Psychopathy

Chapter 15- New Blood

"Maybe you can teach me Arabic every time we meet up for tea," Reid joked, but suddenly, Akilah's face lit up.

"That's a great idea! But for now, hasad, hasad... harvest! That's the word I was looking for! The honey was home-harvested, and ya Allah, I cannot wait for you to try this stuff. It's going to drive that sweet tooth of yours mad," she assured him, and he smiled.

"I can't wait."

"And I can't wait to go back to that farmer's market and get more of the honey. I've got to stock up so I have enough for when the farmer's market ends. What do you know about the storage of honey?"

"Honey should be stored in a sealed container. It doesn't have much water in it so bacteria doesn't grow easily, but improper storage can invite moisture, odors, and bacteria in. After use, you should return the lid tightly onto the container. Non-food plastic and metal aren't safe storage containers because they can cause the honey to iodize. Glass is preferred, but whatever the original container is works," Reid rambled, and Akilah nodded.

"And?"

"Don't refrigerate your honey. It'll preserve the honey, sure, but it'll also cause it to form a semi-solid mass. Room temperature, between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, is the best, typically in a pantry. Warm temperatures and direct sunlight can cause darkening and subtle flavor changes. Freezing preserves honey but makes dispensing difficult. If you choose to freeze, just let me know and I'll tell you how to properly thaw frozen honey," Reid said, before looking down at Akilah. "I'm sorry. That was one hell of a ramble."

"Reid, it's okay. I don't mind," she responded, and he nodded. That was one thing he appreciated about Akilah. She never made him feel bad about going off on tangents, and only stopped him when it was absolutely necessary. And if she was ever annoyed by his rambling, she never showed it. Very few people were like that. His mother was, for one. Tayler had been another. And finally, there had been... "You know, Ciara used to like listening to you ramble. She said that you two could talk for hours on one subject. It was one of her favorite things about you."

"I know. It was one of my favorite things about her, too," he said, before sighing. "But for future reference, please don't talk about her like that."

"Like what?"

"Like she's gone." He said, and Akilah looked down. "She's not gone. She's just missing. For now."

"Of course. You're right," she responded, before looking through the glass walls of the bullpen. "Now, who do you suppose that is?" Reid followed Akilah's gaze to see Hotch, Rossi, Prentiss, and Morgan all gathered in the bullpen, talking to a blonde woman that he didn't recognize. Was it finally happening? Were they trying to fill the holes left by Ciara and JJ? The rational part of Reid knew that one day they would have to, but the emotional side of him had been hoping that this day would never come.

"Let's find out," Reid answered, his annoyance only slightly showing in his voice. They couldn't replace Ciara or JJ. Both were amazing and irreplaceable women and the team would never be the same without them. Even if new agents were brought in, things would never be the same without those two.

"I've heard a lot about both of you," the mystery woman said as Reid opened the door to the bullpen. He held it open for Akilah, who smiled at him as she walked through.

"Well, I hope it was all good," Morgan responded.

"Very, sir."