CM: BigBang 2011
Chapter 7
Jo showed up last on Monday. Reid watched from his seat as she looked a few times between Morgan´s old desk and Emily´s desks before walking to Prentiss´ and looking at him. “Is this desk taken?” she asked him.
He paused. That was Emily´s desk, but Emily was dead. There was nothing standing in way for Jo to claim it. Jo seemed to see his discomfort because she walked over to him and leaned against his desk.
“It will only be for a few months and I can sit over there,” she said and pointed to Morgan´s old desk. “I just want to have a familiar face next to me.”
He really couldn´t argue with that. Well, he could, but not without hurting her. “It´s okay,” he told her.
“Reid,” Jo said. “Is that Agent Prentiss´ desk?”
Reid nodded and kept his eyes on the file in front of him.
“If you don´t want me to sit there, you need to tell me now. I would understand,” Jo said, her voice empathetic.
Looking up at her, he noticed she was watching him intently. They were on the same team and it seemed logical for her to sit next to him. “You can take her desk,” he told her and gave her a tentative smile. She returned it with understanding.
Hotch walked past them as Jo was turning on the computer and changing the settings on the seat to her liking. “There's an office down the hall that our liaison used that you could have,” he told Jo.
Jo shook her head. “If it´s all right with you, I´d like to sit here. I like being around people.”
“That´s fine,” Hotch told her, but glanced at Reid. Reid looked at him briefly before looking away, not entirely happy with the situation. “Talk to Garcia when you´re settled,” Hotch told Jo. “She´ll give you insight into how we run things. I´ve already sent her an e-mail so she´ll be expecting you.”
“I will, thank you,” Jo said appreciatively.
“How´s the hand?” Hotch asked next.
Reid looked up when Jo raised her arm. She showed of a big purple spot that almost covered the back of her left hand. “Sore, but workable. I´m not doing any field work this week,” Jo said. “Doctor´s orders,” she added with a chuckle.
Hotch smiled. “Can you leave your report on my desk as soon as it´s ready?”
“Absolutely,” Jo said, and Reid watched Hotch walk toward the kitchenette. He thought about the smile he´d seen on Hotch´s face when he smiled at Jack and couldn´t help but compare it to the one he saw just now.
Hotch´s face was usually masked to hide any motions or thoughts, and he was extremely hard to read unless you knew what you were looking for. The warm smile he´d given Jack on Friday-morning had been open and shown the love and pride he had for his son. It was a smile Reid remembered from his early days on the team, before Hotch´s world came crumbling down like a deck of cards. The one he´d given Jo had been controlled, given as an affirmative sign of understanding; there had been no passion or joy in it. Jo was still new on the team and Hotch was clearly keeping her as far away from anything personal as he could manage. He was professional and to the point. Reid wondered if Jo saw past it and decided she did, because she seemed to have an uncanny ability to tune into people´s emotions and understand them.
Reid got to work on his report for the Boston case. He barely noticed when Jo stood up half an hour later. When he came to the part about the geographical profile he couldn´t help but think about the heated look he´d gotten from Hotch in the hotel-room. He felt his cheek burning and bent over his report to hide it. He wasn´t the novice other people thought he was when it came to looks like that, but he couldn´t really wrap his head around the fact that Hotch was attracted to him. It had caught him by surprise because he´d never thought it possible that Mr. Nothing-Affects-Me Hotchner could return the feelings he had for him.
Sighing he pushed the thought out of his mind and finished the report.
***
It only took Jo a week to settle into the BAU. She and Garcia spent an entire day updating and rewriting the software Garcia had made for JJ. After that she kept the consults and paperwork coming at an alarming rate.
“You are a slave driver, woman,” Morgan told her one morning when she traded him eight files for an empty coffee-mug in the kitchenette.
Jo regarded him for a moment before smiling. “Why thank you for noticing both,” she replied as Reid walked past them toward the coffee-maker.
“How can you not notice when a pretty little thing like you brings the work,” Morgan said, smiling and leaning against the counter. Reid glanced at them, listening to the conversation and thinking Jo would be annoyed by Morgan´s comment.
But Jo only laughed and hit his upper arm gently before filling both mugs. “Flattery will get you nowhere, mister. Besides, I know your heart is set on one woman only.”
“Ow,” Morgan said teasingly and set his palm against his chest. “You break my heart, girl.”
“Reid is good with puzzles, I´m sure he can put it back together in a beat.” She handed Morgan his mug.
“No problem,” Reid chipped in with a smile, sipping his coffee and enjoying the small banter.
“Now get back to work, both of you,” Jo said as she walked away with her own cup.
“You telling us to work now,” Morgan called after her, jokingly.
Jo stopped and turned around with a grin. “Have to live up to your slave driver standard, don´t I?”
***
One Thursday afternoon, about three weeks later, Jo walked over to Reid´s desk and leaned against it, looking at him. He stared up at her, unsure what was going on.
“Do you have any plans for tonight?” Jo asked him.
“Uh, no,” Reid informed her truthfully but was instantly alert.
“Do you want to come over for dinner? Anna really wants to get to know you,” Jo told him.
“She does?” Reid said, surprised.
Jo grinned. “Yes. You made quite an impression rattling off all those bones the other day.” The compliment was pleasing and he looked away as he blushed.
“It´s nothing much, just pot roast,” Jo told him.
If Anna wanted to get to know him, he really couldn´t say no. “Sure, I like pot roast,” Reid said and smiled shyly. Jo´s cell buzzed. She quickly picked it up and looked at the caller ID.
“Great, she´s really looking forward to seeing you again,” Jo said and started to turn away. Reid caught the name Larson on the screen. “I´ll see you tonight, around six thirty?” she asked as she walked away.
“I´ll be there,” Reid called after her.
***
Ch: 8