OTA

[dr_spencer_reid]

Everything had been so quiet lately. His work life, his home life, even his mind seemed unusually still lately- And it was, honestly, making Spencer uneasy. It wasn't that he was hoping for a serial killer or anything like that- Even when he was desperate for some mental stimulation and a challenge, he never got quite that dark. But something, anything, had to happen.

...And then it did, and Spencer- Spencer's heart ached, the guilt he felt for daring to wish for more work to do spilling over and weighing him down. And oh, it was always harder when it was children. Always.

Three bodies in two weeks, all between the ages of six and eight. Girls, still in their school uniforms. Dumped, without any signs of remorse from their killer. It was, honestly, the worst case he'd been assigned to since coming to London, and as he stood at the police barrier, having just spoken to the woman who'd spotted the body, he realized that this wouldn't be like it was at home. The police wanted a profile from them, but they hadn't been invited to be a part of the investigation- Leaving Spencer with nothing but photos and paperwork, and the occasional update from the field.

Sitting in a cafe he read the report on the first body for the tenth time, wondering if this was really the best use of his talents. ...Wondering if maybe it was finally time to look at his other options.

Comments

[anamusebouche]

Hannibal saw Spencer sitting at the café from outside, and decided to pay him a visit. He now did the occasional consulting for the police - which amused him to no end - but he didn't always work with Spencer, which was a pity. Because the young man was infinitely interesting.

He ordered a coffee and found his way to Spencer's table, looking over his shoulder to the pictures he was looking at. "Truly horrific, isn't it?" He asked.

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer looked up, then carefully moved the picture so it wasn't quite so exposed.

"Worst I've been asked to look at in a while," he replied, nodding in agreement, his voice soft and cracking slightly the way it often did when he was upset or unhappy.

[anamusebouche]

Hannibal had very little tolerance for anyone who would harm young children. "May I join you?" He asked. He always asked. He never would sit down uninvited.

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer nodded, moving his things to make room for the other man.

[anamusebouche]

Hannibal sat down. "No need to stop working. I'm always interested in the thought process of a profiler. What is your assessment?"

2016-01-12 21:06 GMT+01:00 dr_spencer_reid - DW Comment < dw_null@dreamwidth.org>:

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Usually I'd assume sexual predator, but there were no signs of sexual assault. The lack of remorse suggests male though- If there was only one victim I'd have suspected a botched kidnapping, but three? That's unlikely. My working theory is actually an uncommon one- I think our unsub might be quite young himself. Still working out what he enjoys, maybe not even intending to kill them? The bodies aren't hidden well, they're dumped into the water not far out from the shore, which suggests the unsub isn't strong enough to throw them in from a height... It's just an early theory though. I'm not ready to present a profile."

[anamusebouche]

"A very disturbing theory," Hannibal said.

[hardertohide]

Dutch liked this café. The coffee was good, the pastries were amazing, and obviously, the wifi served wonderfully for some of the things she had to do. She was done with work for today, and closed her sticker-covered laptop, pulling her earbuds out. As she reached over for her messenger bag to put it all away in, her gaze landed on a picture in a... paper file, people still used those, the guy the next table over was reading.

"Lovely reading material," she noted, as she straightened up and put the beat up messenger bag on her lap.

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer wasn't currently looking at the photo, and he appeared to be genuinely apologetic as he tucked it beneath some other papers.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have brought those here, I just- I needed to look at the file with fresh eyes. Sometimes taking it somewhere new helps..."

He realized he was rambling a little, and he pushed his hair back behind his ears as he looked down at the table again.

[hardertohide]

"And sometimes you've just gotta get your mind off it for a while?" Dutch guessed. It was the way it was, with her and something she couldn't crack. Both what he'd said, and what she had.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Yes- Especially when it feels as if wasting away because people wont let you use it to its full ability," Spencer frowned to himself, pausing, then looking up. He couldn't help be feel embarrassed again when he realized how awful that likely sounded, given what he was working on.

"I just mean... I haven't, um, had a chance to see any of the crime scenes up close. They're offering me information that's already been filtered through someone else. It's like being given a puzzle to put together when someone's already started trying to jam pieces together."

[hardertohide]

"See, I'd just take the puzzle apart all over again, and start over," Dutch remarked with a purse of her lips. Her gear finally tucked away, she put the bag back down by her chair, and reached for her coffee. "Not sure it could apply to your thing, though." Sometimes, metaphors only went so far.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I can't blame it all on the puzzle," Spencer admitted. "Some of it's me."

He closed the file and picked up his coffee, taking a sip and then pulling a face when he found it had grown cold.

[real_gun_hand]

Hotch had had to do a bit of work at the office but he'd told Reid he'd meet up with him at the cafe. He came in with another thick accordion file and sat down at Spencer's table.

"I have information on all the murders in the U.K. that match the evidence collected so far," he said instead of hello. "It looks like these aren't the first children found."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer was downing in his thoughts, none of which seemed to be even vaguely related to the case at hand at the moment- So when Hotch sat down to join him, he looked a little like the kid who'd somehow managed to fall asleep in the back of the classroom.

"Oh, right, I- um, I'll start reading them," he offered. "If we can find enough evidence that the victims all share a killer, we can use the larger victim pool to find a calling card, or at least a clear MO."

[real_gun_hand]

Hotch nodded, but he'd noticed. He looked at Spencer critically for a moment and asked, "What were you thinking about before I interrupted?"

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Nothing," Spencer lied quickly- Before pausing and realizing it was really sort of pointless to lie to Hotch. The other man's gaze alone had cracked tougher nuts than himself, his voice had broken the resolve of dangerous killers, and the sharp line of his shoulders could make armed men quake. ...Really, what chance did he have against all of that?

"I- Well, um, I was thinking about, um- About other job opportunities that have come up recently."

[real_gun_hand]

"Oh? Like what?" he asked. "Going back to King's?"

[dr_spencer_reid]

Pushing his hair back behind his ears, Spencer looked down at his hands. The skin on his left index finger seemed dryer than the rest, and his eyes focused on the minute patch of flaky skin as he shrugged.

"Actually, Security Services approached me not that long ago," he admitted awkwardly, feeling almost like a traitor for even considering taking a job somewhere else.

[melehan]

Melehan was heading out of the cafe with a cup of to-go coffee in his hand. He slowed when he passed Spencer, looking over the other man's shoulder to see what he was reading. He was expecting it to be boring, probably insurance or something, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't.

"Holy shit," he said, sounding far more pleased than was really appropriate. "Are you reading about a murder?"

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer glanced up, shaking his head and carefully moving the image out of sight.

"Investigating," he replied simply, shuffling his papers so the report sat on top, not the images.

[melehan]

"Really? You don't look like a cop." This guy looked like... a dweeb.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I'm a Federal Agent," Spencer replied. "A criminal profiler, actually."

[melehan]

He paused. "Like someone who catches serial killers?"

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Not just killers," Spencer assured him.