Love Can Kill

part 17

What feels like for hours soaking in the bathtub, everything has come to an end. I look at my hands, which look like old prunes; that's when you know it is time to get out.

I wrap the small towel around my tattooed body and start getting dress

"Holy shit, it is 11:45." I do my bathroom routine. Remove makeup, and brush teeth. I am too tired to do anything with my curls. I am going to let them air dry. 

I slowly open the door, and the most handsome man is asleep among the books and files. I giggle to myself. His plump lips are slightly apart; soft snores escape, and his chest rises and falls in an even pattern. His cologne still lingers on his now-dry shirt. I gently nudge the sleeping agent. 

"Reid, Reid, 187, time to get up." He slowly stirs out of his trance, and He rubs his eyes. "Hey. I am sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep." He is embarrassed; Reid tries to gather all of the files in a stack. 

"Hey, no worries. You are very tired. It's understandable. Thank you for helping me." He smiles and gives a slight nod. "I told Hotch that we will call them once you are out." I get out my phone and dial his contact. 

"This is Hotchner." I can tell he is tired as well. Being an agent, I know it is rare for us actually to get sleep. 
"Hey, Hotch. It is Payne and Reid." I hear other voices in the background. "You're on speaker." The boss says.
"Annie, what happened? Reid said you were in trouble. I haven't gotten the time to talk to Hotch about it." Derek quickly asks. 
"Aw, if I didn't know better, you were worried." I tease the agent and earn a few laughs on the other side of the phone. 
"Okay, Okay, I guess I am the bad guy for caring." I can imagine him raising his arms in defense. 
"Morgan, this is what happened. When I left, ya'll go back to the models. I was in the group of Courtney, Kelly, Savannah, and Olivia. They were all heartbroken. There was no way they had something to do with Stella's death. Anyways, Savannah mentioned she misses her mom, and the other girls started to agree with her. The girls must have lost one or both parents before I could ask questions. They all left the lounge. Understandably, I was alone in that room. Then I heard someone in the hallway. I hid behind the couch and saw it was Becca Poe's niece, Marie. She searched the janitor's closet for a broom, dustpan, gloves, and a magnifying glass. Odd right? Anyway, I followed her back to back to my dressing room. I pull my phone out to start recording. Marie was on her hands and knees, looking for something. That something was Becca Poe's missing diamond from her bracelet. She called the aunt, and she was on the scene five minutes later. At first, Poe is excited that she has found a diamond, but it turns out she is missing three. When Poe was displeased, she slapped the young girl and yelled that she was a fool." I take a deep breath.

Spencer gives me a worried look. I'm fine, dude.

 "Anyways, this is where shit goes down. She heard me talking to Spencer on the phone to get me out of there. She pulled a 9mm under her skirt and swept the hallway. Poe turned on the lights, and that was when she saw me behind a large curtain. I yanked the curtain down and hit her on the head. I started to run. Becca was still all tangled up in the curtain, but somehow, she skimmed my arm. Don't worry, I am fine. All stitched up thanks to Doctor 187." A light shade of pink appears on his cheeks, and I hear Rossi's distinctive laugh on the other side of the phone. "And now I am here." I finish my story. 

"I'll have Garcia dig on Becca Poe and her niece." Hotch states, "She has to have some kind of military experience for her to hit Payne down a hallway. Just barely grazed her." JJ responses
"You're right. Garcia will look into Becca Poe's military experiences.  Reid, I want you to stay the night with Payne. We do not know if Becca saw her or not. Go grab a bag and head back to Payne's room. Payne forwarded me that video. We will pick this up in the morning. Get some sleep." Hotch ends the phone call. 

Immediately, I send him the video, and he responds 

"Good job Payne. Get some rest. Be ready tomorrow. Have fun with Reid." Really, even my boss is involved in this. Goodness, this is very uncharacteristic. 

I look at the bed, but there is only one bed. It's a good thing it is king-size. "Umm, I'll go quickly pack a bag. Stay here. I'll be back in 15 minutes. " Reid hurries to leave the room. 
All of the agents are somewhere in this hotel. He hopefully won't be long. 

I stack all of the loose papers into their rightful folder. The bed itself is still made by housekeeping. To make him more comfortable, I took two pillows and one blanket so that I could sleep on the pullout couch. I have no motivation, so I lie on the couch for ten minutes. 

"Damn." I am pulling with all of my strength to set the couch up. It is so old it popped up, and I fell straight on my ass. "Ow, thank goodness no one saw that." I whisper under my breath, "I saw that." Reid is standing in the doorway with his clothes. 

"Damnit, Spencer." I groan in embarrassment 
"Haha. I wish I got that on video. Next, why are you pulling the couch out? Is that for me?" He set his stuff down 
"Um, no, it is actually for me. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." I start to make my bed, and then, suddenly, I am lifted off the ground. 
"REID." I laugh 
"Hey, you need the bed. I will be okay on the couch." He gently lets me down on the blankets and leaves to change in the bathroom. 

How about we share the bed? 

He walks out in long red, plaid pants and an oversized black shirt. Damn, he looks hot. 

"You know, Spencer. There is enough room for both of us. I mean, if you're comfortable and that couch feels like a board. It is up to you." I snuggle underneath the blankets 
"You're giving me an invite?" He points to himself
"Yes, doc. Take it or leave it." I turn off the light next to my bed and close my eyes. Wishfully, I hope he hops into the bed. 

I hear him lock the door, and turn off the main lights. Pitch black in the room now. 
An "Ow." breaks the silence. "I stubbed my toe," Reid whispers; I couldn't help but laugh. 

"Hey now, I don't laugh at you." He pretends to be mad, but then a cold draft sends shivers down my spine. 

"I hope this will be okay." Reid climbs into bed 
"Yeah, it is alright with me. Goodnight, doc." I hug the blankets a little tighter
"Come here." He snakes his arm around my waist and pulls me into his embrace. I can feel his heart beating on my back. 

"Good night." His voice starts to get more raspy. Damn 
"Good night." I snuggle close to his chest, and we let sleep take over.