Paranoia - s.reid

Confide

Liz sat in Hotch's office at 11:00 pm, telling Spencer she'd be home later when the boss wasn't listening. The two were doing paperwork in silence.

"Elizabeth, are you okay?"

"Of course I am, Hotch. Why wouldn't I be?" She almost scoffed, a small smile on her lips as she avoided contact. "Your psych eval is soon. Elizabeth, I saw the Vicodin bottles in your bag a few weeks ago. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. I don't know what you're talking about. If you're going to recommend a therapist, don't bother. I have a person to confide in." Liz shrugged.

"Reid?" Before the brunette girl could reply, her phone rang.

"Elizabeth Bundy." She answered the phone, making eye contact with Hotch.

"Hey, it's getting late. Where are you?" Spencer's voice was on the line.

"Finishing paperwork. I'll be home in 15."

"Okay. Call me if you need anything. Stay safe. I'm gonna order takeout because I don't want you to cook when you're tired and it's late. I love you."

"Yeah, I will. I love you too." Hotch narrowed his eyes at the agent. He knew she lived alone, who would she be coming home to? And who was she saying 'I love you' to? "Who was that?"

"My, uh, my boyfriend. As much as I'd like to spend more time with you, I think I should go." Liz stuttered. "How long have you two been together?"

Liz thought, she hadn't properly counted. She did the maths, her and Spencer had been dating for almost three months. Wow, that's a big secret. "Almost three months."

"What's he like?"

"He's amazing, Hotch. He's so smart, and sweet, and caring, and why are you asking?" The man smiled. "Nothing, just happy for you."

-----

Another case came and was solved, however the case they had this week was different. Elle, Hotch, Garcia, Liz and Spencer all sat in a car, Liz being squished between her boyfriend and the blonde. 

"There is nothing about the dynamics of Sarah Jean and Jacob's relationship." Spencer flipped through a file, angling it slightly so that Liz could get a look. "The state isn't interested in dynamics or profiles, they just want this case to go away." Elle replied.

"They were caught, they confessed, they got the death penalty."

"You guys do realize that visiting death rows is not part of my job description?" Garcia piped up, her eyes darting between the four agents. "Garcia, this will be the first serial killer couple ever recorded for VICAP." 

"They slaughtered 13 young girls with blonde hair, hello?!" The woman pointed to her own hair, scoffing at Spencer.

All Liz could do was squirm lightly in her seat, trying to keep the image of an electric chair our of her mind. She focused on other things, like how Spencer held her hand behind them for no one to see, gently rubbing circles on the back to soothe her.

-----

"1985, there's a string of missing girls reported in Northern Florida. Police subsequently got an anonymous call from a woman claiming to have seen Jacob with some of the girls."

"Did they ever find out who the anonymous woman was?" JJ asked.

"No. Police interviewed Jacob Dawes also present with Sarah Jean Dawes and their 2 year old son Riley. Police was suspicious they came back 3 hours later with a search warrant only to find that Riley had vanished. They also eventually found the dismembered bodies of 12 missing girls buried in the ground underneath Jacob's workshop." Liz winced. If her father thought she was getting in the way of him, would he have killed her? No. He loved her, right?