Chapter 8

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"I Have Loved The Stars Too Fondly To Be Fearful Of The Night"
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LIGHT STREAMS through my gauzy curtains and I realize with a start that I'm not in my bed.

Instead, it seems I must have fallen asleep on the couch along with Spence.

I yank out my phone with a stifled yawn and peer at the time, lucky enough for Spence, he has enough time to get to work.

I grab a pale blue throw pillow from a chair beside the couch and whack him with it, emitting a muffled thump.

"No," He moans, turning over onto his side.

"Spencer Reid, get your ass off my couch and get to work!" I laugh, taking another swing, which he easily stops.

"I'm up, I'm up," He yawns, stretching his arms lazily.

"Did your phone ring yet?" I question him as I pick up the remnants of last night.

A twister mat, boxes of pizza, and empty bottles of soda are strewn around the room, leaving me a wonderfully large mess to take care of.

"No, not yet," He yawns, tossing a bottle into the bin.

"You might want to go take a shower then and I'll make breakfast before you get called in," I smile, making my way to my kitchen.

"Is my extra bag still here?" He questions, digging through the hall closet.

"Top shelf," I yell to him from the kitchen, cracking eggs into a pan.

When I hear the shower roar to life, courtesy of my lovely plumbing, I connect my phone to my kitchen speaker.

With Ed Sheeran crooning through the speakers, I set to work making breakfast.

"I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways," I sing as I slide the eggs onto plates.

"What are you listening to?" Spence questions from behind me, causing me to jump.

"Jesus Spence!" I yell, flinging a stick of butter across the counter.

"Sorry," He smirks, not sorry to say the least.

"Your plate's on the table," I murmur as I throw dishes galore into the dishwasher.

A knock on the door quickly catches my attention and wiping my hands off quickly on the dishrag, I rush towards it.

Throwing it open, I shoot Garcia a small smile. She holds up a gift bag, with polka dots splattered across the crimson material.

"I've come bearing gifts," She laughs, sauntering in.

I close the door behind her and chuckle, "What's the occasion Garcia?"

"You aren't dead, can't we celebrate that?" She groans, shoving the present into my arms.

Spence chooses that exact moment to enter the room, shoveling the plate of eggs into his mouth.

"Hey Garcia," He mumbles through a mouthful, plopping down on my couch.

"Oh, you two, um," She stammers, her face turning pink.

"Garcia, get your mind out of the gutters!" I huff.

"Ok, well, just open your present," She finishes,

I pull the paper from inside the bag with a smile, and yank the object out.

"Ooh, I haven't had my morning coffee yet, I'll use this for it," I smile as I pull out the mug.

"I know, I saw it when we went out last night and thought of you!" Garcia squeals.

As if by clockwork, all three of our phones go off at once.

"I thought Hotch wasn't going to call you in today?" Garcia questions as I open up the text.

"This is bad, like really bad," I mutter, rushing to my bedroom to change.

When I've got everything, I rush back into the living room to my waiting friends.

"Let's go," I announce as we rush from the apartment towards our cars.

[QUANTICO]

"How bad is it?" I question JJ as soon as the elevator doors open.

"Five confirmed dead so far, first responders are still trying to put out the fires so they can get in," She rushes out as we make our way to the meeting room.

When we enter the meeting room, Hotch looks tired to say the least as he downs a cup of coffee.

"Ok everybody, so this morning, a bomb went off inside a subway terminal in New York City, with somewhere between 50-100 people inside, and we already have been told that 5 are dead," Garcia sighs, bringing the chaotic photos up onto the screen.

"Wheels up in 30," Hotch yells as he runs from the room.

"Garcia, what hospital are all the victims being directed to?" I question as calmly as I can muster before Spence and I rush out.

"Um, just a second," She murmurs, tapping away at her tablet.

"Oh...Lenox Hill," She replies before trailing off at the name.

"Nat, what's wrong with Lenox Hill?" Spence questions as we race to catch up with the team.

Without even looking to him as we crowd into the elevator, I sigh and reply, "I was the head of neurosurgery there."

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