MASTERMIND | spencer reid

010: Fire, take me home.

"Yeah, I guess. . ." Cameron had a habit of agreeing with anything Marianne said simply because she was Marianne. She really didn't know if it was out of spinelessness or loyalty. She never really questioned it, simply accepted it. Then, his eyes landed on what had captured both Jasmine's and Marianne's eye. "Can't believe you roped Dee into it. Can't believe he said yes."

Marianne shrugged with a huff, "Dee's a musician, so he'll slip into it easily enough. Hopefully. And I did ask you first."

"Small problem: I don't sing."

"Kenickie barely sings," she argued with a sly smile. "And it's only because Bobby's dramatic ass was too heartbroken after his split with what's-her-face from our American History class. He said 'Teen Angel' was all he could handle, idiot. So, now, Sammie'll get Danny, and Jasmines greedy little hands will be all over him."

Cam released a puff of air that was a mix between a huff and a chuckle, with the cigarette held between his lips as he readjusted his seat to face her. "I just. . .you do know he's a dick, right? He's not exactly much to lose," He stated, only to find Marianne's focus was occupied by someone down below. He glimpsed at the field, and could have hurled. "What the hell is he winking at? You be careful around him too. I know he's my cousin and all, but he's basically a man-whore. The walls between our bedrooms are not thin enough."

Marianne looked to Cam and simply rolled her eyes, as if the insinuation that she would ever get with Adrian Masons was preposterous. "Don't be ridiculous," she said with narrowed eyes. When she faced forward again, and her eyes met Dee's once more, she was quick to look at her shoes. Her cheeks flushed pink. Because of the cold, she would claim.

LUCY BYRNE ALWAYS SLEPT RESTLESSLY. Some nights were worse than others, but for years, consistently, she found a peaceful slumber was impossible. Her arms were always prickled with goosebumps when she woke, and the bed always did feel cold, no matter if she slept alone, or alongside Theo (who always slept soundly. She envied him for it).

Lucy remembered the first case she worked at the BAU a little bit more than most. She remembered instantly observing that Hotch was a man who trusted few and did not hand out respect all willy-nilly. She remembered the look in his eyes when he mildly scolded her after Brian Matloff fell from the roof after she had chased him up the stairs. "You shouldn't have done that," he said. "It was reckless." She vividly remembers the hint of shock in his eyes when she didn't blink.

Maybe he expected her nerves on the job to be more visible. More detectable. Hotch was a man who excelled in profiling, so if he couldn't spot it, maybe they just weren't there. He found it hard to believe someone could be that good at masking an emotion so strong. Nerves, fear, a pain of any kind, it was as though Lucy didn't know the meaning.

Her all business demeanour would crack slightly over time, but he couldn't have known that then.

"It's remarkable. Something like this makes you question everything you thought you knew."

Lucy tossed her bag under her desk as she entered the bullpen, glancing over her shoulder at Spencer's vague yet enticing words. Penelope standing over his shoulder with a devilish grin on her face was even more intriguing. "What's remarkable?" She asked, making her way towards the group.

Emily groaned, "please, no. No one else needs to see this."

With furrowed brows, Lucy peered over Spencer's shoulder to see the photograph in his hands. "Oh, yeesh, Prentiss," she exclaimed with wide eyes. "That's, um, that's a whole lot of hair."

"So there was actually a time when something like this was socially acceptable?" Spencer asked sarcastically.

Penelope placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, sighing dramatically. "You're young. The 80's left a lot of people confused. This is especially sad, though." She took the photo from Spencer's hands and observed it herself.