TWENTY-THREE. HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE RHEA REEVES

"WHERE IS HE?!" RHEA BURST INTO THE BAU WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A GREETING. She was bright red in the face, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an old band shirt with dried tears running down her face. She held her visitor tag in her hand, as she didn't have the patience to pin it on her body. All she wanted was answers, and she hoped to get them. "Where's Spencer?!"

"Rhea, sweetie, come here," Penelope ran forward to envelop the teacher, but Rhea wasn't having any of it. She tossed her tag on Spencer's desk and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. She was pale and shaking, clearly on the verge of panic. If she were a cartoon character there would have been steam shooting out of her ears, but lucky for everyone, she wasn't. 

"What the fuck is going on?" Rhea's voice was uncharacteristically sharp and to the point, taking everyone off guard. JJ stepped forward and put her hands on Rhea's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down, but Rhea didn't exactly welcome it. 

"Reid's been approved for extradition to the US," she explained calmly, though she was taken aback by the woman's newfound hostility. The schoolteacher was known for her kindness and patience. Though in all fairness, the situation was a little different now.  "He'll be back at the BAU within the hour, but Emily will have to transport him to the federal jail. You'll get to see him-"

"That doesn't answer my question, Jennifer," Rhea shook her head, looking around the group. She met the eyes of Tara Lewis, then Stephen Walker. She didn't know them as well, but they were hopefully smart enough to put her mind at ease.  "Come on, I need to know why the hell I was called at one in the morning to find out that Spencer was arrested for murder in Mexico! He told me he was going to Houston...why...why did he have drugs with him? He's been clean for years-"

"Rhea!" JJ cut her off, her tone sharp. Rhea's head turned back to look at her, revealing the tears in her eyes. JJ sighed, her shoulders falling.  "We're not going to get anywhere if you don't calm down."

Rhea resisted the urge to snap. She ran her hands through her hair and started pacing back and forth, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the ground, or even better, into Spencer's arms. She was furious - but at what? At Spencer for leaving and lying? At herself for not doing more to help him? It was all one big blur that twisted inside her like a carving knife. 

"Sit down, please," Tara said softly, gesturing to Spencer's chair. Rhea couldn't breathe. 

"I can't-" she started tearing up again, holding her hand up to her mouth as her shoulders began to shake. She truly didn't know what to do with herself - she felt like she could throw up. But, she didn't have anything else left in her.  She nearly fell into Penelope as the woman rushed over, in a state of shock. "You...you need to fix this."

"We will, honey," Penelope assured her, rubbing her back. Seeing her cry was something highly unusual, so it made her eyes get prickly as well. "I promise we'll get him out of this."

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"He's here," JJ said softly, her hand knocking against Emily's office door to make her presence known. The teacher was sitting in the company of Anderson, who had offered to look after her while the rest of the team continued to work. Rhea looked up and jumped to her feet, walking over quickly with the other agent in tow. JJ lifted her hand to put on the woman's shoulder, hesitating before she did so. 

"What do I..." she trailed off, inhaling sharply. Her eyes flickered back to Anderson anxiously. "What do I do? What if I say the wrong thing? What if-"

"Rhea," JJ gently interrupted, squeezing her upper arm. "It's okay if you don't know what to do. You're in the same boat as the rest of us. I'm sure he just wants to see some familiar faces right now."

"JJ, he's in the elevator!" Penelope called from the bullpen. The two women in Emily's office exchanged glances, before Rhea parted, running through the BAU and into the corridor, where she fell into step with Tara and Stephen. Anderson came up behind her, his hands tucked in his pockets, while JJ had rushed over on her own accord. 

It seemed the elevator ding had timed itself with the breaking of Rhea's heart. 

The doors open to reveal him. First she saw his face, bruised and dirty. Then, his clothes - raggedy and far from his usual style. And finally, the FBI jacket that hung over his hands to obscure the cuffs. That was what hurt the most. The fact that they were pretending nothing was there. 

She couldn't seem to move. Led by Emily, Spencer walked up to the group, his eyes trained on her. There was unmistakable guilt in his expression, as if he knew he'd failed her and broken some sort of trust between them. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, but she was stuck to the ground with superglue. 

JJ stepped forward to embrace him, and Rhea looked away, feeling her eyes start to sting once more. Something had reached down her throat and yanked her breath away. She couldn't...she couldn't do anything. She was helpless. 

"My turn," Penelope yanked Spencer into a hug, muttering about the colour of his cheeks and how his mugshot was awful to have to stare at. Once she pulled away, all eyes turned to Rhea. "Sweetie, it's okay..."

Spencer cleared his throat. Rhea finally looked up, and he swallowed at the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks. "Rhea, I-"

She choked out a sob and found it in herself to walk towards him, resting her forehead against his chest. She cried, and there was hardly anything he could do to comfort her. Bending his neck, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and exhaled softly through his nose. He wanted nothing more than to hold her. "I'm still pissed at you, by the way."

"I know," he chuckled softly, despite himself. "You have every reason to be. I'm sorry for what I said...I-I just wanted you to keep you away from what I was doing for my mom. You've done nothing but help us."

Rhea looked up at him, her hands moving up to cup his face. She pushed herself onto her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to his temple, before embracing him tightly. His head fell into the crook of her shoulder, and she rubbed his back. "I love you, Doc. Even when you do stupid shit. Promise me you won't be gone too long? I don't think I can survive with Daisy and you gone."

He hummed. "I promise. And I love you too."

"Rhea, we need to take him now," Luke said softly, causing Rhea's grip on Spencer to tighten. Was it bad that she wanted to kiss him one more time...but not on the cheek? She had no idea how long it would be until she'd get to hold him again, to feel his touch. But she knew it was wildly inappropriate, and he probably didn't want the same. 

So, she reluctantly let go. She and Spencer stared at each other for a moment, and she could've sworn she saw his eyes flicker to her lips. But then again, maybe she was seeing things. 

She didn't get the chance to linger on the thought, as he was taken into the BAU by Rossi and Luke, with Marnie trailing behind. Rhea could only watch, allowing Penelope to loops their arms together in an act of solidarity. 

There was nothing. Nothing she could do as she watched Spencer Reid walk away in handcuffs. 

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ayo aye i haven't updated in a while SORRRRYYYYY. idk where my inspo has gone but hopefully ill find it somewhere up my ass