Breathing Room

Author's Notes: Okay…you guys are awesome. I'm so sorry personal stuff got in the way, but I am unbelievably humbled that you guys have been sticking by Breathing Room like you have.

I hope this new chapter is up to par for you guys.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as always.

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The office was silent as the two agents sat facing one another, their faces weary with fatigue and stress.

David Rossi sat with his legs crossed at the knee. His hands were steepled at the fingers as his elbows rested on the arms of his chair, his dark eyes taking in his friend and colleague across the desk.

He sighed. "Does she remember anything about him?"

Hotch shook his head, his gaze riveted on the pen he held in his hand. "His voice," he replied. "She said he wore a ski mask, dressed in all black. His eyes were dark…" He sighed. "His voice is what she said she remembers the most."

"'Have a nice night,'" Rossi recited. "It's not much to go on. Were there any similar break-ins?"

"Not that J.J. could find. Tree Hill is a small town. Crimes don't happen quietly. I'm amazed Brooke could keep it quiet as long as she has." He sighed, running a hand down his face wearily. "I should have done something, Dave."

"What?" Rossi asked, holding out his hands in question. "There's no way you could have possibly known, Aaron. You said so yourself. She kept it hidden." He shifted in his chair, leaning forward. "What about your sister? Brooke's mom—do you believe she could be behind it?"

Hotch thought back on his conversation with Victoria, his rage at her complete disregard for her daughter bubbling back to the surface. "I don't know," he said softly.

"Well…regardless, she came to you. She admitted what happened. It's a start, Aaron."

Hotch nodded, sighing.

"Well, since we're on the subject of Brooke…"

Hotch looked up, noting the amused smile on his friend's face.

"She and Reid are the gossip of the office."

"How do people hear about these things?" Hotch asked, chuckling as he shook his head. "And since when do you follow office gossip?"

Rossi shrugged. "Peer pressure. So?"

"So? I haven't the slightest idea. They're spending time together, but apart from the dinner the night she told me, it's not been anything resembling a date. They have coffee most mornings…"

"Brooke and Reid…" Rossi smiled. "Not a pair I would have pegged."

"I'd rather not call it 'a pair' until I'm sure, Dave. Brooke dating is one thing: Brooke dating a colleague I see every day is another."

"Hey, it could be a good thing. I read Lucas' book. Maybe she could teach him a thing or two."

Hotch glared at him, his overprotective side kicking in at the friendly ribbing. "Dave."

"Just staying. The kid could use some good pointers."

"DAVE!"

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"What's with the long face, Pretty Boy?"

Reid tore his gaze away from his coffee mug, raising his eyes to meet those of Morgan, before dropping them back to the countertop.

Morgan leaned a hip against the counter, his voice smiling as he reached for an empty mug. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Paradise?" Reid asked, frowning.

Morgan laughed, filling his mug with the steaming coffee from the machine. "Brooke Davis, Reid. It's been, what, nearly a week since your 'acquaintance' dinner date? Since then, you've gotten coffee every morning together. Dinner every now and then? It'd think dating somebody like Brooke Davis would be the definition of dating."

"We're not dating," Reid snapped suddenly, causing the other agent to frown. "We're not."

Morgan held up a hand in surrender, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Hey, now, kid. No reason to jump down my throat." He watched Reid's hand as it rose to run through his hair as he sighed. "Something happen, Reid?"

The younger agent sighed, turning to face Morgan, and he shrugged. "She's exasperating."

His tone was so distressed, Morgan couldn't help but laugh.

"I think one thing, she thinks a completely different direction. She doesn't comprehend the concept of boundaries—of what's appropriate and utterly not so. She's the most frustrating person, I can barely wrap my head around it."

"Reid, Reid, hold up," Morgan said, stirring cream into his coffee as his handsome face smiled at his friend. "What are you rambling about? Boundaries? What, did Brooke bust out a move on you or something?" Reid merely stared at him, shifting on his feet as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. Morgan laughed. "My man!"

"This isn't a humorous situation, Morgan!"

The click of heels on the tile behind him was shortly followed by Prentiss' questioning voice. "What's not a humorous situation?" she asked, stopping next to the coffee machine, her dark hair pulled tightly back in a ponytail.

"Brooke made a move on Reid and he's freaking out," Morgan told her.

"Morgan," Reid interjected, glaring at Emily when she barked out an amused laugh. "Could we not make this an office discussion, please?"

"What, Reid?" Prentiss asked, smiling. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Reid sighed. "I'm not embarrassed. I'm…confused."

Prentiss frowned, exchanging a glance with Morgan. "Why?"

Reid shrugged, thinking back on the events of the previous night.

They'd been drinking.

Reid rarely drank, but when Brooke had called earlier and asked if he wanted to go grab a night cap, he'd been unable to refuse. She drank more than he did, her voice getting louder with every sip, though it never lost the raspiness , he was surprised to see.

They hadn't really mentioned the events of their dinner nearly a week ago, the two of them simply content to just be in each other's company, sharing silly facts and stories.

Hotch's conversation with him weighed heavily on Reid's mind, and the knowledge that his superior—and his friend—was entrusting Brooke's safety to him had him looking at their situation in a whole new light.

He couldn't help but laugh as she stumbled along beside him, her arm wrapped tightly around his, her laugh bubbling up with every step they took.

"You know, for a genius, you really can hold your booze," Brooke laughed, looking up at him from her curtain of dark hair. "Where does that expression even come from? Hold your booze. You can't hold your booze, it's all wet and liquid-y…unless it's in a glass…"

Reid laughed at her drunken ramblings, shaking his head. "Are you always like this when you're inebriated?"

She snorted. "Inebriated…that's a funny word. It all depends on the company, my dear doctor," she said in a drunken British accent. "HA! I could totally be Sherlock Holmes, did you hear that accent?"

"Maybe we should just get you home," he replied, smiling.

Brooke groaned. "Nooo. Come on, Reid! I'm having fun. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had fun? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Uncle Aaron. But he's all 'moderation' and 'drinking leads to bad decisions.'" She paused, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Which is true. Hey, he might be onto something there."

"You think so?" he laughed, raising his arm as he attempted to flag down a taxi. He sighed as the yellow cab drove past, and he lowered his arm.

"Reid."

He looked over when Brooke said his name, and he met her glossed over gaze hesitantly.

She made him so nervous….

She was staring up at him, one of her hands attempting to capture the strands of hair that were blowing in the evening wind, the other still wrapped tightly around his arm.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Yes?"

Brooke looked at him, shrugging after a moment. "I'm sorry about your mom."

He frowned. "Sorry?"

"I don't mean sorry like she's crazy or anything. Just…sorry that she missed out on everything, you know? The FBI, all the good you do every day…I'm sorry she couldn't see it first-hand. What an amazing guy you turned out to be."

Reid was silent. He was actually at a loss of words. Never had anyone apologized to him for his mother's absence. Her illness, yes, constantly; but never the affect her absence must have had on his life. No one had ever told him was "amazing." Not with the same kind of empathy Brooke was expressing.

It happened fast, then—too fast for Reid to comprehend.

Brooke's hand reached up, wrapping around his askewed tie, and the next thing he knew, he was tugged down to her height. Her lips were soft, catching him completely off-guard as they moved slowly against his own. Her hands rested against his chest, and he knew his raging heartbeat wasn't hidden from her touch. His own hands were sliding up her arms of their own accord, feeling her shoulders, the curve of her elbow.

Reid's eyes snapped open, and he forced himself to pull away, gripping Brooke's upper arms as he pushed her gently away.

"This is completely inappropriate," he forced out, breathing heavily as he tried to calm his racing pulse.

Brooke frowned, blinking up at him. "What?"

Clearing his throat, Reid stepped back, trying not to concentrate on her flushed face, her swollen lips, her glassy eyes. "This. You and-and me. We've both been drinking—."

"What are you talking about?"

"Brooke, I think your…vulnerability over your attack, coupled with the, uh, the intense alcohol consumption over the past few hours might be clouding your…judgment."

Brooke scoffed. "Clouding my judgment? Reid…do you really think…"

"I get it, Brooke. Believe me. But your uncle is my superior agent, not to mention a friend. I know you must be…conflicted, given the experience you've suffered through but…I can't let you…compromise…yourself or you friendship. You are clearly looking for some form comfort, and I just…I can't let you—."

Brooke laughed suddenly, a harsh, unbelieving laugh, and shook her head. "You know, Reid," she said, taking a step backwards and running a hand through her hair, letting out a shaky breath. "I know you're a genius and all but…God, you're really dumb sometimes."

Reid frowned, watching as she scoffed under her breath, turning her back on him as she tried to wave down a cab.

"Brooke, wait, you've had way too much to drink," Reid protested as a yellow taxi pulled to the curb.

The brunette turned to him as she pulled open the door, and he was shocked to see a look of heartbreak on her beautiful face. "Oh, trust me," she said softly. "I'm sober now."

She didn't even glance back at him when she climbed into the cab, her dark hair providing a shield over her face as she leaned forward, giving the driver the directions he requested.

Reid stood against the curb, watching as the yellow car pulled from the curb and headed up the street before disappearing around the corner.

For the first time ever, Reid had absolutely no idea what to think.

"Seriously?"

Reid looked at Emily as she gaped at him, his brow furrowing as he nodded.

"Reid…God, you're an idiot."

Reid frowned. "What?"

"You completely rejected her in her moment of vulnerability! She put herself out there with you and you just crashed and burned the whole thing."

"No," Reid said, shaking his head at Emily's shocked face. "No, that's not what occurred, Emily. I was taking the side of chivalry, stopping her from doing something in her alcohol induced state that she would have come to regret."

Morgan chuckled, shaking his head as he raised his coffee mug to his lips. "The booze just gave her courage, kid. She didn't do anything she didn't want to."

"Alcohol doesn't give courage—it merely lowers inhibitions."

Emily gaped at him again, shaking her head as she looked over at Morgan. She shook a sugar packet fiercely as she picked up her mug and turned on her heel. "Unbelievable," she said under her breath, sparing one more outraged glance over her shoulder at the younger agent.

"Morgan…she was completely drunk last night. I'm surprised she could remember her own name." He sighed, shaking his head. "I've never felt like this before…so…undecided. It's like she's taken everything sensible and secure in my life in the course of a few short weeks, and turned them completely upside down. She's infiltrated my every thought. I just…."

"You're liking her, Reid," Morgan said softly, shrugged as he smiled. "What you're feeling right now is what every other guy out there has thought at one point or another. And, trust me, I know it's maddening. It drives you crazy just thinking about it." He chuckled, shaking his head. "But damn, does it make life more interesting."

"It's different with Brooke, Morgan. She's not just some girl out there. She's Hotch's niece."

"So what? Hotch is what you're worried about? Reid, last time I checked, Brooke was old enough to make he own decisions. And Hotch was perfectly fine with you going to dinner with her, you said so yourself." He watched Reid's face tighten, and he sighed. "This is your problem, Reid. You overthink. You're thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong here. How Hotch will react, Brooke intentions behind kissing you. But you're missing the part where she DID kiss you…and you kissed her back. Which means, as much as you might like to deny it, there is something there between you two. So do yourself a favor, and for once in your life…Stop. Thinking.

"This job is hard, Reid. It consumes you. Consumes your thoughts, you actions, the way you perceive everything around you. When you find something like what you're describing with Brooke….you've got to hold onto it. Because, trust me…it doesn't come around often." He shrugged. "How many Brooke Davis' do you think are in this world?"

Reid sighed, lifting his now luke warm coffee to his lips as he contemplated on everything Morgan was saying.

He was completely lost, he was coming to realize. He knew facts, knew statistics. He could recite anything if you asked him to…but when it came to women, specifically Brooke Davis, his expertise was rather limited. He couldn't deny the way he felt about her. His sleepless night, thinking about the devastated look on her face, proved that. But everything inside of him was telling him to turn away. To not risk any of this.

But a part of him was demanding that he talk to her; that he see her. That he make her see just how much he'd come to care for her in the short time he knew her.

He just knew that, regardless of which decision he made, everything that he knew was most definitely going to change.

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Ok…I know it's short. But I figured a short update was better than no update at all. Next chapter will have more Brooke/Reid interaction, I promise. But hopefully you enjoyed this so far!