#so obviously ive probably missed an obvious key moment in the early ones

[crystalromana]

Keys

I have been thinking about Charley's later adventures a whole lot and one of the things I keep cycling back to is the key issue.

This seems to say that she's got one. Multiple even since she says spare. The Light at the End is set quite early on in their travels. There isn't actually much about the key other than that.

The Light at the End

Until we get to Other Lives, which quickly sets up that the Doctor seems to have isomorphic controls on normally and that Charley doesn't have a key anymore.

Other Lives

Other Lives

This one-off could be chalked up to Charley not having her key in that outfit but then you flash all the way forward to Blue Forgotten Planet and well....

Blue Forgotten Planet

ouch.

The Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz group being dysfunction junction. I feel like this really boils down into two points- That Terror Firma and the Davros surgury thing messed with his head much more than it seemed and/or that he doesn't trust C'rizz (and Charley? She might see it that way)

[tearbos]

UPLIFTED

I originally posted this on my LJ back in 2011. I corrected a few editorial issues but refrained from making any major changes. :) This was written as a humorous fic that ended up becoming more angsty, but it still shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

This was written for Criminal Minds Kink Meme IV prompt: Reid is captured by an unsub (it's a cliche for a reason) who uses his victims for experiments. When the team finds him they expect the worst, but Reid seems relatively unharmed except for the fact that he now has wings.

Spoilers/Warnings: None, really.

The screech of tires rubbing against slick asphalt filled the early morning air as the large, black SUVs jerked to a sudden stop. The calm silence was broken by thundering footsteps as four agents hurriedly unloaded from the vehicle and converged on the small office building followed closely by a SWAT team and half a dozen DC police officers. Once the perimeter was surrounded, the team members quietly entered the front door and efficiently cleared the lobby area. SWAT and several officers came in as spread out to finish securing the rest of the building. The air was stale and dust covered every surface; the decor of the entryway was easily a decade old and gave no indication of the brilliant yet completely delusional scientist being searched for inside. The FBI agents began following the officers down a dingy, dimly lit hallway when a loud commotion echoed from the end of the corridor. They ran ahead to fine SWAT team members dragging a disheveled, protesting Dr. Brians from a small office.

“Wait,” he screamed angrily, “I’m almost finished! I just need to see if they work properly. That is the final step. Please!”

Hotch stormed over to the distraught scientist and demanded, “Where is he?”

The doctor looked up mournfully and pleaded, “Please?”

“Where?” Hotch insisted.

“In the lab,” Dr. Brians muttered bitterly.

The team members wasted no time, leaving the handling of their former Unsub to the police. As the hallway behind them had been cleared, and Dr. Brians was found in the only office to the left, the agents began checking all of the doors to their right. They found only empty rooms until they reached the last door. It was firmly locked and secured with an alarm, but a few blows with the SWAT team’s battering ram easily remedied that problem.

The space was pitch black, which made their flashlight beams reflect off of glass jars and metal tables around the room. No light sources were turned on in the front, so the team cautiously spread out as they slowly moved forward. The air was thick with tension and the quiet sounds of moving bodies. A switch was finally found near the back, and the florescent lighting crackled to life. The agents took in their surroundings in disgust. The room was a macabre cross between an Unsub’s trophy room and a horror movie mad scientist’s lab. Along the left wall were glass jars filled with ‘experiments’-both animal and human it seemed- in various stages of whatever processes to which they were subjected. The middle of the room held autopsy tables modified with leather restraints and smeared with dried substances. The right side was lined with shelves stuffed with books and a large desk piled high with lab reports, blueprints, and numerous other papers. There was no sign of the object of their search, though, until someone noticed that the back of the room was still dark behind large glass windows and a solid steel door. Applying force to the door and shining light into the glass both had no success. However, it took the considerable intimidation abilities of Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan less than three minutes to pry the security code from Dr. Brians.

Once the door was finally open and the room lit, the team stared in horror at the sight in front of them. Their missing team member was perched facing them on a pedestal about a foot above the ground. He was unconscious and supported under the arms by leather straps suspended from the ceiling. His head hung forward and his messy hair covered his face. A concerning amount of blood had formed a puddle around his feet and next to the pedestal. The blood appeared to have originated from his upper back or shoulders and flowed downward from there. After several moments of shock, the team jumped into action. Emily began searching the rooms for controls or keys to the straps and Rossi and Morgan grabbed Reid to hold him upright so Hotch could check Reid’s vitals.

“I have a strong pulse,” Hotch announced, and each agent let out a sigh of relief. While Rossi and Morgan worked on unlocking the straps with the keys Emily located across the room, Hotch moved around to check Reid’s injuries. What he found was something he never would have imagined-ever.

“What the Hell!”

His exclamation caught the attention of the others who shifted closer to see what had Hotch so surprised. They all had a similar reaction when they saw Reid’s back. Attached to his shoulder blades was a pair of feathered wings-actual, full-sized wings with real feathers that were cream with intricate detailing. They were folded up to lie flat against his back, but appeared to be nearly three feet in length and about a foot wide, not necessarily large but certainly not natural. A cursory examination didn’t reveal how they were connected to Reid, but the skin around the area was inflamed red and had obviously bled at some point. Silence filled the room until Emily finally spoke up.

“Are…these what Dr. Brians wanted to see working? He said something about a project…”

“It’s probably safe to assume this is what he meant,” Rossi replied.

“What the hell should we do now,” Morgan asked?

“Let’s get him down and to a hospital for starters, then we can figure out what to do from there,” Hotch decided. “Prentiss, let the paramedics know the situation and make sure they know to take him to the base hospital. We have a better chance of discretion there.”

“On it,” she stated as she pulled out her radio to inform the medics of the issues. With a combined effort the remaining agents managed to get Reid down from his stand and lying face down on the floor with his face propped against Morgan’s legs. They all studied the wings silently until help arrived.

-------------------

Gathered anxiously in Reid’s hospital room, the team members crowded around the x-ray images displayed on the lighted board while Dr. Alison described what they were seeing. The base structure of the wings was steel, and Dr. Brians had fused and wielded the metal to bones and reconfigured tendons until it was almost a part of Reid’s skeletal system. He had even tediously connected the nerves, and by all appearances the wings should be fully functional. It was painstaking work, and quite the scientific achievement, yet the whole idea was sick and horrifying. Perhaps the ‘test subject’ being an unwilling member of their team skewed the perspective somewhat.

After consultations with orthopedists, physical therapists, and a plastic surgeon, Dr. Alison confidently reassure the team that the wings could be removed with little or no permanent damage to Reid’s original arms and shoulders. The surgery, however, would have to wait a minimum of two weeks so that the current incisions and additions to Reid’s body could heal properly before undergoing further trauma. Reid would remain under careful observation during that time so that the doctor could monitor for infections or complications. The agents knew Reid would be unhappy with the delay and amount of time in the hospital, but the risk of serious injury was too great to avoid it. They would just have to do their best to support him until the time for the ‘wingectomy’ –as it was jokingly referred to.

Other than the obvious changes, Reid managed to escape his captivity without any major harm being done to his person. During the five days Reid was in his care, Dr. Brians had fed him and allowed him to rest when lapses in the experiment came around. The details were diligently logged in records in the lab, which was fortunate as Reid wasn’t awake to tell them and Dr. Brians was too busy mourning the loss of his project to cooperate. Neither the logs nor the physical exam by Dr. Alison revealed any further experimentation, and the team was relieved that Reid had only one serious physical issue to cope with. Only time would tell if he suffered any psychological distress from the ordeal, and Dr. Brians’ notes made no mention of Reid’s mental state during the process. The team members collectively decided to prepare for the worst possible scenario just in case.

Nearly ten hours later as the BAU team-now including Garcia and JJ- began to grow restless, Reid finally stirred. It took a few minutes of furious blinking and quiet groaning for him to become conscious, and another moment of panic before his full awareness returned. Reid smiled weakly at the sight of all of his team gathered around him with varying looks of concern.

“Hi guys,” he croaked out. “I guess I’m now officially a freak.” He spoke teasingly but the others hurried to reassure him and inform him that things could be repaired. Then, Emily posed the question that was on everyone’s mind, “Do they actually work, Reid?”

He gave a rueful grin and replied, “I don’t know yet. They hurt too much to try them before.”

“They don’t hurt now, do they,” Garcia asked worriedly?

“Not at the moment, but I imagine that one of these IVs contains some form of pain managing substance.”

“Yes, NSAIDs only,” Hotch responded.

“Good. Thanks.” Reid looked thoughtful for a moment. He held out a hand to Morgan. “Help me sit up.”

“What? Why?” Morgan took the offered hand but made no move to comply with Reid’s request.

“No time like the thoroughly medicated present to find out the answer. At least I’m already in the hospital if something goes wrong.

“I don’t think that’s…” Hotch began, but Rossi interrupted him.

“I’ll get Dr. Alison. He can supervise.” After Rossi left, Morgan carefully pulled Reid into a sitting position and JJ promptly arranged pillows to support him.

“Can you move your arms ok?” Emily inquired.

Reid tested both limbs successfully. “Interesting. They don’t move with my arms automatically. I must have to control them consciously,” Reid mused.

“I wonder why he wanted to do this at all,” Morgan stated.

“Well, an interest in flight is almost an intrinsic part of human nature. Studies dating as far back as the early…”

Reid’s mini-lecture was cut off by the arrival of Dr. Alison and Rossi. “Dr. Reid, it’s nice to meet you officially. I’m Dr. Alison and I’m in charge of your case.” He extended his hand and Reid shook it easily- one preliminary test passed.

“Nice to meet you too doctor. Are you a specialist in the surgical removal of unusual object from the body?”

“I guess you could put it that way,” Dr. Alison replied with a grin. “I must say that this will be my most unusual case to date.”

“I should hope so,” Morgan muttered to the amusement of the others.

“Do you feel up to doing a simple assessment or two?”

“Sure,” Reid answered. “What do you need me to do?”

“Well, I see that you can move your arms independently of the wings, so let’s test your range of motion.” Reid easily followed the instructions until Dr. Alison was satisfied. Finally he requested, “If you can, Dr. Reid, I want you to try to move the wings. However, you can only do so if there isn’t a lot of pain. I don’t want you to be injured any further.”

Reid focused his efforts on obeying the doctor’s orders. Slowly, the wings unfolded to their full extent. The rounded tops came just past Reid’s shoulders while the pointed tips hung over the edges of the bed. No one spoke as they took in what they were witnessing.

Dr. Alison broke the silence after a long pause. “Dr. Reid, would you mind if took a few pictures to include in your medical records and to give to the plastic surgeon?”

Reid shrugged, the wings lifting slightly as he did so. “As long as they don’t end up on the internet or the local news.”

“No worries there,” Dr. Alison reassured with a chuckle. He removed a digital camera from his lab coat and took a few panoramic shots before moving closer to photograph the areas around the incisions. After the photos he had Reid repeat the test while he palpated the areas around the shoulders and upper back, noting the way the movements affected the wings. “Fascinating,” he murmured under his breath when he felt how seamlessly both sets of appendages were connected. “This really is mind blowing work.”

“Why me though? Why do I attract the crazies,” Reid bemoaned?

The others laughed and Morgan ruffled his hair. “I don’t know Pretty Boy; maybe you give off a scent or something, some strange brand of Crazy Juice.”

“Ew,” JJ, Emily and Reid all exclaimed simultaneously.

“This is kind of amazing,” Garcia chimed in.

“Why is that, Baby Girl?”

“Because I’ve called Reid ‘Boy Wonder’ for years and now he really does have a super power!”

The room exploded with laughter while Reid crossed his arms and pouted.

“What’s the matter, Spence,” JJ asked once she regained her breath?

“I doubt that I could actually fly with them.” He seemed disappointed at the thought.

“Why not,” Rossi asked?

“They’re kind of small,” he replied. “I’m not sure they could lift my body weight.”

“Well, you don’t really weigh a whole lot Reid,” Emily retorted.

“I’m heavier than I look,” Reid stated indignantly. “Besides, it’s relative to the amount of weight they can support. They don’t seem very strong.”

“I don’t know, Reid. They are solid steel, and Dr. Brians was very detailed and exacting with his plans. I’d imagine he took your height and weight into account when he designed them….What?” Hotch asked when he realized the others were staring at him.

“Sir, your inner geek is showing,” Garcia told him. Hotch smiled at that while the rest nearly collapsed in amusement.

“I do have my moments,” Hotch replied, causing the merriment to continue.

Once things calmed down again, Dr. Alison briefly explained the plans for the next few weeks to Reid before excusing himself. Reid, surprisingly, didn’t protest his hospital stay; instead he seemed relieved to deal with this situation in the closed environment rather than in the real world. The team discussed visitation and work schedules for the next weeks while Hotch called in three weeks (minimum) medical leave for Reid as well as a few days off for the rest of them during and immediately after the surgery. Things were figured out as much as possible when JJ stood and approached the bed.

“Can I touch them Spence,” she asked hesitantly? Reid was startled by the questions but quickly acquiesced. She reached out and gently ran her hand along the edge before fingering the tip. “They’re really soft,” she stated as she continued stroking the downy feathers.

“Do they bother you, Baby Cakes,” Garcia wondered as she joined JJ.

“Bother me how? The fact that they are there bothers me, and remembering how they got there really bothers me,” he answered with a slightly bitter tone.

“Well, I meant bother as in: Are they heavy? Do they itch or annoy you? I can see why you would be bothered in different ways too though Sweetie.”

“Sorry Garcia,” he said softly. “I barely notice them unless they move, and I can’t feel you touching them.”

“Speaking of what happened, Reid, you will need to have a psych eval once you recover from the surgery,” Hotch told him. “I can have Dr. Benson come here to see you if you want to talk to him sooner.”

“Really, Hotch, I’m fine. There’s no need for an eval.”

“Its standard procedure and it isn’t up for discussion. Of course you can talk to any of us if you want to, but I do need a formal record as well.”

“I know,” Reid sighed in defeat.

“Do you want to tell us about it,” Morgan asked?

“What’s to tell? You read Dr. Brians’ notes so you what happened already.”

“That isn’t a complete picture and you know that,” Rossi said. “We don’t know what happened from your perspective. You were missing for five days, Reid; you can’t tell us you aren’t affected by that.”

Reid remained quiet for a few minutes before softly asking, “It was really five days?”

“Yes. Why,” Hotch answered?

“It…didn’t seem like that long, but I was pretty out of it for some of the time.”

“He drugged you,” Emily asked?

“Yeah, I’m not sure with what though- a sedative or paralytic or something. I was awake most of the time but not completely aware. I didn’t have as much pain while he was working as I did when he was done.”

“Did you know what he was doing,” Garcia wondered?

“Yes. He explained his plan in great detail and documented each step in the process.”

“How do you feel about this,” Hotch inquired?

“Conflicted,” he replied slowly. “I’m always interested in scientific advances and experimentation. I participated in several studies during college, but those were all voluntary and I was aware of the risks involved. I’m not happy that this was done without my consent, but the scientist in me is curious about how this ends up.”

“You could always delay the surgery and find out,” Rossi quipped lightly. Reid shot him a LOOK.

“Yeah, sure, that‘s a good idea. I’m weird enough already without adding this to it.”

“You aren’t weird,” JJ retorted at the same time Garcia blurted out, “I think they’re kind of cool.”

“Thanks, JJ, and of course you would say that Garcia,” he responded.

“You know I love you no matter what my gorgeous gray matter,” she said with a smile. Reid returned it with a grin of his own.

Just then, a nurse came in to inform them that visiting hours were finished for the evening. The team told Reid goodbye and promised to visit again in the morning-with coffee as stipulated by Reid.

---------------------------

Four days later, Morgan and Hotch helped Reid conceal his new appendages beneath his corduroy jacket as much as possible. Because there was no sign of infection, and Reid was healing so well, Dr. Alison released him to go home until the day of the ‘wingectomy’. By this time Reid was eager to get to his own apartment; hiding out in the hospital got boring very quickly. Once he was clothed the three agents signed Reid out and headed to his place. Reid fully expected to find the rest of his team members waiting for his arrival, but he didn’t anticipate a Fairy-themed welcome home party.

The ladies all had sets of sparkly wings in bright colors, and Rossi even had a set of large, hideously cheap, plastic wings strapped to his back-he didn’t seem to happy about the situation though.

“Welcome Home,” they all shouted as he walked in and Garcia bounced over and tossed a handful of glitter on his head. She kissed him cheerily on both cheeks to leave bright red lip prints behind. Reid couldn’t help but grin at the (weird) thoughtfulness of his friends. Despite their efforts, though, he still felt a little self-conscious as Hotch helped him remove his jacket. He wore his usual button-up shirt strategically modified in the back with a pair of scissors to accommodate his temporary limbs. Feeling a bit stiff, Reid cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, and stretched his wings out to their full extent. Looking around he saw all the eyes in the room watching him in awe. He smiled nervously at them.

“You’ve all seen them before,” he stated.

“We know, but it takes some getting used to,” Emily replied as she tugged him further into the area. He gaped in surprise as he took in the bright tissue paper and shiny streamers decorating his living room.

“This is what I imagine the inside of a fairy house would look like,” Garcia commented as he slowly spun to take it all in.

“Garcia, I’m not a fairy,” he protested half-halfheartedly, knowing already that arguing with here was a losing battle.

“Well honey bun, I’m not sure you qualify for angel status so this is the next best thing!” She grinned cheekily and winked at him. He couldn’t help but smile in agreement. Meanwhile JJ and Emily fitted Hotch and Morgan with their own sets of plastic wings, and Morgan strutted over to Garcia to show them off.

“What about me, Baby Girl? Do I make angel status?”

“Oh my gorgeous chocolate god, you will always be a heavenly vision in my eyes!”

Morgan smirked and wrapped an arm around her. “That’s good enough for me.”

“How do you feel, Reid,” Rossi asked from the corner?

“Not too bad. They’re feeling kind of stiff right now but they don’t hurt anymore.”

“That’s good. Here, have a drink,” he replied as he indicated the counter between the living room and the kitchen. “There is ‘fairy punch’, whatever that is, or I brought a good scotch if you prefer.”

“Scotch is good…” Reid started, but a large, flashing glass of pink punch with a tasseled straw in it suddenly appeared in front of his face.

“You have to at least try the ‘fairy punch’,” JJ started.

“Plus I need a picture of you holding it,” Garcia added as she held up her camera. Reid groaned but didn’t bother protesting. He obediently posed for the required photos before retreating to the safety of the couch were Rossi and Hotch sat nursing their drinks.

“So, what other festivities are planned for this fairy wonderland party,” Morgan wondered.

“Not much,” Emily answered. “Pizza should be here soon, and we just figured on watching a movie or something.”

“I wanted to watch Peter Pan in honor of the occasion but I was outvoted,” Garcia broke in with a pout.

“Thank goodness,” Hotch murmured, to the amusement of the others.

“I brought board games too,” JJ chimed in, “ones that Spence can’t dominate everybody in.”

“Do those exist,” Morgan mumbled?

“Yes, Morgan, I don’t know everything!”

“I have ‘Loaded Questions’, ‘Pictionary’, and ‘Life’,” JJ interrupted before an argument could begin.

“Let’s play ‘Loaded Questions’,” Reid decided. The others agreed and gathered around the coffee table.

----------------------

Three days later Reid strolled cautiously into the bullpen, unsure if anyone could tell something was different about him. Emily wasn’t at her desk so he headed towards Morgan’s office. A few agents stopped him along the way to welcome him back and wish him well. He took comfort in the fact that none acted as if there was anything unusual in front of them. He knocked lightly on Morgan’s open door and grinned when the agent smiled up at him in surprise.

“Reid! It’s good to see you, my man, but what are you doing here? You barely started your medical leave.”

“I know, but I was getting bored wandering around at home. Besides, I’m not really sick or injured so I can at least do paperwork or something until the surgery.”

Morgan looked thoughtful. “I should tell you to clear it with Hotch first, but I could use a hand. As long as you hang out in here with the door closed you should be fine. I will claim ignorance if Hotch catches you.”

“Deal,” Reid happily agreed. “I will be very sneaky, but you know he will figure out that I helped you once you turn these in.”

“That’s true, but as long as he doesn’t catch you doing them I should be safe.” Morgan handed him a stack of files and cleared a section of desk for him to work on.

Reid worked in Morgan’s office for nearly two hours before he called Emily in the bullpen and recruited her to be his look out while he went to the break room for coffee and a trip to the bathroom. She gladly complied, and Reid brought her and Morgan coffee as a thank you. He would have made it the whole day without getting caught if Emily hadn’t gotten stuck on a phone call around 3:30 and failed to warn Reid of Hotch going to Morgan’s office. Morgan was in with Garcia checking on missing information from a case file and Reid was huddled over his corner of Morgan’s desk engrossed in an autopsy report when Hotch knocked lightly on the partially open door before entering.

“Morgan when you get a chance can you…” he trailed off upon seeing Reid-looking up at him in surprise-rather than the person he expected. “What are you doing here? You are supposed to be on medical leave,” Hotch stated pointedly.

“I, um, just came by to help for awhile. I’m fine, Hotch, really. There’s no reason why I can’t do paperwork.”

Hotch studied him before deciding to just let the issue go. “I don’t want to see or hear of you doing anything strenuous Reid. You know what Dr. Alison said about infection and tissue damage; he wants you to take it easy before the surgery. Paperwork only.” His tone made it clear that no arguments would be accepted.

“Yes, sir,” Reid responded gratefully.

Hotch handed him a thick file. “I was going to have Morgan work on this, but since you are here you can do it instead.”

“No problem.”

Hotch turned to leave, but he paused and said, “You can work at your desk now if you want instead of hiding in here.” He left without waiting for a reply.

Reid finished the day in Morgan’s office despite Hotch’s approval; both of them were glad for the company on an otherwise boring work day, and they didn’t get to spend much time together unless they were on a case now that Morgan had his own office.

Garcia declared it to be ‘Team Dinner Night’ so they all gathered at Reid’s apartment again, this time with Greek take-out. The evening was fun and relaxed as the agents talked and laughed together. Once the food was gone, Reid got everyone’s attention.

“Guys, I’m ready to try an experiment.” The identical looks of concern and confusion amused him greatly. “I’ve done some calculations and I believe that the wings will be able to support my weight for a short flight.”

“Really? That’s so great,” Garcia exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see this!”

“How short is a ‘short flight’,” Rossi inquired?

“Approximately three minutes, could be as much as four or as few as one-and-a-half depending on wind conditions.”

“So, where are we conducting this experiment,” Emily wanted to know?

“I was thinking the roof…”

The room exploded with protests.

“No way man!”

“Not a chance, Reid!”

“You are not jumping off of the roof!”

He held up his hand to regain control of the conversation. “I’m not planning on jumping off the roof,” he insisted, “just jumping around it some.”

“Why the roof Spence,” JJ asked?

“I determined that I could get the most ideal wind and space combination there.”

“Ok, we can do this. I do insist that you will be connected to a repel line first,” Hotch declared.

“Oh. That’s a good idea. I guess we can try this tomorrow then.” His tone was dejected, and both his arms and wings slumped in defeat.

“No, we can do it now. I have a kit in the truck.”

“Why do you have that, Hotch,” Morgan wondered?

“In SWAT you learn to prepare for anything. Some habits are hard to break I suppose,” he replied with a shrug.

“Ok, let’s go then. Aaron, grab the supplies and meet us on the roof.” Rossi took Reid’s arm and pulled him toward the door. The others quickly followed, Garcia pausing to pick up her camera.

An hour later the team trudged back into Reid’s apartment somewhat disheartened. Reid had managed to get a decent amount of lift, but he lacked the control to keep himself airborne for more than 30 seconds or so at a time. They had tried several different maneuvers, but they were all met with limited success.

“If I had a more time to practice…” Reid sighed wearily as he plopped down on his couch. “I’m sure I could figure it out in a couple of days.”

“I bet you could, Boy Wonder, but is it worth the effort of constantly cleaning up things you break or knock over because you aren’t adjusted to the wingspan?” Garcia questioned. She bounced down next to him and stroked his feathers soothingly.

“I don’t know. I’m finally starting to get used to them.”

“You do realize that you can keep them as long as you want to,” Morgan pointed out. “The surgery can be rescheduled.”

“That’s true, but the longer I put it off the long it takes to get my life back to normal. I will have to be laid up for at least a week regardless; postponing the surgery won’t avoid the downtime.”

“Reid, sweetie…” Garcia began carefully, “do…you actually want to have them removed?” Reid, along with the others, looked at her in total shock. “We all just assumed that you’d want them gone ASAP, and you thought the same thing at first. Now that you’ve had time to adjust and think, you could have changed your mind and that’s perfectly ok.”

“I can’t keep them! How will I work or…or do anything? I just…it wouldn’t be logical,” Reid said decidedly.

“There are always was to work around things, Reid. You were at the office all day today with no problem.” Hotch sat on the coffee table facing him and looked Reid in the eyes. “It is ok if you want to keep them-for a few days or indefinitely. The choice is yours and you shouldn’t be pressured into making it. At least consider your options; you won’t ever get this opportunity again.”

Reid swallowed forcefully and met Hotch’s gaze. “Thanks. I think I’ve already decided, but I will think about it a little more. I am learning to work around them and, scientifically, they are fascinating. I’ve continued to keep Dr. Brians’ logs just to have records. This really is the study of a lifetime and I’d hate to leave it unfinished.”

“Plus, plus, I still think they’re kind of sexy, and you have to take at least one shirtless pic with them for me before you get them removed,” Garcia enthused. Reid flushed bright red but nodded his consent to her demands.

“That would be pretty cool,” he admitted begrudgingly.

“Oh! I could play with lighting and color tones and even some costuming!”

“Let’s not get carried away, PG,” Emily warned.

“So it’s settled, then,” Rossi declared. “Reid will do some thinking tomorrow while Penelope does the photo shoot. That should help with the decision-making process!”

“I’ll say,” Reid groaned while the others laughed at his predicament.

-------------------------

The following evening, the team members convened in the conference room to view Garcia’s picture presentation and to hear Reid’s decision. Everyone was thoroughly impressed with her work featuring black and white, sepia tone, and different backgrounds and props. She’d somehow even managed to convince Reid to accessorize for a few- in one he had a sparkly boa, in another, Mardi Gras beads, and in others various hats and scarves. He had, however, steadfastly refused the plastic halo Garcia somehow obtained-much to her disappointment.

Finally, Rossi asked the question on everyone’s mind, “So Reid, what’s the verdict? Are we spending next week camping out in a waiting room or giving flying lessons?”

Reid smiled and looked around at each person. “I called Dr. Alison and discussed the options with him. He didn’t see any harm that could come from postponing, so we rescheduled for one month with the option to make it sooner if I decide I want to do that. As a scientist, I just can’t imagine not seeing this through.”

His statement was met with approval all around the table.

“I’m glad you decided that, Reid,” Emily stated as she dug through the papers in front of her.

“Why is that?”

“Because I’ve been working on some diagrams to get you better air time.”