Chapter 2: Into the Storm
a/n: Thanks to ArwenLalaith for the kind beta'ing!
Oh, um...so this would be the chapter that has the more racy bits. Like I said, nothing too graphic, but it's not for the kiddos, either.
Chapter 2: Into the Storm
Then they set out ... shuffling through the ash, each the other's world entire.
-Cormac McCarthy, The Road
"Reid, man, you're drivin' me nuts. Would you cut that out?!" Derek Morgan demanded, his handsome face scrunching in a scowl. Spencer Reid had been humming all day - humming! - and Morgan was on the verge of wringing his neck in flagrant disregard of his policy to not pick on skinny kids with a limp.
The young doctor blushed, fidgeted. "Um, right. Sorry, Morgan. I just...sorry," he stammered, ducking his head to hide a little grin.
"Hey, what's today? I think this report was dated wrong," Jennifer "J.J." Jareau asked as she frowned down at the folder in her hands.
"January eighth," Reid and Emily Prentiss replied simultaneously. Reid's cheeks colored again as he suddenly looked very absorbed in the map he d been studying. Prentiss shifted in her chair a little, avoiding everyone's gaze, and returned her attention to the laptop in front of her.
Morgan and J.J. exchanged puzzled looks. "What are you two, the Bobbseys?" J.J. said, lips curving.
"Wow. A Bobbsey twins reference. You don't look that old, J.J.," Prentiss quipped.
"Actually, though the Bobbsey Twins series had its final volume in 1979, its popularity as a cultural touchstone endured," Reid piped up. "J.J.'s reference, while perhaps lost on a young teenager or a child, is perfectly appropriate for her age."
J.J. nodded wryly. "Thanks, Spence. I think."
"Seriously? The year the last Bobbsey Twins book was published? Is there anything you don't know?" Prentiss asked rhetorically.
He pondered a few moments. "The air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
"Well, it does depend on whether it's an African or European swallow," she responded, a smile brightening her face. Their eyes met, held, and Morgan glanced over at J.J., brows raised.
Before either agent could comment further on their colleagues' odd behavior, Morgan's phone rang. He frowned down at the caller ID display before flipping it open. "Morgan. How can I help you, ma'am?" Strauss, he mouthed to the others, grimacing in annoyance. He listened carefully, his face clouding as she spoke. "Yes, ma'am. Are you sure?...Of course, immediately...Yes, ma'am...Yes, ma'am. As soon as possible. Thank you, ma'am." He snapped the phone closed and glared at it.
"What's up?" J.J. asked.
"We've been recalled to Quantico ASAP. Apparently there's a spree killer targeting shopping malls. Three people, including a kid, are dead already."
"The secondary team can't take care of it?" Prentiss asked.
"Apparently not. The press is all over it, and they're already asking why the FBI's top people aren't there. She wants us back yesterday."
Reid was staring out the window, his deep-set hazel eyes wide. "Um, guys? I don't think that's going to happen. Look."
The team joined him, their faces wearing identical looks of astonishment. Outside the Cedar Trail, Colorado sheriff's office, the pretty little snow shower that had greeted them that morning had turned into a maelstrom of driving white. "White out conditions. No planes are leaving any time soon," J.J. confirmed as she checked the airport status on her BlackBerry. "Not to mention the roads between here and the airport are probably nasty. I don't think we're going anywhere, guys."
"Shit. Strauss is gonna maim me."
"Nah," Prentiss disagreed blithely, "she'll go after Mother Nature first. That gives you time to run away."
"Bravely, I hope," Reid offered.
Prentiss bit her lip to stifle a laugh; Morgan shook his head in disgust; J.J. just raised a contemplative brow. "I'll call Hotch and Rossi to let them know to meet us at the hotel; judging by the look of that weather, I think we should pack it in for the day."
"I'll call Strauss," Morgan said reluctantly. "Prentiss, Reid, you two go on ahead. Get the sheriff to drive you; he has snow chains on his tires. J.J. and I will get him when he gets back."
The two agents studiously avoided looking at each other as they gathered their things and buttoned their coats. Prentiss offered Reid his cane, glad he'd brought it "just in case:" this situation seemed like a definite "in case," as the sidewalk was sure to be slick with ice. He smiled and mumbled his thanks, and they set off to find the sheriff.
Later, Reid ghosted around his empty hotel room. The snow outside hadn't let up, and the sheriff said it might be twenty-four hours or more before the roads between Cedar Trail and the airport were cleared. Sometimes Reid really hated small towns. One good thing: since the hotel lacked any sort of restaurant, the sheriff's wife had made them all dinner. Reid's plate, wiped clean of fantastic meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans, seemed to mock him from the nightstand.
Dinner had been a distraction, but he'd eaten too fast. Now he had a lot of time on his hands, and none of his usual diversions were holding his attention. He'd started and discarded three books. He'd gone over the case file ad nauseam. He'd tried to watch TV, but the cable was out and the local channels were just covering the weather (guess what? Snow. An ass load of snow).
He sighed. Paced. Splashed cold water on his face. Paced some more.
He was on the verge of giving in when there was a knock on the door. He checked the peephole; grinned. Prentiss held up a bottle and two plastic hotel-issue cups as he opened the door.
"I brought Diet Coke," she said, her face lit in a wry grin.
"Diet Coke," he replied, a smile twisting his mouth, "the drink of champions. You'd better come in; I'm thirsty." He stepped aside to let her in, and as she brushed past him he caught a whiff of her subtle, intriguing perfume. The scent made him ache. He shut the door behind her, set the locks. Cleared his throat before turning to face her. "I was about to come to you," he admitted.
She smiled and poured them each two fingers of soda. Passed him a cup. "To the eighth," she said, raising her drink in salute.
He tapped his plastic chalice against hers before knocking the drink back. The bubbles fizzed all the way down, and he coughed a little.
"Light weight," she teased gently.
His lips curved in acknowledgement, but the expression slowly faded as he watched her. "Emily-"
"No, Spencer," she murmured, stepping close. "No words. Not now."
His hands, those beautiful, sensitive, long-fingered hands, came up to cup her face. She smiled at him, and if he noticed the way her mouth trembled, he didn't say so. He complied with her wishes and simply kissed her, his lips both firm and soft against hers, his touch both gentle and demanding. He was a study of contradictions, and she found that nearly irresistible. His fingers ran up through her glossy hair as the kiss deepened, and he kneaded the back of her neck with one hand as the other slid down to unbutton her blouse.
She nipped lightly at his lower lip, and a heartbeat later all hesitation was forgotten. Buttons were dealt with hastily, mouths tasted hungrily, clothing flew like a whirlwind, and hands stroked already sweat-slicked skin with insistent need. He kissed the warm porcelain swell of her breast above black lace; she ran teasing fingers up and down his flat belly. She breathed out a moan; his muscles tightened.
They were gasping, laughing, whispering small exclamations of pleasure as they rediscovered each other's bodies, explored new features. He delighted in the softness of her skin; she reveled in the feel of his hands. She pressed her lips tenderly against the scar on his thigh, tracing it with her tongue in a way that made him shudder.
They came together joyfully, all thoughts of the world outside the small, bare room forgotten. The case disappeared; the team; the storm. For a short time, each was the other's world entire.
Though Hotch and Prentiss are one of my favorite pairs, I decided to go a different way with this one. Even in an AU I can't really see Hotch going for a one night stand sort of thing, and due to his marriage (unless I left that out, I suppose) this would only be their second or maybe third year; I felt the situation needed more build than that. Because it is an AU, and because I like the idea of Reid and Prentiss, I decided to go the less conventional route this time. :)