Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds, I'm merely using these characters for my own amusement.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

TWO HOURS LATER

When they arrived back at the Marine Corp. base where the FBI had its training facilities Hotchner and Reid quickly made their way up to the floor that housed their unit. Once there the two agents walked into the conference room, where the rest of the team was already assembled.

"Ooh," Morgan called out as Reid walked across the room and sat down beside him. "Did you have a good time today boy genius?"

A mental picture of Lyssa flashed unbidden into Reid's mind and he blushed profusely. "Shut up Morgan."

"Oh struck a nerve with that one huh?" Morgan said, instantly picking up on the embarrassed expression that had appeared on the young man's face. He offered the younger agent a knowing grin. "What are you so embarrassed about kid? Come on, spill it."

Reid focused a narrow eyed gaze on Morgan however any comment he wanted to make was put on hold when Hotchner took his place at the head of the table. "Listen up. We've been asked to travel to Arizona to investigate a series of arson cases. JJ."

Jareau stood up from her seat, holding up the remote control that went to the flat screen. Jareau pushed a button on the remote and a series of crime scene photographs flashed across the screen. The were all fairly typical fire scenes until the last, which was of a badly charred but obviously human body. The faces around the table sobered as the gazes of the BAU members focused on the charred remains.

"This victim was found at the last crime scene," Hotchner said as Jareau turned off the television. "It was a convenience store and the victim was ID'd as the store owner. The local authorities have linked ten fires, and when this last case came up with a body inside, they decided they needed outside help. Wheels are up in thirty minutes."

That statement effectively served to end the meeting and the members of the BAU all got to their feet and made their way toward the door. Each member of the team was required to keep a ready bag in the office at all times, for the spur of the moment cases, and they all rushed to gather up their things so they could head to the airstrip.

As they made their way back to the bullpen area Morgan came up behind Reid and clapped him on the back. "So how was your day?"

Reid shook his head, exasperated by his teammate's persistence. "The lecture went fine."

"That's not what I wanna know," Morgan said, fixing his young partner with an evil grin. "And you know it."

Reid fixed Morgan with a fairly convincing look of confusion and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about Morgan."

Morgan stared at Reid for a few moments, in a speculative manner, and then shook his head. "If you say so boy genius." With that Morgan walked past Reid and made his way over to his desk to grab his ready bag.

Reid sighed as he sat down at his own desk. The young agent took a few minutes to collect his thoughts, with the help of his iPOD, and then he gathered up his things so that he could head to the airstrip with the rest of his team.

"Let's go," Hotchner called out as he strode through the bullpen. The other members of the BAU quickly fell into step behind their leader and together the group left headquarters and made their way to the airstrip, where they would board their private Learjet and travel to Arizona.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

FRIDAY MAY 2

"Good work everyone," Hotchner called out as his agents left the bullpen area. "Enjoy your weekend off and I'll see you all on Monday."

"Free time," Morgan called out as he made his way toward the door. "Reid, please tell me that you're going to go out and have some fun this weekend. You look like you could use it."

Reid gazed up at Morgan from his spot behind his desk. Most of the time he appreciated Morgan's big brother routine however now was not one of those times. "What I could use is some sleep Morgan. I think I'm going to go home and go to bed."

Morgan nodded. "Just make sure you do something fun before you have to come back here okay kid?"

"I'll try," Reid said noncommittally.

Morgan nodded once more and then turned and made his way toward the elevator.

"Go home Spencer," a voice called out from across the bullpen area.

Reid swiveled around in his chair and watched as Gideon walked across the bullpen toward him. The senior agent was gazing at him in a fatherly manner. "I'm going," Reid said, quickly getting to his feet and picking up his messenger bag.

Gideon nodded and watched as Reid slung the strap of his messenger bag across his shoulder. The young man twitched a smile at his boss and then quickly left the office.

"Don't you think you should take your own advice Jason?" a voice called out from behind Gideon.

'You're one to talk," Gideon said with a smile, not bothering to turn around. "Aren't you anxious to get home to Haley and Jack?"

Hotchner nodded as he came to stand beside Gideon. "Of course I am. Unfortunately I have to finish up the report before I can leave."

Gideon chuckled. "You didn't make the others finish their reports so there's really no point in finishing up yours. They all have to be turned in together."

Hotchner chuckled softly to himself, realizing that the older profiler had a very valid point. "I guess the report can wait a little while. I think I'll head for home."

"Leave the report Hotch," Gideon said as the younger agent turned to walk away.

When Reid arrived at his apartment he placed his messenger bag on the floor beside the sofa and then walked back to his bedroom. Reid quickly changed clothes and then climbed into bed. The young profiler closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep however, despite his exhaustion, sleep proved elusive.

"Ugh," Reid groaned after about half an hour of attempting to fall asleep. Giving it up as a lost cause the young man tossed the covers to the side and got out of bed. Still exhausted, and now slightly irritated, Reid made his way down the hall to the kitchen where he began making coffee.

Once the coffee was done Reid poured himself half a cup, filled the rest of the mug with sugar, and then walked into the living room. Placing his cup down on the coffee table Reid set up his laptop and logged on to the Internet. Once he was logged on Reid saw that he had a couple of new emails; one of which was from Charlie, the other from. . . Lyssa.

Deciding to put the one from Charlie on the back burner for the time being Reid opened the one from Lyssa.

Hey Spencer. I know you're busy with a case but I just wanted to let you know that I had a really good time the other day and would love to go out again sometime. Write me when you have time and let me know what you think about the idea. Good luck with your case. Lyssa.

Despite the young man's eidetic memory Reid found himself reading the email for a second and then a third time. The third reading was interrupted however by a dinging noise.

MATH WHIZ: Spencer!

FBI PROFILER: Hey Charlie.

MATH WHIZ: Do you ever check your email?

Reid briefly thought about the message that he'd been reading when his friend had chosen to IM him however he opted not to share that little piece of information with Charlie.

FBI PROFILER: I'm sorry Charlie. We've been in Arizona working a serial arson case that turned into a serial murder case.

MATH WHIZ: Tough one huh?

FBI PROFILER: Very. But on the bright side Hotch gave us the weekend off to recover.

MATH WHIZ: Really? Any big plan?

FBI PROFILER: Not yet.

MATH WHIZ: Working on it huh Spencer?

FBI PROFILER: . . .

MATH WHIZ: I got you. Consider the topic dropped.

FBI PROFILER: Thanks Charlie. So what have you been up to?

MATH WHIZ: The usual. Teaching class and helping Don with his cases at the FBI.

FBI PROFILER: Charlie have you ever thought about joining the FBI? You work there almost as much as Don.

MATH WHIZ: Are you kidding Spencer? I make more money consulting for the FBI than I would if I were on the pay roll. Not to mention the fact that I also consult for the NSA, the CIA. . ."

FBI PROFILER: I get it, you're really busy.

MATH WHIZ: Something like that. So tell me Spencer, how did that lecture you gave at Virginia Tech go? I haven't heard from you since you went off about Agent Hotchner forcing you to do it.

FBI PROFILER: It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it still wasn't great.

MATH WHIZ: I take it you wouldn't want to make a career out of giving lectures.

FBI PROFILER: You would be correct

MATH WHIZ: Hey my phone's ringing and it's Don so that probably means he has a case that he needs my help with. I'll talk to you later Spencer.

FBI PROFILER: Have fun.

MATH WHIZ: Ha ha

Reid logged off his Instant Messenger and then went back to the email he'd been reading when Charlie had initiated contact. After reading through the email one last time the young genius drafted a response.

Lyssa. We just returned home from our case and as to your question I would like to take you up on your offer. I have the weekend off from work so we could maybe get together tomorrow night. Write me back with your response. Spencer Reid.

Once he'd written the email Reid scanned through it a couple of times and his finger twitched above the delete button for a few minutes. He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to go through with this course of action however, after a few minutes, his finger moved to send and he clicked the button.

"Ugh," Reid groaned, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I just did that."

Leaning back on the sofa Reid slumped over and once again attempted to fall asleep. This time he was more successful and managed to fall into a dreamless sleep. Reid slept better than he had in weeks and when he opened his eyes he was horrified to find that it was seven o'clock at night. Sitting up on the sofa and running a hand through his hair the young man muttered, "I can't believe I slept that long."

Throwing a glance toward his laptop, which was still sitting on the coffee table and logged on to the Internet, Reid saw that he had a new message. Leaning forward he clicked on the icon and saw that the email was from Lyssa. He quickly opened it.

Spencer. I'm glad you're back in town and I would love to get together with you tomorrow night. There's an Italian place in D.C. that I like if you'd care to meet me there, say around eight o'clock. Write back and tell me what you think. Lyssa

Reid's heart actually skipped a beat as he read the message from Lyssa. He'd really enjoyed the time they'd spent together after his lecture at Virginia Tech and he was glad that his constant quoting of statistics hadn't scared her off. It quickly drafted a reply to her email.

Lyssa. Italian sounds really good. Please send me the address and I'll meet you there. Spencer

This time Reid barely hesitated before he pushed the send button. Leaving back on the sofa the young man placed his arms behind his head and stared out at the wall across the room from where he was sitting. "I really hope this works out."

Reid had never been comfortable around people that he didn't know very well, (hell he wasn't really that comfortable around the people that he did know) however for some reason he couldn't put his finger on Lyssa seemed different from the other people that he'd known throughout his life. She didn't look at him like he was strange every time he offered some out there statistic during a conversation. She merely smiled at him, not a patronizing smile but a friendly one.

Reid sighed. "It's destined for failure, I just know it."

REID'S APARTMENT

SATURDAY JULY 1

Saturday passed by extremely slow for one Dr. Spencer Reid, even though deep down he knew that it was impossible for the passage of time to either speed up or slow down. He was a bundle of nerves and he found himself unable to occupy his mind with any of his usual activities. Even listening to his iPOD failed to calm him down.

He took a quick shower around five o'clock and then dressed in black slacks and a white button down shirt with a blue pullover sweater vest. He decided to forgo the tie, since he hated the things and only wore them to work because he had to, and after running a comb through his wet hair he made his way into the living room.

Reid had left his computer on from when he'd been trying to occupy his mind by browsing the Internet and when he gazed down at the screen he saw that he had a couple of instant messages. They were, of course, from Charlie.

MATH WHIZ: Hey Spencer. What are you up to?

MATH WHIZ: Are you ignoring me? Did I do something to make you mad? Are you even there?

Reid twitched a smile as he sat down on the sofa and pulled the computer toward him. Charlie could always be counted upon for a laugh and that was exactly what he needed at the present moment.

FBI PROFILER: Yes I'm here Charlie. Can't a guy even take a shower without you sending out a search party?

MATH WHIZ: Whoa, calm down Spencer. Wait, what are you doing taking a shower this time of day? Do you have plans for the evening Spencer?

Reid could image the look on his friend's face and he briefly debated whether or not he should be truthful in his response. After a few minutes of contemplation he decided on the truth. After all Charlie had dated more than he had (not really that big of an accomplishment) and might be able to offer some useful advice.

FBI PROFILER: I'm meeting this girl I met at Virginia Tech for dinner tonight.

MATH WHIZ: Way to go Spencer! See, I told you that lecture wouldn't be so bad. Look what you got out of it. So is she pretty?

FBI PROFILER: Very but that's not why I like her Charlie. I like her because she treats me like a normal guy. She doesn't look at me like I'm a freak.

MATH WHIZ: I can definitely identify with that my friend. I get those looks all of the time which is part of the reason why I love Amita so much. She's just as much a freak as I am. So tell me, is this the first time that you and this girl are going out?

FBI PROFILER: No. Lyssa and I had lunch together the same day that I gave the lecture at Virginia Tech.

MATH WHIZ: Can I offer you a little piece of advice?

FBI PROFILER: Go for it.

MATH WHIZ: Make sure that you don't spend the entire date talking about work.

FBI PROFILER: DON'T call it a date.

MATH WHIZ: I didn't mean anything by it Spencer, I promise.

FBI PROFILER: No, don't be. I'm just not accustomed to this. I'm going to make a fool out of myself, I just know it.

MATH WHIZ: No you're not. Just be yourself and things will go fine.

FBI PROFILER: Thanks Charlie. That doesn't really make me feel any better but I appreciate the fact that you tried.

MATH WHIZ: It's going to be fine. Good luck Spencer. If you need to talk later feel free to call me.

FBI PROFILER: Okay. I'm going to sign off now and finish getting ready.

MATH WHIZ: Alright. Have fun.

Reid logged off the Internet and then turned off his laptop, closing it and placing it back in his messenger bag. Despite what he'd told his friend, Charlie's little pep talk had actually made him feel a small degree better. The nervous butterflies were still in his stomach but the feeling wasn't quite as intense as it had been before.

"Maybe things will turn out all right after all."

WASHINGTON D.C.

SATURDAY JULY 1

Reid arrived at the little Italian restaurant that Lyssa had suggested about fifteen minutes before he was supposed to meet her but as he approached the front entrance he was horrified to see that she was already there waiting for him. Lyssa stood up to greet the young man as he jogged the last few feet toward her.

"I-I'm not late am I?" Reid asked, gazing down into her blue eyes. "We did agree on eight o'clock right?"

"Calm down Spencer," Lyssa said, offering him a warm smile. "You're not late, you're actually early. It's just that I was earlier." Lyssa offered Reid her arm and gestured toward the front entrance of the restaurant. "Shall we?"

Reid nodded as he entwined his arm with hers. They walked the few steps to the door, which Reid held open for her, allowing her to enter first. Then, once Lyssa had entered, Reid quickly followed and the young couple were soon seated at a small table.

"I'm really glad that we could get together again Spencer," Lyssa said in a quiet voice as they scanned through their menus. "I had fun the last time."

"So did I," Reid said, glad that the restaurant's dim lighting would hide the blush that he could feel warming his face.

"So your boss gave you guys the weekend off huh?" Lyssa said conversationally.

Reid nodded. "Hotch seemed to think that we needed a break. And I have to admit we have had some tough cases lately. The serial arson turned serial murder case that we just finished with and before that there was the Coed Killer out in California."

Lyssa arched a brow. "Coed killer?"

Reid nodded once again. "My team was sent out to California to give lectures at the LA field office as well as several local law enforcement agencies and while we were there we became involved in a murder investigation. Four young women, very similar in looks, had been stabbed to death and then dumped on the side of the highway. We worked together with the local FBI agents to solve the case, which we eventually did, but not before a fifth victim was claimed."

"That's awful," Lyssa said.

"I agree," Reid said. "The last victim was the student of a friend of mine, Charlie Eppes, and it was actually her death that helped us find the link between all of the victims."

"So what was the link?" Lyssa wanted to know.

"All of the victims had brown hair and brown eyes," Reid explained. "However the connection between them was much deeper than that. All five had full, academic scholarships to the colleges they were attending. These young women were all exceptionally bright however they were also all painfully shy. They had trouble fitting in and making friends and they all sought the help of a therapist to overcome this problem."

"The therapist was the killer wasn't he?" Lyssa said, a horrified expression on her face.

"She, actually," Reid corrected. "But you're essentially correct. Amanda McRay was a clinical psychologist who offered in home counseling services to college students. And when she came across one who fit the criteria, she killed them."

"Why?"

"Jealousy," Reid said. "Her first victim was her sister Katelyn, although we didn't connect her to that murder until we actually went to question McRay. Her sister had been given a full, academic scholarship to Cal Tech and McRay was jealous. One day, in a fit of rage, she stabbed her sister to death, although she wasn't initially charged with the crime. Seventeen years later she began killing young women who reminded her of her sister, in a sense killing Katelyn over and over again."

"That is twisted," Lyssa said, shaking her head. "I hope I never need therapy. Although I'm a psychology major so. . ."

"Understanding the diseases of the mind doesn't make you immune to them," Reid said quietly, briefly thinking about his schizophrenic mother and his secret fear that he would end up like her.

"That's true," Lyssa said.

Reid noticed that the conversation had turned somewhat dark and he sought a change of topic. "So Lyssa, do you have any pets?"

Lyssa smiled. "I have an American Eskimo named Shiro-chan. Shiro means. . ."

"White in Japanese," Reid finished for her.

"Wow," Lyssa said, her eyes wide. "I didn't expect you to know that although why I didn't expect you to know that is beyond me. You know everything."

"Not even close," Reid said. "I learn something new every day."

"Hmm," Lyssa said. "You'll have to come over to my place sometime and meet my little Shiro-chan."

Reid gave a nervous little laugh. "Dogs don't exactly like me."

"Shiro-chan loves everyone," Lyssa said. "Which makes him a lousy guard dog but other than that it's great."

Reid looked puzzled by this statement. "Aren't American Eskimo dogs small? Wouldn't his size make him an inadequate guard dog even if he were anti-social?"

Lyssa laughed and shook her head. "Smaller dogs are more ferocious than the larger ones. My aunt had a Chihuahua that would attempted to attack everyone that came near her. I mean it, that little thing was absolutely psycho."

"There's no proof that canines suffer from mental illness," Reid stated.

"I didn't mean it literally," Lyssa said. "It was just a figure of speech Spencer."

"Oh," Reid said, blushing slightly. "Um. . . I'm sorry. I. . . I didn't. . ."

Lyssa smiled and reached across the table to place her hand on top of his. "It's okay Spencer."

Reid glanced down at the small, feminine hand that was covering his own, then gazed back up into Lyssa's piercing blue eyes and offered her a small smile.

TBC. . .