A/n hello everyone, here's the next chapter for you. Hope you enjoy...
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Reid opened his messenger bag and took out the poetry book he'd been carrying around for the last week. There had been no time to read it while they were on their last case.
Now, he sat on the jet as it hummed along on its journey northeast to Quantico. The interior cabin of the jet was dark, but also shadowed by the light over Reid's seat. Morgan sat back in his seat with the ear buds to his I pod stuck in his ears. Reid wasn't sure if his partner was asleep, but he didn't care. JJ lay on the bench asleep, her long blond hair half covering her face, and a blanket pulled up to her shoulders. Emily was asleep in her seat, her head resting against the wall of the cabin. Hotch and Rossi were working on paperwork at opposite ends of the cabin, and Reid was just sitting there trying to sleep, but his eyes wouldn't stay closed.
He traced the title of the book and smiled at the feel of the gold leaf on the leather binding. He couldn't get her deep blue eyes and rosy pink lips out of her mind. He couldn't stop thinking about her, despite the logical part of his brain that demanded he better wise up, and remember that there was no such thing as love at first sight.
You'll never see her again, so you better forget about her!
The voice was right, but there was a tiny part of him that wished he'd been braver and smooth like Morgan. He should have got her name and her home number. He should have stopped acting like such a wet noodle.
He opened the book and began to read the words he'd already memorized long ago. The words were soothing in their simplicity, and their emotion. Morgan would laugh to see him reading poetry. So, it was a good thing that his partner was asleep.
"Hey Reid, what ya reading," A voice said from over his shoulder.
Damn… so close to actually enjoying a book for a change.
He snapped the book shut and tried to put it in his bag, but a dark-skinned hand reached out and yanked it away. Morgan sat down across from his friend and smiled at the curses coming out of the seemingly innocent mouth.
"Such language Reid… Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Reid only gave Morgan a hard look and the older man said. "Hey sorry man, I was just surprised to hear you talking that way."
Reid sighed heavily, "I just want to read my book."
Morgan checked the cover and saw that it was a poetry book by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. There was something in the genius's eyes that made him put the book on the seat next to him. He leaned back and crossed his arm over his chest.
"So… Why don't you tell me what's so special about that book?"
Reid shifted in his chair, and decided to study the window that looked out on the black night and the stars that surrounded the airplane.
"I like her poetry, that's all."
"Right… Why do I think you're holding out on me?"
"Because you're a profiler and naturally suspicious," Reid countered.
"No… I don't think that's it," Morgan said. "I think there's more to it than just my natural curiosity."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then why won't you look me in the eye?"
Reid looked away from the window and trained his eyes on his friend. If he could just look at Morgan in the eye long enough for the other man to decide that nothing was wrong.
"It won't work Reid, you can't fool me. Something's been bothering you for the past week. You'll feel better if you talk about it."
"No I won't, because you'll just tease me."
"Well yeah… that's my job as your friend and teammate." Morgan deadpanned.
Reid only frowned and looked down at the book of poetry on the seat next to Morgan. If he told his partner what was wrong, Morgan would probably laugh at him. Then again, Morgan could tell him what to do to stop thinking about the girl in the library. There was no way he'd ever see her again, so it was best to just forget her and go on with his life. He looked back up at Morgan, who was unusually quiet and staring at him.
"Okay… I was - um… well I was in the library last week after that case we had."
Morgan nodded his eyes going cold with remembered anger before they cleared and began to twinkle at his friend.
"I was looking for a particular book and well… Oh I can't tell you. You're going to laugh."
"Hey… I'm your friend Reid. If you need me I've always got your back no matter what."
Reid was very quiet for long minutes before resignation clouded his chocolate eyes and he said "I met a girl there. She and I reached for the same book and… Morgan, she was so beautiful and all I did was stand there like an idiot. Then we sort of talked about poetry and she just left, and I didn't see which way she went, and then she was gone and I couldn't stop thinking about her." He said all of this very fast before lowering his eyes to the book again, unable to face the laughter that had been growing in Morgan's eyes.
Morgan chuckled instead of laughing outright. Reid looked up and shot him a nasty look. "I knew you'd laugh at me."
"Reid… it was just a pretty girl. Why are you so upset over one pretty girl? I'm sure there are plenty of girls out there that would love to take a ride on the Dr. Spencer Reid love train."
"That's it… I'm going to go to sleep and pretend that I never told you." He pulled the blanket on the chair next to him up over his thin body and closed his eyes.
"Reid… Look at me," Morgan said.
Reid opened one eye and saw that Morgan wasn't smiling or laughing. "I'm listening," Morgan said.
"I know that it's stupid and illogical, but I…"
Oh God this was so humiliating, he couldn't say it to Morgan of all people when he didn't understand what was happening to him. "I don't understand…" Reid said.
"Don't sweat it Reid, beautiful women can make you do things you'd never do."
"There's no such thing as love at first sight." Reid insisted as his face got hot with embarrassment.
"Says the man with the big brain," Morgan said and his smile was back. "Just go with it, you'll be very happy that you did."
"But that's the point Morgan, I didn't even get her name or number or anything. I just let her walk away."
"So go back to the library. If she's a bookworm like you, I'm sure she must go there a lot."
"Morgan, that's stupid. How am I supposed to know when she'll be there?"
"That's your problem," Morgan said.
"A lot of help you are," Reid said sarcastically.
"Sorry, it's the best I can come up with," Morgan answered.
Reid closed his eyes and pulled the blanket up around his ears. He refused to go back to the library. It was a dumb idea that would never work.
--
Two days later on a rainy Saturday afternoon, Reid stepped up to the doors of the library and went inside. The whole way over in his SUV he'd tried to convince himself that this was a dumb idea, and Morgan would laugh when he found out that Reid had actually come back here to look for her.
He dropped off all the books he'd read and memorized in the return slot at the desk. Mrs. Warren was there wearing a pink cardigan sweater over a gray blouse with a large bowtie at the collar. Her glasses hung down over her ample bosom and she smiled at the young man in front of her.
"Hello Dr. Reid, I see you're back for more books."
"Ah… Yeah…."
"Have a good time." She smiled up at him.
"Yeah… Ah thanks," He stuttered.
He left the desk and went to the poetry section. It was deserted just like it had had been the day he'd first seen her there. He stopped at the intersection of the hallway and looked at the end of the shelves. Just around the corner was where he'd have to go to find her if she were there.
He stepped around the corner and she was there, looking at the intersection of rows instead of the books, as though she had been waiting for him. But that was crazy, wasn't it; she couldn't have been waiting there for him.
"Hello…" She said, and her voice was like music, exactly as it had been in his dreams for the last week.
"Um… hi," He squeaked out and wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.
"Did you like the book?" She asked.
"Yeah… it was great. I left it up front if you want to borrow it."
"Okay…"
Reid twisted his hands nervously in front of him. She was as beautiful as he remembered and she wore a white sweater with pink roses embroidered into the lapel. The buttons were also pink roses and they matched her lips and dress.
"Um… can I, ah may I ask your name." He stammered.
Her eyes became very wistful and sad for a moment then she said. "My name's Katie."
"Oh… um, it's a very nice name. I mean it suits you, I mean - Oh I'm sorry." He trialed off into silence and wished again that the floor could open up and swallow him.
"What's your name?" She'd come closer to him and he could smell lilacs around her.
"Dr. Reid, I mean Dr. Spencer Reid… but you can call me Spencer if you want to."
"Spencer," She tried out the name like it was a morsel of chocolate. "Can we sit down and talk for awhile?"
"Oh… ah, yeah… I guess." He followed her to a small table at the back of the library.
He rushed forward to pull the chair out for her and she smiled up at him. "You're very nice Spencer, Thank you."
"Y-you're welcome," He pushed in the chair and went around to the other side to sit down.
"Do you come here often?" He blurted out without thinking and felt his face getting very red again. "I'm s-sorry that's s-sounds like the w-worst p-pick-up line in the world."
He suddenly found his hands more interesting than looking at her face. But, then something pulled them back up to look at her face and her beautiful black hair.
"I don't think it's a bad pick-up line. I think it's a legitimate question. The answer is that I love the library and reading books so I come here quite a lot."
"Oh… I like it here too."
She smiled at him again and his stomach did an odd flipping motion. Her eyes seemed to fill up his entire vision and the scent of lilacs that hung around her was making his brain feel a bit fuzzy.
"What do you do for a living Spencer?"
"What… oh… um I'm an FBI agent."
"That must be very exciting."
"Yeah… it is," He said and he found himself telling her a lot about his job and Quantico and his friends.
Half an hour had passed while he dominated the conversation with his job and his friends. She listened to him talk without interrupting till the clock reached three pm.
"I really have to go," she said when he stopped for breath. Her face had taken on that worried and frightened look he'd seen the other day.
"Oh… um can I call you sometime."
Her face shut down and she frowned. Well… he'd done it. She didn't want to see him outside this library. All she was interested in was someone that liked the same kinds of books. He shouldn't have listened to Morgan and come back here looking for her.
"I'd really like that, but I can't," She told him and her eyes looked through him to something he couldn't see.
"Oh, well… You're probably seeing someone and…"
"Yeah I'm seeing someone." Her eyes had gone cold and hard, replacing the fear with - was that hate - and they made him shiver.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to -"
"It's okay, I really have to go. I hope I see you here again sometime. I hope we can be friends."
There was a pleading timbre to her voice and tone that made his heart hurt. She asked the question like she didn't have any friends in the world.
"Sure, okay, I'd like that."
He was pathetic. He should just go and forget her. It wasn't fair what she was asking of him when all he wanted to do was look after her and keep her from getting hurt.
"Are you sure you're okay," He blurted out and felt his face get hot again.
Why had he asked that question? Obviously she had someone else to take care of her. He should step aside and look for someone that didn't have someone. Her eyes held mysteries that he couldn't hope to explore if she walked out of the library, but he couldn't stop her from going.
She stood in front of him and reached out to touch his face. Her hand was warm and soft. He closed his eyes and waited. What he was waiting for he didn't know, but then the warmth was gone. He opened his eyes and she was gone. He looked around just in time to see her walk around a corner. Instead of going after her again, he stayed in his chair and looked out the window to the rain that pelted the blacktop of the parking lot. It ran down the windows like elongated tears and made everything wavy and ethereal in the mid-afternoon light.
After another thirty minutes of staring at the rainstorm and seeing reflected in the window the people passing by as they searched for adventure, romance and horror in the shelves behind him, he stood up and left.
He took the same path back to the front of the building, passing the shelves where he'd first seen her and it didn't occur to him to wonder why she didn't answer his question.
