Thread: Criminal Minds: Dead Like Them (randomname/Madam Mim)

JJ smiled at the visual her husband's description had conjured up. I'm sure there's some sort of Japanese gameshow where that happens, she laughed, putting her hand over Brennan's on her knee. Banana Bonanza it is. Hey pretty boy, Morgan yawned. You asleep too? No trivia about genetically modified bananas or something? Hotch raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. What? I pay attention! Once Kiffany had brought Rube his usual, she left to go take the order of the only other table. His face was obscured by a decorative fern, even as he leaned forward on the table. With a glint in his eye that was hard to read, a combination of excitement, fear, worry, and elation, he pushed forward a plain envelope to the middle of the table. This is it for me, Peanut, he said quietly. My last one. Your last reap? Your Lights? Georgia Lass sounded both excited and sad. Of course she wanted Rube to get his Lights. He deserved them. But he'd become a father figure to her the past few years, and while she wanted him to be happy...she didn't want him to go. As she had lost touch more and more with her own family, the Reapers had become her family, and Rube was like a father to her. My Lights, he confirmed quietly with a small smile. The name's in this envelope. Have you looked at it? Rube almost laughed at how much George sounded like a child on Christmas waiting to open presents. Open it! The patriarch of the undead little family chuckled. He had wanted to open it alone...but for some reason, he felt even better about opening it around only George. He didn't want a lot of pomp and circumstance, opening it around everyone, but he was okay with this. He could share this moment with George. If he were honest with himself, he'd been more lenient with her than the others over the yearsespecially in the beginningand she had probably needed an ass whooping once or twice that he hadn't given her. Maybe he spoiled her a little because he reminded him so much of his own daughter, his little Peanut. Here goes, he said with a nervous chuckle, sliding his finger over the envelope seal and glancing up at her in anticipation. Taking slow, deep breaths Rube slid his finger beneath the flap, causing tiny tears here and there. Inside wasn't a sticky note but an index card with a single name. Rube stared at the name for several long, very long moments. His heartbeat raced and he had trouble swallowing. What is it? George asked, noticing something in his face. She took the index card from him and had just enough time to read S. Reid. Pioneer Park, Mercer Island. E.T.D. August 23rd, 157 am. before he snatched it back from her. What's wrong? It's your last reap! I uh...this isn't possible. There's been some mistake. Upper management doesn't make mistakes, do they? I dunno, but they have on this one. This...this isn't possible. It's not even geographically possible. I uh...I have to go. I have to clear this up. It's got to be a misunderstanding. Rube's hands shook, but George still had time to see the neat writing on the index card before it disappeared into the envelope. She frowned. The name meant nothing to her, but it clearly did to him. The address had definitely been in-town, though. Georgia Lass couldn't think of a reason why it was geographically impossible that S. Reid could be in Seattle. Rube glanced at the other table, just for a split second, before walking out. His heart froze. No! Acting as though he hadn't seen, as though he didn't know, he continued out the door and walked hurriedly through the rain. He didn't want to wake her, but he didn't know where else to go.