Las Vegas, Nevada - December 1999:

Amber had looked up on her father's book tour schedule online. Former FBI agent and now author, David Rossi, was scheduled to be at a Las Vegas bookstore to promote his new book on Amber's third day there. Instead of calling him before hand, Amber decided she would just drop in and surprise him. Leaving Vince with Chad and Alyse, Amber set off on her own to the book store.

She had decided to drop in at the ending of the session. As she walked through the mall toward the bookstore, she was surprised when she saw her Chemistry TA from the previous semester, Spencer Reid, walking in her direction, plastic shopping bag dangling from one hand.

"Spencer," Amber called out, trying to get his attention as he hadn't seen her.

Hearing his name, Spencer stopped and glanced around the mall. When he looked her direction Amber waved as she made her way in his direction. Spencer smiled when he recognized her.

"You're the last person I expected to see here," Spencer commented, as she walked up to him.

"I'm came to Vegas with a friend for the holiday break. Never been here before and I figured it beat my other options for the break. What are you doing here?"

"I'm from Vegas. Came home to spend the holiday break with my mother."

"Really. I didn't realize you were from here. Must have been exciting growing up around here."

Spencer shrugged. "It definitely prepared me for going other places. Not much surprises me because you see just about everything in this city," he told her. "Are you alone right now?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to catch up with my father whose in the city on business. Perhaps you and I could get together while I'm here. You can show me around," Amber suggested, not sure why that now that she knew Spencer was in the city it was so important to her that she see him. She hadn't thought about him at all since she had left campus.

"Yeah, sure. That sounds like a good plan. Um, why don't you give me a call later this evening when you have some free time," Spencer replied.

"I'll do that," Amber replied.

Spencer nodded. "Okay, then. I guess I'll talk to you later then," he told her, and started to continue in the direction he had been going before Amber had spotted him.

"Spencer wait," Amber said, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "I need your number so I can call you," she told him, a small amused smile coming to her lips.

"Ah, yeah, I guess that would help," he replied, slightly embarrassed but hoping she didn't notice.

Amber got her phone out, and saved the number Spencer gave her in her contacts list. The two said good-bye and as Spencer walked away, Amber continued to the store. As soon as she walked into the bookstore, Amber spotted her father.

Former FBI agent David Rossi was in one corner of the bookstore, still signing and answering the questions of a few of his fans. He finished signing a book he was holding and then flipped the cover closed. Looking up from the book, he spotted Amber walking toward him as he handed the book back to its owner.

"Thanks," the guy said, with a huge smile as he took the book back. The fan turned and headed out of the store, flipping open the cover of the book to look at the autograph he had just gotten, only half paying attention to where he was walking.

As quickly and politely as he could, David Rossi signed the few remaining books for those still in line and excused himself from his fans. His obligations done, he turned to his daughter.

"Amber, honey, what are you doing here? I thought you were spending the holidays with your mother?" Rossi said, acknowledging his daughter, both surprised and pleased to see her.

"There was a change in plans. Mom decided to go on a cruise over Christmas and somehow I couldn't picture myself celebrating Christmas on a cruise ship," Amber replied, coming up with a quick plausible excuse. Somehow, she didn't feel comfortable telling her Dad her true feelings about her stepfather. She had often felt like she was stuck in the middle of her parents growing up and had no desire to place herself there again.

"You should have called me about your change of plans. I could have postponed this tour and you could have come stayed with me."

"I didn't want you to have to drop everything just for me. Besides, a friend of mine invited me to tag along for a trip to Vegas, so here I am. I figured I'd stop by and surprise you."

"Well, you certainly did that," Rossi told her. "Is your friend with you?"

Amber shook her head. "Vince is hanging out with his brother and his brother's fiancé this afternoon. I was hoping we might be able to spend some time together actually. If you don't have to be somewhere else that is."

"I was actually just planning on heading back to the hotel and relaxing tonight as I don't have a flight down to Flagstaff until the morning. I can't think of a better way of relaxing then spending time with my daughter. Are you hungry?" Rossi asked. Amber nodded. "Then what do you say we go find us a restaurant. My treat," he told her, offering his arm to her.

"Sounds like a plan," Amber told him, smiling. She hooked her arm through her father's offered arm and the two left the bookstore together.

"So, is this Vince guy anyone that I need to worry about?" Rossi asked, as he and his daughter walked through the mall to the entrance closest to where Amber had parked her truck. Rossi hadn't even bothered with a rental car while in Las Vegas seeing as the mass transit system served him well enough for the short time he was in the city. "I want to make sure that any guy dating my daughter is good enough for her."

"We're just friends," Amber told him, not sure what bothered her more. The fact that her Dad had gone into protective father mode all of the sudden or that he had jumped to the same conclusion that Maria had. Why did everyone assume that just because you were friends with a guy that there was more to it than just friendship?

"I guess I won't have to give him the third degree if I ever meet him then," Rossi told her as they walked through the door to the mall.

"Maybe we can catch up with Vince later this evening," Amber said as they approached the entrance to the mall. Other than Maria and Mark, who she had grown up with, her father meant hadn't met any of her group of friends that she went to college with. It wasn't that she didn't want him to meet her father, however, the opportunity just hadn't arose during her first semester.

"Perhaps we can," Rossi agreed, pleased that his daughter wanted him to meet her friends. Even though she was nineteen, like any good parent, he worried about her. Wanted to know the type of people she was hanging out with, especially after everything he had seen on his job. As much as he wanted to spend time with his daughter alone, he also didn't want to miss the opportunity to meet one of her friends.

"I'll give him call and see what he is doing later this evening. So how is your current book tour going?"

"Very well actually. So far I'm getting better attendance to these book readings than I have on my previous books. It still amazes me sometimes how much people are into the things I write about."

"Do you ever regret going into early retirement to write?" Amber asked.

"I'd be lying if I said no," Rossi admitted, thinking about the one unsolved case that still haunted him. This was the time of year that the case and the children that had been left orphaned by what had happened, was the most vivid. "When I think of everything I was able to see in my daughter's life because I walked away from the job though, it makes it worth it. I missed so much of your life while you were growing up, that I'm grateful for the things I've been able to share with you these last few years."

"I've enjoyed you being around more too," Amber told him sincerely as she gave the arm she was clinging to a squeeze.

Father and daughter fell silent as they continued to walk through the parking lot. Reaching the truck, Rossi climbed in the passenger seat as his daughter climbed behind the wheel.

"Your Dad seems pretty cool, especially as he use to work for the FBI. Guess I always saw the FBI type as stuck up, suit and tie, with no sense of humor," Vince commented as he pushed the door to their hotel room open.

The whole group had just got back from the Hard Rock Café where they had enjoyed dinner with Amber's father. David Rossi had even paid for everyone's meals, which the vacationing college students had appreciated. Though the Dillaway brother's and Alyse had been a bit nervous about having dinner with Amber's father, and the beginning of the evening had been a little tense, David Rossi had managed to cut through that tension. He had asked questions of everyone, trying to include them all in the conversation. His easy, charismatic personality had soon put everyone at ease. Chad had started asking Mr. Rossi questions about his work with the FBI, which the retired agent had happily answered. As a result, it was now almost ten o'clock as they returned to their rooms.

"Yeah, he can be," Amber agreed. "He can also be very demanding and strict," she told him coming into the room. She placed her purse on the desk and then placed the gift wrapped box her father had given her in the top drawer of her dresser. It was a Christmas gift and she intended to wait until Christmas to open it.

"Yeah, that last part sounds like my Dad but he doesn't have the cool thing going on," Vince told her, as he flopped down on his bed.

"Do you think it would be too late to call, Spencer?" Amber asked as she looked at the digital clock on the night stand between the beds with concern. She had intended on stepping outside at the restaurant and giving him a call but once she had gotten there that plan had slipped her mind.

"I still can't believe that you're in one of the coolest cities in the country with one of the coolest guys," Vince told her, gesturing to himself as he said the words, "and you want to call that geeky waiter."

Amber picked up a rolled up pair of clean socks out of the top drawer of the dresser that was still opened and tossed them at Vince. "Be nice," she scolded.

Vince reached up and caught the sock ball before it hit him. "It is Vegas," Vince said with a smile as he tossed the socks back to Amber. "I think you'll be okay if you call now," he told her.

Amber nodded, and taking her cell phone out of her purse headed for the sliding glass door. Stepping out onto the balcony she opened her contacts list, and scrolled through until she found Spencer's name. With his number highlighted, she pressed the button with the green phone on the keypad and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello," Spencer said, answering the call on the second ring.

"Hey Spencer, its Amber. Sorry to be calling so late," she said, apologizing. Spencer's voice sounded tired on the other end of the phone. She was starting to wonder if not waiting for the next day would have been the better choice.

"It's not a problem. I was starting to think you had forgotten about me altogether."

"Of course not! I just got busy. My Dad ended up taking the group I'm here in Vegas with out for dinner and the time got away from me. I just got back to the hotel."

"Sounds like you're enjoying yourself, then."

"It's been fun. Coming here is definitely turning out to be a lot more fun than the other options that I had opened to me," Amber told him. She heard a crash in the background. Before she could say anything though, Spencer was talking.

"Amber ah, can I call you back in a little bit? I got to go deal with something. Or if you weren't planning on staying up, I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'll be up for awhile. Just call me back when you can," Amber said, wanting to ask what was going on but not wanting to seem like she was prying.

"Okay. I'll give you a call as soon as I can," Spencer told her and then ended the call before she had a chance to say anything. Turning, she headed back into the hotel room.

"That was a short call. Did you not get a hold of him?" Vince asked as he continued flipping through the channels on the tv.

"I got a hold of him. He said he'll call me back in a little bit. Sounded like something was going on at his place."

"Maybe the guy is cooler than I thought," Vince said, with a wink. "Chad called while you were out there. Wanted to let us know that he and Alyse plan on hitting the casinos tomorrow so we're on our own. It's short notice but maybe your pal could join us tomorrow, that is unless you wanted to spend time with him alone," Vince said, his voice taking on a suggestive tone as he said the last words.

"I'll see what he's up to when he calls back," Amber told him, ignoring the last jab. "I'm gonna go take a shower. If my phone ring, will you answer it for me please?" she told him, tossing the phone down on his bed within arm reach.

"You sure you trust me?" Vince asked.

"Only because I don't have anyone else to ask," Amber told him, grabbing her pajamas and heading for the bathroom.

"Ouch, that hurts," Vince told her, dropping the remote, and putting his hands over his heart.

As Amber went into the bathroom, Vince retrieved the remote and went back to flipping through the channels. By the time she had finished with her shower, he had found a decent movie to watch and had changed into the t-shirt and shorts he had been sleeping in while in Vegas.

Amber settled onto her own bed, and reached out to take her phone from Vince as he handed it to her.

"No calls yet," he told her.

As if on cue, the phone rang. Amber looked at the screen and saw Spencer's name there.

"Hey. Everything okay?" she asked, settling back against the pillows.

Vince was behind the wheel of his car, as they followed the directions Spencer Reid had given them to his house. The Las Vegas native had said he didn't have any plans for the day, and had been happy to show them the areas of his home city that were away from the heavily tourist visited area known as the Strip. He had consented to having them pick him up at his home, and had given Amber turn by turn directions.

"Turn left at the next light," Amber told Vince. "We'll be on his street then. He said it was the eighth house on the right."

"Got it," Vince commented, as he approached the turning lane. Flipping on his turn signal, he changed lanes and applied the break as the light was green. "So did he say where he was going to take us?" Vince asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the light to change.

"He gave me several options. I thought the desert botanical gardens sounded interesting. It'll be neat to see some of the natural habitat of the region," Amber replied. "I'm sure we'll have time to do something else this afternoon, but I figured we could cross that bridge when we come to it."

Vince nodded, moving his foot from the break to the gas as the red light changed to a green arrow. As he turned onto the indicated street, he started counting houses. It wasn't necessary as he could easily tell which house Spence lived in, as he spotted him sitting on the front steps of the house.

He pulled into the driveway, and Spencer immediately started approaching the vehicle, not even giving Amber or Vince a chance to get out of the car. Vince unlocked the doors as Spencer reached the back passenger door. Opening it, he climbed in and the three exchanged greetings. It wasn't long before they were back on the road. Vince was now taking directions from Spencer who was telling him how to reach the Desert Demonstration Gardens.

Reaching the gardens located on West Alta Drive, Vince found a place to park. The three of them got out of the vehicle and headed toward the entrance.

"The Desert Demonstration Gardens opened at this site back in 1990," Spencer told them as the walked. "It was reopened back then after some renovations. The gardens operated under the old name of the Kiwanis Water Conservation Park from the time it was opened in 1982 until 1986 when the Las Vegas Valley Water district developed a master plan for the park. The gardens contain species of desert compatible plants that are native to this area as well as teaching the importance of water conservation in the area."

"I thought I was on vacation," Vince whispered to Amber, who was walking in between Spencer and Vince. Amber nudged her friend with her elbow but didn't comment as she continued to listen to what Spencer was saying.

The three young adults were soon within the botanical gardens. Amber thought the desert plants were beautiful and she found the different gardens beautiful. She had always thought of the desert as barren. She was starting to see how wrong the perception was and just how many plant species had adapted to survive in the harsh conditions of a desert.

Spencer seemed to know something about every species of plant that they passed, able to tell them about it without anyone needed to read the information that was provided. Though Vince made a couple of humorous comments, one about wondering whether he had a degree in horticulture too, about Spencer, Amber could still tell he was enjoying himself. Amber wasn't sure if Spencer heard Vince's comments or not, but if he did he pretended not to.

It was around lunch time when the three of them left The Desert Demonstration Gardens and headed back for Vince's car. They got in, Amber sitting in the back of the vehicle this time, and with Spencer giving directions headed for a little café, out of the way of most of the normal tourist traffic.

The Desert Rose Café, was a privately owned café in was located in downtown Las Vegas only a few blocks from Las Vegas City Hall. It was mostly frequented by locals, especially during the afternoon hours of the weekdays, as many of the business people and city workers found their way for lunch or business meetings. The evening hours found families and high school students finding their way to the café. It was during the evening hours that the piano that sat on the one side of the café got the most use, either by patrons who played, or local musicians that the Henderson's hired to entertain.

As Vince, Amber and Spencer walked into the café just past noon, the place was about half full. Soft rock music played from the speakers as a soft murmur of conversations permeated the environment. Most of the café's occupants were dressed in business casual attire, a few of the men in suits. There were a few groups of women sprinkled throughout.

"I'm feeling a bit underdressed," Vince commented as they stopped by the sign that read please wait to be seated.

"The Desert Rose doesn't have any dress code," Spencer responded, as a woman who was in her late forties and wearing black slacks and a red blouse covered by a white apron approached them.

"Spencer! It's good to see you! I've been meaning to stop by and see you but I've been busy with holiday preparations this past week after I leave here."

"It's okay, Mrs. Henderson," Spencer responded as the woman gave him a hug, which he returned awkwardly, self-conscious about the other people in the café.

"How's Diana been doing?" Mrs. Henderson asked.

"About the same as she had been," Spencer said, not wanting to discuss his mother right then, afraid that either Amber or Vince would start asking questions. "Mrs. Henderson, these are two fellow students from Caltech. They're visiting the city for the holidays and I've been showing them around today."

"Ah, welcome, welcome," Mrs. Henderson said, smiling at the other two young adults as she shook hands with him. "Spencer has brought you to one of Las Vegas' best kept secrets," she told them as she grabbed three menus from the nearby stands. "Though, as I own the place I might be a bit bias," the woman informed them with a wink. "Follow me please," she told them as she turned and started walking toward the back of the café.

Mrs. Henderson led them to a booth in the back corner of the café away from the other patrons. The cafe's owner informed them of the specials of the day as they walked. Reaching the table, she placed the three menus on the table as Vince slid into the booth on one side and Amber and Spencer took seats opposite of him.

"Alicia will be with you shortly," Mrs. Henderson told them. "Can I get you some drinks?" she asked.

"I'll take the Desert Rose Fizz," Spencer told her without needing to look at the menu.

"A coke," Vince replied, shortly after while Amber was scanning the list of beverages on the menu.

"I'll take a Desert Rose Fizz too," Amber said a little while later, after having looked at what the drink was made up of.

"Great choice," Mrs. Henderson told her.

"So you got any recommendations?" Amber asked, glancing over at Spencer as he looked at his menu.

"All the food is really good. Mrs. Henderson's son, Edward, is the main cook here. He took over three years ago after going to culinary school. If you're feeling adventurous, I'd suggest one of his signature dishes, they're the ones that have a rose next to the name," Spencer responded.

"Think I'll stick to something more traditional," Vince commented. "Good ole American Burger and Fries."

"You know, though most do admit that America had a major influence in the evolution of the hamburger in its current form of a beef patty in a bun, the actual origins of the hamburger can be said to be traced back to medieval times. A band of Mongolian and Turkish warriors who were known as Tartars, are thought to be the originators of the first beef patty. They would place pieces of beef under their saddles and the weight of the rider and the saddle would eventually make the meat tender enough to eat raw."

"Well, no matter how the Tartars liked to eat their beef patties, I tend to order mine well done," Vince commented, wondering silently exactly how the guy had known about that.

"I think I might just be a bit adventurous," Amber commented, checking out the selections which had the little rose after the name. She wasn't much of a cook, but even she could managed to cook a decent burger whether it be in a pan or on a grill.

Their waitress appeared before too long and cheerfully introduced herself. She was a pretty blonde, probably about their age, and seemed to be smiling even more when she looked at Vince. Sitting across the table from Vince, Amber could tell that the attraction wasn't just on the side of the waitress. Amber and Spencer gave Alicia their orders. Instead of ordering the hamburger he had said he was going to get, Vince decided to do a little bit of flirting.

"I'm having a bit of trouble trying to decide what to order. You seem like you have good taste," Vince said, smiling up at the waitress. "What would you suggest?"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Spencer open his mouth. Looking over at him, she shook her head. Though the look he gave her showed confusion, Spencer did stay quiet.

Alicia took a step toward Vince, to stand next to him, under the pretense of looking at his menu over his shoulder. She made a couple of suggestions. Amber didn't miss the "accidental" brush of Vince's arm as Alicia brought her hand back away from the menu. Vince picked one of her suggestions and then Alicia was leaving the table, to put their orders in.

Amber smiled. Well she was now sure of one thing, like she had told Maria before she had left California, Vince wasn't interested in her any other way other than as friends. The fact that he was openly flirting with another girl in front of her told her that much.

"Still feeling out of place?" Amber asked slyly.

"I never said I felt out of place, I said I felt underdressed. There is a difference," Vince responded.

"The way the waitress was looking at you, I think she might think you're overdressed," Amber commented, smiling.

"So Spencer, does the owner know you because you're in here all the time or do you know about this place because of her?" Vince asked, deliberately choosing to ignore Amber's comment.

"Mrs. Henderson is an old high school friend of my mothers," Spencer told him. "Our families are close and I feel better being away knowing that they're around to keep an eye on things so my mother isn't alone."

"No siblings then?" Vince asked, to which Spencer shook his head. "That's probably a good thing. Trying to live up to an older sibling can be tough even when that older sibling isn't a br . . . genius," Vince said, changing the wording to make it sound less like he was making fun of him.

"There are times I wish I did have an older brother or sister, even if they did show me up. It gets lonely as an only child. Especially when your parents don't exactly stay together," Amber commented.

Knowing how sullen his friend could get when she started talking about her parents, Vince decided to change the topic before that happened. Not to mention it appeared to him that Spencer wasn't too comfortable talking about his family life either.

By the time Alicia came back to check on them, the group was discussing what they were going to do with the rest of the afternoon. Though Vince was paying attention to what Spencer was saying, he still didn't miss an opportunity to flirt with their waitress. By the time their meals arrived, they had decided where to go afterwards and talk had turned to other things, with Vince and Amber carrying the bulk of the conversation.

By the time they were walking out of the Desert Rose Café, Vince had managed to get Alicia's phone number.