Of Beasts and Men

Chapter 6

Garcia was awaiting them at the entrance to the bullpen like usual. She lit up with a grin when the elevator doors slid open. Her face fell when she took in their faces and didn't immediately see Reid. Hotch had told her that they had found him, but didn't disclose much more than that.

"Hotch?" She asked, confused. Suddenly, a streak of orange shot out from beneath the crowd of legs and rushed right at Garcia. She shrieked in surprise as the creature skidded to a stop directly in front of her and leapt up to plant its front feet firmly on the bottom of her flowered dress. The tech genius gasped. "Aw. He's so cute!" She bent down and started scratching the fox on his head and the animal leaned into her hand, obviously delighted. The rest of the profiling team formed a tight semi-circle around them.

Garcia glanced around at their faces again. "Where's Reid?" Lewis opened her mouth to respond, but quickly snapped it closed, unsure of what to say. The fox at their feet yipped softly and nudged the tech with his nose. Garcia patted him absentmindedly, still waiting for an answer.

"Right in front of you." Rossi remarked drily. Garcia blinked and looked down at the canine who let his tongue loll out happily and quirked his ears at her.

"You're kidding." The senior agent shook his head in denial. Reid licked Garcia's fingers to concur with Rossi. Garcia gaped at them, but when no one made a move to correct Rossi, she seemed to accept it as truth. She smiled down at their small companion, still looking slightly shocked, but recovering with every passing second. "Well, then. Guess we'll just have to spoil you, isn't that right, my little creamsicle?" Everyone stared at her in wonder. "What?"

"Conference room, now." Hotch ordered, marginally less stern in tone than usual. They nodded and headed through the glass doors of the bullpen to drop their stuff at their desks and then hurried up to the round briefing table where most of their days were already spent. The group sat in their chairs, automatically avoiding the perpetually empty chair. When the fox who had trailed in on Garcia's heels leapt neatly into the seat, JJ nearly opened her mouth to voice her protest at someone sitting in 'Reid's chair', until she caught herself. Instead a wide grin split her face at the sight of the large ears peeking up over the edge of the tabletop.

Reid had noticed the practiced ease at which the team skirted around the chair and settled into their places and furrowed his brow in confusion. He shrugged inwardly and didn't hesitate to take the seat. Still curious, he used his enhanced sense of smell which was seeming to have trouble adjusting to the new environment to see if he could determine anything. There were absolutely no scents on the chair's fabric other than dust and the faint hint of Garcia's peach cream hand lotion. The implications struck him in an instant, a strong feeling of overpowering love for his surrogate family swept over him. He had never doubted that they would keep looking for him and eventually find him, but somehow, the reaffirmation given by something as simple as an empty chair made his heart swell.

"We have a lot to discuss. I know that you are all tired and still anxious about Reid, so I'd like to make this as quick as possible." Hotch told them all, not bothering to hide his miniature smile which belied his relief and joy. That sort of action seemed nearly trivial at this point in time. At the very least it was useless, the team knew him too well. At that moment, Section Chief Matteo Cruz walked in and scanned the room, his eyes finally rested on the fox.

"I am assuming that you have a very good explanation." He said simply, quirking an eyebrow at them. There was a hasty exchange of looks before Rossi had the courage to try and give a general summary of events that he knew Garcia was dying to hear as well.

******

It was decided that Reid would be going home with Hotch. Chung immediately opted out, considering they barely knew each other. Neither had the fox seemed particularly keen on staying with Lewis. JJ had a baby and a nine-year-old and figured that they wouldn't do very well with another small creature in the house. Reid glared at her for the comment on his current stature, but agreed. Despite loving his godsons with all his heart, he wasn't sure that he could handle being constantly harassed by young children. Rossi had his dog and wasn't sure that he would take well to an 'intruder'. Garcia's landlord didn't allow pets in the apartments, a matter which the blonde lamented a great deal. So, Reid was stuck with Hotch. He found that he didn't mind that much.