One of the things I had realized I didn't like about living in this country, on this continent, is the vacation days. Per my contract, my vacation days depend on how many years I've worked here. This year, I get fifteen vacation days, which is pretty high in the US. If I were in Québec, I'd get twelve days, but they also have more paid holidays so it works out pretty evenly. If I were still in France, I'd get thirty days. It feels pretty brutal.

Five of those fifteen days I take in May. I do the things I need to do then. Cleaning gets done, planning for Bastien's next birthday, and I return to my neglected work as a research assistant. I go to some tourists spots, including a spy museum. Maybe I'd like to be in a heist movie. Garcia could be the woman behind the computer. At least, much of me has returned.

I'm back before Memorial Day. People are back in the office and a bit chatty, and I actually make progress that first day even though Morgan keeps pestering me. Now, I'm starting not to mind his incessant questions and quips. Actually, I find myself smiling.

Over lunch, Emily takes me shooting. I haven't practiced in a while, but Hotch seems to approve since I froze a bit in New Orleans. If I keep up at it, maybe I'll be better when it's time to recertify in the fall. I'm not anywhere near bad enough that I will lose my gun, but it would be nice to be better than not horrid.

Then, Hotch passes out invitations to a Memorial Day barbeque at his place. His wife is excited to host it and has invited a bunch of neighbours, and it's clear that Hotch doesn't like them all that much. He doesn't have to tell me that my attendance is not required but it is strongly encouraged. It might be nice to have some burgers and corn or whatever else he serves.

"So long as there isn't a case, of course," Hotch smiles at us. I swear I haven't seen him actually move his lips that way before.

"Do any of us need to bring anything?" Morgan asks, "I don't mind getting a little cooking in."

"We aren't supplying drinks, but we will have a cooler aside for you all," Hotch offers.

My eyes go to Reid. He's nodding along. I haven't asked him about his detox, which is perfectly fine with me because I didn't want to know about it in the first place. He looks better. His skin has a flush that is healthy, his sleeves are cuffed so he isn't freezing anymore, and he actually looks like he's listening. That's where I notice it the most. His eyes aren't glossy, there aren't bags under them, and he narrows them in when he thinks. I didn't see him do that for months. He's stopped wearing his glasses, which is a shame because they suited him. Now, I notice him squint os much more than before, and that can't be good for his eyes.

The rest of the week seems to fly by. I feel like I'm getting work done. The weather is already warmer, and I'm starting to wish I was back at university where I could wear a tank top without feeling like I'm not dressed appropriately for the office. I want to go to the beach already.

Then, it is Friday, and I am bidding the others farewell. I make sure to grab everything I need for the barbeque on Sunday from the stores since I know they will all be closing. I spend most of the weekend working on my research project with the windows open and soft music coming from Estelle's radio. I'm ready to move apartments now and get a nicer view. It's definitely okay.

On Sunday afternoon, I head over to Hotch's house. His invitation has his address, and the place isn't too complicated to travel to visit. I tell myself to show up forty-five minutes after the arrival time. Being alone with Hotch and his neighbours doesn't sound pleasant, and Reid explained to me that he always shows up half an hour late to be fashionable. At least then I know I won't be alone.

I walk up to Hotch's house. The party is in full swing, so I head to the gate and into the backyard. There are more people than I expected, maybe two dozen chatting around, and ten or so kids causing trouble darting through the yard. Hotch's salary must be even better than I thought for him to afford this kind of property in this town.

Reid's so tall I can see him through the crowd. I walk over, and it's just him, drinking out of a plastic water bottle. I don't think I've seen him outside the office like this. At least, I haven't seen him in a casual setting before. At Morgan's apartment, we were all still wearing our office clothes, and on New Year's he was still dressed formally. Now, his still wearing a button up, although it's got short sleeves. He's even got on khakis. A lot of the other men here are in t-shirts and shorts that goes past their knees with far too many pockets.

Reid notices me and nearly chokes. The water spills in front of him and he pulls it back from his face as it dribbles onto the ground. I try not to laugh, my hand pressed into my smile. Reid grabs a napkin off a table next to the grill.

Hotch is barbecuing and talking to a man I don't know. He glances over at me, and nods.

"Just us?" I ask as I meet Reid, who's wiping the water off his chin. He's lucky none of the splatter got on his shirt.

"They'll be late," Reid says. He pulls out his phone. "Prentiss is driving over and hit traffic."

Driving on a holiday like today seems inadvisable. Not that I could drive since I don't have a car. Maybe at the new place, we will pay for a parking spot. Buying a car seems like a lot of work when I don't mind taking public transportation. Besides, selling a car is an extra hurdle for when I decide to move next. I didn't promise Estelle I'd stay for her whole degree. It's already been a year and I'm itching for a new place.

"That the cooler?" I ask, pointing just a bit away from us.

Reid nods. I open it and put a few of my drinks inside. I open one of the wine coolers, which I had refrigerated but is warm already from the bus ride here. The others should be colder later. A few kids giggle as they rush past me. The man beside Hotch yells at them to stay away from the grill. I only barely step out of their way.

"It's chaotic," he offers. "More so than New Year's Eve, even."

"They're sweet," I offer, scanning the ground for other kids.

I feel myself crouching to get a better look through the feet of the adults. Near the back of the fence, I spot Hotch's son. Jack is sitting with a girl who can't be more than four, and she's putting stickers all over the poor toddler. I can only imagine the look on Hotch's wife's face when she comes back.

"Oh absolutely," Reid mumbles. "Sticky hands though."

His voice is so close. I'm almost startled that he's crouched down too, matching my position to look at the children. He has the softest of smiles on his face. He might be talking about sticky hands, but I get the feeling that's not what he's thinking about.

I laugh, "well, you're a germaphobe."

Reid grins. I force myself upright, standing next to him.

"You're the oldest out of your siblings, right?" he asks, looking up at me.

I sip my drink, moving closer to the fence in case any more little kids come running through the crowd. Reid joins me, his shoulder resting against the wood.

"Technically," I tell him, a quirk of a smile on my lips. "I thought there was a moratorium on profiling each other."

Reid takes another sip from his bottle. His Adam's apple bobs in his throat. I can't make myself make eye contact.

"You got siblings?" I ask.

"Just me," he answers.

"I don't know if I should say you are lucky or unfortunate," I chuckle.

"Younger siblings sound so fun," Reid shrugs. "So unfortunate, I suppose."

"My youngest sibling is six years younger than me," I tell him. "He's in the army now, his clearance higher than mine. It's odd, since he still feels so little. We're going to Spain. I just got the vacation approved by Hotch."

Reid tells me about his travel plans. He's going to go back to Las Vegas for a week in July. I've never been, which seems to surprise him a bit. I think Caro's bachelorette party is supposed to be there, but I'm not going to it. I don't tell him that though, but it's mostly because Bastien told me about Caro's bridesmaids and they are almost as bad as Cletus. Reid's vacation sounds nice enough. He's got a suitcase full of library books that he's bringing. He reads so fast he can rarely justify purchasing a book, and the library lets him take out a hundred books at a time.

I don't know where he finds time between work and guest lectures and everything else to manage reading books. I mean, it took me two months to finish the ones from Caro and Cletus.

"Do you still have the David Rossi book about the Scarsdale Skinner case?" I ask.

His brow furrows, "I thought you said you had it."

Fuck. I forgot, and of course he didn't let the conversation slip his mind. Reid doesn't forget anything.

"I lied," I admit. I huff out and take a swig of my drink. "You were right. About me feeling like I had something to prove."

Reid's shoulders tense. I take another sip and another, and then I'm onto my next drink. I open the case and there are other drinks in there. A honey whiskey. The others are here and I hadn't even noticed them come less than ten feet from us. I can't believe they didn't say hello.

"You don't, you know," Reid says. "Have something to prove, I mean. It was... it was an observation about how you feel, not who you are. You're good at your job. In fact, you are good enough that they have put you in the bullpen with us rather than give you your own office. They think you are clever."

I grab a drink and close the cooler. When I stand, Reid is next to me. His mouth is slightly ajar, his gaze lingering on my face, his concern etched into his face as if by a blunt knife, and I wonder if he is profiling me again. This time, it doesn't feel like I'm being sized up as a spy by an enemy agent, or a lamb by a wolf. There's something in him that wants to let him read me.

"I know," I feel my mouth twitch into a grin, but I swallow it. "Let's go find the others."

~~~~~

The next few chapters make my heart sing. Also, I'm almost done writing this book, which is actually insane. Can you believe it? Odds are you can't, mostly because I'm not even halfway through publishing these chapters. Maybe a sequel will be in order, but we shall see.

I have been revisiting this chapter for several months. Any thoughts about it?