June 9th 2017

5 weeks after release.

Spencer walked himself through the office, his visitor's badge practically glowing on his chest. Prentiss waved at him from her office as she shut the blinds. JJ and Alvez were deep in conversation in the small kitchenette. Rossi and Simmons were nowhere to be seen. But Garcia was. She'd been waiting for him all morning. It didn't take a profiler to work that out from the 26 text messages, 3 phone calls and 17 picture messages telling Spencer the exact time it was.

"Oh my Sweet Baby Genius Boy! You made it!" She bounced over wrapping him in a tight embrace. Spencer patted her back, returning the hug as best as he could.

"I'm actually 15 minutes early," He smiled as she let him go.

"I know, but it's been too long!" she gushed.

"You saw me yesterday." Garcia waved her hand to silence him.

"Too long." She turned back into her room. "I've just got something to sort out for the M.E." Spencer followed her into the room, letting his eyes adjust to the new, darker, lighting before he noticed a woman in scrubs leaning against one of Garcia's desks. She was short, blonde and looked worn out. However, her long fingers expertly juggled a couple of Garcia's toys with her eyes trained on them. "Fidget."

"Sorry." The woman smiled sheepishly and put the toys back in their rightful places on Garcia's desk. "Admin errors make me antsy."

"Yes -Mr John Doe." sitting back in her chair, Garcia quickly set her fingers to work flying over the keyboard. "Dets."

"Guys from city general. One of their ambulances brought him. No tags no nothing."

"Didn't they call you about him." Spencer asked. It was protocol to inform the M.E. a body was on its way.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I was called about a 6ft2, mid 30's, black man involved in a suspicious death."

"And?"

"I got a 5ft10, white guy, easily in his 60's, with a port in his chest." Yes, that did sound like a problem. "Guy's on ice until I know who he is and can get him where he's meant to be. Hospital are refusing to admit they've made a mistake so I thought I'd get the big guns out."

"Okay, that's running." Garcia sighed and spun her chair back around. "I didn't want to get too heavy in the hospital just yet, so I've put a watch on all local funeral homes. If this guys just arrived, someone somewhere is receiving the wrong man too." She looked pretty happy with herself. "Coffee?" She asking looking between the odd couple in front of her.

"Sure-"

"I'll get back to work." Spencer and the woman said at the same time.

"Nonsense." Garcia stood and caught the slender woman's arm in her own and began to march her out of the office.

"Seriously," She began to protest. "I'm not about to interrupt your date, I've things I should be getting on with."

"Nonsense." Garcia smiled again.

"It's safer to not argue with her." Spencer offered in a low voice.

"Can I at least change?" Garcia complied and changed direction to the internal stair well that led to the basement.

Spencer waited for them in the bull pen, making small talk with Lewis while he waited. He was enlightened with the knowledge that since her break up, Lewis had taken up a number of new hobbies, including Zumba and crochet. After a short while, the two women appeared back up the stairs, Garcia's arm still looped around a more reluctant looking ME. He was waved over and made his apologies to leave the conversation with Lewis. He took the time of the walk to take in the smaller woman's clothing. Skinny jeans. Low rise converse. What appeared to be a band tee and a tight leather jacket. It took years off her, though Spencer found he thought of her as far less approachable in this attire.

"It was a total bust though," The younger woman sighed.

"I'm sorry," Garcia shook her head. "Honestly, I thought he was a nice guy, a real sensitive type."

"He was." She nodded. "Until the seventh G&T."

"You know sensitivity is a sign of an alcoholic personality." Spencer interjected.

"So is being a jackass, if he's anything to go by." she laughed. It was a pleasant sound to his ears. Spencer felt his own mouth twisting into a grin. He wanted to correct her and say that no, being a jackass isn't technically a sign, as it's not a symptom, however he could rationalise how other traits would come across as 'jackass' to someone. He held his tongue and let the girls continue their berating of the failed date.

Garcia offered to get the drinks as they arrived at the small coffee shop across the road from the offices. It was busy and one person going up to the counter freed the others to find a table.

"Sofa or chair?" Spencer realised she was asking him a question.

"Ah." Garcia would prefer the sofa. But Spencer had spent the best part of the morning reading in his arm chair, meaning his back was a little sore. "Chairs."

"Thank The Lord!" She sighed and made a bee line for a small rounded table with four dinning chairs around it. She squeezed herself into the back corner of the table, not a persons usual choice of seat, Spencer noted. He picked one of the chairs next to her, if only to leave easier access for Garcia to put the tray down when she joined them. They sat in silence for a while. Spencer carefully making mental notes on the woman and she doing the same about him, he assumed. She really was petite. Even her hands were delicate, if not long.

"Musician?" She finally said.

"Sorry?" She took hold of the hand closest to her.

"These are musician's hands," She said confidently, turning it over and splaying her own hand across his palm to judge the span.

"Ah," Spencer thought for a moment, trying to drag his mind back into one piece. A part of him was panicking - he was being touched by someone whose name he didn't even know! - another part was very much enjoying the warmth of her skin and the little trails of goosebumps that followed her finger tips. "No." He said finally. "I mean, I could play most things if I had a day to learn. But I don't." He finished, still watching her play with his fingers. "play that is, not the day to learn."

"Oh!" She said suddenly. "So YOU'RE 'boy genius'?" Spencer felt his cheeks flush. "Sasha, Sasha Clarke." She said holding her hand out properly now in a waiting manner.

"Spencer Reid." He took her outstretched hand in his own and squeezed lightly.

"So I've got a black coffee with 96% of the worlds sugar resources-" She pushed a cup towards Spencer, who was still watching Sasha. "An Earl Grey - hold the milk-" She pushed another cup towards Sasha, who Spencer was pleased to see was still watching him. "And a coconut latte for moi." She finished and sat down. Her gaze finally settling on the joined hands in front of her. "Did I miss anything?" Quickly, their hands released.

"Only another grey hair on my part." Sasha smiled. Garcia immediately broke into discussion over whether or not Sasha should dye her strawberry blonde hair, if she was really going grey or not and how the girl should compare herself to Garcia's apparently very grey natural locks. Spencer realised it had been a distraction technique. Garcia loved to talk about fashion. Hair styles and colours was no exception.

"It was nothing, Garcia!" Spencer sighed for what felt like the thousandth time since Sasha Clarke had left them in the coffee shop after receiving a call she hoped meant she now had the right body to work on.

"You were getting cozy!" She jabbed him in the chest with her pointer finger.

"No," he rolled his eyes. She was beginning to cause a scene and wasn't far off attracting the attention of the rest of the BAU now they had reached the office.

"Were!" She accused. "I saw you hand holding and gooey eyeing!"

"Hang on!" JJ interrupted them, fresh coffee in hand. "Who was Spence making gooey eyes with?"

"No one." Spencer got in before Garcia. He shot her a warning glance. "I was just shaking hands with someone." He rolled his eyes again before checking his watch. " I have to go. Bye." He shrugged his goodbyes before leaving.

"Pen..." JJ muttered, her voice low as Spencer walked away.

"Hand holding, I swear."