So this isn't my favorite chapter that I've written and it's super long, but there was a lot of information and interactions I wanted to happen in it before some of the bigger scenes occur in the next chapter. I apologize if you guys hate it but stick with me because a lot is about to happen after this.
Also I know Harvard does not have a dance major but it's important for Cat's history so I'm sorry for that piece of fiction.
Some of you are starting to figure out some things about Cat, and I'm not going to give anything away but there are some nods to her history in this if you catch what I'm hinting at.
Chapter 7
Spencer's POV
Spencer and Cat had been meeting and talking at the coffee shop for nearly four months now, but despite all that he still felt that she was not telling him everything about herself. He did not expect her to be completely honest and open up her life story but he had hoped she would not be quite as much of an enigma. He did not even know her favorite book for Pete's sake! Although he could not blame her, he had not been completely honest when they had discussed past romantic history. He was not quite ready to cross the Maeve bridge with her yet.
But he did trust her almost as much as he did Morgan or Alex, and that was a big deal for him. They had similar interests, similar personality traits, and similar educational backgrounds. Those were difficult to find and therefore made it hard for Spencer to connect with people. Because of this, he wanted to know he could confide in Cat so he had to get her to open up to him.
That morning he decided he was going to ask her to be open with him and he would do the same for her. He got to the coffee shop a little early to work up courage for the upcoming conversation. He got the muffins they usually shared and her favorite drink, an iced Chai latte. And then he waited. It was only about 15 minutes when he finally saw her coming in the front doors. She looked over to their table and waved, her face lighting up. Spencer waved back and tried for a smile but he knew it wasn't convincing when he saw worry cross her face.
"Is everything okay, Spencer?" She inquired when she walked up to their table. "Ooo, you got my latte! Thank you!" She took a sip as she sat down.
"We're friends, aren't we?" Spencer cut right to the point, not wanting to waste another minute worrying about the state of their relationship.
"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?"
"I just feel like I know nothing about you. We have been meeting here for about four months yet I don't even know your favorite book," he met her eyes, searching for any sort of physical tell in her piercing blue eyes.
"Oh, well that's any easy answer. The Giver by Lois Lowry," she smiled at the simple question, not quite comprehending Spencer's fear.
"But that's not what I mean. I have told you about my mother's Schizophrenia, my father abandoning us when I was 10, the various bullies I encountered when I was a 12 year old in high school. I've told you about my favorite books, movies, the various languages I know. I trust you enough to confide difficult parts of my life that took years for me to tell my coworkers, but I'm wondering if you trust me at all."
"I've told you things about my life too, Spence."
"Yes, your Alzheimer's trial, your mother's breast cancer, your physically abusive ex-boyfriend, your psychotic college roommate and your dog. But I just now learned about your favorite book. I do not know anything about you before college, or simple parts of your life that a friend should know," he was getting more and more frustrated with every sentence he had to say to explain things to Cat. The man sitting at the table behind Cat had turned around because Spencer had gotten a little too loud. Why couldn't she understand? Spencer thought they were so similar yet she clearly didn't understand what was so difficult about this situation. "If you think we are supposedly friends, shouldn't you be able to trust me with your life as much as I trust you with mine?"
"Spencer, I'm sorry," she could no longer look him in the eyes.
"Why are you sorry? Just tell me what's going on. Why is it so hard for you to talk to me about your life? You should know I won't hurt you in any way," Spencer tried to take her hand, a gesture he had seen JJ and Morgan do to him and others on the team countless times before, but she pulled away.
"I need to go to work," Cat got up quickly without meeting Spencer's eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Cat wait…" Spencer got up to follow but she was already down the steps of the coffee shop and heading to the door. He sat down defeated, picking at his muffin. Looking at the table in front of him, he saw that she hadn't even finished her latte. That went well, he thought to himself sarcastically. Whatever Cat was hiding from him scared her more than whatever there was between them.
Rossi's POV
Rossi's mind had been distracted for the past three months and he was frustrated with that he couldn't solve his own case. He was missing something. Those eyes flashed before him whenever he closed his eyes. He had gone over his case files, even his victim letters. Nothing. He had in his office for hours after he was supposed to have gone home just trying to match those eyes to some case from years ago.
After sitting there for another hour he finally sighed and pulled the case files from the floor and put them on his desk again. Might as well go over them again since his memory wasn't getting him any further. He read over the paperwork and analyzed every picture for a sign of those eyes or even those freckles. Something to give him a clue.
"Dave?" The voice at his door pulled him out of a case file from 1990. A little boy abducted from a playground in Florida leading the BAU to discover a child trafficking ring across the East Coast. Why was he doing this to himself?
"Good morning Aaron. Why are you here so early?" Rossi closed the file and pushed it into the discard pile. If she was one of the kids from the trafficking ring he couldn't confirm it without asking her.
"I could ask you the same thing. Have you been here all night?" The Unit Chief walked into the room and sat down in the chair across from the older agent.
"Of course not. What would give you that idea?"
"Well, you have on the same shirt and tie from yesterday. What has you so distracted you couldn't even hide sleeping here by changing into the clothes from your go-bag?" Aaron tried and failed to hide his smirk at Rossi's lack of attention to detail.
"It might just be my mind playing tricks on me. Or maybe I've finally lost my touch as a profiler. But I swear it is something. You met the doctor who operated on Will, correct?"
"Yes, Dr. Grant. She's surprisingly young for neurosurgeon. I think we found another Reid," Hotch laughed and Rossi couldn't help but join in on the joke about the younger profiler.
"Yes, her. I finally met her when I helped JJ move Will out of the hospital, and when I looked at her I could've sworn I had met her before. Long ago of course. But I had; her eyes, I knew them from somewhere and it's been bothering me ever since. I cannot place where I have seen her before but I know I need to figure it out."
"Have you looked through all the victim files? The databases?"
"Everything. I cannot find any trace of her. I wish I had access to the pictures Gideon would keep of the various families we had saved. Or maybe I really am getting too old for this job," Rossi ran a hand through his hair, an exasperated sigh escaping him.
"I doubt that's the case, Dave. She might not be a victim, she could be related to an Unsub. Have you had Garcia run her name?"
"Yes. She ran it through all FBI databases and nationwide police databases."
"Maybe just do a background check on her to see if any red flags pop up? You might remember her from something other than a case."
"And this is why you are Unit Chief. I can't believe I didn't think of that," Rossi got up to head to the Technical Analysis' office, a new fervor running through him.
"No offense Dave, but you don't think clearly when something is bothering you," Hotch stood up as well, following Rossi out into the bullpen. "When you're finished, please put those files back. Reid might go a little nuts with the paperwork out of order."
"Fine, fine. Boy Genius should be able to survive a day without papers being out of place," he glanced at Reid's desk when he passed but was surprised to find the young agent was not there. His bag was next to the chair along with a cup of coffee on the desk, but no Reid. He didn't think too much of it until he came to Garcia's office and saw Spencer standing next to the blonde agent. Both were staring intently at the computer screens, pages popping up and disappearing faster than even Spencer could read them. "What's going on here?"
"Agent Rossi, what a wonderful surprise? How can my vast tech knowledge and abilities dazzle you today?" Garcia turned around, wearing a brightly colored outfit as usual. Today her clothes seemed to convey a watermelon theme with a red top and neon green skirt, and a fruit covered headband and matching shoes.
"Good morning Reid. Morning Garcia," Rossi nodded to each in turn as he entered the room. "Garcia, I was wondering if you could run a name for me and see if any red flags pop up that could connect her to the BAU or even me."
"Absolutely my wonderful Italian agent, what's the name?" Garcia swiveled her chair back towards her computer with fingers at the ready hovering above the keyboard.
"Cat Grant, neurosurgeon at Bethesda General Hospital."
Garcia looked between Reid and Rossi with confusion written all over her face. "There must be something seriously special or concerning about his girl that I just don't see."
"Why?" Rossi looked over at Reid, the same look of confusion Garcia had mirrored on his face.
"I was just looking her up for Junior G-Man here."
"Reid? Care to explain?" Rossi crossed his arms as he turned to fully face Spencer. What could Spencer possibly want with this girl? He couldn't imagine Spencer being consumed with the same confusion Rossi had, unless whatever memories Rossi was trying to bring back had something to do with Reid as well…but that was impossible.
"I've been meeting with Cat…Dr. Grant…at a coffee shop near here for the past four months. But I just can't get this feeling out of my head that she's hiding something. I tried to get her to confide in me this morning but she got scared and left. After everything that happened with Maeve, I want to be able to help her before it's too late again," Spencer turned to look at the computer screen as Garcia grabbed his hand. When he looked back at Rossi, he could see they were starting to water. He felt bad for the kid, his first real relationship, at least real for Reid, had ended with him watching an Unsub kill both herself and the girl Reid had been talking to. Rossi couldn't even imagine the pain the kid had gone through, and then have the first girl since then to have almost as many secrets.
A ding from the computer made the three agents lean in to look at the results of Garcia's search. She clicked a few keys and started reading through the information on Cat Grant.
"Alright boys, here's everything on our special little lady. And I mean that literally, our tall Boy Genius here seems to have fallen for a short Girl Genius. Cat Grant, 5'1, born March 24, 1988 to Rosie and Keith Grant. Oh my, this poor girl. Apparently, Keith Grant died in a car accident in 1997 with his sister and nephew. Rosie Grant remarried to a Michael Thompson who works for the Justice Department in 1999," Garcia grabbed one of her many knick-knacks and held it close as a sniffle escaped her. Reid lowered his head as he heard the rough history of the girl from the coffee shop.
Maybe her step-father is where he knew this girl from. He remembered Michael from some of the scarier cases Rossi had seen over the years. He helped take some victims into witness protection or relocate them after an Unsub had upended their personal lives.
"Spence I think you may have found your twin or a match made in heaven, you and the Doc have almost the same history in school. She graduated high school at 14, graduated college at 18 and finished surgical residency at 23 and a fellowship at 24. I don't know how she did this but she double majored in Pre-Med and Dance. Those are the most opposite college majors ever. Why would she do that to herself?" Rossi let out a small laugh at Garcia's small angry outburst.
"I'm sorry boys but nothing is really popping out as glaringly evil or dangerous in this poor girl's background. She doesn't even have a speeding ticket so I really don't think there's anything for you to be worried about Spence. Rossi why were you wondering about her?"
"There was something about her that just felt familiar. I guess it must be her stepfather and I've seen her when he came to help on a case or something," Rossi looked over at Reid, the younger agent seemed to be even less convinced about Garcia's assurances than he was. But he didn't want to press her so he backed off.
"Garcia can you pull up her address and phone number?" Reid pulled a sticky note and pen out of Penelope's cup holder.
"Sure, but can I ask you why?" Garcia clicked some buttons on the screen and a copy of Cat's hospital employment record popped up on the screen.
"I have an apology to deliver tonight," Reid jotted down the information and then walked out quickly.
Garcia watched him leave and then looked up at Rossi, "You're not totally convinced this is all the information on her, are you?"
"I don't know, but I know my gut and it may have made some questionable decisions but it's never wrong."
"I can do some more digging if you'd like. If she's hiding anything my mad skills will uncover it soon enough."
"That would be much appreciated Garcia. Thank you," Rossi patted her on the shoulder and then followed Reid out of the 'bat cave.'
"Of course. Your wish is my command," she called out after him, the sound of keys being pounded furiously following him out.
