Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, sometimes I wonder about my own.
A/N: Appreciate all the reviews and PM. You're an awesome bunch.
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"So what happens now," Allie asked after she and Reid had joined the team in the restaurant and the couple had ordered. "Do you think he'll try anything at the banquet and dance? It's a little late to cancel something like that but do you think we should? I mean what if…"
"Allie, slow down girl, you're getting as bad as Reid," Morgan interjected.
"Oh, I'm sorry Morgan," Allie answered sweetly. "I was just a little concerned about a serial killer possibly attacking my friends," she ended sarcastically causing the rest of the team to smirk.
Morgan looked at his friend. "Reid, you got one sassy little girl here man."
"Yeah, Morgan, I know," Reid replied, smiling at Allie. Conversation stopped briefly as their meals arrived.
"Well, am I wrong to be concerned? He's after people in my class and, well, what better time to strike than when there's a bunch of us here, all together," Allie continued.
"You have a point Allie," Emily took a forkful of her salad. "It would be the perfect time for him to act and it's hard to watch everyone."
"Hotch, could you get us into the banquet as waiters, waitresses or bartenders, something like that, so we can keep an eye on things," JJ inquired?
"Well, Reid'll be there," Morgan stated as he blew on his steaming chili.
"And I'm taking my Glock," Reid mumbled, his words only halfway intelligible, as he chewed on his burger.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full," Morgan chastised his friend. "What are you eating anyway man?"
"What," Reid said looking at his lunch which consisted of a Cobb salad, a burger and fries.
"I don't know how you can eat like that and stay so skinny," JJ wondered. "I hate you."
"He has a naturally high metabolism and he burns it off," Allie explained, winking at Reid.
"Oh right, how," Morgan asked? "He never works out." He looked between the two. "Oh no, there's no way you can burn that many calories," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Having sex."
"Actually Morgan," Reid informed, "Sexual activity is a legitimate way to burn off a significant number of calories," he bit a French fry, "Depending on the intensity and frequency of course."
"Oh, of course," Morgan echoed with sarcasm. "And I suppose you're always intense."
"Very," Allie answered to which the whole table burst out laughing, lightening the mood considerably.
When lunch was over, Hotch said he was going to check with LPD and the hotel security to see what could be arranged for protection for the reunion activities planned for that evening. He also said he would check with the hotel to see if any of the team could be positioned as serving personnel for the banquet. "JJ, you better check in with the press. We don't want false information floating around out there."
"Right, I'll talk to Dan Breydon at the Lancaster Eagle Gazette; give him the general lowdown as we know it."
"If Kullman doesn't make a move tonight, we'll head back to Quantico in the morning. The LPD know who they're looking for and the APB is out. The alumni will be aware to watch out for Kullman so there's really no need for us to hang around." Hotch informed the team who nodded in response.
The group dispersed, Hotch to contact LPD and the hotel security, JJ to get in touch with the reporter from the Eagle Gazette, Rossi was going to check on the status of the APB, while Morgan and Emily were going to work on some of the paperwork generated by the case and to check on any preliminary reports from the fruits of the morning's search. Reid and Allie were going to their room until it was time to get ready for the evening's festivities.
After the door to Reid and Allie's hotel room closed, he said, "Are you okay, you've been quiet since we left the restaurant." Allie had been silent since the group had separated to perform their assigned tasks.
She sat on the bed, fingering the burgundy piping on the edge of the gold bedspread. "I'm just kind of scared you know, not for myself but for one of my classmates and I don't even know who. That's what's making me crazy. I'm racking my brain, trying to think who might be next. Was there somebody who was really mean to Darcy? Was there somebody who slighted her in some way? I keep thinking if I can come up with someone, I could warn them, but I can't think of anyone. I keep going over things that happened at school in my head and I can't think of anything. It's so frustrating because I want to help."
"You have helped. You've been a major help from the very beginning," Reid reminded her. "We wouldn't be where we are now without you. But, it's our job to profile the killer and find the next victim, not yours. You've done more than your part in all this."
"What if somebody gets hurt or killed because of something I should have seen because I know these people." Allie lamented. "This trip was a bad idea from the get go wasn't it? First my family is rude to you, then this murder thing comes up and my Dad ends up being Daryl's lawyer and is nasty to you and now one of the class might be in danger and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Next time I suggest a trip remind me of this and slap me upside the head, okay!"
Reid moved to the head of the bed and sat with his back to the headboard. He patted the bed next to him. Allie hesitated then moved to sit beside him. Reid wrapped his arms around her and began to softly stroke her hair as she nestled her head on his shoulder.
The couple remained this way for a while when Allie said, "We were supposed to be having mind-blowing sex and working off that lunch."
Reid kissed the top of her head, "I like this better."
"Liar," she replied, the word muffled by her face in his shirt.
"Would I lie to you," he responded, his cheek resting on her head.
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He looked at his reflection in the mirror. The blond hair color made a huge difference in his appearance, he thought, and the scruff he'd grown and also dyed blond made him look even less like himself. He barely recognized himself nowadays anyway he conceded. He reached for the little box and took out a blue contact lens which he put in his left eye. The procedure was repeated on the right. The effect was striking, if he did say so himself. He completed the look with a pair of nondescript wire rimmed glasses. He surveyed the man before him. Yes, that would do nicely. He picked up the yearbook and turned again to the page he had dog eared. There she was, smiling back at him. He was about to wipe that smile off her face for good.