LAUGHTER LINES, spencer reid.

chapter twenty one

"I saw you took my gun. Scott says Spencer texted him. Stay close to him until Jacobs calls later today."

Spencer came from his room dressed and ready for work. He watched Gwen, looking for signs of that fear he had witnessed last night. She looked up at him and smiled. "What?" Reid asked.

Gwen stood up and walked over to touch his damp hair. "Your hair is always so crazy after you towel dry it," she said. "And then, it just stays that way."

"We need to talk about Adrienne Foster," Spencer said. He could feel Gwen tense up. He rubbed her arms free of goose bumps. "Not right now. I don't think we have time."

"I just don't like to think about it," Gwen said. "I'm sorry."

"How about tonight?" Spencer said. "After your martial arts lessons. We can have dinner here. Lizzie and Greg can join us if they need to be close."

"I think I'm going to ask Jenny and Mark if they wouldn't mind letting the kids stay with them for a couple weeks. Jenny knows what happened, so she would understand if I just want to make sure that Adrienne is harmless," Gwen said as she thought about arrangements that needed to be made.

"That won't affect their ability to get to school, will it?" Spencer asked.

Gwen shook her head. "Jenny only lives a few miles from the school and it's on the way to the coffee shop. I've got some work I need to do in D.C today, so maybe it's best if we come back here for dinner."

"Are you going to stay here then?" Reid asked.

"No," Gwen shook her head. She had to go to her office and make sure her client files were locked away. Move some of the more important ones to her 'secret storage'. Then she had to arrange a way to have her condo fitted with security, and she couldn't trust just anyone to do it. Maybe Jason's company would take me on as a client. I do enough work for them as is. She thought before biting her lip. Quantico was a safe place. It was surrounded by a Marine base and hosted two academies for federal law enforcement. Bad stuff rarely occurred in town. "I have some stuff to do in Quantico before I come back to D.C. What time do you want to meet back here?"

"I'll get on the train after work and be back in D.C about six. Your lesson doesn't start until eight, right?" Spencer smiled when he thought about something. "Are you going to drive me to work?"

"Are we stopping for coffee?" Gwen asked.

"Why wouldn't we?

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Espresso Shot! was busy and Gwen and Spencer were forced to squeeze their way past sleep deprived customers. Gwen pushed the kitchen door open as she held onto Reid's hand. She stopped abruptly and Reid plowed right into her.

It took Reid a moment to fully register that man that was seated at a small bar. He was in his thirties with dark brown hair and a thin beard. He sat eating a bagel as he scanned the Washington Post quietly with a pleasant smile on his face. He grabbed a coffee cup that smelled vaguely like a latte on Gwen's list of favorites. He looked up and the smile on his face grew into a full blown grin. "Well aren't you just a sight for sore eyes."

Gwen let go of Reid's hand and rushed over to the man. "Walter, you're certainly a sorry sight yourself!" she cried. "You're back from Germany."