Strange Encounter - a Criminal Minds fic

Chapter 5

Seated at the conference table with her feet tucked under her legs, Amelia let out an exasperated sigh. Derek, Spencer, and JJ have been mentioning places that the women had visited, a few places she knew but they were bars, event halls, of course hundreds of people from the area would go there.

"I just don't know what the common thread here is. I mean, we seem like we'd all enjoy the same extracurricular activities but this is Philly. If you hadn't been to Fillmore do you really live in Philly?" She said sarcastically, realizing her tone was starting to sound brash. She took a deep breath before apologizing to the agents. "I'm sorry, I know you guys are trying to figure this out. I just don't know how I can help. I'm not seeing anything here." She glanced at her phone, realizing they had been at this for about 8 hours. She rubbed her eyes and glanced back down at the lists in front of her.

JJ started gathering the papers from Amelia, resting a reassuring hand on her back. "Don't apologize, even for us this is a long day. What you're doing is more than we could've asked, you're more help than you realize."

Rossi stuck his head in the room and asked if the agents could come into the hall for a second. As Derek and JJ followed him out the door, Spencer crouched down by Amelia's side. "How are you feeling?" He asked, realizing that was probably a dumb question but genuinely wanting to make sure she was okay.

She looked up at him and smiled. She liked his gentle demeanor, and after talking about murdered women all day it helped calm her down. "I'm alright, all things considered. I feel drained, but I really hope I am helping you guys." She studied his face, hoping he would confirm that she was, in fact, giving them something and not wasting their time.

Spencer put a hand on her knee before he realized what he was doing. She glanced down and instantly put her hand on top of his, her face flushed and she realized it was bold but she couldn't help it. Their eyes locked, "I hope you realize how essential you are to this, to helping us. Like JJ said, you really are helping us more than you realize. We're going to catch him" Spencer said adamantly. This helped reassure her, and she nodded her head. Spencer took his hand back and stood up, telling her he'd be right back. 

She watched him walk into the hall to join his teammates. Her head was spinning. She knew she was overly exhausted, and it seemed juvenile, but she couldn't help but feel butterflies when Spencer had put his hand on her knee. Maybe he did that for all of the young women in her position, but the way he looked at her.. it made her stomach flip. 'That's dumb, he's just doing his job and you're delusional and tired' she muttered under her breath. She reached into her bag and pulled out her headphones, slipping them into her ears and hitting shuffle on her 'mellow' playlist. Amelia realized she shouldn't want to listen to her Spotify with everything going on, but she just needed a little escape. She put her head and her hands and closed her eyes, just for a second.

'Don't be my, don't be my, don't be my last strange encounter' softly played as she slipped into an exhausted sleep.  

~

"The DJ Killer? You have got to be kidding me" Spencer read from the tv screen, exasperated. He knew this was going to get under the team's skin, they hated when the press put a name and vilified their unsubs. They don't deserve it, the coverage and recognition. He also knew this was going to upset Amelia, who already felt in some way guilty since her playlists were what the killer was using.

"I heard a few of them mention it when I came in earlier, but I didn't realized they'd run with it like this. I didn't acknowledge them but you know how the press is" Derek shrugged.

"We wouldn't have been able to stop them anyway, this city hasn't had a prolific killer like this in years. The media was bound to run with it." Hotch said, rubbing his brow.

Emily glances at Amelia through the window in the door. "Guys, she needs rest. And not on a couch in the precinct. Someone ought to take her home and let her sleep in her own bed, maybe stay with her overnight."

Hotch nodded his agreement. "Reid, you'll accompany Amelia home. I think she's most comfortable with you. Everyone else, go back to the hotel and get some rest. I want everyone back here by 7 am. Tomorrow's Friday, and while this killer is getting his 7 minutes of fame and he must know we know about Amelia he still may strike this weekend."

The rest of the agents murmured their agreement and went off to wrap things up for the evening. Spencer stood behind, looking at Amelia with her head down on the desk through the window. As uncomfortable as that table must be, she looked so peaceful with her eyes closed. Her curly hair framed her face and pooled on the table around her arms. He walked into the room and brushed her hair over her shoulder, trying to gently wake her up. He noticed she had her headphones in and could hear soft music coming from them. He shook her shoulder and watched her bolt up, confusion written across her face. He felt bad, he knew how disoriented she was and watched as the past 24 hours took their place in her mind. She reach up to take her headphones out and asked Spencer what was going on.

"Well, I get the privilege of being your bodyguard tonight and you get to sleep in your own bed." Spencer said, a small smile on his face. He watched as Amelia's face lit up at the mention of going home.

"Seriously?? I can go home?" She said, standing immediately. "You're going to stay with me?" She asked, seeming to remember the danger she was in.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stay on the couch all night. Your dad let us know he was staying with your grandparents to keep an eye on them, and we also mentioned he should probably stay away from your house until we catch the unsub." He told Amelia as she gathered her things.

"Fantastic" she said, not seeming to hear him but just itching to get out of the conference room. "I hope you're not allergic to cats, Dr Reid". He watched a sleepy smirk form on her face, with the growing realization that he was getting nervous about being alone with this woman in her home.