𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒚 ↝ 𝒔. 𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒅

𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒚-𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

"There have been three officers that have been at every scene." Garcia said as Avery hovered over her shoulder.

"Three? That's quite a few for eight different crime scenes." Hotch said through the phone.

Garcia shrugged. "Two were authorized to be there but there was one that wasn't supposed to be at two of them."

"We need a name, Garcia." Reid said, his voice wavering.

"Officer Ryan Wyatt."

"Addre-"

"Sent to your phone."

Garcia leaned back in her chair, Avery furrowing her eyebrows. "What do we do now?"

Garcia took her hand and watched the five red dots move on the screen. "We wait."

Avery sat back and focused on the red dots, trying to figure out which one was Reid. Garcia turned to her and smiled. "You love him."

"I care about him," Avery said. "I don't know that I love him."

"You don't know?" Garcia grinned. "So you're not sure you don't love him."

"We wouldn't work," Avery chuckled. "An FBI agent that likes keeping secrets. A journalist who uncovers secrets."

"That's why you work," Garcia chuckled. "You're so different that you're compatible. I see you two. I see how much you care about each other."

"Penelope, you don't understand," she smiled. "Sure, I love him. But it'll never-"

Avery's phone rang and she glanced down at it, seeing Reid's smiling face. She excused herself and stepped out of Garcia's office, pressing the phone against her ear.

"Hey.."

"Hey," she could practically hear Reid's smile. "What are you wearing?"

Avery laughed, the weight of the firearm on her belt becoming noticeable. She could only thank him for taking her mind off the situation at hand. "A gun."

Reid and her shared a laugh before quieting down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course." Avery replied.

"Ava.."

She closed her eyes and set her head against the wall. "He's dead because of me. Because I couldn't stop digging-"

"This isn't your fault, don't even think that," Reid said to her. "These cops are dirty and they have to be brought to justice before they kill anyone else."

"Spencer, if anything happens-"

"Nothing's going to happen."

"You would be the next target," she said, panic lacing her voice. "They're going after people I love."

Both of their eyes widened at Avery's words. These things kept slipping out and she was beginning to think that she meant it. That she loved him.

"You...what?"

She sucked in a breath, her heart about to beat out of her chest. "Spencer, I love you. Like a friend or more, I don't know yet. But if anything happens to you because of what I did-"

"Nothing's going to happen," Reid quickly said. "To me. Or to you. And this was not your fault."

She breathed in deeply, trying to control the thoughts of Reid dying because of her. She couldn't let that happen. 

"And Avery?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too."

***

Avery headed to the bathroom, wiping the stray tears from her eyes, a smile on her face. 

Her breath caught in her throat when a hand wrapped around her mouth and pulled her into a stray closet. "We told you to stay out of it but you couldn't, could you?"

She looked up at the person, trying to figure out who was standing in front of her. He was dressed in police uniform, badge number-

She blinked and squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. Focus. Focus on the badge number. 6301.

"I'm sorry-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, sweetheart," he snapped. "Now you have the BAU team looking into it and they're not going to stop."

"Dirty cops deserve what they-"

He pulled her back and smashed her head against the wall, her vision blurring at the pain. "You're coming with me."

"No, no.." She said.

Avery reached down for her gun but badge number 6301 was already pulling it from her holster. He had an arm around her waist and was pulling her towards the elevator.

She knew the camera would see her. She managed to sign the badge number to the camera and hoped that when they wondered where they went, they'd understand her message.

He shoved her into the backseat of his car and as she opened her mouth to say something, he hit her over the head and she fell unconscious.

In her pocket, her phone was ringing, Reid trying to reach her.