Criminal Minds One Shots

Homicidal Paintball

McDowell squeezed the trigger, not even flinching when a bullet exploded from the gun with a loud bang.  She set down the gun at the counter, removing her headphones but leaving them around her neck and then lifting her safety glasses, setting them on top of her head.

"McDowell!" Reid yelled, finally getting her attention.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Practicing to play homicidal paintball with my boyfriend this weekend," she answered casually.

Reid stared like she was insane and then forced out, "You have a boyfriend?"

"For a genius, you're pretty stupid," she teased, trying to choke back a laugh as she hit the switch to bring the target back to her.

Reid gave her a bewildered look and opened his mouth to say something, only for Morgan to come over by them and ask with a grin, "Who'd want to be your boyfriend, McDowell?  Pretty Boy here, maybe?" he teased, messing up Reid's hair.

McDowell calmly pulled the target off, glancing at the holes in head, heart, and gut of the person outline printed on the sheet before handing it to Morgan and replying smoothly, "Anyone I want if they know what's good for them."

She grabbed her gun and ejected the used magazine, replacing it with a new one.  Morgan, after glancing appreciatively at the target, whistled in amazement and showed it to Reid, who raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Homicidal paintball, huh?" Morgan mused, but McDowell had already replaced her headphones and safety glasses and started firing again.  Her rapport of bullets nearly drowned out Morgan's gloating.

"She will squash you flat, Pretty Boy," he remarked.

"What? I never said--" Reid started, glancing at McDowell's back.  She was wearing a ratty pair of jeans and an old T-shirt, unusual attire to see her in cause he rarely saw her when they weren't at work.

Morgan laughed and said, "Reid, trust me.  You need to work on your dating skills before you even have a chance with her."

"What makes you think I want a chance with her?" Reid asked defensively, failing at coming off unconcerned.

"Come on, kid. Everyone can tell you have a thing for her but her," Morgan remarked.

"Everyone?  You mean--" but Reid was cut off again by Morgan saying half-sarcastically, "Garcia's been planning your wedding."

They both glanced at McDowell, who was still nailing the target's bulls eye, and then Morgan threw an arm around Reid's neck, leading him away from the shooting range.

"JJ and Prentiss have been dropping her hints and trying to get you two alone together every chance they get, and honestly I think Rossi and Hotch are in on it, too," Morgan said.

Reid just stared, completely oblivious until now about everything Morgan was telling him.  But if he had been completely unaware, how much had McDowell realized?