Dickory

Home Sweet Home

When Morgan's story hit, it was brutal. It sent a shockwave of fear through the city. Reed's desk phone was ringing off the hook and Nines took to filtering out calls before the phone itself even rang. If it wasn't work related or linked to one of their open cases, he'd simply cut the call. Reporters were always prowling around these days, waiting out front for Reed to appear. He would always give them no comment or evasive responses. It got to the point where Nines made extreme use of his intimidation protocols to encourage the crowds to disperse, stating that although Reed was on the case, it was still an FBI matter and should be taken up with them directly. This led to a rather exasperated call with Colin, who didn't have as much of a presence as Nines. Luckily for Colin, Perkins know exactly how to deal with unwanted reporters.

No new bodies had dropped so far, but that just made Reed feel fucking uneasy. Sure, it made sense that the copycat was enjoying himself. He was finally getting the recognition he'd always wanted. The Hickory Killer, on the other hand, was eerily silent on the matter. Reed had been sure that stirring things up by joining the copycat hunt would spur the real killer into action. After all, he'd made it clear he didn't like to share his toys. Maybe he's waiting like this because he phcking knows it's getting to me...Luckily, he had Nines to distract him. Since Reed was so restless, he'd finally broached the subject of moving.

"We did agree that the penthouse was more than acceptable," he prompted as Reed avoided yet more calls. Reed almost looked annoyed at the prospect. "You know you cannot return to your old apartment on a permanent basis, especially now. Not only does the killer know the location, but reporters will easily track you there. They are also getting closer to tracing you to Elijah's home address." With that discovery would come the need for explanations. Reed wouldn't tell them, and Elijah wouldn't, but he had no doubt that Mrs Kamski, the lawyer, or any of the other people at the will reading would be more than willing to out him as Mr Hamilton's bastard child. He wasn't about to let Elijah's name get dragged through the mud. He knew some reporters must know he was Elijah Kamski's brother, but the guests at Aaron's ceremony had all signed papers stating that they wouldn't mention Elijah Kamski or his estate in connection with the event. As a result of that, Reed had never been confronted by them about the connection.

"Phck! Fine...Happy now?" Nines was very happy, and he didn't mind saying so. It was pretty sad, going back to his neighbourhood to break it to the kids. They all looked pretty crestfallen, not really believing him when he said he'd stop by. Sure, why would they? For a lot of them, their dads said the same thing. Nines joined him in his assurances, and Reed reminded them they all had his number and they were to use it whenever they needed to. He didn't give a fuck what time of day it was. If shit happened or they needed him, he wanted to be there. Even if it was something as dumb as hanging a picture or putting up a shelf.

Some of the older kids helped to move things. A lot of it was staying behind. They didn't need the wardrobe, sideboards, the bed, tables, or much of anything else. They took Reed's gaming desk. It was in pretty good condition and more than nice enough to go into the upstairs office. They also took the leather chair that went with it. There was an old cabinet that Reed insisted on taking, a small one made of faded redwood and chipped to hell. It had come from his grandparents' house years ago and contained all of her old family albums. The rest was pretty much packing things into boxes. They didn't need many. A few from the bedroom, a couple from the living room and the office. Most of the items in the kitchen were left behind since the penthouse was fully stocked. Once they were done, Reed let the kids call dibs on anything they wanted. Some of the mums stopped by to raid the kitchen, and one even asked for the bed.

"We're going to miss you around here, Gavin," one of the women sighed once they were finally ready to go. Reed had an almost shy look on his face as he accepted the hug. He wasn't used to people being sappy, especially about him. The other mums who were home had come out to see him off, too. They all agreed that they didn't know what they'd do without him. He reminded them all that they had his number, and he'd still come back any time they needed anything, day or night. They also had his office number in case he didn't answer.