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A/n hey all... Here's the next chapter. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. In case any of you are wondering, this will not be and Reid and Seaver pairing.

The First Summons

Reid dropped his messenger bag next to his desk and stopped for a minute, as he always did, to stare at Emily's desk for a minute. A part of him wished every day that all of it were a huge colossal joke someone was playing on him. He hoped with a hope that crushed, rather than healed, that Emily Prentiss would walk back into the bullpen. If she did, everything would be right again.

He rubbed a hand over his forehead. The headaches that never seemed to end stabbed behind his eyes like hot spikes in his brain. If only someone in the medical profession could tell him what was wrong. He could handle the truth if he knew it.

He sighed and picked up a coffee mug twice the size of a normal cup and hurried to the break room. It was ten minutes to nine on a Monday morning which meant their weekly briefing was about to begin. He desperately needed caffeine if he was to get through it.

Morgan waylaid him in the break room as soon as he entered. "Hey… You talked to Hotch this morning."

Reid picked up the coffee pot and began pouring his favorite concoction. "No."

"Something's up with Strauss. She's got Garcia in her office."

"Why?"

Reid gave his complete attention to Morgan, who looked like he wanted to punch something or someone. In doing so, he forgot about pouring the coffee until it spilled over his hand and onto the floor. "Ouch… Damn it!" He swore slamming the coffee pot down on the counter top.

"Nice job kid." Morgan grabbed a role of paper towels and began to help Reid clean up the mess.

"Why is Garcia in Strauss's office?" Reid asked.

"I don't know." Morgan responded angrily as he wiped up the spilt coffee while Reid held his burnt hand under cold water from the tap at the sink. "That's why I asked you if you'd talked to Hotch yet."

"Why do you think I know everything?"

"Because you think reading government reports is fun."

"There's no need to get sarcastic about it." Reid turned off the water and shook his hand as though it had fallen asleep.

Morgan only growled at his friend. "Something's up and I intend to find out what it is."

"Are you going to go barging into Strauss's office? That'd go over really well." Reid said as he stirred three teaspoons of sugar into his coffee.

He should be drinking tea, but his insomnia was so bad now, he had to have the jolt on weekday mornings. Until he knew for sure what was wrong with him, he couldn't let the others know he had a problem. It was irrational he knew, but he couldn't bring himself to be honest with Hotch and the others. It was bad enough that Morgan had dragged it out of him in a moment of weakness.

"Reid?"

The extremely annoyed tone in Morgan's voice had Reid stepping back a little. "What?"

"I'm worried about Garcia."

Reid sighed. "I am too, but there's nothing we can do. We just have to wait it out."

He wanted to add, 'and hope Strauss doesn't want to talk to us,' but he decided not to bring that possibility to the forefront of this particular conversation.

"Come on… Let's go sit down. When she gets back I'm sure she'll come tell all about it and then we can all complain about Strauss together."

"I hope you're right because if she -"

He broke off when Hotch came out of his office, "Morgan, Reid, conference room now and find Seaver."

"Where is Seaver?" Reid asked Morgan.

"I don't know."

He looked like he didn't care Reid thought, but he didn't voice that opinion. Morgan would just tell him to stay out of it.

"Come on," He said instead. "Hotch must have some news for us."

Morgan nodded and followed his friend up the stairs to the conference room.

CMCMCMCM

"Ma'am… I don't understand why I'm here." Garcia said, twisting her fingers in her lap.

"You're here because I've heard through a very reliable source that you've continued to present an unprofessional demeanor in the BAU."

Garcia swallowed hard. She tried to keep her eyes on SC Strauss, but the older woman looked like she ate rattlesnakes for breakfast.

"I don't know what you're talking about ma'am. I value my position with the BAU and would never do anything to jeopardize it."

Strauss stared over her glasses at the computer tech. "I was there when you answered the phone in a highly inappropriate manner, TA Garcia. I believe I made it clear to you at the time that I expected better of you."

"Yes… ma'am."

"Is that all you have to say?"

Garcia tried to make her mouth say that she had learned her lesson and she didn't speak that way on the phone to Morgan anymore, but that would be a lie. She couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound like an excuse.

"I've been told that you often make jokes in the briefing room. I'm sure you aware that the profilers you work with have a very demanding job that requires respect. I'm sure the families of the victims wouldn't appreciate it if they knew you made jokes about them."

"Ma'am…" Tears filled her eyes because she couldn't stop them. "I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I counsel families of murder victims in my off time. I know how hard it is for them to lose a loved one. I would never do anything to add to their pain."

"If that's true, then perhaps you can tell me why you make jokes in the briefing room."

Garcia stared at the floor despite knowing she should be making eye contact with Strauss. "I'm sorry." She finally said in a very small voice.

"I don't want apologizes TA Garcia. I want to know why you feel it necessary to make light of something so serious."

Garcia finally pulled her eyes from the floor, guilt and anger burning in her stomach. "Ma'am… I'm sure you know the team has a very difficult job. I just want to take some of the pressure off them."

"I'm sure you could find a better way of taking the pressure off the job." Strauss said.

Garcia suddenly wanted Morgan or one of the guys in the room with her. They could make Strauss see that she had to have some laughter and color around her. Her eyes flicked up to study the cold face of SC Strauss. It wasn't the face of someone that could understand her need for color, and light.

"I am sorry ma'am… It won't happen again."

Strauss only stared at her. "I seem to recall you promising me the same thing regarding how you answer your personal extension at work. Tell me TA Garcia, is there something going on with you and SSA Morgan?

Garcia felt her face get hot and wished the floor would open up and swallow her. "No ma'am… We're just good friends. I'm sure you know I wouldn't date a superior Agent."

"I would hope that were true, but my source tells me that your behavior with Agent Morgan is very inappropriate and unprofessional."

Garcia decided to stop looking at the dark brown carpet under her feet. She met the cold eyes of Strauss forthrightly. "Derek Morgan is my best friend. I've never done anything to soil that friendship or put him in danger of his job here. I'm sure you know I have a boyfriend that also works here. I love him, not Morgan."

"Then why do you flirt with him and talk like you're having some kind of physical relationship."

Garcia felt a smile creep over her face. She shifted in her chair to lean forward. "I don't expect you to understand. Have you ever had someone you can talk to about anything, someone that understands you and loves you -?"

She held up her hand when Strauss began to speak. "I mean as a friend not as a lover. Have you ever loved someone like that? Have you ever known someone that accepts you totally for who you are?"

Strauss didn't answer her so Garcia continued. "I can tell from your silence, you don't know what that's like. Do you know what? I pity you because you've truly missed out on something very special, something that can change your life."

"Ms Garcia I hardly think -"

"Are we done here? I have things to do, like take care of the team if you don't mind."

"We're done, but you're not. I'm suspending you with pay for two weeks."

Garcia stood up. "Well… Then I guess I'd better go. It'll be nice to have a couple weeks away from the blood and tears."

She left Strauss without another word and without dismissal from the Section Chief.

CMCMCMCM

"Hotch… What's going on?" Morgan demanded as soon as he Reid, and Seaver, who'd been in the ladies room entered the conference room together.

"Do we have a case?" Seaver asked.

"No… We don't have a case. I'm sure you know that Garcia was called into Strauss's office." Hotch said his eyebrows drawing together in a deep vee across his forehead.

"Yes… I'd like to know what's going on." Morgan growled.

"As would I," Rossi agreed, his casual manner barely hid the growing anger in his eyes.

"I only know that someone Strauss trusts -"

"She doesn't trust anyone," Rossi interrupted. "Not really."

"Someone she trusts," Hotch continued, "told her that Garcia and Morgan have been behaving inappropriately."

"What?"

"Stop shouting Morgan and sit down," Hotch ordered.

Morgan sat because Hotch's eyes were burning with rage. He put both clenched fists on his thighs and scowled at the table.

"I'm telling you this because you're likely to be called in there too." Hotch said.

"Bring it on." Morgan spit out. "I'll tell her -"

"You will keep your temper."

"Hotch!"

"I said you will keep your temper Agent Morgan."

They stared each other done, while Seaver kept her eyes on Rossi's face and Reid looked down at his hands.

"Fine…" Morgan finally spit out, breaking the stare. "I'll keep my temper."

"Now… It appears that this confidant of Strauss overheard a conversation wherein all of us were impugned in some way."

"I'm surprised she'd take the gossiping words of someone she won't name to heart." Rossi finally said. "I mean, isn't that what's happening. We're in this position because someone said something that from their perspective makes us look bad."

"It doesn't matter, the damage has been done. Reid…" Hotch directed his next comments to the young profiler. "Strauss wants to talk to you too."

"What did I do?"

The door to the conference room opened suddenly, admitting their tech kitten. She stopped short when they all turned their eyes on her. "Sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to tell you sir, that I'm suspended for two weeks starting now."