Go Ahead

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

Reid wasn't necessarily surprised when Morgan stood and walked off to check out the new agent's office, but it did hurt. He knew that he could bore people, but that didn't mean that whenever it happened he wasn't affected. His surprise came from Emily standing to join Morgan in his quest to the new agent's new office and when he was given the go-ahead to root through it himself.

"You can't go in there," Reid told the older agent, not disapproving, simply factual.

"Don't you wanna know about this guy?" Morgan asked as he stopped at the stairs.

Emily turned at her desk and raised a hand, putting aside her paperwork. "I do," she stood and joined Reid to follow Morgan up the stairs.

"You've got it all memorized- His books, his bio," Reid protested, stopping at the stairs and moving aside so that Emily could carry on.

"Yeah, books have sold over a million copies," Morgan replied.

"So?" Reid questioned, brows furrowed in confusion.

Morgan scoffed and looked back, holding up his fingers and rubbing the tips together, "That's a million reasons not to come back if you know what I'm saying." He continued on.

Reid swiped his tongue across his lips as he shifted his weight from left foot to right, then followed his lover and friend up the steps and to the office. As Morgan and Emily stepped inside the office, Reid saw Rossi stop a few doors down. The older agent caught Reid's eye and smiled waving at the young man to come over.

CM~CM~CM

"Huh," Emily murmured as she looked around. "Taupe walls. That's a negative color."

Reid stopped outside the door and looked at the plaque. David Rossi. Italian. The young agent looked up at the man the name belonged to as Emily continued, "Cold, distant. You know, emotionally, taupe is linked to loneliness and desire to escape from the world."

Rossi pressed a finger to his lips, asking Reid to stay quiet and then gestured again for him to go in. An invitation, Reid's eyes widened. Me? he mouthed.

Rossi nodded. Sure, he mouthed back. Make a deduction. Guess.

Really? Reid asked.

Go ahead. Rossi smirked and Reid sighed, looking into the room.

"I just figured this guy's walls would be covered in plaques and commendations." Morgan told Prentiss.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be reminded of past victories. It's a new chapter for him." Prentiss guessed as Reid looked around, then back inside and stepped into the room.

"Whatever happened to the moratorium on inter-team profiling, guys?" Reid asked, giving both of the agents pointed looks.

"Come on, Reid, team?" Morgan asked, with a huff. "I don't think this guy knows the meaning of the word."

Reid looked back out at Rossi and asked, Are you sure? Rossi smirked again and nodded.

Reid bit his lip and stepped further into the room, his attention immediately caught by the piece of artwork Morgan uncovered. "Oh, I found something. It looks like some type of religious art. Original, maybe?" Morgan asked, holding it out to Reid with an eyebrow quirked. "Definitely expensive."

"Hmm." Reid's mind spun as he took the painting. "It's Renaissance art. If that's original..." he trailed off, looking at it closer, mentally noting the presence of a fellow agent at the door.

"Is it?" Emily asked, voice hardly above a whisper.

"I don't know, it's kinda hard to tell." Reid flipped the painting's frame over to see if it was dated but found nothing as he returned his eyes to the glass side and continued to study the beautiful art. "It means he's into the classics."

Morgan asked next. "What else?" he prompted and Reid continued.

"Uh," Words and numbers and dates spun and floated over his vision so fast Reid almost couldn't keep up. "Italian, strict Catholic upbringing. Probably believes in redemption." Reid replied, looking at Prentiss, then back at the painting.

"Well, I believe in a lot of things." Morgan's eyes snapped up to the door as Rossi spoke, Prentiss and Reid's eyes did too, but Rossi continued as if nothing was wrong, "Catholic, yes. Italian American, fifty-two years. Strict upbringing, not so much."

Morgan and Emily looked at each other, almost ashamed, then returned their eyes to Rossi.

"Now, the artwork. That's fifteen century, original. Cost more than my first house," Rossi walked over to Reid as he looked back at the painting and raised an eyebrow, "And as for the wall color, it's just a base coat. Painters will come in and finish tomorrow." Reid nodded and handed the painting back to Rossi with a shy smile and then looked back at Morgan, who exchanged a second look with Prentiss. "Now if you're all finished, I think JJ and Hotch are ready for us." Rossi looked directly at Morgan as he spoke the next bit. "Isn't that how a team works?" Rossi asked.

Reid nodded and moved passed Rossi to the round table. He was followed by Morgan, then Emily. Reid glanced at Rossi as he passed and saw the minute quirk of the lips that Morgan and Prentiss didn't.

Go ahead. He'd mouthed and Reid just had to smile himself. It actually was an invitation.