Philophobia

Thirty-Seven; Lauren

October 7th, 2010
5:40 pm
The Office of BAU Press Liason Elizabeth Doyle
Quantico, Virginia

Eliza was seated at her desk, biting the end of her pen as she read some casework that had arrived that morning. Her eyes kept drifting towards the clock, time moving faster than she wanted it to. Her mind was still trying to process that her brother was getting married in two days, and her boyfriend, Spencer Reid, was meeting her family in less than twenty-four hours. Kenzie was already in London and was yet to be heard from, while Declan called almost every hour to complain about their mother. Desperate to get out of her office, she put down the pen, pushed her chair back, and made her way into the bullpen. It was rather quiet. Considering the workday ended at five, the only people left in the office were her team trying to get last-minute work done to prevent being bothered on their holidays. Eliza bit her lip slightly, then made her way towards Garcia who was reading the newspaper at a table in the kitchenette.

"Good evening Penelope," she greeted, sitting across from the blonde.

"Good evening my love," Penelope returned. "Excited for London?"

"Excited isn't the right word. Pensive, nervous. Is there a word for feeling like all of your organs have been flipped inside out?" she questioned, only half kidding.

"I don't think so. You could always ask Reid though."

"Always ask Reid what?" Morgan asked, placing a coffee mug in the sink. He had his coat slung over his arm.

"If there is a word for feeling like all of your organs are inside out," Garcia informed him.

"Prolapse, though it usually not all your organs. Just the pelvic ones," Reid replied. His signature purple scarf was hanging around his neck, and he too had a coat on his arm.

"Gross," Garcia said, making her ick face. Eliza chuckled.

"You could have all left an hour ago," Hotch informed the group as he brushed by. His coat was on his briefcase in hand. "Only reason I'm still here is because Jack has a playdate until seven." Hotch checked his watch to make sure he was on time.

"Oh Hotch, we can't leave until you leave. Company policy," Eliza replied. She was deadpan as she spoke and Hotch scowled.

"Very funny. Now leave before they can assign us another case." Hotch walked out of the office, headed towards the elevators.

"I think that's the first time he's left before me," Morgan said.

"Definitely the first time he's left before me," Rossi said. He too only spoke in passing, claiming to be having dinner with his third ex-wife.

"If any of you finds out how that ends whilst I'm in London, ring me immediately," Eliza threatened the three agents around her. Penelope laughed, then stood up, forcing Morgan to assist her to her lair so she could get ready to leave. That left Eliza and Reid.

"Want to get going?" Reid asked when Morgan and Garcia were gone.

"Sure. Let me grab my stuff." Eliza smiled, kissing him, then heading towards her office. She opened the door to a ringing phone. Luckily it was Declan and not Erin Strauss.

"Hey! How's London?" she greeted cheerfully.

"Don't make me talk about it," Declan groaned, causing Eliza to laugh. "Excited for Spencer to meet the family?"

"If by excited you mean I'm going to shit my pants I'm so nervous, then yes," Eliza responded, taking a seat in her chair.

"When does your flight leave?"

"Midnight, we'll probably land around 12:30, be at the house by 2:00. Mum's refused to let us stay in a hotel," Eliza groaned.

"Oh, she's refused to let any of us stay in a hotel. Even set up a whole separate room for Evie. She's gone mad." Both siblings chuckled, then allowed for silence to take over. "Can I ask you something? About the files?"

"Sure." Eliza sat up in her chair, opening the two files on her desk.

"So we know Chloe isn't your mum-"

"Right, Lauren Reynolds is."

"That probably explains why your middle name's Lauren."

"Yes. There's no photograph of her though, they've all been redacted," sighed Eliza. She secretly hoped these files could show her a picture of her real mum, though it wouldn't have made a difference. Her biological mother was dead.

"Damn. Must've thrown you for a loop," Declan joked.

"Only a slight identity crisis. Nothing I'm not used to," she replied. Reid knocked on the frame of her office door, his eyebrows knit with worry. "Oh, Spence is here, you wanna talk to him?"

"Sure! He is going to be my brother-in-law soon!"

"I don't like what you're implying," Eliza said. She put the phone on speaker, motioning for Reid to come into her office. "I've got Declan on the phone."

"Oh, uh, hi," stuttered Reid.

"Hiya! Lookin' forward to the wedding?" Declan asked.

"Sure, I'm excited to meet Eliza's- your- family."

"He can't bite you, Spence. He's like thirty-five hundred miles away."

"Three thousand, six hundred and sixty-two, actually," he corrected blushing pink.

"You're dating a human map?" Declan asked.

"No, a certified genius," Eliza corrected proudly.

"Declan, Evie's asking for you," a woman's voice said.

"Welp, daughter calls. I'll see you two tomorrow! Love ya, Eliza!"

"Love ya." Declan hung up, prompting Eliza to grab her coat. She stuck her arms into the sleeves, then grabbed her bag and locked her office before linking her arm in Reid's. He smiled down at her as they walked to the elevator. Hand in hand they entered the lobby, then made their way to Reid's car which was in the parking lot. They'd carpooled ever since they realized it was more efficient than taking separate cars. Efficiency is key when you tend to get out of bed late because you're making out with your significant other after having spent the whole night together. Eliza didn't realize that the commute differed greatly from Reid's preferred method of going to work. He'd taken the train up until a couple of months ago when he realized he could spend more time with Eliza if he drove her in every morning. Not long after entering the car, they arrived at Eliza's apartment building. Reid's suitcases had been in her front hall since that morning. The two had dropped off Cocoa at Garcia's before work.

As Eliza unlocked the front door, Reid noticed her muttering to herself. "Why are you muttering?" Reid asked, closing the front door.

"I can't believe you've agreed to do this. To spend ten whole days in a foreign country with my family," Eliza replied, somewhat perplexed. She put her keys on the table in the hall, making her way into the kitchen.

"Well, you've met my mom," Reid said as he followed her.

"That's different. Your mum's normal, and doesn't treat you like a doll," Eliza argued.

"I'm sure it will be fine! There's no way anyone can be THAT crazy," Reid insisted. "Unless of course, they're a serial killer." Eliza narrowed her eyes at him before laughing slightly.

"Okay, well it's just about 6:15, and I don't think we have to leave for the airport until 9:00."

"Your point it?"

"My bedroom is like thirty seconds from here-" Eliza trailed off, giving Reid the look.

"I'll race ya," he shouted, running towards the staircase, Eliza hot on his trail.