Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
A/N: Thanks again to all who continue to support the story
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The hallways of the hotel were almost deserted. The reunion attendees had gone home to rest up for tomorrow's festivities. The clock on the wall of the hospitality room read 12:55 am on a Friday morning. The BAU team had not left, they still debated back and forth the reasons behind the unsub's retaliation against this class. Was it the whole class or just certain individuals? Allie felt that her former classmates should be warned that there might be a killer in their midst.
"Warned about what?" Morgan was sitting at the table spinning a pen in his hands. "What do we tell them to look out for when we have no idea who it is, how he chooses his victims and what method he'll use next.?"
"Well, I just don't like to think of people I care about as sitting ducks," Allie persisted.
"Allie, we don't want to tip him off that we're onto him. So far he doesn't think we know these are murders and we don't want him to," Hotch explained.
"So we just sit and wait for him to kill one of my friends?" She rose from her seat next to Reid, waving her hands expressively and going to stand toe to toe with Hotch. "Her voice rose indignantly, "I think they should be told."
"Well, they won't be and that's final." Hotch's nerves were frayed; it was one a.m. and they were all tired.
"What do you mean by that? You can't stop me from warning my friends." Allie fired back at the angry Hotch.
Reid looked between the two, a man he liked, admired, respected and wished to emulate and the woman he loved. He had been on the receiving end of both Hotch's steadfast authority and Allie's fiery temper. He knew who would be the victor and he closed his eyes and sighed, it was going to be a long night.
"Oh, I can and will stop you. You are a technical analyst for the FBI, Miss Graham and as such you take direction from higher ranking officials. I am an SSA and a unit chief. You will not divulge the existence of a serial killer. That's an order. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," Allie said, stunned, looking at Hotch like she'd been slapped, "Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner, sir."
Emily looked at her friend, "Allie, we really don't want to create mass panic when we really don't have any solid evidence to support this theory of a serial killer," she looked apologetically at Reid.
"Look," JJ said, "It's late and everyone's tired. Why don't we call it a night and start fresh in the morning?"
"That's a good idea," Rossi said, "Maybe things will be clearer in the daylight."
The team started to pack up their things for the trip to the hotel where their rooms were booked. With the reunion at this hotel, they had been unable to secure rooms there.
Allie was still steaming after her verbal altercation with Hotch and stormed out of the room and down the deserted hallway to the elevator that would take her to the room she shared with Reid.
"Ooh hoo," Morgan said to Reid, "Better you than me. Good luck with that one buddy." Reid only nodded and left the tenseness of the hospitality room to join the irate Allie.
They stood in silence until the elevator arrived. Once they were alone in the car, Reid said, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm great, don't I look it," Allie replied sarcastically. "How could you let him talk to me that way?" Reid had known that this question was coming and was dreading it.
"Allie, Hotch is the unit chief; he's in charge of the investigation. He's my superior and yours and like it or not, he gives the orders. We have to follow them. You also chose to challenge his authority in front of his team. You were insubordinate and he had to call you on it. There was no way you were getting out of that one unscathed my love."
"Do you agree with him, that we shouldn't warn my friends that someone might try to kill them?"
"Considering that we don't know what or who to warn them about," Reid chose his words carefully, "Yeah, I do agree. We have to know more before we make any kind of statement. That statement, when it's time, will come from JJ."
They entered the hotel room and Reid suggested, "Why don't you have a hot bubble bath, that always seems to relax you, I'll wash your back."
"Do not even look at me that way and get that off your mind right now. You are not getting any tonight bucko!"
"Okay, so why don't I just go and sit quietly in this corner over here," he said, grabbing his sweat pants and Tee shirt he wore for sleeping and started to undress.
Allie decided the bath might help and went into the bathroom to draw it. After she was undressed and relaxing in the lovely hot water, Reid poked his head in the room. "One question, was Darcy into drugs when you knew her?"
"No, that's the thing I can't understand, she'd never take drugs. She wasn't the type."
"Was I," Reid said, closing the door and leaving her to her luxurious soak.
Allie came out of the bathroom wrapped snugly in his old robe. "Feel better," he asked?
"Yeah, I do. What are you thinking? Why the questions about the drugs?"
"So to your knowledge, she wasn't a drug user in school?"
"No, totally not. She and Daryl were both straight arrows."
"Daryl, who's Daryl," Reid wanted to know?
"Oh, he's Darcy's brother. He went to Mount Pleasant as well."
"Was he ahead of Darcy or behind her," he looked questioningly at Allie.
"Neither," she said, running the brush through her hair, "He was in the same grade, they were twins."
"Twins, was Daryl overweight like Darcy?" Reid's interest was piqued.
"Oh no, he was quite a handsome guy, and really nice, not a jerk at all. I used to wish he'd ask me out but he never did," Allie told him.
"So did he hang out with his sister?"
"Well no, not really, what guy wants to hang out with his sister especially when she didn't have any cute girlfriends."
Reid glanced at the clock, "We better get some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow." They settled into the bed and Reid kissed Allie good night before he turned off the lamp.
He was lying quietly on his side, thinking, when he felt a hand softly caress his back. Allie whispered, "Are you asleep?"
"No, I'm awake," he rolled over to face her.
"Sorry I was such a bitch before. I guess I'm just rattled by all this. I'll apologize to Hotch in the morning."
"Okay, try to get some sleep." Allie nodded and snuggled close to him as he wrapped his arms around her. Soon he could feel her slow rhythmic breathing. Sleep would not seem to overtake him however. Something was bothering him. Something someone had said. If he could only remember. He lay there for a long while trying to will himself to sleep, not wanting to move in case he disturbed Allie who was locked in his arms. He'd have to ask Garcia about… Oh my God, that was it, Garcia!