Paranoia - s.reid

Birthday Boy 2.0

"Hold your head still!" Liz laughed, keeping the scissors in her hand steady as she gently snipped away at Spencer's hair. Spencer complied, bouncing his leg to entertain Diana who sat on his lap. She'd just recently started saying 'mama', 'dada', and various other easy words but her favorite was still 'brain'.

After 10 more minutes of cutting, Spencer's hair was short, probably the shortest it's been in a long time. She ruffled the soft locks. "You look so cute." She gushed. Diana clapped her hands together.

"Dada."

"Yeah, baby, daddy's got a new haircut." Spencer put on his baby voice, laughing when the baby stretched out her hand, trying to reach for it but opted to play with Liz's hair instead. Liz's phone rang and she answered, speaking through her giggles. "Elizabeth Reid, here."

"We've got a case. We need you in an hour."

Her face instantly fell. "Okay. We'll be there." She put the phone down. "Case. Let's put Dee to bed, call Stevie and leave." Spencer nodded.

After a good half and hour, they finally coerced the child into sleep, peering over her crib and gazing at her as she slept. "When was the last time she slept this peacefully?" Liz whispered, trying her hardest not to wake the sleeping infant.

"9 days ago." Spencer whispered back. "I don't mind having another one."

She looked up at him. "Me neither. You want another one?"

"Only if you want another one."

"I don't mind one."

"Neither do I." An extended silence. "So are we trying?"

"We'll just let it happen. We're not trying, but we're not-not trying, you get me?"

"Totally."

-----

The couple rushed into the round table room, taking their seats. "Sorry, Dee was being fussy." Spencer apologised. Everyone looked at him oddly.

"What, did you join a boy band?" Hotch asked. Liz bursted out laughing, nudging Morgan's foot.

He shot the team a confused look at their laughs. "No." He answered, his voice high pitched. Everyone shared a laugh before discussing case details.

Strauss needed the team in LA working a home invasion homicide. The team sat on the jet in their usual seats, case files in hand. "This guy's way too good at this to have just started. He pulled off hours of torture and a homicide without disturbing the neighbors, and he robbed the house."

"Could be a habit."

"You think he started as a burglar?"

"If it was just about the killing, he wouldn't bother robbing them. Mrs. Everson said there was a noise outside their door. They were outside of their room a few minutes, when they came back, he was there. He distracted them so he could climb through their bedroom window."

"I'll have Garcia see if that MO was used in any other home invasions."

"Victimology's all over the map. 3 murders and he managed to kill men, women, old, young, black, white, Hispanic. That's about as random as it gets. Randomness implies a lack of predictability. I think that's the point. All the varying people in his message. He wants them all to fear him."

"They will. Press got ahold of last night's home invasion."

"JJ and I will set up at the station. Dave, you, Reid and Elizabeth, go visit Mrs. Everson at the hospital. Morgan and Prentiss, the LAPD are waiting for you at the Everson house." Hotch instructed.