GOLDEN || S. REID

𝟿: 𝚀𝚞𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚘, 𝚅𝙰

Eliza fiddled with the visitor pass that hung off the lapel of her jacket, her warped black-and-white portrait doing little justice to how she actually looked that day. The more private financial records sat heavily in her messenger bag, Thomas's journal also heavily weighing down on the material of the rather cheap faux leather she had bought last second in one of the airport shops back in California.

It was early, like it's-six-in-the-morning early, which meant that on her other hand, the one not fussing with the blastic visitor's pass, held a thirty-two-ounce travel mug filled to the brim with almost sickeningly sweet coffee. The sugar would wake her up faster if it didn't kill her first, hopefully.

She felt her phone buzzing in her back pocket, short bursts alerting her of the multiples of texts coming through. They were most likely from Riley, the only person that would be up at this godforsaken time (not that he would have gone to sleep in the first place). His sleep schedule was wildly inconsistent and sometimes it really did scare Eliza. As an actor, getting rest and taking care of himself should have been his priority.

The device came free from her tight black pants, the screen's light illuminating her face as she read the texts on screen.

Good luck, Riley had sent her. If you see Dr Sexy, make sure to thank him for saving my sister for me. The smiley emoticon at the end of the sentence brought a smile to Eliza's face as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the glass doors of the Behavioral Analysis Unit before her. The FBI insignia printed into the glass let her know that she was in the right place, along with the BAU's full name written on the outside. Eliza couldn't help but think about how bad that would be for them if someone was looking specifically for their department.

On the other hand, this was the FBI. Whatever person with malicious intent against the BAU probably wouldn't make it past the first floor. There were agents at literally every corner, even at six in the morning. The amount of odd looks she'd gotten already was astounding, from other early risers and visitors alike. They most likely recognized her, based off of one of their reactions.

As instructed, Eliza bypassed the doors and made her way to the back of the room, heading straight for the office marked 'Aaron Hotchner.' She knocked twice, trying not to look suspicious to the two people in the breakroom who were already eyeing her suspiciously, before the door opened.

"Ms. Hamilton," Agent Hotchner greeted her. He let her into his office giving a stern look to the blonde and brunet duo in the breakroom before closing the door. Eliza set her bag down on the nearest seat, rolling her coffee cup in between her hands. "Thank you for coming out as soon as you did. How's your side healing?"

"It's healing well," Eliza responded cordially. "Also, I want to apologize for how I acted when we first met. I was, simply put, an asshole."

"All is forgiven," he responded despite the obvious fact that it wasn't. Eliza nodded, awkwardly fiddling with the visitor pass once more. A few seconds ticked by as they waited for Emily and Andi Swann to arrive, along with another agent that Eliza had never met before. Her mind drifted to the duo standing in the breakroom, the colorfully dressed woman especially. There was something about her appearance that made Eliza feel okay despite being in the literal Lion's Den.

"Who were they?" Eliza finally broke, her curiosity getting the better of her. "The two standing in the break room? I don't remember seeing them when you all came to San Francisco."

"That's because they weren't there," Hotchner said. "That was our Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia and another Technical Analyst, not with the BAU, Kevin Lynch."

"Are they dating?" Eliza looked through the slits in the shades, watching the two interact. It looked like they were arguing about something, occasionally glancing over at the office they were in. Eliza had no doubts that they were talking about her.