I hope someone got the reference!

Chapter Sixteen:

They agreed to meet Linda Boreman at noon. Her new office was twenty minutes away from the mansion. There were still boxes of paperwork stacked all over the reception area. She had just moved in a couple days ago and didn't have a full-time receptionist.

Linda was dressed in a gray pants suit. She had brown chin-length hair and a little too much lipstick.

"Come on in," she said.

Linda closed the door behind them.

"Hi honey," he said brightly

Faye ran into his arms. "I've missed you Cal."

"Oh, so have I," he said.

"Would you two too save it for later?" Macy snapped. "Like after this nightmare of a show."

"Hey, you guys called me," he said and let go.

"And we appreciate you going through all of this dear," Faye said.

"I get to see my wife for the first time in months," he said and sat on the couch. "A little makeup, wig, and trying kitten heels are worth it."

Macy rummaged through the desk drawers. In the bottom one, she found a satellite phone with a code attached to it.

"Before I call Sam," she said. "Let's talk. This room is fully sound-proof, right?"

Cal nodded. "Correct."

Macy took a seat and Faye nestled next to her husband.

"So, our show has been compromised," Macy said. "How badly?"

"Mel and Ava threatened to both charge me with a crime and blackmail me if I didn't get Spencer to pick them for the final two as a means of guaranteeing his safety."

"How many more plants do you think we've missed?" Macy asked.

"I think every girl who was reasonably sane may have been a plant," Faye said.

Macy looked her straight in the eye. "I trust you more than any other person in the production, including myself, to choose who is best suited for Spencer. Are either of them the one?"

"I'd put it between Ava, Leah, and Bella," she said. "Mel has faded and Star can't handle a relationship that complicated. I got her producer to talk herself into getting eliminated as we speak."

"So that buys us the night," Macy said. "Next up is friends and family day. An Agent Jennifer Jareau and his father are visiting."

"He's the godfather to one of her kids," Faye said.

Macy sighed. "So, the question is, are his friends the ones protecting him or is it another FBI group?"

"I can find that out with a meeting with J.J." Faye said.

"What does your gut tell you?" she asked.

"I don't think the team would undermine his chance at happiness like this," she said with a shake of her head.

Macy sat back. "What do we do!? Let a pair of agents force Reid into a relationship with one of them? Listen, I have come close to putting Hearts in comas, sent contestants into therapy, and twice to the hospital for broken limbs. Knowingly letting a pair of agents screw over my Heart is just one line I won't cross."

"What about Catherine Adams?" Cal asked.

"The FBI should be able to catch the she-devil before she comes close to Spencer."

"Has it occurred to either of you that all of this might be a setup?" Cal said. "Break his heart so he'll go rushing back into the arms of the FBI."

Macy stared at him dubiously. "You have been watching too much TV. Would they really release a serial killer to get Spencer back?"

"I think he might be onto something," Faye said. "Maybe she is on the loose but not responsible for the most immediate threat. Which is a bigger stretch, felon on the run paying for skywriting at the exact time he'd be out to see it, or the FBI paying a guy in cash?"

Macy let out a loud moan. "I am not paid to deal with conspiracies!"

"Let's schedule another meeting Linda Boreman tomorrow with Agent Jareau," Faye said. "We get her on our side and deal with the mess from there."

"That sounds like a plan," Macy said.

Faye pulled out a bulky envelope and turned to Cal. "This is my contingency plan in case Jareau is not on our side. If I text LOVLACE to you it means you should open it and follow the instructions to the letter."

"Yes, dear," he said.

"Do I? No, I don't," Macy said with a shake of her head and began to dial.

…

Reid was trying to read after his heart-to-heart with Ava. As much as he enjoyed talking to her and finding out about how her regrets affect the way she thinks, his mind was still on Star. She was a wonderful woman and he felt like they could have talked for hours. But she was holding back. It was as though she was afraid to open a bit further emotionally and chose to shut him out instead. He would have liked for her to have stayed and eliminated Mel.

He also couldn't help but be afraid. Catherine Adams could pull strings on him like few other people could. He never wanted to see her again.

There was a soft knocking on his door. He opened it expecting to see Faye but instead it was Bella. She was dressed in a long pale blue nightgown

"I know all the cameras can see I am here," she said. "I'm here because I'm worried about you. I've been in the wedding planning business for a while and I can tell when the stress of an event is making it hard to enjoy the process. I want to help you in any way that I can."

"Then, stay," he said suddenly. "Stay the night with me. I wouldn't mind having you by my side."

Her smile was radiant. "I would love that! I don't want to do anything but be there for you Spencer."

He closed the door behind them and then her hugged her. She rested her head on his arms. It felt good to be loved.