Three weeks in NC, and all they'd gotten was a name. Well, that was something big, all things considered. But the team still wasn't happy about it.
His recent hotel had acquired his signature: Randall McHale. But Mr. McHale was an eighty year old man, that had reported his credit card stolen, so in the end, they really had nothing more than they had begun with. It would take weeks to run his signature, and they didn't have that much time.
The team didn't speak to one another during the flight home, and when they got back they all went silently home.
Wilkins tossed her bag on the floor of her apartment and flopped down on her bed, without bothering to undress.
She had become good friends with everyone in the team, but she figured that they all called her 'Wilkins' instead of Holly because they were afraid she would feel she wasn't being taken seriously. She knew she was younger than them all, but she wasn't afraid of not being taken seriously; and she wanted so much for Spencer to call her Holly.
It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep, but nightmares of the UnSub kept waking her.
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Everyone seemed happy in the BAU the next morning, although Reid couldn't understand why. Still, he couldn't help his own cheerful mood when Wilkins walked in.
He'd never really had a best friend, - at least not one that could stay sane around him – and he knew that three weeks hardly made Wilkins his best friend. But, he really liked her.
"Morning," he said with a smile, when she walked in. She grunted in reply.
She looked like she hadn't had much sleep. She hadn't bothered with her usual perfection in her outfit, and Reid's guess was that she was in a bad mood.
She dashed through Hotch's office to drop off some paperwork, and the headed to her desk. It was the first time she'd seen her desk, which Garcia had girlied up, but she didn't seem to notice.
"What happened to you?" He tried to stay cheerful to help her out of her bad mood.
"I just didn't sleep much."
Reid's smile slowly disappeared, his attempts to cheer her up seeming useless.
Just then Morgan walked in.
"Yo, Lollipop," he said to Wilkins, patting her on the head as he walked by. He'd given her the nickname because of her endless supply of suckers. Garcia had had something to say about that.
"Reid," Wilkins said after Morgan had gone into Hotch's office. "I'm sorry. I'm just… I've been having nightmares. It's nothing personal."
Reid smiled understandingly. "It's ok. What nightmares?"
"Don't take it the wrong way Spence–… Reid… but I'd rather not talk about it."
"Oh. Well, uh, you don't have to call me 'Reid', ya know."
Wilkins stared for a moment. "We are on duty, Dr. Reid. It wouldn't be proper otherwise."
He looked like he'd been struck.
Clearing his throat he replied, "Whatever you say, Dr. Wilkins."
She wanted to slap herself! Why would she go and blow that?
"It… It was just a thought," he continued.
"Reid… Spencer, whatever, I'm not saying that to contradict."
"Don't worry about it." He stood up and forced a hurt smile. "I understand."
She didn't have a chance to say more before he left to the break room, although it was still 7:00.
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Reid just stared into space. He'd been in the break room for the past half hour. Why'd ya go do that, huh, you idiot? Everything was going just fine, and then you've gotta rush things. She's not ready to be close to you, you're just a business colleague of hers.
"Are you upset at me?"
Reid spun around so fast in his chair, he almost fell over.
Wilkins stood in the door way, hands folded innocently.
"Um, no! No, why would I be?"
"Because you've been in here forever, and you're just sitting there."
"I'm just – thinking."
"About what?" She sat down.
"Things."
She laughed that little-girl laugh of hers. "What kind of things?"
"Stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" she raised an annoyed eyebrow.
"…Things."
"Ugh, will you stop it?"
"I just… You… I mean, I'm…"
"You are completely hopeless," she said, giggling.
"My mind's all – I can't concentrate on work. I'm just trying to clear my head."
"Right. Well, if names are that important to you, I'll tell you what: You call me Holly off duty, and I'll call you Spencer off duty. 'Kay?"
He pushed his bangs behind his ear. "What makes you think that's what's on my mind?"
She winked and whispered, "Intuition. Woman's intuition." She paused. "I do think it was a silly thing for you to go all ballistic about though."
"I didn't go ballistic."
"Um, hm. So that's why you hid away in the break room."
"I told you, I was just clearing my head."
Rossi and Prentiss were watching it all, unnoticed, from the door way.
"They're going in circles," Prentiss whispered to Rossi.
Rossi smiled. "They always will."
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Ok! So, pointless chapter? Maybe. But two people that alike are going to have their disagreements, and that's what I was trying to point out: they're always going to be fighting. Ah, rough love.
Getting to the rooooooomance. By now I'd like to be to their first date, but I'm trying to take it slow and let them fall in love on their own accord.
Keep reading!