Unbroken Souls (Spencer Reid x Reader POV)

Chapter 3

"They're all over here in this room we've set up for you folks to work out of. If you need anything please let us know." says the local police officer leading me towards the boardroom where the whole BAU team sits.

"Thank you so much, Officer Park" I said shaking his hand and turning towards the door of the boardroom. Hotchner sees me through the window of the room, and as I enter he stands to welcome me in.

"Everyone, this is Charlotte Hillburg from the Victim Services branch of the FBI. She was sent to assist us with the victims and their families in the case. Charlotte, this is SSA Derek Morgan, David Rossi, Jennifer Jareau or JJ as we call her, Emily Prentiss, and on the screen is our technical analyst Penelope Garcia. Oh, and coming down the hall now is Dr. Spencer Reid". I smile at each person Hotch introduces me to, and when he got to the last name my throat tightened in anticipation and anxiety. I turn around to see Dr. Reid walking in with a cup of coffee, standing with this dominant yet calming presence. The light shimmers off his brown and shaggy but kept hair, his jawline strong and charming... and then our eyes meet. His eyes are an intertwining dance of browns and greens, forming this gorgeous and rich hazel that compliment his complexion. He smiles softly as we lock eyes, and reaches out his free hand.

"Hey, I'm Spencer" his hand is soft and warm, but tough. The kind of hands that you would feel safe being held with, but also know he's not afraid of getting into the action.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Reid, I'm Charlotte" I say as I shake his hand and move out of the way so he can rejoin the team. The focus returns to Garcia on the screen proving some additional information on the connection between victims. The case involves children which is why I got called out. Families who are fostering these children are being bound and tortured in the night while the unsub forces the children to watch. The unsub then kills the parents and leaves the children in the closet, moving on to the next family. I usually end up on cases involving children as I have this ability to make them feel safe enough to talk with me. I stand in the back of the room as the team starts to bounce ideas around and ask Garcia to do more digging; watching them work is this mesmerizing choreography of insight, wisdom, and drive for justice. I guess I didn't realize that I had fixated my gaze on Reid as he took small notes on a legal pad beside him, at least I didn't notice it until Reid spun his chair a little bit and caught my gaze. I could feel my cheeks growing rosy hot as Reid smiled before focusing back on the screen with Garcia. Truthfully speaking, as much as I have wanted to work with this team, I also just wanted an opportunity to connect with Spencer that was more than just a mere passing in the hallway. He is a captivating soul with this aura of compassion that radiates from him, and it didn't hurt that he was rather attractive. I refocused my attention on the directions Hotchner was giving. The team has already been here for a while and they've had some time to visit the crime scenes and the morgue, meaning they were working on a profile and questioning the surviving children. Fortunately for me, the children were so traumatized they refused to talk with the agents, and hence I was called in.

"JJ and Rossi can you go back to the morgue and get a better look at the first victims, Charlotte and Reid, can you take a run at the children? They're in the interrogation room. The rest of us will continue building a profile." Hotchner looks at me and smiles, making me feel like I am acknowledged and welcomed to the case they have already started on. Reid stands up and grabs the file from under his legal pad, walking towards me.

"The kids are down the hall, they won't say anything, didn't even touch the food or juice we got them. They're just staring off into space, here's all of the information we have on them" he says as he hands me the file and he starts to walk down the hall with me.

"God, these poor kids. They must have been terrified" I say softly as I look at the file Reid supplied.

"Yeah" Reid replies softly and empathetically, but the shift in tone was more than just empathy for the situation, it was as though he truly felt the fear they did; even his body language softened as he dropped his head and stuck his hands in his pockets. We arrive at the interrogation room and through the one-way mirror the two young children, two sisters, huddle together staring at the floor in silence sitting in a corner.

"Dr. Reid is th-"

"Oh please, call me Spencer" he cuts me off raising his gaze to meet mine.

"Spencer, is there another empty room or office we could use? Something that isn't an interrogation room? If we can make them feel a little less like criminals and more like children, they're more likely to open up to us" I say, looking around for any vacant rooms.

"I can go ask the officers" Reid says as he starts to walk off.

"Oh and if they have any toys or stuffed animals, can you bring those please?" I ask. He smiles and nods as he walks off.