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silver138 · 5 months ago

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 4

word count - 3.4k

warnings - cursing, discussion of alcohol, a few spoilers for The Dresden Files series of books

Summary: Lina learns more about Spencer and tries to convince him to join the team for a night out.

"...And that's how you fill out the reports. Do you have any questions, Lina?" Penelope finishes.

I open my mouth, stop and close it, then start. "Erm, not about the work, no."

With a wry smile on her face, Penelope hands me a few of the folders and says, "Ask and ye shall receive, my dear."

I clear my throat and shyly ask, "Um, I-I get the feeling there's more to Doctor Reid than what can be seen on the surface. What's his story? He doesn't look much older than me, how..."

Penelope nods and says, "I know what you're asking. What all did you want to know about him?"

I chew my lip nervously and say, "I-I dunno, just, like, the basic stuff? Stuff you guys already know? I get the feeling he doesn't really like to talk about himself, so, like, that stuff? Like, am I allowed to ask, or..."

"Ah, our dear Doctor Reid. Well, he's 24, he graduated from Las Vegas High School at the age of 12, and he holds Ph. D.s in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering, and B.A.s in Psychology and Sociology."

My jaw drops open, and I sputter out, "He did all of that in 12 years?! How did he find time to sleep? Actually, now I can believe he can read as fast as he says because there's no way he could do all of that in 12 years otherwise..."

Penelope smiles at me and says, "Yep, our boy's a certified genius. And he's really sweet, and I'm sure if you're patient and gentle with him, you'll be able to get to know him well."

I smile back and say, "I hope so. I think we could get along really well."

As I go and sit down to start transcribing the folders she gave me into the database, I say, "Oh, also, it's ok that I have lunch with him, right? Like, there's no time issues? When he first told me how fast he reads, I didn't believe him and asked if I would be able to see if he could actually read as fast as he said he could. So, I offered to buy him lunch in exchange for seeing this feat of intellect."

She raises her eyebrows and says, "Yeah, that's doable, but you're probably going to be bored watching."

I laugh and say, "Y'know, that's what he said? But I'm also going to ask him questions about the plot of the books I brought, to see if he really does remember everything he reads. For science, I said."

She smiles and says, "Yeah, that sounds like something he'd agree to, then. That'll be fine, I'm sure we'll be able to knock a few of these cases out before then."

I hold up my hand and cross my fingers while saying, "Here's hoping. Hey, is it ok if I listen to some music while I do that? It helps me focus, and I have headphones. I promise not to have it too loud, as well..."

Penelope waves her hand at me and says, "Go for it, if I need you, I'll tap on your shoulder, ok?"

Smiling, I pull out my MP3 player and headphones and say, "Thanks, Penny. I should be able to do this a little faster, then."

Once I finished with the folders she had given me, I turned to Penelope to ask if there were any more for me to do. "You weren't kidding when you said it helps you. Here, take these 2, I'll let you know when you can take your lunch and conduct your 'experiments'." She says with a smile that I return. I'm halfway through the second one when I feel a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, go take your lunch. And stretch a little, you've been hunched over for hours. Gotta get rid of that 'shrimp' look." Penny says playfully.

"Huh? Oh, right, all curled up, I gotcha." I reply with a laugh. Saving what I have filled out, then turning off my music and placing it and my headphones on the desk, I stretch to work out the kink I've developed in my neck. Grabbing my purse, I see it's about 5 til 12, and I slowly make my way to Spencer's desk. "Hey, Doc- Spencer. Did you still want to go to lunch, or..." I say timidly. He turns and looks at me, grabbing his bag as he stands up.

"Y-yeah, if you still wanted to..." he stammers slightly as we start walking to the cafeteria.

I chirp out "Yup! Are the books in your bag?"

He nods and starts, "You know, y-you don't have to buy me lunch, Lina..."

"I don't mind. To be honest, I was kind of afraid I wouldn't be able to make any friends when I came here. I mean, I get along with a lot of people, but they don't really seem to like to spend any more time than they have to with me." I say.

Spencer furrows his eyebrows and asks, "Well, why not? You seem to be nice, you're friendly."

I shrug and say, "Yeah, but I don't really follow the same stuff other people do. I 'don't go out enough', I 'read too much' and I'm 'interested in too much nerd' um, stuff, as my roommate says."

He gives a tight-lipped smile and says, "Oh, I know how that is. Morgan and Garcia are constantly trying to get me to go with them when the team goes out for drinks. I'd rather just stay at home and read or watch movies."

I chuckle and say, "Yeah. And the times when I do head out, Val is constantly trying to get me to drink. 'How can you have any fun if you don't loosen up and drink?'" He gives me a momentary blank look before I explain, "My roommate's name is Val." Spencer hums in acknowledgment.

As we get our lunches, I ask, "What kind of movies do you like to watch?"

"Um, mostly foreign films, but I also like horror movies," he replies. I pay for our food, and we go sit down at an empty table. "What about you?" he asks, setting his bag down to get the books out and placing them on the table.

"I'll watch pretty much anything, really, but I seem to gravitate towards sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy. I haven't seen any of the newer horror movies, but I have seen all of the old Universal ones. You know, Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein." I say.

I gesture to the books and say, "You can go ahead and read, I'll stop talking now." His hand hovers over the first book and he looks at me, unsure. "Seriously. Besides, we can talk about the books after you're done, I've been dying to talk to someone about them." He gives me a small smile and opens the first book. I eat my lunch as I watch him read, his fingers running down the pages, turning them every few seconds. Holy shit, dude wasn't lying, I think to myself. I glance up at his face as he reads, an intense look on it. He even looks cute while reading. Hmm, can't say that's a thought that I would have had before today...

I'm a little over halfway through my lunch when he closes the first book, sets it aside, and starts eating his lunch. I clear my throat and ask him, "OK if I ask you a few questions before you start the next one?" He nods as slowly takes a bite from his sandwich. "What is the main character's full name?" I ask.

He smirks and says, "Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden."

Grinning, I continue. "What is the significance of the skull?"

"It houses a spirit of intellect that goes by the name of Bob."

"And who does Dresden help with the case?" I ask.

"Karrin Murphy, who is an officer for the Chicago Police Department. She works in a division called Special Investigations, or SI, which handles cases if something unexplainable or supernatural is involved." he finishes.

Giving him a big smile, I say, "Holy hell, you were right. That is seriously impressive!" He smiles back at me as he slides the first book back to me. As we finish eating, I put the first book into my purse and grab the one I'm on to start reading, as he starts reading the second.

After I read another 3 chapters, he closes the book he's reading and slides it back to me, waiting for more questions. I put my bookmark in place, put the books in my purse, and ask, "OK, what being or beings is this one mostly about?"

He chuckles and says, "Werewolves, but I mean, with a title like 'Fool Moon', what else would it be?"

I laugh and say, "OK, I'll give you that one. What types of werewolves are mentioned?"

"Classic werewolves, lycanthropes, loup-garou, and hexenwolves," he replies.

"OK, final question: Who or what is Mister?" I ask.

"That's his cat." he finishes.

"So, what did you think of them?" I ask.

"A little slow to start, but it picked up in the second. I like it so far." Spencer says.

Gathering our trays, I say to him, "You know what this means, right?"

Puzzled, Spencer says, "N-no, what?"

Giant grin on my face, I tell him, "That means I've got more books for you to read!"

He laughs at this, then says, "I'm up for it if you are."

"Oh, absolutely! I haven't been able to talk to people about books since I lived with my parents! Well, not in person, at least. The internet's great, but sometimes, you just can't beat an in-person conversation, you know?" I tell him.

"I-y-yeah, I can understand that..." he says softly. We walk back towards the offices slowly, talking about other hobbies and interests we have. I'm psyched to find out he also likes Halloween, and he's thrilled that I enjoy chess.

"Hey, I guess I'll catch you after work?" I say to Spencer as we walk back to his desk, and I look at the clock.

"Uh, y-yeah, I'll see you later," he replies. I smile at him and head back to Penelope's office.

"Hey, there she is! So, how was your lunch?" Penny says as I walk in.

I smile and say, "Pretty good. I have a book buddy now. Haven't had an irl one since I lived at home with my parents."

She smiles at me and says, "Good! I don't know if you've guessed, but Reid could use more people to talk to." I nod and sit back down, about to start back on my work, when I turn and ask Penelope for a few more folders. She nods, handing me 4, and says, "At this rate, I'll have to go grab more for us before the end of the day!" I just smile and put my headphones back on, getting to typing.

After finishing the one from before lunch and breezing through the four that Penelope gave me, I pause my music and take off my headphones to stand up and stretch for a moment. Penelope looks up at me and says, "You're done? Give me a minute and I can show you where we get them, ok?" I nod, still stretching my limbs to get the blood flow back to normal. Once I'm done, she stands up and motions for me to follow her. As we walk to the storage room, Penelope says, "So, I know it's been two days and slow, but what do you think of the BAU so far?"

"I like it! Everyone's nice, and the job is something I can easily do. I just hope I can keep up when there's a case." I tell her.

"Well, fingers crossed that we don't get one til next week, I'm excited about the get-together at O'Keefe's this weekend," she says, doing so with her right hand.

"Oh, right. Who all will be there?" I ask.

"Well, I know Hotch won't be there, because he and his wife had a baby not long ago. I've asked Gideon, Elle, and JJ, and we talked about it with Morgan and Reid. Out of everyone asked, the only one that I don't know if they're going for sure is Reid." she explains.

I nod, trying to keep my face neutral, but something must have shown, because the next thing Penelope said was, "Hey, don't worry, I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve."

Surprised, I start, "But I didn't..."

Penelope rushes in with, "Oh, I know, but I also know that look. Gonna have to practice your poker face a little better if you work around profilers all day!"

I give a small laugh and say, "I-yeah, I suppose so, huh?" After getting another box of case files, we head back to the office, setting the box on a rare spot on the table not covered by tech.

Sitting back down, we get to work, inputting the information into the BAU's database. While I'm aided by music, we make it through half the box by the end of the day. Closing the last folder I've transcripted, I put it back in the box to be put back when we're done. I put my headphones and MP3 player back in my purse and start to stretch again as Penelope closes her folder and places it back in the box. "Ready to leave, hon?" she asks me, turning and grabbing her purse. I grab my own and nod.

Walking to the elevators, we're joined by Elle and JJ, who are in a conversation as they make their way to us. "Hey, Lina! Happy to be heading home?" JJ says with a smile.

I smile back and say, "A little. How about you?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Elle says with a laugh.

Penelope chimes in with, "I'll be really happy when we can go out this weekend!" All three of them laugh and agree, just as Derek and Spencer show up. "Isn't that right, Hot Stuff?" Penny says as she spots the men coming near us.

"What's that, Baby Girl?" Derek says, as the elevator doors open and we all enter.

Penelope smirks and says, "That going out this weekend will be really fun! Oh! And Lina, karaoke will be this weekend since you were wondering."

"Oh, cool, yeah, I'll be there, then. Um, I might need directions, though..." I start.

"Oh! I can give you a ride, did you want my number, and you can text me your address?" Penelope interjects.

"Oh, uh, yeah, here..." I say, handing her my phone.

As Penelope adds herself to my contacts list, JJ asks, "So, the usual time, right?"

Handing me back my phone, Penelope nods and says, "Yup! Does anyone else need a ride?"

JJ pipes up with, "No, Elle and I will head there together, and I think Gideon said he'll take his car."

"That just leaves you two. So?" Penelope says, looking between Derek and Spencer. As the elevator opens up, we exit and walk away slightly, keeping the path to the elevator clear for anyone else.

"Well, you know I'm up for it. How about you, Pretty Boy? You gonna come out with us for a change?" Derek says, turning to Spencer.

"I-I d-don't know..." Spencer starts, with JJ adding, "Aww, c'mon, Spence, it'll be fun!"

Turning to him, I smile and join in. "Yeah! It'll be fun!"

"Oooh, look out, Boy Genius! They're gangin' up on ya!" Penelope says with a laugh.

Spencer flushes and stammers out "M-maybe, I-I'll see you guys tomorrow..." and walks off.

I quickly text Penelope so she has my number and address, and then I check the clock and say, "Oh man, yeah, I gotta go, too. I'll text you as soon as I can, Penny! See you guys!" and I rush off in the same direction that Spencer went.

I make it about halfway to the station when I finally see Spencer, slowing from a run to a speed walk. As I catch up to him, he looks over at me, then back ahead and says, "I didn't take you for a runner, Lina."

Grinning, I say, "I'm not, really. I only started trying to get a little faster starting last year. It's helped increase my walking speed, too. Which comes in handy, since I have to take twice as many steps to keep up with 95% of the people I walk with, as I'm so short I might as well be labeled a Hobbit."

My last comment pulling a small smile to his face, I say to him, "Hey, um, I'm sorry about back there. I guess I couldn't resist the thought of having someone else on the 'non-drinking team' while out at a bar."

He goes silent for a minute, then says, "You really think it'd be fun?"

I nod and say, "I really do. Besides," I continue with a smile. "I'm someone who'll willingly go up onstage and make an idiot of themselves."

He looks at me and says, "I doubt you'd make an idiot of yourself."

"Hey, you don't know that for sure. I might sound like a...an asthmatic pterodactyl when I try to sing." I say jokingly, which gets a laugh from him. We walk into the station and sit on a bench, waiting for the train.

"What could that possibly even sound like, though? A...wheezing screech?" he says, still laughing.

I smile and say, "That'd be my bet. So come on, what do you say? Want to witness a ridiculous spectacle like that?"

He shakes his head a little and sighs, saying, "I-Alright, I'll-I'll come. I suppose I'll ask Morgan for a ride..." Quickly hiding that I'm grinning like an idiot, I dig in my purse for my fare.

As the Metro pulls in, I ask, "So, did you want me to bring the next two books in tomorrow?"

"I-yes, I would like that, if-if that's ok..." Spencer says, standing up and waiting for me so we can head onto the train.

"Awesome! Hopefully, I can remember to make a note of what page I left off on...though it probably doesn't matter, since it's a reread, after all..." I say, mostly to myself.

Standing up and following Spencer, we sit down and he asks, "So, have you read many of the classics, or do you mainly stick with contemporary books?"

"Um, I haven't read very many classics, I'm afraid. I haven't even read Frankenstein yet, which is a shame...um, that said I have read a few." I start counting them off on my fingers. "Let's see, there's Little Women, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Hobbit, Handmaid's Tale...there's a bunch I bought, but I just...haven't gotten around to reading them...I probably should, huh?"

Spencer gives a small smile and says, "'Should' isn't something that denotes enjoyment, I think. You 'should' only read what you want. However, depending on the themes you enjoy, and you want to read some of the classics that fall into those categories, I can suggest some...i-if you want..."

I give him a shy smile back, and say, "I'd like that, honestly. Knowing that there are so many that are considered 'classics' can be...kind of overwhelming. Well, I like science fiction and fantasy. And I know I like Edgar Allen Poe, even though I don't normally read any other poets."

"I can work with that. I can give you a list now if you want," he suggests.

I shake my head, telling him, "Ah, is there any way you can write it down? I, uh, it's...easier to have the info stick in my head if I can read it."

He nods and says, "I-I can do that, I'll have a list for you tomorrow."

I pull the signal for my stop and smile at him, saying, "Thank you, Spencer. I appreciate it. Well, see you tomorrow?" He nods and takes out a large book out of his bag. As the train slows down, I quip, "Ah, a bit of light reading for the rest of your ride?"

He chuckles and flushes slightly, then says, "Something like that. I'll see you tomorrow, Lina."

Still smiling, I disembark from the train and start walking home.

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#spencer reid #dr spencer reid #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #matthew gray gubler #mgg #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid fanfiction #doctor spencer reid #spencer reid x ofc #spencer reid x original female character

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