Criminal

Go Time

I'm waiting for Reid to come to my hotel room. My hands are sweaty thinking about what could go wrong tonight. Ever since I agreed to this assignment, I couldn't help but think that I would mess it up. I push those feelings aside when I hear a knock on the door. My eyes widen in surprise. Reid looks... good. He dressed up for our "date". I blush a little and then look down at my own outfit. I am underdressed. "Madam, your chariot awaits downstairs." Reid awkwardly bows to go along with his joke.
I pull him inside and close the door. "Reid I didn't know you were dressing up! It will make it more believable if I look like I am dressed for a date." Reid protests, "you look nice, you don't have to change!" I frown in concentration, pulling clothes out of my suitcase. "It'll just take a minute."
I put on a dress, swipe some mascara on my eyes, and make a pouty face as I put my favorite lipstick on my lips. Reid watches as I finish my makeup. "Foster, you look lovely. Can we go now?" I can't help but laugh as I think of how much his sentence sounded like something an impatient boyfriend would say.
The night sky is surprisingly clear for Los Angeles. Reid and I take a stroll around Griffith Observatory, and set a blanket down in the middle of the grassy hill. It's about 8 o'clock at night, and now we just have to wait. Reid and I talk and laugh, sharing embarrassing stories about ourselves. I lay back, looking up at the stars. Reid follows my lead. I point out the constellations. "I've always liked the night sky. My minor was actually astronomy in college, because learning about stars was never boring to me. The universe is so much more vast than humans can even learn in a lifetime, and it's kind of calming to me." Reid looks at me in surprise. "Wow, I didn't know that about you. That's admirable, I've always loved learning about the universe too. You're right - it is calming."
Reid intertwines his fingers with mine. I gasp automatically, not getting the chance to stop myself. "Oh - oh I'm sorry..." he lets go. "no don't apologize! It took me by surprise, that's all. It makes sense if we hold hands, since this assignment is supposed to be a date." I let him sit with a frown on his face before I grab his hand in reassurance. "I'm just kidding. I want to hold your hand." He smiles and I feel his hand squeeze mine.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?" I look deeply into his eyes. "Of course." Reid replies. "Forgive me if this is personal, but did something happen to you on the job that, I don't know... traumatized you?" I ask, breaking my voice. "Um... uh" he stammers. "I'm so sorry! That was too personal!" I suddenly feel super guilty. "No, I'll tell you. I was uh, "kidnapped" on the job. It traumatized me for months. I thought I'd never get over it. Guess I still haven't."
He pauses. "How did you know?" I think about it. "I mean we're at the BAU, I guess I'm just good at analyzing people. But also there's a sadness in your eyes. It comes over you when you talk about certain aspects of the job." I touch his arm, a serious look in my eyes. "I want you to know, I'm here if you ever want to talk."
"Thank you Shay, I might take you up on that sometime." There's a halt in our conversation as I look into Reid's eyes in the dark sunset light. His eyes remind me of the universe. How vast a person can be. You can spend your whole life studying him, but you may never learn everything. I pull him in closer, and lean into his face. We kiss slowly, his hand on my face and my hands around his neck. The kiss is tender and magical, it makes all the stress and weight of this job go away, if just for a second.
We pull away and he bites his lip, trying to contain his smile. "We just met, Shay, but I feel like you calm me." I smile, finishing his sentence. "Like the universe."