Reid sorted through a few of his folders while standing at Emily's desk. He looked down at her and saw she was deep in thought but it didn't look like she was thinking about work.
"Is everything ok with you?" he whispered discreetly.
"Oh, yeah… I'm just tired" she said and gave her best attempt at a warm, honest smile. It was a good attempt too. Most people would believe she was just tired but Reid knew her better than that; maybe it was the profiler in him or maybe it was the fact he had shared a life with her for the last two years. Whatever it was inside him, it told him not to push the issue.
He returned the warm smile and went back to his desk. It was Monday and they'd only finished a case on Saturday which meant looking through more paperwork. In normal circumstances he would have had finished his paperwork by lunch but his headaches were getting worse and now he had Emily to worry about. It might just have been that they were at work and they'd talk about it when they got home but he had a hunch she wasn't going to offer up anymore information willingly.
He glanced over at her again and she was staring down at her phone deep in thought, she was questioning whether or not she should call someone. In the other hand she was playing with the necklace he had bought for her for Christmas. The chain was pulled up to her chin and the silver 'E' was touching her lips so softly it was like the kisses they shared. He'd noticed she'd been playing with the necklace in situations she'd usually have bitten at her nails.
He rubbed his eyes and reached for his coffee cup, empty. He sighed, went to the coffee machine and slowly made his coffee. He tried to take as long as he could but eventually he went back to the bullpen, walking past Emily's desk as he went.
He saw she was still deep in thought but this time the phone was pressed to her ear and she was talking quietly into it. She sighed and listened to the person on the other end of the line. She hadn't spotted him yet but she was still on edge, even though the room was empty.
"Lauren Reynolds is dead" She said into the phone, her voice barely above a whisper. She rubbed her temple like she had a headache then hung up the phone.
"Who's Lauren Reynolds?" Reid said as he stopped and place his coffee on her desk. She had that worried look on her face that she'd had for the last few months. She'd tried to hide it at first and Reid thought he might be imagining it but things had been getting worse.
"Oh, hey Reid" she said while swivelling her chair round to him and sighed. For someone who was on edge it was unusual for her not too jump, seeing as she usually did when he surprised her. Well, she did before she started to look worried. "She was an old friend of mine that I knew back in college" she said and stood up.
"Sorry to hear that" Reid said slightly awkwardly, he'd never really known what to say to people when they got that sort of news. She didn't seem to be to upset about it so he made a mental note to talk to her about it later, she might feel a little more comfortable talking about it when they were at the apartment.
Reid grabbed his coffee and gave her an awkward little smile then went back to his desk. His headache eased slightly once the caffeine hit his bloodstream and he was able to finish most of the paperwork while keep an eye on Emily. He checked his watch and looked round the bullpen, the place had emptied out and it was dark outside. He quickly sorted out the paperwork into finished and unfinished piles then walked over to Emily's desk again.
"How're you feeling?" Reid said as he rested an arm on Emily's shoulder. He gave her a little smile and she tried her best to return it.
"Yeah, I'm just…" she sighed, leant back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. "I just need to get home" she finally said and stood quickly.
"Oh. Do you want me to, uh, drive you?" Reid asked. He'd never offered to drive her before and he knew she'd probably turn him down but she looked like a wreck and he wished she would just say yes.
"Reid, I'm fine to drive. I'm just tired, ok?" she said. He gave her a little nod and awkward smile as he tugged on the strap of his messenger bag. Reid took a step back as Emily pushed her chair in and walked in front of him. She glided right past him and carried on walking, not bothering to wait for him to catch up.
He jogged after her and managed to catch her up by time they reached the elevator. The ride down was quiet to say the least, every time Reid tried to make conversation Emily would give a one or two word reply. He guessed she might be thinking about Lauren Reynolds and not to push the issue too much.
"I'll see you, Reid" Emily said without a smile or a wink like she usually did. Something must be really wrong with her, Reid thought. She quickly slid into her car and took off; Reid stood and watched her drive down the corner then hopped into his car. Something was definitely wrong with her. He knew he should say something but he knew she didn't want to talk about it and he'd always felt bad about pushing issues with her.
When he got back the apartment was empty, the lights were off, and the door was locked. It looked like no one had been home. He looked round the apartment then kicked off his shoes and dropped his messenger bag. He sat down on the sofa and shook his leg up and down. Where could she be? She left before him… they always took the same route and she always arrived home first.
He waited half an hour before he went to check the parking lot; empty apart from his and his neighbour's car. He told himself she might need some space to get her head together about Lauren… but why would she have been so distracted for the past two months if she only found out about her today? Maybe she went to see one of her old college friends but, as far as Reid was aware, none of them lived nearby. And why would she say she needed to get home if she was going somewhere else?
"Hey, Emily… it's me, Spencer" he said, slightly awkwardly into the phone. "I was just, uh, wondering where you are? If you need some space that's fine but… could you just, um, call me or something? I just want to know your safe…" he said and ran his hand through his hair. This really wasn't like her. He'd been back an hour. She needed to be here. "Bye" he finally said, his voice struggling to rise above a whisper.
He shut his phone then played with it in his hand while considering leaving another message. He sighed and pulled at his hair out of frustration, he hated not knowing where she was. In normal circumstances he would have been fine with her taking some time for her but something about the way she had been acting made him worry. What if she was leaving him? It was shallow for him to think but it was easier to worry about having to go back to friends with the woman he loved than lose her completely.
He slumped down onto the sofa and opened his phone up. No new calls, no new messages. He knew there wouldn't be- he'd been staring at the phone since he'd left her the message. When it reached 1 o'clock he knew there was something majorly wrong. He picked the phone up and called again as he slipped his shoes on and grabbed his messenger bag.
"Hey, Emily, It's me again. Just calling to say that I'm going back to the office, if you want to talk I'll be there" he said, he had tried his best to detach himself but something struck him as he went to open the door. The 'his and hers' coffee mugs Emily had bought for Christmas were on the table from that morning. They'd used them every day since Christmas, in the morning and when they were called back to the office late at night.
His voice trailed off and there was just static on the line for a few moments as he stared at the coffee cups. He dragged his eyes away, turned off the lights and pushed himself out the door, locking it behind him. "Please call me, Emily… I… I need to hear your voice and make sure your okay" his voice faltered on the last sentence and he felt the familiar feel of tears pricking at his eyes. "Bye, Emily" he said, his voice crackling at the end. A tear escaped from his eye but he roughly pushed it aside and shut the phone.
The drive to the office felt longer than it ever had, longer than any traffic jam or horrific case could. When he finally did pull in to the office car park he rushed to get his pass out of his bag while jogging across the mostly empty car park. The only cars still left were the black SUV's that every member of the FBI seemed to drive… well, except him.
The elevator felt even longer than the car ride did, he knew it was because hope was telling him she was still up there. Maybe she turned her phone off and was just trying to finish her paperwork. Maybe his phone was broken and a case had come up, maybe they'd all be waiting in the briefing room for him. Maybe her tired but glad-to-see-him face would light up when he walked in late even though she'd try and hide it from the team.
A million situations ran through his head but when the elevator doors opened no one was there. The bullpen's lights were on but the separate offices and briefing room were all in darkness. He walked to Emily's desk, his fingers gliding across the top. He felt the coffee mug she was drinking from before she left- it was stone cold. If she had come back to stay late she would have made a new cup of coffee, and even if she made that right after he'd seen her leave it would still be partially warm.
Add that to the fact nothing had been moved on or near her desk, not even the chair she had been sitting in, it seemed less than likely for her to have come back here. Reid paced round the bullpen for a few minutes then slumped into his chair and check his phone again- nothing. He glanced at his watch and saw it was 2:30.
He looked through his contact list and for a moment he stopped on Hotch, maybe he should call him. He bit his lip for a second then looked further down until he landed on Emily's number stored under 'Prentiss'. He knew three calls would be strange if she had just booked into a hotel or stopped off at a friend's house. But he also knew you could never call enough when someone disappears, not from a professional point of view but from the feeling he had inside- the dread when he imagined every possible thing someone might have done to her.
He hit call before he could debate anymore and pressed the phone to his ear. "Emily, I'm at the office now. I, um…" he kept losing his train of thought. He knew he should be logical about this and the chances were she really had just stopped off at a friend's house but in his heart he didn't believe it. "Emily, I… I need to know you're ok. If this is about me then I understand. I know I can be stupid and awkward and boring but you don't need to do this. If…" the tears were coming thick and fast but he was still able to talk, to tell her what he needed to.
"If you want me to get out of the apartment, I'm out. I'll stay at the office till tomorrow and I'll get my stuff out and we can pretend that none of this ever happened… but" he took a deep breath and pushed the tears from his face again. "Please, just leave me a voicemail or something… I need to know that you're ok" he closed his eyes as tight as he could then opened them again. He wanted to say something else, something that would show her how much he really loved her and how she needed to pick up the phone but he couldn't so he hung up and tossed the phone across his desk.
He opened the bottom drawer on his desk, pushed papers and files aside and picked up a photo of them together in Las Vegas. He'd taken her there for a summer vacation so they could be a couple without worrying about hiding it from everyone. In the photo they were standing next to the 'welcome to fabulous Las Vegas' sign, he had a big grin on his face and his arm wrapped round her waist, Emily was kissing him on the cheek and you could even see Reid blushing.
That was their first full day out of the 2 week Vegas vacation. The rest of the time they'd spent exploring the Las Vegas strip and downtown Las Vegas, it had been pure bliss being able to hold hands while walking down the street, to kiss her when she least expected it. To be a normal couple.
His finger traced over her picture again and again, he felt tears rolling down his cheeks but he was too tired to push them away. He let them roll all the way down to his chin and crawl slowly down his neck. He closed his eyes but he still saw the picture in his mind, her beautiful face smiling as her soft lips caressed his cheek. He imagined Emily's warmth next to him, like it used to be. He suddenly felt the familiar tingles of sleep crawling onto him; he knew he'd be asleep soon.
"I love you, Emily" he whispered as his mind went numb and he fell into a deep sleep.