Lost In The Fire | Spencer Reid

5. A Team Divided

"Ah you superstar!" Becca smiled as Emily handed her a coffee. "I need this so badly. I'm realising that anytime you guys are together off the clock, there'll be a hangover involved," she laughed.

"Evenings at Rossi's tend to be the worst," Matt laughed.

"Hey, hey," Dave exclaimed, holding his hands up in defence. "Don't blame me, I'm just the host, I don't force you all to drink."

The team were beginning to arrive now, one by one.

"This all looks very familiar," Derek laughed loudly, entering the room. "You really should have all learnt your limits by now."

"Shush," Garcia whispered harshly as she arrived, her tired eyes narrowing slightly at the noise. "I'm about to put a big fat bummer on all of your days." She put her tablet down on the round table and took a big mouthful of her coffee. "In case a roaring headache wasn't bad enough for you all, Sandy Springs, Georgia have themselves a serial rapist. They're up to seven victims and really need some help." Emily nodded, standing up from her seat and looking around the room.

"Ok. JJ, Tara, Matt, Luke, you'll come to Georgia with me. The rest of you stay here and carry on working the murders. My cell is on 24/7 if you need anything while I'm gone," Emily said, walking towards the door. "We'll debrief on the jet. Wheels up in twenty."

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"The rest of the Scooby gang are on their way home. They should be landing in the next hour," Garcia grinned. "A few of them are meeting us at O'Keefe's, who's in?"

Half of the team had been gone for almost a week tracking down the serial rapist in Georgia. The rest of them, including Hotch and Derek, had been working day and night to nail down the profile for the killer in D.C.

"I'm gonna rain check on this one Pen," Becca yawned. "It's been a long week, and a bottle of wine and my hotel suite are calling me."

"No! Come on professor, it's Friday night!" Garcia begged. Becca smiled, shaking her head. "Fine. What about the rest of you?" She was met by a chorus of 'no' and 'sorry' from Dave, Derek, Hotch and Spencer, and turned silently, heading towards her office, stomping her feet heavily.

"Becca, do you need a ride? Where are you staying?" Derek asked.

"Don't worry, I can get the metro. I'm staying at Riggs, it's not far from the station." Dave whistled, raising his eyebrows.

"Nice place. Interpol obviously want to keep you sweet," Dave laughed.

"I must admit, it is amazing," Becca smiled. "The view from my balcony is incredible. Hey, why don't you guys join me for a nightcap before you all head home?"

"Count me in," Dave smiled.

"Me too, I'll let Savannah know," Derek said, pulling his cell phone out of his jeans pocket. "Hotch?"

"Jack's with Jessica for the night," he nodded.

"Perfect. Becca, pretty boy, you can ride with me," Derek grinned. "You are coming, right kid?" Becca turned to look at Spencer, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa at the back of the room. As their eyes met, Spencer smiled, holding her gaze.

"Sure, why not," he said as he picked up his brown leather messenger bag from the floor by his feet.

"Should we say goodbye to Garcia?" Becca asked.

"If I were you, I'd leave her to calm down in the bat-cave for a few," Derek laughed. "By the time she realises we're gone, lover boy will be back, and she'll be purring like a kitten."

"In that case, let's go," Dave said, leading the group out of the office.

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"You weren't kidding about the view," Hotch smiled, looking out across the river below.

"I know, right?" Becca said, raising her second glass of wine to her lips and taking a small sip. "So, tell me, what have you been doing to keep yourself busy since you came out of witness protection?"

"Have you ever had a sixteen-year-old son?" Becca shook her head, laughing. "There's your answer," he laughed. "I spend most of my life chasing around after him. After everything Jack's been through, he's my priority until he goes off to college." Becca nodded slowly. "I must admit, it's nice to be back with them team, even just for the short term."

"Jack's lucky to have such a dedicated dad. Would you ever go back to the BAU full-time?" Hotch shook his head.

"I miss the team, but I don't miss the stress." 

"Yeah, I can understand that," Becca smiled.

"Short but sweet guys," Derek said, walking out onto the balcony. "Apparently there's a certain young man who won't go to sleep without his pops," he smiled. "Thanks for the nightcap sweetness," he said, bending down to Becca and kissing her cheek.

As Derek walked through the balcony doors, she saw him say something to Spencer, who was walking out onto the balcony. She couldn't hear what he'd said but Spencer rolled his eyes, telling Derek to shut up before walking out of the doors, leaning against the railings and looking out over the river below them.

"I think I'm going to get going too," Dave said. "Mrs Rossi will be wondering where I've got to. Aaron, shall we head out together?" Hotch looked up at Dave, hesitating, his brows furrowed. Dave nodded slightly and Hotch stood up from his seat.

"Thanks for the drinks Becca, enjoy your weekend," Hotch smiled.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening kids," Dave said, giving Becca a cheeky smile as he and Hotch left. Becca laughed, shaking her head as Spencer turned to face her.

"I must have done something to offend them," she laughed, standing up and making her way across the balcony, stopping next to Spencer and looking out across the city. "I don't think I would ever get bored of this view," she said softly.

"It is beautiful," Spencer muttered, his hazel eyes lingering on her face as he turned around, leaning his elbows against the railings. "Although the Jefferson Memorial is obviously the most prominent structure you can see from here, if you look straight behind it," he rambled, pointing to the lights glistening across the river. "You can see the lights of the Pentagon." Becca smiled, looking up at him.

"Yeah, it's easier to spot in the daylight."

"Yeah, of course it is. Sorry," he blushed, looking back out across the water, swallowing hard. "Um, do you have plans for tomorrow evening?"

"I'm meeting Em for a coffee in the morning but nothing the rest of the day. Why?"

"So, I know it's not technically Halloween yet, but there's a haunted house attraction downtown. I wondered if you wanted to come with me?" He asked softly.

"That sounds like fun," Becca grinned excitedly. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Thank you for saying yes," he laughed. "I usually ask one of the team, but they always seem to be busy."

"Well, I can't wait," Becca smiled, stifling a yawn. "Sorry," she laughed.

"I won't take it too personally," Spencer smiled, draining his water glass in one mouthful. "I'm gonna get going, let you get some rest. I'll pick you up at, shall we say six?"

"Sounds perfect," she smiled. He nodded, handing her his empty glass. He gazed down at her, his eyes soft.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said quietly, placing a hand gently on her arm and bending down, his lips brushing softly against her cheek. He smiled as he stepped away from her.

"See you tomorrow," she stuttered, feeling her cheeks start to flush. As he walked towards the door, her fingertips unconsciously moved to her face, gently touching the spot where his soft lips had been moments earlier, and her lips curled into a smile. Their eyes met briefly as he closed the suite door behind him, her breath catching in her throat.

"Well, that escalated quickly," she laughed under her breath.