Chapter Eight

"The best way to keep one's word is not to give it." ~Napoleon Bonaparte

"Are we ready to do this then?" Morgan asked as he finished clipping the wire to the inside of his shirt. Hotch looked at Lauren, only his eyebrows twitching to show how worried he was. She gave a small smile back.

"I'm ready." She replied.

Morgan had been able to get hold of the suspect, Tina Mayson, surprisingly quickly and had arranged the meeting as Hotch had said. Lauren had gotten little sleep last night, her only comfort were Spencer's words repeating in her mind. 'We will catch her.' She remembered how confident he had sounded, it gave Lauren a new surge of hope.

Lauren looked over the chosen meeting spot. Across the road was a grey building with a bright sign reading, 'Banchet Flowers'.

"Good location." Lauren commented to Morgan, recognising the place from the top ten wedding hotspot list. Lauren brushed her hands over the dress she had on, pulling on the hem. It was shorter than she would of worn normally, cutting off at a little above the knee. It was beautiful, she couldn't deny it: white cotton lining with a white lace overlay and chiffon sleeves. Her hair had also been immaculately styled, straightened to perfection so it fell over her shoulders with the feeling of silk. She just hoped all the effort that had gone into making her 'beauty' further defined, would work. Lauren was hoping that if this really was the unsub, her attentions would be drawn to herself, saving anyone else from her killing gaze.

"You ok?" Morgan asked, placing his large, warm hand on her shoulder. She smiled and nodded. "Good." He said with a returned smile. "We're ready to go." Morgan exclaimed. There was a collective intake of nervous breath and the rest of the team bustled into the unmarked van they were going to use to monitor the meet. All except Hotch.

"Remember, try to keep her gaze. And smile. Make sure you're calm. You're supposed to be a couple in love." He said, though his glare to Morgan affirmed it was just role-play. "And if anything feels wrong…" He said.

"I know." Lauren assured him, clasping his hand in hers. "It will be fine." Hotch ran his hand over her hair and let it cup her face before marching back to the van. Lauren glanced to Morgan who looked very confused about Hotch's uncharacteristic actions. "It's a long story." Lauren said simply before she began moving towards the flower shop, readying herself for what was to come.

They didn't have long to relax before a voice wafted through the still, humid air.

"Miss Redland?" The voice asked. Wendy Redland was the name Spencer and her had decided upon, but she almost didn't recognise it as it was spoken. Slowly turning, Lauren's gaze fell on a rather tall, broad woman who would be the last person you would suspect as a murderer. Her hair was chocolate brown and styled into an intricate weave, her clothing consisted of a simple pair of jeans and a red tee shirt. Her face conveyed a mothering feel with delicate green eyes and a warm broad smile.

"Hi," Morgan said putting out his hand politely to shake hers. "You must be Tina Mayson."

"Yes, yes, I am." She said, shaking Morgan's hand but not removing her gaze from Lauren, who did her best to smile relaxingly.

"We've been looking forward to meeting you." Morgan said, taking Lauren's hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly. Again, the woman's gaze was fixated on Lauren who finally spoke.

"We really hope you will be available for our wedding." She commented, looking up to Morgan as lovingly as she could, leaning into him.

"I most certainly will be." Tina replied with a large smile "And what a great location!" She said excitedly as she noticed the surroundings.

"I was just saying that to my fiancé." Lauren added with a small, soft laugh. She was rarely allowed to do undercover operations, mostly due to her young age, but Lauren couldn't help but feel that this one was going well. There was a small silence in which Tina Mayson's gaze turned from mothering to unsettling. She gave a smile to Lauren who had to fight the urge to step further back from her.

Spencer sat motionless in the van, staring at the monitors. His heart was racing faster than he thought it ever could and it was so loud in his head, he almost didn't hear Rossi as he spoke.

"She certainly looks strong enough to have manoeuvred the victims."

"Yes, and her focus is solely on Lauren, she seems annoyed at Morgan's presence more than anything." Hotch added and Spencer noted the protective tone in his voice. Silence once again over took the van as they all watched intently.

"It's a shame they're not really getting married." Emily commented lightly, disturbing the silence.

"What?" Spencer and Hotch blurted at the same time.

"They make quite a nice couple." She explained guiltily at the negative reaction her comment had caused.

"Yes, well it's only undercover, Prentiss. He's there for protection." Hotch said sternly, putting an end to that conversation. Emily glanced at Spencer and rolled her eyes jokingly. Yet the way Hotch had said his last sentence made Spencer think he wouldn't let Morgan get any where near Lauren.

"You will take a wonderful picture, Wendy." Tina Mayson's voice echoed eerily around the van. The microphones they had used on Morgan and Lauren had been high tech, allowing every tone and pitch to sound out and be captured clearly. "And with that accent, you will be like the perfect English Rose." Those few words made every nerve in Spencer's body tense up. The comment had clearly affected Lauren as well, as he watched her on the monitor, she took a step back into Morgan's side.

"Stay calm, Lauren." Hotch said quietly.

"She really will won't she?" Morgan said, and his arm snaked around her waist gently, pulling her even closer. Hotch seemed a little relieved for Morgan's protective action but it made Spencer shift uncomfortably in his seat. Was it completely necessary to have her so pressed against him?

"Look." Emily said pointing to the monitor. The team leaned in and Spencer looked on as Tina Mayson's expression took on one of menace, her eyes glancing from Morgan's arm to his face. "She really didn't like that." Emily said referring to Morgan's movement.

"She's obviously not a fan of men." Rossi said.

"Or public displays of affection." Emily added.

"Morgan," Hotch said as he pressed the button that would allow Morgan to hear them. "Act more loving around Lauren, hug her etcetera." He ordered hesitantly and let go of the button.

"Is that necessary?" Spencer asked, turning to Hotch. "We've already established her dislike of men." He justified. He didn't know how much more he could take; watching Morgan throw himself over Lauren made it feel like his blood was boiling beneath his skin.

"We need to see more of her reactions, establish if it's just affectionate actions she dislikes or men in general." Rossi said, Hotch nodded in agreement. Resolved to know he now had to watch, Spencer turned with a frown back to the monitors.

"We're so excited about the wedding." Morgan said, his arms suddenly pulling Lauren into a hug. She seemed surprised by the action but quickly caught on to what was happening and put her hands on Morgan's shoulders, looking up at him with her big, brown doe eyes. Spencer wanted to look away, but it was necessary, it was their job. But why couldn't it be his job to hold her like that? The now familiar pang of jealously once again pierced his chest.

"She's definitely adverse to their affection towards one another." Hotch said.

"Yes, well shall we get down to business?" Tina Mayson's voice said sternly. "I can't exactly plan photos of Miss Redland with you draped across her." Her words were stiff to Morgan, but Spencer was thankful for them as Morgan and Lauren reluctantly disentangled themselves from each other's embrace.