FRATERNIZATION | DEREK MORGAN (ON HOLD)

FOUR

"Sandy, no, no, no." David spoke softly in order to calm the barking dog that was causing Reid to jump back. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's ok." Hotch smiled sympathetically. "It's what we call the Reid effect. Happens with children, too."

Theresa placed her hand on Reid bicep, it was a soft touch and one that calmed his nerves almost instantly. Reid looked down at the girl with a warm smile, silently thanking her.

He was thankful that she was there, she always managed to keep him calm. He assumed that it was because they knew one another when they were kids and she always protect him.

"I'm agent Hotchner. This is special agent Dr. Reid and special agent Cohen-Parker." Hotch introduced the pair.

"Nice to meet you." Theresa smiled, placing her hand out for the man to shake. Only then did she realise he didn't have a free hand since he was holding back the dog.

She slowly placed her hand back down by her side, a small smile forming on her face as she tried not to laugh at her own embarrassment.

"You look too young to have gone to medical school." David chuckled as he pulled Sandy away from Reid so that she couldn't bark at him anymore.

"They're PhD's. 3 of them." Reid informed David as he walked around the room, trying to understand the victim more since it was her house that they were in.

"Are you a genius or something?" David questioned with furrowed brows as he looked towards Reid.

Theresa broke away from the two agents and David, taking a look around the house to see if she could find anything of use in order to help their investigation.

Her heels clinked against the laminate flooring, causing it to echo throughout the house. Reid's attention was diverted to the girl momentarily as she looked around the house for clues.

The brunette looked through a few car magazines all of them were for a Datsun Z. It was a nice car, Thea, Theresa's sister had one and on occasion whenever Theresa visited her, she was allowed to take it for a spin.

She felt sick to her stomach thinking about the fact that if the seller of a car wanted to earn her trust, then he would let her take it for a test drive. It's a box standard approach to gain an immediate relationship. Theresa thought back to when her sister bought the car, she couldn't think straight with the idea of Thea being hurt.

"Parker?" Hotch spoke up, causing the girl to spin on her heels and face the men with a warm smile plastered on her face.

Hotch nodded waiting for the girl to speak up and tell everyone her thoughts about why the dog is so on edge. The girl was smart, smarter than he would have imagined for someone so young.

"Sandy's worried because she knows you are." Theresa informed the man, making him nod in response. "David, does your sister drive a Datsun Z?"

She thought it best to rule out all possibilities and ask too many questions than ask too little. She wanted to be through and get as many clues as possible which would eventually help them create a profile for the unsub and find the victim.

"No, but she's in the market for one. How'd you know?" David questioned.

Theresa couldn't say anything, so instead she walked over to where she saw the magazines and held one up. Not even seconds later, Sandy began to bark once again.

The girl saw the way that Reid jumped again, so she walked over to him, wrapping her arm within his and giving his bicep a small reassuring squeeze.

Reid looked down at Theresa with a thankful smile. He didn't know what it was about the dog barking that made him so on edge but he was happy that Theresa was by his side helping him through his anxieties.

"Come on, Sandy." David guided the dog away from the agents.

"There's an immediate relationship established between a buyer and a seller, a level of trust. If I want to coax young woman into my car-" Reid started, probably saying everything that Theresa had previously being thinking.

Theresa nodded in agreement, she was glad that she didn't have to speak and tell Hotch or Reid what she was thinking. She was more than happy that Reid was able to understand what she was thinking about.

Reid noticed the way that Theresa shuffled closer to him, causing him to lightly tap her hand, silently telling her that everything would be okay. He rested his chin on her head momentarily until he became uncomfortable that he had done the wrong thing.

"Offer her a test drive." Hotch finished, turning to look at Theresa, who nodded in response.

Hopefully this would help them create a profile for the unsub and they would be able to catch him before he killed his next victim.

Theresa wanted to find the unsub more than anything, she didn't want anyone to go through what she had previously been through. She wanted to protect the victims from the trauma that they may face if they didn't catch the killer soon.