CLANDESTINE : Spencer Reid

07

Friday morning, I come into the office in time to see JJ and Garcia with their backs to Dr. Reid's desk. He tells them to turn around and they avert their eyes. I sit at my desk and ignore them. Some small black object flies off his desk and smacks Prentiss in the face. She joins in on their physics fun. I ignore it, booting up my computer. As promised, Morgan is not around.

"You should see this, Cole," JJ offers.

"I'm good," I shrug.

The black object, which I've discovered is a cap, shoots through the air. Everyone goes quiet. Agent Hotchner approaches to scold Dr. Reid, but even he smiles. I don't understand how any of them can find him tolerable. When he isn't pestering me about all the things I'm bad at doing or being, he takes his time to run hazardous science experiments in the bullpen.

Before lunch, it seems like I've managed to curse them. They all are called out of the office without even debriefing in the conference room. I am not sure if I should stay late. I'm dismissed on time by Garcia. Her voice is quiet, dry. For someone who works investigating homicide, she never seems to do well when something happens. I spend time refreshing over the weekend. It always feels like I'm dragging my feet to get to the bureau every week. On Monday, everyone is back except Morgan. I'm guessing he got the luxury of staying in Chicago while the others went investigating.

That week, it is December. My siblings are trying to coordinate a date that works for all of us on an online chat, as well as a location. It looks like I'm going to be hopping into Stéphane's car and we're going to go to New Hampshire together. I'm trying to weasel my way out of it. They're going to try to drag me to Québec just like last year. Maman won't come over the border, but neither will I, so we are at a stalemate. I won last year, but I don't think I will be so lucky this year.

People begin to decorate their desks with holiday cheer. We organize a secret Santa, and I draw Dr. Reid because the universe is evil and hates me in particular. Asking for help would ruin the spirit of secret Santa, so I have to try to figure out what to get him that doesn't indicate to this office of profiling vultures that I despise him.

At the end of the week, I go shooting with Prentiss and JJ. Garcia isn't authorized to use a gun, so she doesn't come along. Instead, the three of us go to the targets and practice. They are far better shots than I am, but they have years of practice on me, and they actually shoot in the field. With my job, I'm not required to go into the field. Originally, it was something that I preferred. However, seeing how these people understand each other better than I do, it feels strange.

Garcia also brings me leftovers to bring to Estelle. We enjoy them over the weekend. Estelle is impressed, genuinely. On Monday, I let Garcia know.

Over the week, I learn more about Reid. He actually can finish most books within ten minutes, so books are out of the question as gifts to give him. It's unfortunate because he loves to regurgitate information like nobody's business. It's hard to find a gift for someone you choose not to know. I find myself listening in on his conversations. He doesn't seem to correct other people as much as he does me. He eats a hodgepodge of foods every day for lunch, so I'm guessing he cannot really cook. Even worse, he seems to stop bothering me this week, but I chalk that up to the spree of cases they've had recently and his mountain of paperwork. Most people in the office are pretty quiet. All that I've noticed is that he drinks at least four coffees a day, and twice that week he drinks five. On the coldest day, he comes in wearing a scarf. Morgan jokes that he shouldn't be allowed to wear a Halloween costume in December. After a lot of googling, I realize it's part of a costume for the fourth doctor in Doctor Who.

Bingo.

We do our gift exchange the next Wednesday. They placed it just a week before Christmas because they are worried about getting called away on Thursday or Friday. We are supposed to come back next Thursday, the twenty-seventh. Agent Hotchner is taking time off to be with his son, Jack.