Inner Demons

8

The printer spits out the last of the pictures as Ivan walks through the door.
"What have you got?" he asks. I spread out the pictures on the counter and gesture to them.
"I haven't looked over them yet, but I don't think they'll be much help."
"They are all blacked out."
"Thanks, Captain Obvious." I pick up the first of the sequence. The only thing not blacked out is the word "Integrity," the name of the database.
"Here's something," he says, handing me a page.
"Two different codes? Who has the second?"
He points to the second page.
"Mateo Cruz?"
"Have you heard anything about him?"
"They've never mentioned him."
"Make them."
"How would you suggest I do that without immediately blowing it?"
"You've got that one agent wrapped around your little finger, figure it out. I'm taking these to our employers."
"Have you got the name of who hired us yet?"
"Yeah, some man named Hastings."a
He leaves before I get a chance to ask any more questions. Alone in the apartment, I sink into the couch with my phone. Three texts from Prentiss sit unopened, case details. I ignore them for now, choosing to text Garcia instead.

"This is so fun!" she says as she enters my apartment. "We've never had a chance to hang out alone before!"
"Yeah, I thought it could be fun since everyone's away on a case!"
"What a great idea! So. Tell me everything about you and Emily. She never gives me enough details."
I hand her a drink, and sit down across from her.
"What's there to say? We've only been together two months. Obviously I don't plan on breaking up with her anytime soon if I'm here with you."
"That'll do, I guess. She just seems so much happier lately, I think it's because of you."
My heart jumps a little at this, a reaction I really wish I didn't have.
"Really?"
"Oh, definitely. She's been smiling more. It's nice to see her like this. I've been saying for months she just needed to get laid. Oh- I don't mean-"
"It's fine, I know. But surely it can't have been months, she's a very attractive woman, it can't be that hard for her to find someone."
"It's not, she's just very selective. You have to be special to have her so swept up."
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth, which I suppress by taking a sip of my drink.

Their case wraps up two days later. Emily texts me to meet them for drinks. I meet them at O'Keefe's, hoping for the best. Jareau sees me first as I walk in, waving me over to their table. I go to stand by her, not seeing Prentiss anywhere.
"Where's Emily?" I ask them.
"Bathroom," Jareau says. "Anyways, it's your job to help me get Spence to dance tonight."
"Reid, you're not a dancer?"
"Not really, the close proximity to any number of unknown people is too much."
"Then we'll keep you on the edge." JJ says. She turns to me and whispers, "Grab his other hand, we'll drag him out."
I nod slightly, setting down my bag. She counts quietly to three, and we grab his hands, pulling him to the floor. Garcia follows, and we form a barrier between the others and him.
"Hey, you made it!" Emily says, joining our semicircle. "And you've got Reid dancing?"
"It's all JJ, I was simply an accomplice."
"Come on pretty boy, you're having fun," Morgan says. Reid rolls his eyes, but sways slightly to the music. Garcia and Morgan drift off together, and Emily pulls me closer.
"He totally hates me now," I say.
"Not at all, everyone on the team likes you."
"They wouldn't tell you if they didn't."
"Yes, they would. Now, what do you say we get out of here?"
"Absolutely."
Garcia winks at us as we walk off and head to my car.

The next morning, I'm woken up to my phone ringing. I pick it up, to see Ivan's contact. I walk out of the room, leaving Emily in my bed.
"Why are you calling me right now?" I hiss.
"We have some information on Mateo Cruz. Pack a bag for a couple days and come to the address I'm sending you."
"Why?"
I think I know the answer, but he's already hung up. I need to get out of here. I walk back into my room to see Emily still asleep. I go to the closet and quickly pack a bag, stomach turning in anticipation. I haven't seen Vanya in nearly a year. I finish packing, get dressed, then walk to where she lies. I place a hand on her shoulder, and she opens her eyes to meet mine.
"Hey," I whisper. "I've been called away to testify on a case. I'm probably going to be gone a couple days."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not certain, my boss will tell me when I get in. You can stay here as long as you want. I'll see you soon."
I kiss her softly, running a hand over her hair.
"See you," she whispers, laying back down. I smile to myself as I walk out the door, eager to see Vanya.