Hotch's team was well aware of the fact that Reid was always among the first to arrive at the office in the morning and rarely took time off. So, when he texted Hotch early on a Wednesday morning say that he would be taking the morning off, the team wondered what was going on. They got their answer shortly after lunch, when they gathered in the conference room preparing to review their latest case.
As Reid, smiling happily, hurried through the door and made his way around the table to his usual seat, Morgan sniffed the air.
"Don't tell me," he commented. "Emma is in town." He treated Reid to a smirk.
"Yes, she is," Reid confessed with an embarrassed smile. "She arrived late last night. She has an appointment this afternoon to meet with some researchers from the Psych Department at Mid-Town University. Some of the research they are working on there is similar to the project her team is involved with at The University of Las Vegas. She is here to discuss a joint venture between the two schools."
"You two are still married then?" Rossi asked curiously.
"Yes," Reid confirmed. "My dad said he could draw up the paperwork and get the annulment approved pretty quickly, but with the neighborhood Emma is currently living in we decided it's probably better if we remain married for a while yet. Everyone there knows she is married to a 'Fed', so no one bothers her."
"And, the decedent odor currently surrounding you?" Blake questioned with a smile.
"This morning her favorite fragrance boutique introduced their new line for next season," Reid continued. "I walked over there with her and we spent some time checking it out. Do you know that a fragrance smells different on each person? Also, that it takes about 30 minutes for it to develop its final notes with your individual body chemistry? That's why you need to apply it and then wait to see how the scent develops."
"We can smell that," JJ told him as she wrinkled her nose. "How many do you have on?"
"Well, actually, five," Reid confessed. "But they are all in different places."
"One of them seems to have a vanilla base," Garcia commented after sniffing the air again. "Which one?"
Reid pointed to the right side of his neck and Garcia walked around the table to sniff it. "That is great!" she enthused. "What is it called?"
That's Butterflies After Dark," Reid told her.
Blake leaned over to sniff the left side of his neck. "Okay," she commented. "What is this on the other side of your neck? It smells really fresh!"
"That's Tropical Ice," Reid informed her.
"All right, I'll bite," Rossi held up both his hands. "Fill me in on the one that smells more masculine."
Reid held up left wrist for Rossi to sniff. "That's Dark Twilight," he told the senior agent.
Hotch, standing patiently at the head of the table, looked around at his team before dryly commenting, "Okay, if everyone is done sniffing Reid, can we get started reviewing the case?"