LAUGHTER LINES, spencer reid.

chapter twenty two

LAUGHTER LINES
chapter twenty two

It was amazing what a hot shower, fresh clothes, and a friendly face could do to improve a woman's mood. Gwen was in fresh jeans, a blue cardigan, and a nice pair of simple dark blue all-stars, and yet she felt like a woman ready to take on the world as she stood in the secure confines of her condo.

After dropping Spencer off at the BAU, Gwen rushed back to her condo to meet up with Walter and Jenny for an emergency meeting among friends for life. However, before their social hour could occur, she had to clean herself up a little bit. She had to wash away the stress and bad juju of yesterday's news.

Jenny had left the coffee shop as soon as one of her employees showed up to cover for her. The three friends were hidden away upstairs where Gwen had told them about Adrienne Foster's early release from prison. After a long beat of silence, Gwen could feel the impending conversation.

"So the bitch was let out early," Walter grumbled as he fell back into the soft couch with a bitter demeanor. He crossed his arms and the unpleasant frown on his face as he eyed the ceiling made it seem like the condo had done him some great disservice by being a place of bad news.

"Walt," Jenny sighed. She was mixing up a batter for muffins. "Can't you say it right? Foster is not a bitch. She's a crazy bitch, and there's a very big difference." Jenny dropped a couple pinches of orange zest into the batter and continued to stir methodically.

"The crazy part was implied," Water said. He looked at his nails and started to pick at the dirt under them. He glanced up at Gwen who was still sitting silent at the breakfast bar. "What does this mean for you?"

Gwen looked up and pulled her hair back. She held it up off her neck as she debated putting it into a manageable ponytail. "It means I wait," she answered, dropping her hair and looking over at Walter. "Maybe Adrienne did change while she was in prison. I mean, it's been known to happen. I've changed."

"To be fair, you changed because of her," Jenny pointed out. She dropped the spatula she was using to stir in the bowl and rubbed her swollen stomach. "You were determined to learn a long set of skills to stay safe. Over time, you've become less vigilant, but there's still that UnSub vibe that keeps you on your toes. Now that she's out of prison, you're looking over your shoulder again."

"Adrienne almost killed me," Gwen said stiffly as she turned on her stool to look at Jenny. "Try as I might to forget it all, there are mental scars, and they aren't going to go away." Gwen bit her lip and rubbed her arm again. She didn't really believe that Adrienne had changed. She always knew that Adrienne was a bit… off. Foster had a morbid sense of humor, and she took pride in other's pain as they sparred at the dojo all those years ago. Gwen had heard whispers about the attempted dissection at the morgue. Gwen wanted to be open minded. She wanted to give someone a chance, but she couldn't deny the fact that Adrienne Foster reminded her of the film "Psycho." Foster was one shower scene away from having her own movie franchise.

"Jenny, would you mind letting Lizzie and Greg stay with you for about a week?" Gwen asked as she ran a hand through her hair. She struggled slightly when her fingers got caught in a knot.

"Yeah," Jenny smiled brightly. As teenagers, their little trio had been recruited as babysitters when Lizzie and Greg were little so she was always happy to watch the kids even now that they were older. "Mark and I were going to ask for their help in painting the nursery. I guess we don't really have to ask now."