Front Lines| Spencer Reid + Anne Grey

thirty three

Anne Grey and Spencer Reid sit at their desks in the center of the bullpen, along with Derek Morgan and Elle Greenaway.

It had been a week since the car accident and everything that followed within that day. Both Anne and Spencer were still mildly struggling with their injuries, but they had each been on a steady road to recovery. Grey heavily relied on her crutch to keep her remotely stable, and Reid still had quite the limp, but, nonetheless, they were improving.

Over the weekend, Hotch had gone though the process of fully hiring Greenaway, since her previous work for the BAU had only been as a consult. She had been fitting in quite well.

"Okay, am I the only one that wants to catch a case already?" Grey abruptly asks, dropping her pen down on her desk with a sigh. She was beyond tired of paperwork, clearly. Navy blue sutures still marked her face, making it hard for her to show her vivid discontent, although she managed.

"Oh my god, yes," Elle agrees, abandoning her paperwork as well. "Do you guys normally go this long without one?"

Morgan had also dropped out of signing documents as soon as he witnessed his coworkers do it. "Not at all, I mean, it's been, what, two weeks since our last out of state one?" he chimes in.

"If JJ doesn't give us one soon, I may just go outside and commit a felony to give us something to do," Anne jokes, beginning to spin her chair back and forth in a 180 degree motion, so that she never completed a full turn.

Finally looking up from his papers, Reid nonchalantly asks, "What are you going to do, hit an elderly woman with your crutch?"

Trying to keep a straight face, but soon failing, Grey laughs, "God damn it, Spencer." Elle and Derek seemed quite entertained by the remark, as well.

Through snickering, Morgan proposes, "Would that be a felony, though? Simple assault is a misdemeanor."

Elle quickly provides an answer, before Anne or Spencer could jump in. "It would depend on the damage. If Grey called this elderly woman an idiot and said she was going to hit her with a crutch, then tapped her with it, that would be simple assault." She tilts her head and raises her eyebrows, then continues, "But, if she absolutely demolished her with it and maybe broke her arm or something, that would be aggravated assault, and that's a felony."

Grey and Derek laugh, while Reid looks back at his paperwork, quipping, "I was picturing the latter."

Anne uses her right foot to kick him from under their desks, smiling and muttering, "I'm glad we have that covered."

He looks up for a split second, giving her a knowingly smug look and raising his eyebrows. His gaze falls downward immediately after, though, trying to finish up his work while following along with the conversation.

Looking around, Derek notices Jareau leaving her office. "Grey," he says, nodding toward the woman as to give some sort of heads-up. He knew that she would want to speak with her, judging by her earlier complaints.

Anne follows his gaze, smiling slightly and calling, "Hey, JJ!"

"I have a case pending," she instantly responds, a cell phone balancing on her shoulder as she walks. She gives the team a smile, aware that they would be happy to hear it.

Grey's lips rise as she calls back, "I adore you!"

JJ giggles, returning, "Thanks!" before walking off toward the kitchen, beginning to speak into her phone.

"Thank god," Morgan says, to which Elle and Spencer simultaneously return, "Amen." They give each other a look, sharing a quick grin.

Anne nods, but before she can express much else, her cell phone begins to buzz. She looks at the caller ID, not recognizing the number in the slightest. Expecting a telemarketer, she rolls her eyes, picking up the call and answering with, "Grey."