Spencer Reid

[0_0_7]

He'd been tailing the young agent. FBI, brilliant, broken. It was the perfect time to make his move and after spending quite a good portion of time reading up on Dr. Spencer Reid, Bond tracked him down on campus. He stood in the back of the lecture hall and when the class let out he approached the young teacher.

"Dr. Reid," he said, his tone warm and familiar, as if they'd met before. "Can I invite you to tea? I'd like to speak with you."

Comments

[dr_spencer_reid]

They didn't know one another though. Spencer never forgot a face, and this wasn't one he knew.

Frowning, he studied the man the way Gideion would, examining him from head to toe. That haircut, that suit. A certain level of fitness, military background... It all painted a picture.

Add to that the fact that the man had slid into his life out of nowhere, and spencer felt he knew what he was dealing with.

"Five or six?" he asked curiously.

[0_0_7]

Bond smiled and moved in closer, hands in his pockets. He posed no threat at all.

"I just want a moment of your time," he said, not giving the man an answer. That he knew enough to ask five or six was knowing too much, in Bond's opinion. "There's a cafe nearby. I would gladly buy you tea. Will you come?"

[dr_spencer_reid]

He hated not getting answers, and Spencer frowned for a moment before his curiosity got the best of him.

"I'd rather have coffee, but- Alright," he agreed with a nod.

[0_0_7]

Bond gave a nod and lead Dr. Reid out of the classroom, out of the building, and off campus. Not far was a cafe that catered to the students and was busy enough to help put the young teacher at ease.

"Let's sit in the back," he said. "Then we can talk."

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Do you think we could start with your name?" Spencer asked as he sat down.

Though he had a feeling that he was talking to little more than a ghost.

[0_0_7]

"Bond. James Bond," he said with pride and confidence. There was no harm in giving his name. "And you are Dr. Spencer Reid, a recent addition to King's College after some messy business with the FBI in America. You're not wrong, Dr. Reid. To answer your question...six."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer nodded, falling silent for a moment as he looked down at the table.

"I'm not interested," he said finally, not wanting to hear the man's pitch or anything else that might sway him. "Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could, Mr. Bond. I'm not ready to be in the field again."

[0_0_7]

"You're hardly cut out for field work, Dr. Reid. No, what we're looking for is a profiler. Someone who can read files. Dossiers. And, perhaps, give us a better understanding of terrorists and criminals. Large scale psychopaths. You could help us, Dr. Reid. We're not asking you to stop teaching. Just to give us some of your time," Bond said calmly, not so easily put off.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"MI6 wants me to consult for them?" Spencer asked quietly, looking confused. "Really? I wouldn't have thought that's something that happens very often..."

He also feared that it wouldn't be work easily left behind. MI6, like the CIA, tended to hold on a little too tightly to their assets.

[0_0_7]

"Not often, no. But you're quite...desirable. I realize the FBI has the first claim to you but while you're here you're invited to work with us," he said.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"And I- I'm flattered, I think. Um- It's just that I don't know how much use I'll be at the moment," Spencer admitted quietly, his words slow and carefully chosen for a change.

"I still have a lot going on in my head."

[0_0_7]

"We're aware of Tobias Hankel," Bond said calmly. "That terrible ordeal aside, it won't do to let yourself get out of practice. We're not asking you to put yourself in danger. A tidy, well lit office in one of the most secure buildings in London. And, of course, you'll be paid."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer tensed at the mention of Tobias, guilt and fear rushing through him all at once.

He did listen though, and after a moment he offered a small shrug. "I'll consider it. I can't promise more than that. ...Do they always send agents out to do their recruitment?" he asked.

[0_0_7]

"Not always. But I'm not busy and it's better than being a layabout," he said with a slightly playful smirk curling his lip. Seeing to Dr. Reid really was a bit beneath him but M wanted him. Not just anyone- M. An when M gave an order, Bond carried it out.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"Well, you've done what you came to do. If you want to go, you can. I don't really expect you to stay and have coffee with me," Spencer said awkwardly.

[0_0_7]

"There's more to my offer than simply a job," Bond said. "There's also to social aspect. You don't seem to socialize with your fellow professors. It would be in your best interest to have some contacts while you're in London."

Bond was not about to be brushed off. His job was to get a yes, not an I'll think about it.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I guess..." Spencer replied awkwardly, considering that, and then shrugging. "I don't think I'm the kind of person you usually socialize with though. Not dressed like that anyway."

[0_0_7]

"You're very astute. But I find I associate with quite a few people, everyday in fact, who do not dress the way I do. Are you really so concerned you and I might not be friends? I wasn't suggesting you like me. Merely that you might find a comrade. We have quite a few brilliant minds in Q Branch. Some I'm sure you'd have things in common with them," he said, lilting up as if it were half question, half suggestion.

[dr_spencer_reid]

"I don't need friends, I'm fine. I have my team back home, waiting for me. ...I don't plan on staying here long, Mr. Bond," Spencer said quietly.

[0_0_7]

"You really hold out so much hope, Dr. Reid?" Bond asked, quiet but not unkind. "You could do good work here as well. You could help stop men who kill thousands. You can prevent other's from going through hell."

[dr_spencer_reid]

"That's not- That's not fair," Spencer said quietly. "I save people all the time. I don't- I don't know if working for MI6 is something I could do though. ...And I am leaving London eventually. I have people who care about me back home. I have a job I need to go back to."

[0_0_7]

"There are quite a few options available to you. You could come in as a consultant. For one simple fee you could review one case. Your help really would be invaluable," Bond pressed gently. "Certainly nothing that would hinder a return to your homeland when the time comes. I understand you joined the Behavioral Analysis unit quite young. I've seen your file, you're remarkable. You shouldn't let that talent go to waste, Dr. Reid."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer was silent for a long moment, then wet his lips.

"One case. I'll work on one case, but- Not tonight. I need time to- I just need some time," he said quietly.

[0_0_7]

"Understood. We do have one dossier that is of some importance. A man named Vesque may be dealing in forgotten stores of Soviet biological weapons," Bond said, lowering his voice. "The sooner you could make yourself ready, the better."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer nodded, but was still too shut down to push himself.

"How can I contact you?" he asked quietly.

[0_0_7]

Bond reached into his pocket and produced a card. It was the simplest, most unadorned card stock with nothing more than a phone number and the address of HQ printed on it. But then Bond flipped it over, produced a pen, and wrote his own number on the back. If they needed an asset groomed, he really was the man for that.

"Call me any time," he said. "And if you call the main switchboard ask for Eve Moneypenny. She'll get you sorted."

[dr_spencer_reid]

Spencer nodded, committing that to memory and then getting to his feet without even ordering.

He was so nervous that he nearly tripped over his own feet, and he looked embarrassed as he awkwardly waved.

"I'll be in touch soon," he said.

[0_0_7]

"I should hope so, Dr. Reid," Bond said, keeping his seat. He was aware of the need for escape, and for dignity. He afforded Dr. Reid both. He had the agreement that he'd come for.