PSYCHOPATHY; criminal minds [S. Reid]

Chapter eighteen//Williamsport

I WOKE UP ON MY OWN AFTER A NIGHT OF SITTING IN BED WITH SPENCER. The last thing I remembered us doing last night was reading the book he'd given me a few nights prior. I had been resting against his chest with his arms around me whilst he held the book open. My fingers had trailed up and down his arms, watching his finger trace the pages as he read out loud to me.

I wandered out of my room and into the living area, seeing Spencer laying on the sofa fast asleep still. He must've moved to sleep through here after I fell asleep.

Placing my hand gently on his arm, crouched in front of the sofa, I shook him carefully to wake him up. When he began to stir awake, I placed a soft kiss on his forehead, his brown curls tickling my cheeks as they'd fallen over his face during the night.

With him beginning to wake, I walked through to the kitchen and started a brew of coffee for the two of us.

Once Spencer had woken and gotten up, he followed me through. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his face into my neck, his nose cold against my skin.

Once the coffee was poured into mugs, I handed one two Spencer. I turned around with my back to the counter and held my mug in two hands whereas Spencer placed his down again behind me.

He replaced the mug with his phone, a few buzzes having come through, and he checked it. Whilst he read whatever messages had popped up, I watched his face.

I studied the way his eyebrows would furrow and create small wrinkles on his forehead, and the way he pushed some of his brown curls away from his face when they got in the way. Also, I watched his eyes read across the screen of his phone, always impressed at just how fast he could read.

He swallowed with his eyebrows furrowed as he looked up from his phone screen. "I have to go to the station." He hesitantly said and I nodded with an okay.

Spencer began to gather his things to leave. As he went to open the apartment door, he stopped suddenly. His face said he'd forgotten something but he soon came to a realisation. I assumed he was going to quickly finish the coffee or something but, instead, he moved to stand in front of me. His hands  went around my waist and he placed a sweet kiss on my forehead.

"I'll see you later." I called after him as he left with one final wave, the door closing behind him.

Now in the apartment alone, i folded my lips inward and had to contain the giddiness that wanted to express itself in laughter and jumps. I felt like a school girl who had just gotten the boy she had been pining over ever since freshman year.

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After getting a call later on in the day from Emily, I joined the BAU team at the station and was immediately welcomed by the voice of Penelope Garcia.

"You guys won't believe what I found."

"What is it, babygirl?" Morgan asked, a shadow of a smirk on his lips at the woman's excitement.

"Okay," Garcia sighed. "You know how I was given the task ,thought to be impossible, of finding where this farm was that Daniel Butcher was raised on?"

"Yeah." Emily hummed with a nod, despite the fact Garcia couldn't see it.

"Well, after immense digging and a lot of coffee...I found the address."

My eyes grew suddenly wide and a funny sensation filled my stomach. "Where is it?" I asked, wasting no time.

"That's the problem. It's in Williamsport."

I looked around the group and saw multiple sighs and faces of disappointment. "Why's that a problem?" I queried, still rather confused.

"It's outside our jurisdiction. We'd have to go to court, get permission to carry an investigation out there and that could take months, maybe even a year. We don't have that sort of time." Hotch explained and I now understood their disappointment.

Morgan sighed, crossing his arms. "So what do we do now?"

Hotch shook his head slowly with a shrug. "There isn't much we can do. Unless Daniel makes another show or we somehow find another lead, we'd have to fly back to Quanitco next week, hand this case back to the chief. From there, it's up to him what happens to it." He told us.

I screwed my eyes shut, rubbing my forehead with two fingers. "I need a coffee." I said, not directly to anyone but rather just stating my thoughts and letting them know why I was leaving.

Thankfully, there was coffee machine in the station so i didn't have to travel far. I grabbed one of the cups and began filling it up, watching as the hot beverage ran from the machine.

"You know, Spencer was very adamant on being the who called you." Emily's voice made me turn around to see her standing there with a knowing smile. "But I got there first."

I laughed quietly but it soon died down, my thoughts becoming more serious and my face showing it. "I can't believe this is basically over. Daniel's just gonna be able to roam free." I muttered but Prentiss heard.

"We might not leave so soon." She responded. "We might be lucky and get a new lead, our team's good like that. And even if we have to leave, the Chief will have control over the case."

I scoffed. "He's not going to continue it. Daniel isn't the first person to escape the institute." Emily looked to me with a face that said 'continue.'

Firmly putting a lid on the coffee cup, I turned to face the other woman. "Ten or so years ago, the Chief was still the same and a patient escaped the institute. My dad worked here and i remember him trying to make my mum and I move out of Washington because the Chief was going to close the case."

"Did they get the BAU in?" Emily asked and I nodded in response.

"A similar thing happened. They lost all leads and had to leave, handing it back to the Chief who decided to drop it. He saw no point in continuing if the BAU couldn't solve it." I explained, speaking quickly. "One day, the escaped patient killed a young boy. Ended up getting shot by police and thats what eventually wrapped the case up."

"I don't want to see the same thing happen, Emily. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of Daniel, including himself." I added, my pace slowing down and my tone becoming more remorseful and sad.

The brunette placed a hand on my arm and gently squeezed. "I'll see what I can do." She said in a kind, quiet voice before leaving to rejoin her team with a final glance and sympathetic smile sent to me.

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