Remembering Signe

[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

Spencer headed back to his desk after leaving Hotch's office. He'd asked to see his boss to arrange for some time off to see his mom, and had been happy when his boss had signed off on the request.

As he was rounding the corner, lost in thought and plans, he bumped into a female agent he'd never seen before. Or maybe he had? She seemed familiar, almost as if he'd seen her before. He racked his brain, smiling. She was older now, but it appeared to be Ms. Signe Larsen, a victim in an old case. He'd been the first one on the scene, and had found the young woman, beaten, tortured, raped, but alive.

He didn't want to embarass himself by saying her name if it wasn't her, but he also didn't want to embarass her by saying Hello if it *was* her and she wasn't ready to acknowledge that she knew him in the capacity she did.

[signe]

Signe had been in the office but one day. She had tons to do the first day and with the exception of Emily and Charlotte she hadn't really talked to that many people. It was nice to not be bombarded by people trying to talk to her. She did however have one very bold agent ask her out for a drink sometime. She smiled when he asked her about it and agreed. Nothing wrong with going out with the guy for coffee. She agreed and they went after they were both off. He was a nice guy but for some reason something didn't click. She didn't know why...He just wasn't the one. He seemed to take the turn down for another date very well.

Today was a slow day. Paper work sat on her desk in piles. She was fast worker...She was just flustered and a little confused. She was right next to Spencer's desk. She could turn her head and look and see his desk, and yet whenever she turned to look at him he was never there. She didn't wanna go find him, she had work to do. She just wished she could see him again. It had been a while ago. She was a freshmen in college the last time they saw one another in person. Now she was all grown up...A young lady.

She stood up and walked over to the coffee table. She pour herself some coffee in her go mug and turned to go back to her mountain of papers. She bumped into an agent who excused himself. She smiled and cautiously craddled her coffee so it wouldn't fall. She continued walking, not looking at the man who had bumped into her. She reached her desk and sat down only to pause. That voice...Sounded so familiar. She turned and looked at the man...It was no other than the Dr. Spencer Reid. She smiled and sighed. She grabbed her mug and walked over to his desk. She leaned against it partially sitting on it and smiled. "Hey there stranger."

tag | CHAR! <3
words | 372 (Not my best)
status | Finshed
wearing | This

[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

Spencer smiled at Signe. It *was* her, and she seemed OK with seeing him, so he smiled.

"Hi! I had heard from Morgan that you had gone through the Academy, but I thought you were working with the Major Cases unit?" He formed the thought as a question, even though he hated when people did that.

He took her in; she was pretty as always, but a little older, a little more mature. He smiled again.

"You know, Signe-Agent Larsen-I would love to chat, but I have a case file due in a bit. How about we catch up at lunch? Maybe we could go somewhere; the cafeteria is gross."

[signe]

Signe smiled as he looked her up and down. She took her town and took him in. He looked different but he grew up. It had been a long time since she had seen him. She had sent him letters whenever she could telling him what was going on with her but she had never really seen him since she had gotten out of the hospital. "Actually I was working in Crimes Against Children."

She paused when he started going on about how he had a some paper work to do and how he would like to have lunch with her. The great Dr. Spencer Reid was wanting to have lunch with her? She smiled and nodded. She would love to have lunch with him. It would be great to catch up with him and interact with someone. "Sounds like a good idea...There's a sub and soup shop down the street I wanted to try out." She looked down at her watch. Lunch was in an hour. "See you in an hour Dr. Reid." She stood up and walked over to her desk. She sat down and smiled at him, blushing slightly. She chuckled and looked back at her computer. She wondered why she was blushing...It was weird.

tag | SPENCER! <3
words | Some
status | Finshed
wearing | This

[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

Spencer shook his head in bewilderment-did he really just ask Signe Larsen to lunch? What the hell was wrong with his brain? She was just a girl. "Pull it together, Spence," he scolded himself. She had just suggested a sub shop.
"Sandwiches sound fine with me. Just so long as I don't have to eat spinach." As soon as the words tumbled out of his mouth, he'd wanted to die. SPINACH?! Luckily, the girl didn't seem to mind his babble, and as she turned away, nodding, she said she'd meet him in an hour. He nodded at her retreating figure, and settled back at his desk.

He could feel her eyes on him, and as he looked up, he felt himself flush, and she grinned. He grinned back, hoping that whatever was going on with his horomones today didn't mean he was coming down with something.

[signe]

The last hour before lunch seemed to go by slowly. She did all her work though and managed to get a lot done. She looked at the clock on her computer and then would go back to her paper work. She had gotten a call from her mother. She wasn't expecting it. Her mom wasn't happy about her being in the BAU. She didn't think it was a good thing for her considering what had happened to her in the past. She didn't care though. It was something she wanted to do. It was something she needed to do.

Finally the hour went on by and Signe stood up, grabbed her over-sized purse her mother had bought her for her birthday, grabbed her jacket and phone and walked over to Spencer's desk. Back when they first met this would have been considered weird. She didn't understand why...They werent different in age, maybe he was just more mature than her making him seem older...That and he was a FBI agent and she was a college student. But what was she thinking...They were just having lunch...This wasn't a date, was it?

"You ready to get going doctor?" she said standing at his desk, her jacket on, her purse on her shoulder and her iphone in her hand. She had gotten addicted to this thing...It was insane. She flicked onto her facebook and updated her status saying that she was on lunch. She was addicted to facebook. No judgment...Who wasn't. As they walked out of the building Signe looked around. She really hadn't been here long. When she was in Crimes Against Children it was back in Chicago. "So...Are there any good places to go to around here? I'm not insanely good at making my way around Quantico." As they walked Signe talked like she was talking to a best friend. Talking to Spencer seemed as easy as breathing. "I mean, I know how to get to work, the airport, a couple diners and the grocery store I shop at but that's it."

tag | SPENCER! <3
words | Some
status | Finshed
wearing | This

[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

Spencer was slightly annoyed by the woman's use of her cell phone, and that blasted Facebook thing...but maybe he was just too damned square for his own good. She'd called him "doctor", which had made him blush like a ten-year-old.

He smiled, though, and nodded when she'd come over, asking if he was ready for lunch. He ignored the other's pointed stares, and exited the building, chatting lightly with Signe. She had inquired as to what was nearby, and so he formed the list of his favorite places quickly in his head.

"Well, the sub shop on the corner is OK, and then up the block from that is a super-good Thai restruant. Over on the Beltway is a great old bookstore. I can show you, if you like." Now he blushed again, sighing internally. This wasn't a date, so why was he so nervous and twitchy all of a sudden?

[signe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] SAY MY NAME AS COLORS COME ALIVE IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR MIND I'D CROSS THE BORDERS OR TIME LEAVING TODAY BEHIND TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN The Words: some The Outfit: this The Notes is epic! Signe listened to him as he listed off the places he liked that were near by. She loved tai food and she really loved sushi. She needed to find a sushi somewhere near by. When he mentioned the book store she smiled. She loved reading. One of the things she loved more than music was reading. "I would like that...We could go get some coffee to...That would be really nice." Finally they reached the sub shop. She walked in with Spencer by her side and stood in line. She looked at what they had to offer. Going to a new food place was always fun to Signe...She liked to experiment with new foods. As they waited in line with every step they took she counted up by one number. She was counting how many steps it took to get to the front of the line. She did indeed have OCD. She had found out about a year after the rape happened. She figured it wasn't that bad but it eventually got worse. If one were to walk into her apartment they would think it was run by a military person. Everything in order. She had to have it. They reached the line and she sighed. Thirty steps, that was how many steps it took. She smiled at the woman and ordered her food. A turkey sandwhich with tomato bisque soup. After Spencer ordered his food she paid the woman. "You can buy lunch some other time." They walked over to a small table and sat down. Signe looked around and looked for every way she could get out in an emergency, just one more thing she started doing after the rape. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

Spencer noticed that Signe appeared to be on high alert. But of course she was; how could she be anything but? She had to know it was silly, though, as they were both packing heat. They rambled on as they headed for the sandwich shop. She tells him that she might be interested in coffee again, and he chuckles.

"I will never subject you to coffee again, OK?" He hopes that she realizes that he is joking. God, he's an idiot. Thankfully, they enter the slightly busy shop, and stand on line for a few minutes. He notices her eyes are to the ground; perhaps she was counting steps? Or maybe the tiles on the floor-that's what he did. He had come to this shop a few times with Garcia and JJ, so he already knew the menu.

He was going to have the turkey, plain, on a white bun. Mayo, lettuce, and two tomatoes. He hoped they weren't too ripe; tomatoes did something weird to his stomach. He decided against soup, as he was unusually nervous, and thus clumsy, and he didn't want to spill on himself. He decided to choose the fruit salad instead, and a Coke. Would that be too weird? He couldn't muse for long, though, as they were now at the register. He smiled kindly at the kid behind the register, and listened as Signe ordered her meal: a turkey sandwich and the tomato bisque. He placed his order, and then, of course, he offered to pay, like his mother had taught him-men pay on dates. It was just how it was done. Of course, this wasn't a date, but Mom was always an influnce, and manners were important. He told her that she could pay next time, and they took thier food and sat down at a table, as Spencer grimaced. It looked dirty, but he tried not to think about it.

[signe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] SAY MY NAME AS COLORS COME ALIVE IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR MIND I'D CROSS THE BORDERS OR TIME LEAVING TODAY BEHIND TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN The Words: some The Outfit: this The Notes is epic! If Spencer was trying to hide that the messy table was bothering him he was doing a bad job. Signe couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the table. She grabbed a napkin, dipped it in her water and wiped down the table for him. She knew people who were major germaphobes and so she never really had issues with cleaning things up. Even she needed to have order and cleanliness. She put her napkin on the table and smiled at him. "There...Problem solved." As they sat there and waited for there food to get there Signe continued to look around the establishment. The place seemed like it was run by a family perhaps or a group of friends. She liked places like this...It had character. Unlike every other place they did whatever they wanted when it came to art and what not. She noticed a piece of art work...It was a jumble of shapes. The shapes made her think chaos but she noticed that the colors were soft and calming. Almost as if to say that even in a sea of chaos one could always find peace. She smiled and looked back at the table just in time to see a woman bring out there food. She thanked the woman for the food and took her sandwhich in her head. She dipped it in her soup and took a bite. She closed her eyes and smiled before taking a sip of her coke. They ate in silence for a little bit. She looked at the newspaper. Murder crimes were soaring through the roof across the United States. That was the story. She sighed and grabbed the paper from the other table and looked at it for a second before slapping it down on the table. "This is the kind of thing that just makes me sick." she took another sip of her coke and looked back at the paper. "I mean...Everywhere I turn I'm looking at a dead body or reading some article about someone dying...How do you do it?" created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

Spencer was chagrined as Signe dipped her napkin in her glass of water and wiped down the table. He wasn't sure which was worse: the fact that the table was kind of dirty, or Signe's forwardness. Or maybe it was the fact that she had noticed that he was disturbed at the dirtiness of the table. He sighed, but then the waitress appeared with thier food, and as she placed a plate of food in front of her, he smiled.

"Thanks, Agent Larsen." He was back to formalities now; he was so worried about appearances. He had to calm down. He sipped his Coke, and then began to disassemble his sandwich. He hated when they stacked the cheese under the meat; it should go on top, and the vegetables on top of that. He noticed Signe watching him, but he didn't care.

"Sorry. I know, it's weird, but I like the cheese and meat on the bottom." He finished redoing his sandwich, wiped his hands on his napkin, and then opened the container of fruit. He located the fork on the tray, and inspected it; it was clean. He preferred to use plastic silverware when he was out; it was more sanitary, but whatever. He speared a chunk of watermelon and began to eat as Signe began her meal.

He watched her; watching how a woman ate revealed much. For example, if a girl ordered a salad, ate only half of it, and then complained about the calories, then it was 94% likely that she was high-maintence, and he didn't have the time or will to deal with that. But Signe had ordered a decent-sized lunch, and now ate it, revealing in the taste. Clearly, she wasn't the high maintence type.

They ate in silence for a bit; Spencer trying not to stare at the girl, and trying to keep his mind on the case file on his desk, not on girls. He watched as Signe swiped a newspaper off of a nearby table and flip it open.

A few moments later, she spoke, asking him how he dealt with the amount of death and destruction. He took a moment to form his reply.


"It was difficult, at first. But over time, you learn to compartmentalize things. You learn how to block the faces from your brain. The victims become faceless. But at the same time, you have to keep your humanity. You do that by relating to your colleagues, or family, or whatever. You have to have a life outside of the BAU or you will implode." He hoped that his explanation made sense, and that she wouldn't view him as cold or uncaring. In fact, the opposite was true, and he'd fibbed a little. He still struggled every case to maintain a little distance and not break down.

[signe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] SAY MY NAME AS COLORS COME ALIVE IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR MIND I'D CROSS THE BORDERS OR TIME LEAVING TODAY BEHIND TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN The Words: some The Outfit: this The Notes is epic! His words were encouraging. She knew that nothing could prepare someone for when they went on there first case and saw there first dead body. They did all they could in the academy to prepare them but they were also told it was going to be hard. You had to be strong to be in the FBI and to see the things some of them would be seeing. She hoped a prayed everyday that when that happened that she could stomach it. When he said something about distancing your life from your work she smiled and chuckled slightly. "Considering how much time we spend at the office...That proves to be pretty hard." She took another bite of her sandwhich and looked back at the picture. She had seen videos of little kids being abused but nothing was like seeing a dead body. The picture in Spencer's file, it had a girl, laying there dead...She looked away from it. She needed to be able to do this job. She sacraficed everything for this job. She moved away from her family even though her family didn't want her to and told her she was making a mistake for this job. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. "You know when I left my mom told me I was making a mistake taking this job...That what happened to me was going to interfere..." She didn't know why she was talking to Spencer about it. It's not like he had been raped and then became an agent or anything like that. He was just so easy to talk to. He listened so well. She smiled at him and chuckled, embarresed that bringing that up was probably not the best when trying to make friends. "It's been years since that happened...And yet every time I close my eyes to go to bed I see him...That fact that he never got caught, just slipped off the grid...I can't find any peace knowing he's out there. Is that stupid?" created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

He chuckled when she'd remarked that they worked too much to have a life. He replied.

"It is sometimes tough to separate work from your day-to-day life. But as you get more comfortable with the workload, it will get easier, I promise. It *is* possible; I mean, Hotch and JJ managed to even have families and still do this job. It's hard, but you'll figure it out. You're very smart."

He fell silent again, and sighed. He finished his sandwich as she looked back at the pictures in the newspaper. He'd noticed that she'd recoiled when he's given her the photos from the file; the girls had been raped and beheaded, and it *was* gruesome. He had cursed himself; of course it would affect her, given she had been a victim herself. He was surprised when she spoke again.

She told him that her mother hadn't wanted her to take this job, and that she might be unable to be neutral because of her own assault. He fell silent, and listened intently to her, waiting for her to pause to see if he should reply, or if she was just airing her feelings. She seemed to need some reassurance, and so he replied.

"I don't imagine any parent wants their child to choose this line of work. And outside of the Bureau, most people don't get what we do." She nods, considering his words, but continues, telling him more. She was telling him that since her attack, she had been having nightmares; seeing her attacker's face every time she closed her eyes. He reached out and touched her hand, trying to comfort her. She then told him that she was concerned because the man who had attacked her had disappered. It had affected him and Morgan, also, that they hadn't caught the man, and he knew that Morgan considered it a personal defeat.

He replied, carefully.

"No, it's not stupid. Not stupid at all. I understand the haunting images you describe; I have experienced them myself. As for worrying that your attacker is still out there, just know that we all think about that, too. Morgan and I have talked about it before. But the thing is, he will mess up. And then we'll catch him. OK?" He hoped that it didn't sound too trite, but she seemed to need an answer, and that was the best he could do right now. He fell silent again, finished his Coke and spoke to Signe.

"Are you finished? We should get back to HQ soon."

[signe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] SAY MY NAME AS COLORS COME ALIVE IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR MIND I'D CROSS THE BORDERS OR TIME LEAVING TODAY BEHIND TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN The Words: some The Outfit: this The Notes is epic! Signe sighed smiling slightly when he said that he knew how she felt. That he had seen his fair share of horrors in this job. That he had plenty of nights where he would wake up to nightmares. Granted he hadn't told her anything about his past but she knew that tellig someone about something haunting you was something you earned...You needed to get to know them and build there trust. When he started talking about how they were going to catch the guy who did what he did to her. She could tell that he was upset about not catching the guy. When he placed his hand on her's she looked down at it. It was nice to see someone show that they cared about her. She remembered when she was in the hospital. Her mom and dad came by when they could but they both had to work...Her Dad had work and her mom had to take care of the family. But Reid and Derek would come see her whenever they got the chance. Derek actually took a month off and stuck around Chicago. Spencer she remembered seeing a lot. He would come by and do some cognitive interviews with her. She smiled when he asked if she was done with her meal...they needed to get back to work. She nodded and stood up. "Yeah lets get going." As they walked she looked down at her phone. Still no texts from her mother. She rarely got any texts, calls or emails from her. She really missed her family. As they walked back to the office she looked around at the trees and plants. Quantico was a nice place to live. "So this weekend...Would you like to have dinner at that tai place you mentioned?" created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[SSA Dr. Spencer Reid]

Spencer didn't know how to respond. He was surprised and a little frightened by the girl's forwardness. But as he stood and placed a few bills on the table for a tip, he smiled.

"Given that I am not away on a case, I'd love to. We can sometimes get called away last minute. But that sounds nice. I can meet you there at 6. I like to eat early in the day because I find that it makes me ill if I don't. I'll write down the directions for you."

He could kick himself; he was rambling again. He indicated the front door, hoping that Signe wouldn't think that he was trying to rush her or was being rude or something. He *really* did have a lot of work to finish, and he still wanted to talk to her about her job and time so far at the BAU.