Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
"The Oracle. I like that." She said. "You're not too bad, Boy Genius." He resisted the urge to roll his eyes playfully. Yeah, she wasn't too bad herself.
4 months later.
...
Reid was sitting in the bullpen, doing paperwork. He looked up as Prentiss walked in and sat down across from him at her desk.
"Morning." He said.
"You are way too perky for this early in the morning." She muttered. He raised an eyebrow.
"Prentiss, it's nine o'clock." Prentiss groaned.
"Don't remind me." He suddenly understood.
"Hangover?" He asked. This was exactly how Lila acted when she had drank too much the night before. His heart panged slightly at the thought of his best friend. He missed her, and called her every week. She was the only one aside from the team who knew about his powers.
"Yes." She grumbled, pulling him out of his thoughts. Morgan approached the pair.
"Late night?" He laughed. She grumbled an affirmative.
"I'm never drinking again." Prentiss muttered.
"I know exactly how you feel." JJ said as she approached the small group. She was carrying a coffee mug, having just come from the break room. They continued chatting for several minutes when Garcia, who had been slowly becoming more colorful over the months, ran in on high heels.
"Reid, why didn't you tell me!" She cried, slightly out of breath. She brushed a blonde strand of hair out of her face, having dyed it a few weeks ago. He looked up, startled.
"Tell you what?" He asked.
"That you are the mask-" She began, but he cut her off.
"Garcia!" He said loudly. Everyone was confused except for Reid and Garcia, who were having a silent battle of wills. Suddenly, she smiled widely.
"Reid is the Masked Magician!" She announced. Everyone looked on in shock.
"No, Garcia!" Reid cried. Everyone stared at him, and started talking at once.
"Dude, what?" Morgan asked, barking a laugh.
"Oh, my God!" Was all JJ said, looking very excited.
"No way." Prentiss muttered, still holding her head.
"I can't believe you, Garcia!" Reid was saying.
"Maybe if you had told me sooner, I wouldn't have said anything." She said, pouting slightly. He sighed and she continued. "You also could have told me that you dated Lila Archer!" She said, and his already red face flushed more.
"N- no, we're just friends." He protested quickly.
"That's not what the magazines say." Garcia said smugly.
"Kids got game." Morgan muttered.
"And you think magazines are reliable?" He asked.
"They are when they look like this!" She said, triumphantly holding up a magazine. On the front, was a picture of him kissing Lila's cheek with her smiling happily.
"Oh, God." He muttered quietly, letting his burning face fall into his hands. The other members of the team rushed over to look at it. All of them expressed their shock.
"Woah, Spence, she's so pretty!" JJ said.
"Damn, kid." Was from Morgan. Prentiss just let out a low whistle.
"I know, right?" Garcia asked.
"How did you even find that?" He mumbled, face still in his hands, elbows on the desk.
"I stumbled upon it, believe it or not." She replied, pride tingeing her voice. "I saw a picture of the Masked Magician from a promo for your second season while surfing the web. As you know, it only covers the top half of your face, and I would recognize that amazing jawline anywhere. And the eyes, too."
"It was so obvious." JJ murmured, looking far off. Reid knew he would soon be bombarded with questions and resisted the urge to groan.
"So, the show was cancelled because you were recruited to join the FBI?" Prentiss asked. "Geez, I thought my life sounded like a soap opera."
"Did you ever use your powers on stage?" JJ asked. He shook his head.
"No, only on the last one, to do something special." He told her.
"Why the mask?" Morgan asked. He wasn't as big a fan as the girls, but he still watched the show when he saw it was on. What could he say, it was a good show.
"I didn't want the attention." Reid explained. Morgan snorted.
"Only you would become a famous Hollywood actor and not 'want the attention'." Morgan said.
"Well, you are just full of surprises." Rossi said, passing them on the way to the break room with an empty coffee cup.
"You don't sound surprised." Prentiss noticed.
"I'm not." Rossi snorted. "I figured him out after working together for a week." Everyone stared at him.
"Why didn't you tell us!" JJ demanded.
"Because I, unlike some people, respect his privacy." Rossi said, continuing his trip to the break room. Garcia had the good grace to look slightly abashed.
…
Rossi walked into hotch's office with a full coffee cup and a smirk on his face. He sat down across from his friend.
"They finally figured out Reid's alter ego." Rossi said, humor evident in his voice. Hotch looked up, a small smile gracing his features.
"It took them this long?" He asked. Rossi nodded.
"Yes, and I believe you owe me twenty dollars." He looked smug.
"I still think they should have figured it out sooner. They are profilers, for goodness sake." He sighed, handing the twenty over.
"Oh, but I think you forget, Reid is too." He chuckled. Standing, and leaving the office. Hotch smiled to himself again. He should have known better than to make a bet with the Italian.
A/N: So, I just thought that was necessary and cute. By the way, I see Reid as looking like he did in season 7, or at least with the same style. Does anyone think I should include Lila in this fic at some point? Or any of the other characters that were in the previous chapters? Maybe other people from the show you think should be here one way or another? Please, tell me in the comments if you do. As always, I hope you enjoyed!