the feelings that we hide | SPENCER REID

21. the phone call

"How's the new apartment coming along?" said JJ, breaking the silence between the three of them.

Vanessa looked stunned at her question, not knowing how she knew about that.

"Garcia told me," JJ continued.

"Right... It's going okay, I guess," said Vanessa, shoving a cookie into her mouth and hoping to avoid further discussion about it.

JJ nodded, but then Spencer decided to speak on it, as well.

"You moved?" he said. "I didn't know that... when was this?"

"Recently," Vanessa spoke after swallowing the cookie, "it wasn't too long ago."

"Oh— Why?"

At this moment, Vanessa wanted nothing more than to leave this conversation... Because the honest truth, she left because of her abusive ex-boyfriend, but she could never say that out loud. So she lied.

"I need some new scenery," she said in a playful tone, bringing a smile to JJ's face.

"How does Nathan feel about that?" asked Spencer.

Vanessa went white and felt her whole body tense up at the mention of Nathan. Not knowing how to lie about this one, she decided to tell the truth by saying, "We actually just broke up." Spencer's eyes went wide, as if he was glad to hear this news.

"Really?" said JJ with a shocked and high-pitched voice. Vanessa nodded and popped another cookie into her mouth.

The conversation ended when JJ's phone rang again, and Vanessa silently thanked God for letting that happen.

"There's a possible," JJ said when she came back. "Nathan Tubbs."

Even the name 'Nathan' set Vanessa on edge. But either way, they had to take down whoever this guy was that's killing these college girls.

Arriving at the security locker room, Emily and a CSI agent led Vanessa, JJ, and Spencer to the lockers to search through Nathan's belongings. Spencer put on a pair of non-latex gloves and started to rummage through, finding nude magazines to Bourbon whiskey.

"Bag these and get them to a lab," said Reid, handing the agent clothes from the locker.

...

Back at the hotel, Vanessa had settled into her room but was still unable to fall asleep peacefully. Sure, someone was in custody, but the real unsub could still be out there. She found it baffling how the students could just go off and have a party without any real evidence of the guy being caught.

Laying down under the sheets, bare legs and all, she stared at the ceiling pondering on her life. She was out of her toxic relationship with her boyfriend. Things were going good, or so she thought.

When her phone rang, she hesitated to reach over and grab it. Today was an exhausting day and she didn't feel like moving, but it could've been something important with the case.

"Hello?" she said through the phone with a groggy voice.

"Hello, Vanessa..." said an unfamiliar voice.

"Who's this?"

"That will be said later... What you do need to know, is that I'm watching your mother through her window."

Vanessa shot up from the bed and wrapped her coat around her, heading for the door. Her heart was racing.

"She looks so beautiful; reading peacefully and not worrying about any single harm in the world."

Opening the hotel door, Vanessa peaked her head around to see if someone was messing with her and to see if the team was anywhere around.

"What do you want," she whispered, trying to keep a tough front.

"I want her dead, and I want you dead... well— not me specifically," he said. "I'm just waiting for the orders. Goodbye—"

Before Vanessa could say anything, the call ended leaving her shocked and scared. Someone was outside of her mothers house wanting to kill her. She couldn't care less about her own being, but it was her mother she was worried about. The only person she had left.

Vanessa headed for Hotch's door but didn't knock. They were on a case, right now. She couldn't interrupt it with this. It was super important to her, though. Still, she walked back to her room and shut the door. And the minute her door closed, Spencer's opened.

He heard her speaking in the hall, noticing her shaky voice. Wanting to see what was happening, he opened his door in hopes to see her. Then he figured it was nothing and went back inside if she was already gone.

"Mom?" she sighed out when he mother picked up the phone.

"Well, hello to you too, Nessa," her mom laughed.

"Not now. Mom, I need you to turn out all the lights and go to bed right now."

"What are you— what's this about?"

"Mom, please... Just do what I say? I'll see you, either tomorrow or in a couple days, okay?"

"Um— okay, good night then?"

"Goodnight, I love you."

"I love you too."

Vanessa hung up the phone and sat down at the round table by the window, resting her forehead in her palms with pushed back hair. Taking a deep breath, she figured her mom would be okay for the night since 'I'm just waiting for the order.' She figured that meant they were coming for her before her mom. Still, she wasn't able to sleep peacefully, and she couldn't focus on the case as well the next day.

—