puzzles of a heart | spencer reid ✓

eight

As the foreseeable storm swept through the city of Portland throughout the rough night, it was a relief that they were safe and grounded in a hotel by the city centre. The team had disembarked by mid-afternoon after the successful arrest of the careless perpetrator was made, and there was a shared longing to remain on the cruise despite the conclusion of their role on the ship. They found the capable criminal in his room as expected, soundly asleep when they knocked three heavy times on the door. The rest of the team was out of sight and only inches away as Emily Prentiss waited in view of the peephole, a faint smile on her face. The man had shouted annoyedly through the door to dismiss her, mistaking the agent as a cleaner and she had insisted that he opened the door. 

His face could only be described as full of fury as the door whipped open and he was propelling himself towards her, no less attempting to make her his fourth victim. Hotchner had jumped from where he stood behind the wall and snapped his silencer into motion, and finally, the man froze and gave Prentiss a chance to knock him to the ground as Derek skillfully winded cuffs around the middle-aged man with a blotchy red face. The entire ordeal lasted perhaps ten minutes, and no innocent bystander had witnessed the arrest. The cruise company was on a successful route to cover this up, but the FBI's intervention meant it was near impossible to keep the situation silenced. They had a valid reason to not disclose the murders at the start to avoid the perpetrator from disappearing at one of the ports and never be seen again. But now, as the hunt closed and the trials inevitably began, the families of the deceased would be made aware of their loved one's passing. There would be the nosy press and horrid PR for the company and the industry.

They had half of the day to themselves and split up in various spots in the city. Rossi and Prentiss grabbed a large lunch at an indie cafe and headed to Oregon Zoo while Hotchner and JJ spent the afternoon around Washington Park. Derek expressed his interest in hiking a trail in Forest Park to get away from the city and forcibly dragged Spencer along, who wanted nothing more than to spend some quiet time alone with a good book instead of walking in the woods. Valeria had three choices and shyly chose the hike with the two. As much as she enjoyed the rest of the team's company, she felt more connected to Derek and Spencer than she had with anyone else in this city. Derek gave them fifteen minutes to freshen up and change before meeting him in the lobby; he himself had gone to a convenience store on a corner street and bought a few packaged sandwiches and a bag of Maltesers. 

"I like your shoes," he told Valeria as she stepped out of the elevator. 

She glanced down at the pair of white sneakers she bought in Miami during spring break in her senior year of high school. "Let's hope it stays clean."

"I picked an easy trail," Derek assured her.

Valeria acted offended by his statement despite knowing she wasn't the most athletic compared to the team. "Easy? You know I'm an expert hiker."

He laughed lightly, and shook his head to dismiss her jokingly executed presumption. "Not for you, dummy - I did it for Dr Reid."

"What about Dr Reid?" Spencer spoke from behind and she turned to see him standing in the usual tan grandpa sweater and an old film camera around his neck. He looked brighter and fresher than she had seen him in days, happier, too, on solid ground instead of the rocking ocean. 

"I was just telling Valeria how great of a hiker you are." Derek stood up from the hotel lounge armchair and smoothed down his navy shirt which hugged tightly at his physique. "We're good to go?

"I'm actually not-" Spencer began to protest as they started towards the giant revolving door.

Valeria cut him off. "Spence, don't try to be humble, alright? I've heard it all from Derek and I'm excited to see you in your natural environment."