." He said and I sighed.
"Yeah, but damn it they were just jealous, hell I would have been too, had I gone to school with you." I said smiling standing up ruffling his hair carefully.
"Yeah, but you wouldn't have beaten me up, with your behaviour pattern you would have just copied my homework." He said and I smiled shrugging.
"But you would have never caught me." I said grabbing the bag, he got up as well and chuckled furrowing his eyebrows.
"Of course I would, I'm a genius." He said sounding mildly offended.
"Yeah? Well even if you did catch me, which you wouldn't, I would just smooth it over with my charm." I said smirking and he looked at me confused.
"At the age of twelve I was graduating high school, how could you possibly have won me over?" He asked and I chuckled and padded his shoulder before smirking at naive little Reid.
"For a genius you know nothing of persuation." I said and he shook his head.
"I know a lot actually, there are different approacher to persuading an individual. You must speak affirmatively and know the persons strength and weaknesses to better asses which things to play upon." He said before I cut him off.
"Yeah, but had we gone to the same school, I would have been older than you and I would have one thing that will persuade even 12 year old prodegies." I said smirking and he looked at me confused.
"Boobs." I said and he made an oh face, this shut him up definitively.
"I still would have caught you." He said confidently, I chuckled and lightly shoved him.
"Whatever. Genius." I said and he laughed.
"Oh you're getting physical now?" He said, like he was taunting me, I looked at him knowingly.
I paused for a moment, thinking about a witty response. He apparently took my silence as a sign and smirked childishly before pushing me. I looked at him shocked, did he just? Push me?
"Did you just?" I asked still stunned and he grinned and shrugged.
"I don't know? Did I?" He said innocently before pushing me again, I looked at him again shocked.
"Now you're the one getting physical, doctor." I said tauntingly he just shrugged.
"I don't know, I haven't noticed anything." He said innocently before pushing me again.
I raised my eyebrows looking at him for a moment. I then smirked and he had a mischievous look on his face, even if he was trying to hide it. Which he was very bad at actually.
"Oh it's on, doc." I said.
I left him a second to be surprised by my statement before I tackled him to the mat in front of us. He tried to fight me off, and laughed as he tried. But I managed to pin him down sitting on him. Then he just fought with his arms, but I managed to pin them down too.
"You still wanna get physical huh doc?" I said smirking he chuckled still trying to get free. But he stayed silent. This annoyed me a little so I managed to gather his hands in on of mine. While they were pinned down I looked at him tauntingly.
"Last chance, Doc. Or else I'm bringing in the big guns." I said.
He looked at me in horror as he realised what I was gonna do. I chuckled a little before lowering my hand, and started tickling him. He began laughing as soon as I hit the right spot. I even did a little too.
"Had enough yet doc?" I said laughing. He could barely get a word in from laughing too hard. This was also more fun than I had had in years.
"Nope. Ah ah. No sexing it up on my mat." We heard yelled from the other end of the room.
I immediately stopped tickling Spencer, who went silent, just as I did. We turned our heads in the direction of the voice. There was Morgan, looking like he had just walked in on someone making out with his daughter. I was first shocked that he was there, I then turned to look at Spencer, he did the same slowly. As soon as we made eye-contact, I really registered what Morgan had said. My eyes widened as I realised how this looked to anyone else. Even though it had never been sexual, I was sitting on stop of Spencer, pinning his hands down. He seemed to realise the same thing. In miliseconds we were off each other looking embarrassed.
I looked at Morgan who was still there, arms crossed. Waiting for what I imagined would be an explanation. My eyes widened and I immediately pointed to Spencer.
"It wasn't me, he started it." As the words left my mouth, I heard Spencer yell something in the same caliber. I looked at him annoyed.
"What? No, you started it." I said looking at him, and he looked back me confused.
"No I didn't. You pushed me." He said. We both turned to Morgan who cleared his throat. He was gonna be a good dad some day. He was scolding us, precisely like my dad used to do with me.
"I don't care who started it." He said I almost laughed because, that was such a dad thing to say.
"Just. No sex on my mat, capice?" He asked annoyed and, both me and Spencer nodded.
"God knows, you two should use that time learning how to fight. You're hopeless" He said under his breath
We both heard it, which I had no idea if he intended or not. An idea popped into my headI bit my lip and looked at Spencer. He looked at me confused, I smirked and tried to motion towards Morgan. After a few seconds of my trying to communicate with him through body language. He finally seemed to get it. He leaned into me and whispered.
"You wanna tackle him together?" He whispered I nodded and smirked.
"You go left I go right?" I whispered.
We leaned out and made eye-contact, he nodded. We turned our attention back to Morgan who still seemed disappointed in us.
"What are you love-birds whispering about now?" He asked arms crossed.
I looked to Spencer, then gave him a quick nod, before we attacked Morgan, pinning him down.
A little later I was done with my paperwork, we apparently did not have any cases at the moment, and I was the only one done here. Besides Spencer of course.
"Hey Doc, I'm finished with my paperwork. So what do you do for fun around here?" I asked and he looked up from his book and shrugged.
"Chess?" He asked and I shrugged.
"Why not? Although I have to warn you. I have no idea how to play." I said and he smiled getting up to get his chess board, before moving to a sofa area. Making sure we did not disturb the others.
"I will teach you, if you teach me some italian." He said, I nodded in agreement and smiled.
We chatted while playing. It was really fun, I was horrible at it at first, really not understanding any of it. There was a lot of rules to remember at all times. However it was fun, it started teaching him some basic italian. So while he could amuse himself when I did something wrong in chess. I was amused when he mispronounced words.
It was actually a lot of fun hanging out with him. Eventually he was correcting my moves in italian, only correcting him on a few pronunciation errors. And he only correcting me a few times. He still beat me, but he said I at least put up more of a fight now. Morgan came over and talked to us a little while he was on break. I dissed him and he pushed my head down before walking off. I chuckled and held out my fist to Reid. He looked at me confused and I looked at him.
"When someone does something cool, like completely burn Morgan, you fist bump your friends." I said explaining he nodded and did it carefully. I stopped his hand from pulling away.
"Gotta blow it up." I said smiling.
He looks at me even more confused but I just blew it up and he followed suit. He looked at me confused.
"Now that I know. Why are we doing that again?" He asked and I shrugged and smirked.
"Because it's cool Doc that is why." I said and he just smiled and shrugged, accepting my answer.
We went back to our game and he beat me, I gave him a highfive. It was a lot of fun hanging out with Spencer. I also forgot everything around me when we were talking. This was so peaceful. Like our own little world.
When we did get up there we were guided into the briefing room since we had a new case. Home in DC we had a case of a serial killer murdering woman, in a very graphic way. Chaining them up and torturing them before cutting them into two complete cases and dropping them twice. I decided immediately that I did not like this person. We went to the different crime scenes and inspected them. This person must have had medical training to know how to put the cut organs back in the right order. Which was really creepy.
He had sent two letters to the police which we were looking over. He was calling himself the magician which was bad in itself. The letters were gibberish, written in code or something. Rossi told me it was a sign of intelligens and a superiority complex. Only those smart enough to crack his code, should read his words.
Reid and I was asked to stay behind and crack it, while they went and talked to their families. We starred at the letters a long time. I kept trying to figure out what could be the code.
"Hey, why did they leave you behind? I imagine you would be better out in the field." He said and I shrugged finally looking from our boards to him.
"Well, cracking a safe code is just like cracking these codes. This is a little more difficult, but I think they figured, I can crack open a safe I can crack this code too." I said and he just nodded and we turned back to the white boards.
I wrote a thing down, but it lead nowhere and I wiped it off.
"Maybe we are approaching this all wrong. This guy wants to show his superiority right? So let's think like him. What would he use to be his code? That would at least narrow it down." I said and Spencer turned to me and nodded.
"Well the most respected fields are scientific. So could very well be based on a scientific formula. This person would also be well read, to assert his dominance. So literature that is somewhat known, but regarded as high class." He said I wrote that down.
"Okay, I have met a lot of these people in my time. They enjoy art, they enjoy things that are a bit niche but also well known enough that the person trusts you aren't just making them up. Science wise would have to be a formula everyone knows, but not everyone thinks to use. Underappeciated, just like him?" I asked and Spencer nodded.
He put down a few formulas, and we started there. Each trying to apply them to the text and seeing if it cracked the code. We spent a lot of time on it, but it lead no where.
"Let's think, what do we know about his unsub, besides that he has a superiority complex?" I asked and Reid shrugged.
"He has a broad knowledge of anatomy, he would need to in order to cut and put together the victims like he does." He said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, it clicked in my mind, and apparently in his too. We turned to each other.
"Greys book of anatomy." We said almost at the same time.
We got up, I found the book and tossed it to Reid. He would read as I looked at the code, and wrote down the words.
Once we were done, he walked up to me and we read over our result. I turned to him and smirked.
"We did it." I said and he smirked in return.
"Yes we did." He said also proud.
We had been at this for hours. Then he did something that was a pleasant surprise. He held out his fist to me. I smiled and bumped it, blowing it out afterwards. We smiled for a moment. Then turned back to the board looking at the horrifying text.
The rest of the team came back and joined and asked if we had made any progress. We turned and I smirked looking at Reid.
"We cracked it yes." He started, I was too excited and cut him off.
"We got into his head. It is page and word numbers." I said this time Reid cut me off.
"Corresponding with words in greys book of anatomy." He said and I smirked.
"In other words, not so superior now, huh unsub? Can't mess with me and Spence. We cracked the code, boom." I said.
They chuckled at me. I was happy, we had cracked the code. I held out my fist and without looking Reid met it and we blew it out. I knew it was childish, but small victories, you know?
We were ready to give the police our profile.
"This unsub is a white male, in his late 30s. He most likely works in the medical field, or was a military surgeon. He blends in and is not someone you immediately notices. He would have tortured animals as a child. He feels ignored by his colleagues. Their praise is very important to him, but for some reason he is not getting it. He is narcissistic, and has a definite superiority complex. He will take almost anything you do as an offence directed at him."
"The letters he sent, was written in code. So that only people who were intelligent enough to crack it would read his words. That is how far beneath him he thinks everyone else is." They said, Reid and I stepped forward now.
"The unsub used Grays anatomy text book in his code. All of these numbers are page decided into page and word letter. When we looked it over the Doctor and I found his letters to be these two sentences:
1. I will not stop, until you all recognise me, as the god I truly am.
2. I am life, I am death, I am a king and you are all my subjects. Bow down to me." I said
Turns out the victims went to the same bar the night before they disappeared. We went there and talked to all of the staff.
This one girl in particular seemed weird but I payed no mind to it. She was by the bar waiting to be able to go, when she ate a peanut and started choking. I had no idea what to do, but luckily Reid stepped in quickly and grabbed hold of her, and somehow removed it. She was very thankful and kept thanking him, which I get, he just saved a life, it was really cool. He gave her his card so she could call if anything turned up and she smiled. We caught the guy staking out the bar the night after he had tried to chloroform a girl, when we followed him to his house and bust in catching that bastard. Turns out he was a crazy doctor who wanted to be recognised for his great work in the study of anatomy. Talk about a weird way to get recognition.
We got in the next morning and everything seemed normal when Reid walked over to me and Morgan with a confused look on his face.
"Remember that girl from the bar?" he said and I nodded so did Morgan.
"Well she keeps texting me, it started out as purely thankfulness but it has gotten more and more graphic, I do not understand this." He said showing us the messages, this girl really had the hots for doc, a little too much for my taste.
"How many messages has she sent?" Morgan asked looking at it both concerned and amused.
"25" Reid and answered. Okay so this was creepy many message, and when we looked at his phone we could see that he had not responded.
"How do I get her to stop without hurting her feelings?" He asked and I smiled, mostly because it was a little cute that spencer did not know how to let a girl down easy.
"Give me that, I will text her, that you are glad that she is okay but you have a girlfriend Rose, who is currently traveling, whom you love very much, and you are sorry if you sent any mixed signals regarding her." He said typing while he was talking, Morgans plan was solid he tossed the phone to reid who proofread it then hit send.
"Thanks." He said smiling.
"So, it is friday, ready to show me the great night life of Washington?" I asked out in the room and Morgan smirked, same reaction from Emily, Reid just rolled his eyes.
"I actually know a great place, a friend of mine can get us in, good bar, good dance floor, the whole shebang." Emily said and I nodded agreeing that I was totally down for this.
"I really don't understand the appeal of the nightclubs, you know sweating people all over, music too loud to be able to talk. And that is not addressing the fact that it is a paradise for viruses, and the statistics of one of you getting drugged." Reid said spurting out facts, probably because he just did not wanna go. I walked over to him and padded his shoulder.
"You don't have to go. But I think you will regret not going out with us. Plus we can bring that drugging statistic down with you and Morgan to protect us girls from creeps." I said smiling.
He shrugged, and smiled a little. I knew he was gonna hate the nightclubs, but I wanted him to enjoy going out with every one. So I was determined that he had a good time.
A/N: I have added some new and fun stuff to this chapter, and I am finally working on a new one. Until then, enjoy all of these cool scenes I have added. :)