Chapter 6

The Diner

A/N: Yes I know Reid is OOC he is meant to be...just thought I would make that clear. Pb

If we have our own why of life, we shall get along with almost any how. Man does not strive for pleasure; only the Englishman does: -Friedrich Nietzsche

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

He kept his head down and avoided eye contact. He thought he would probably stand out in the normal crowd, but this lot were far from the norm.

A train journey. Not something he did often, but today he felt compelled. He had cash from Reg Waterman and a ticket to take him as far as he needed – for now. One this train somewhere was his mark. He just needed to sit and think and then home in on it. It was female. He knew that much. He sat with his legs tightly crossed and his hands laying unmoving in his lap wondering if he had given Spencer too much of himself and not really left enough to keep himself going. Eventually he was going to have to take it back again and this would mean seeing Reid again and the though made the back of his eyes sting with anger.

Floyd could here the scuttling of small children and he could smell their young breaths. He wanted to look up at them but he knew that the time was getting close and well you don't want to get too involved with the case do you?

He could now hear the heavy breathing of a woman sitting next to him. She smelt of lies and drugs and that small tinge of death. There was something deep down eating away at her slowly. Floyd permitted himself a sideways glance at the woman. She was tall and leggy. Her skirt too short and her hair had too much bleach. The make up was overdone and the way she sat – that self righteous look on her face. Floyd did a small half smirk to himself and turned his eyes back to his lap.

Jem…her name was Jem could smell the guy she had sat next to – but they were the only seats left. The smell wafting off him was like something she had never experienced before. It was like he was decaying – she had smelt dead things before and that's exactly what this guy smelt off. She curled her lip in disgust and pinched the end of her nose.

"Kids stay here. I'm going for a piss."

He listened for a response from the children but there wasn't one. Just a strange silence. Floyd felt the shifting in weight as Jem got up and walked towards the rear of the train. He counted under his breath to ten and then still without looking at the children he got up and followed.

She was nearly at the washroom door when she get a waft of that smell again and a hand touched her between the shoulder blades.

"Excuse me." She could feel hot breath on the back of her neck. Slowly she turned around. "Wondering if you could help me."

She looked him up and down and now could see the face. A pretty face for a guy but he still stank and the smell made her want to gag.

"Not sure how I can." She snapped back at him and went to turn again.

"I really think you can." And he grabbed at her arm pulling her around again.

She put her hand over his and started to pry his fingers off her arm where they were digging into her soft flesh. "You will let go of me now Mister. This is a packed train and you won't believe how loud I can scream."

"I don't think you want to alert the authorities of your whereabouts do you though Jem?" He looked up into her blue eyes.

Jem's hand dropped from Floyd's and she stood thinking. "How the hell do you know who I am?"

"Not important, but I know you are a whore and a junky and that you are going to the washrooms not for a 'piss' as you so nicely put it, but to snort whatever that is you have in your pocket."

Her eyes turned from surprised to cold and calculating. "Screw you whoever you are. Let the hell go of me now."

"Or you will scream and have to explain why you have taken the kids your ex has custody over and are running away as fast as your drugged up legs can take you?"

"Who the hell are you?!" She hissed between her teeth at him.

He moved his hand off her arm and placed it on her shoulder. The other on the side of her head. He wound his fingers through her brittle blonde hair and with a quick 'snap' she was falling to the floor. He let her drop and stepped over her moving onto the next carriage towards the very rear of the train.

-o-o-o-

She pulled over into a small parking lot in the front of a diner.

"What are you doing?" Spencer looked out of the side window.

"I need to eat. When did you last eat something? If we are going to do this then we need to at least stay as healthy as we can."

Spencer nodded and pushed open the car door. "And Em. You need to change out of those trousers – or at least cut them down to something above the knee. You look too hot. And I do mean that as in temperature. You might need to wipe off the rest of your makeup too."

She pulled down the sun visor in the car and looked at her face in the mirror. He was right about the make up. "I have stuff in my flight bag." Emily slid out of the car and moved to the back.

"Get sorted then – I'll order us coffee and something to eat."

As Emily popped the rear door of the SUV she watched Reid walk across the parking lot. She was glad to see him walking more like Reid again. His elbows in tight and that odd swing of the hips he had.

She pulled baby wipes out of the bag she had in the back and wiped them over her face removing all traces of the day before's makeup. She almost considered re-applying but Spencer was probably right. She pushed the thought to the side and pulled out a pair of shorts. Really they were for lounging around in after work, not for being seen in public, but as the only person around who was likely to ever see her again was Reid she didn't feel it mattered. After all Reid didn't really count as someone she was bothered about. And so why was she fussing with her hair and finding a matching Tshirt and rubbing at her legs to make sure she looked OK for him?

Spencer's mind was fuzzy. It felt as though he had ants crawling over his brain. The headache coming was making his eyes water and there was a strange tingling at the back of his nose almost as though he needed to sneeze.

He pushed open the doors to the diner and walked to the counter. He pulled his butt onto the stool and put his elbows on the counter resting his chin on his hands.

"Can I help?" A slightly shrill voice that went right through him. He looked up and blinked at the dark haired Hispanic girl standing with an apron on over her slightly too tight blouse. He name badge said 'Hannan'.

"Coffee – for two. I'm going to be over there." He gestured to the empty bench seats by the back wall. He didn't fancy being a window display today. He slid off the stool again and grabbed a handful of paper napkins which he held under his nose. He looked back over at Hannan – "Nose bleed." Then back over to the empty seats. You have a cigarette machine or anything?"

A finger pointed past him and over at the opposite wall. He gave her a twitch of a smile and walked to the machine.

By the time Prentiss walked in Spencer was sitting with the coffee and a half smoked cigarette. He glanced over at her as she walked over looking much less the Fed and more the girl on a road trip. She had on dark blue boxer style shorts and a vest top. Her hair was tied back and on her feet she had trainers. She seemed to almost have a happy bounce to her step until she saw Spencer. She moved quickly and slid into the bench so she was facing him.

"You don't smoke." She looked at the open pack on the table.

"Nor do you." He almost snarled back. "But I bet you're gagging for one too."

She swallowed and let her finger play over the green and white pack. "I don't smoke. I never have done."

"Same – so why was I having cravings?"

A slow head shake. "I don't know, but put it out. It doesn't look right. You don't look right – did you order food?"

"I ordered coffee…You want food?"

"When did you last eat?" she watched his spoon go in circles around in his coffee. "Spencer – you must eat and you need to put that damned cigarette out."

"Don't tell me what to do Emily. You want to come with me to find him – then fine, but don't you try telling me what to do."

"I'm not – well I am – but this just isn't you." Prodding at the pack on the table.

"Order me some toast then – now back off and leave me. I'm thinking." He reached out to move the pack away from Emily's hands and brushed the back of her hand with his fingers. It was like a lightning bolt shot through them both. "Emily?" Spencer's voice was suddenly low and quiet. "What's going on?"

He stubbed out the smoke and looked down at his hand still just about touching hers.

"I have no idea Reid. I wish to hell I knew what was going on with you. I'm getting food. We both need to eat."

"Wait!" He grabbed her wrist before she could get away from him. "You feel it too don't you." It wasn't really a question.

She pulled her arm away from Reid's grip. "I don't know what I feel Reid. I have no idea what the hell is going on anymore."

He leaned forward over the table and whispered in her ear. "I can still smell him on you." One of his hands rested on her shoulder and as she moved away out of reach Spencer sat back again and started to stir his coffee.

-o-o-o-

He had waited.

Timing is everything. He didn't want to be observed as he slid out of that final carriage. He looked down at the rails sliding out from under the speeding train and stepped out into nothing.

He hit with a bone jarring crunch and rolled out of the way and into the ditch at the side of the rail track. He was bleeding. From his head somewhere and from his hands. Something felt wrong with his legs. He thought probably he had broken them…more likely shattered them, but that was ok. That was fixable. He could deal with that.

Floyd rolled to his side and vomited into the long grass. This hurt. This was a very painful experience. His stomach knotted and cramped and forced yesterday's meal from him in bloody slime covered lumps.

Slowly as the cramps subsided and he was able to push the pain back to some other dark miserable place he began to crawl away into the thick vegetation which formed a natural barrier between the rail tracks and the surrounding farmlands. He pulled plant life up and around himself to form a shield in case anyone came looking for the man who threw himself off the back of the train. If anyone bothered to look. He was really hoping he had time before they connected Jem's death with his apparent suicide. For now he had to just lay low and keep still and close his eyes and wait.

"Why are you making this so hard for me? I'm doing what you told me to do."

He wrapped his arms tightly around his dirty undernourished body and took a deep shuddering breath before sleep took over and let his healing begin.

-o-o-o-

He ordered the pizza and chose a nice bottle of wine. He showered and had a shave and pulled on a nice pair of black jeans and a dark grey shirt. He thought about a tie and then decided to just leave the top button undone….more friendly. Less official. He combed his hair back off his face and then waited downstairs for the visitor.

Hotch paced the room and checked the bottle of wine and got glasses out and then thought it was a bit forward and put them back. He hadn't felt this nervous in years. Stupid – A drink to calm the nerves.

Aaron was just about to take his first sip when the door bell rang. A knot of fear raced through his stomach – what if it wasn't her? Slowly he walked towards the door glancing briefly down at the holes in the hall floor where he had been staked out for a while. He stood facing the front door with a growing amount of sweat appearing on his brow. When the bell sounded again he leapt forwards opening the door with one hand and swiping the back of his hand over his forehead with the other.

She looked cute. The hair she had normally scraped back into a pony tail was hanging down and bouncy – her face looked relaxed and calm. In one hand she had a file of papers and the other a pizza.

"I met the delivery man on the way in."

"Ah." A smile. "Come in Miss Buckley."

She stepped in and handed Aaron the pizza. "Call me Rosie."

"How much do I owe you?" he asked as he took her coat.

"Oh don't be silly – do you realise how much money you have made me by agreeing to sign this? The pizza is on me."

-o-o-o-

He watched Emily walk to the counter and say something and then leave the diner. Reid pushed the cup to the side and got up to follow her. She hadn't walked past the windows to the right and so Spencer was confident that she had gone left. He followed as quickly and quietly as he could. As he rounded the corner of the building he saw he standing under a Perspex hood of a public call box. Silently he walked up behind her. Finally putting a hand on her arm and asking.

"Emily – who are you calling?"

He heard her gasp and drop the phone and start to turn around. "Spencer – I…"

"Deceitful little whore!"

She wasn't expecting the fist in her face and he hands were still scrabbling for loose change in her pocket when Spencer's fist met the side of her head. She let out a surprised yelp and pulled herself together pretty quick.

"What the hell's got into you?!" And now she was easily defending the flying fists coming in for her. "Stop it for god's sake Reid! I was calling a car hire company!" But now he had hold of her hair and was pushing her hard back against the side of the diner.

"Don't you lie to me! I know when you are lying you little bitch!" He attempted a knee in her solar plexus but Emily was by far the better at hand to hand and was dodging his strikes easily – all except for the hand in her hair.

She could feel his hot breath on her face – he stank of dirt and cigarettes and coffee – it made her want to be sick. This wasn't the Spencer she had grown to – well not love exactly – but put up with. This was some horrible Floyd/Reid hybrid.

"Get off me!" and now she was kicking at his shins and her hand was across his neck. As soon as the distance was correct she brought her knee up hard. The effect was instantaneous. Reid released his grip and with a strange howl he bent double vomiting his sweet coffee out onto the hard packed soil.

Emily watched for a minute and then put a hand on Reid's arm. "I'm sorry – Spencer." She really had nothing else she wanted to say – but for Em this road trip was well and truly over. She listened to the gagging and coughing sounds as Reid now crouched down in the dirt and let the tears of pain fall as he held his head down hiding his humiliation from her face. Taken out by Prentiss.

"Leave – me – alone." His words came out in short sharp bursts.

She stood and watched what had once been the innocent genius coughing and spitting in the dirt. "I'm sorry Reid."

And now he looked up at her. "Well I'm not." Slowly he got to his feet and stood with his back against the timber building. "I thought we had something Emily."

She shook her head. "Had something?"

"I know you don't like me. That is so obvious, but you know I thought finally we had something – some common ground apart from work that would maybe help."

She walked over to him and put her hand under his chin. "I never disliked you Spencer – I just don't understand you. You confuse me and recently – well this – common ground – has just made it more confusing."

Reid moved a hand over to the side of Emily's face. "Did I hurt you?"

"No – no it was a shock really."

"Uh – good – good that I didn't hurt you." He chewed on his bottom lip. He could smell Floyd so strongly on her that it was making his head spin again and when he looked up into her eyes he could see she was thinking the same thing.

It was small. He just rested his mouth on her shoulder. He desperately needed that taste in his mouth. That deep dark musky taste and as he ran his tongue over her shoulder and towards her neck he could feel her hands moving around to his back and sliding up under his grubby shirt.

"You just taste so good." Spencer breathed out onto her lightly tanned skin as she dug her fingernails into his back and took in the heady musky smell that Spencer had oozing from him.

But in Spencer's foggy mind this was Floyd he was holding and Floyd's smell he could smell and his mouth his was seeking and crushing and sucking at with his, and in Emily's confused mind it was Flanders who was touching and holding and licking and biting at her and it was Flanders whose back her nails were digging into as she pushed against Reid and he pushed back wanting something from Emily she was completely unable to give.

-o-o-o-

He awoke from a dream where he was with angels. He scrabbled and tore at them trying not to tip and end up in the abyss…but they smiled and pushed and their voices were like water as he fell and crashed.

Floyd opened his eyes. He could taste Emily Prentiss on his lips which he licked greedily.

"Well done babes. You're doing good. Bring her to me."

He closed his eyes again and slipped back into his chasm.