Like Domino Bricks (Criminal Minds) Finished!

[Chanel_no5]

***Note***

I can't write colds and contagion is something that usually unnerves me, but I got the idea for this story and it wouldn't leave me alone. So I decided to give it a shot. It's supposed to be slightly tongue-in-cheek. So far I'm just setting the scene and testing the water.

Team constellation from season 8-9.

***

“I‘ve noticed something about you, Spence. You almost never shake hands with people. Is there any particular reason?” Rossi remarked. Reid shrugged.

“I just prefer not to. I am prone to catching colds and it’s actually more likely to become infected through touch rather than air.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that too,” Blake said. “Though I rarely think about the touch aspect; but I do get a bout of germ phobia whenever I hear people cough and…”

“NnTSCHEW!”

“…sneeze.” Blake slowly put her coffee down and glanced at JJ, who just came in. “Oh please tell me you’re not coming down with a cold?”

JJ gave her a reassuring smile.

“I‘m fine.”

The rest of the team did not look convinced.

“Oh come on guys, that was just a sneeze. It’s something that everyone does once in a while without necessarily being sick.” She looked from one to the other. “I’ve heard all of you sneeze.” She paused. “Except you, Blake.”

“Yeah, I don’t do it in public.”

Morgan chuckled a little.

“Wait, never? Come on Blake, be serious. If you have to sneeze, you’ll sneeze. You can’t just decide not to.”

“Oh, believe me, I can.”

“I believe you Alex, some people - typically strong willed but extremely sensitive to criticism - have the ability to suppress actions like sneezing. Some are even able to suppress the sensation of pain…” Reid began, but Blake had stopped listening at the first sentence. She turned in her chair so she was face to face with him. She was frowning.

“Extremely sensitive?” she said, putting emphasis on both words. “Is that what you think of me?”

“What I meant was…”

“Oh Pretty Boy, I can’t wait to see how you’re going to get out of this one…” Morgan hummed.

“Thanks for your encouragement,” Reid said, just as Blake said;

“Stay out of this Derek, I wanna hear his explanation.”

“What I meant was that you’re obviously quite sensitive, and by the way, your reaction to my statement actually proves my point,” Reid began but was interrupted when JJ’s head bobbed forward with another sneeze.

“Heh-ikSSCHEW!”

Four heads turned in her direction. JJ looked back, with the back of her hand pressed against her nose.

“It’s just a tickle, guys! Wow, have I worked with you for so long without knowing you’re all just a bunch of germ phobics?” she said and shook her head. “If you’re so worried I promise I won’t French kiss any of you, okay?”

She sat down on the empty chair next to Reid and sighed deeply. He fidgeted.

“Could you breathe in a different direction?”

“Sure, if that sooths your nerves. But I thought you said touch was worse,” she said in a light voice, and she was incredibly grateful to hear that her voice didn’t yet show the signs of the cold she knew was brewing behind her eyes and down her throat. Daycare viruses were vicious from the contagion aspect and she really didn’t want to get her colleagues sick, but she had a lot of paperwork to catch up with so she couldn’t stay at home either.

Hotch and Garcia came in, Garcia smothering a raspy cough into her sleeve while walking, and finishing the coughing fit with one body-bending sneeze.

“HaaISSCHH! Sorry, it seems Henry paid me in germs for the Friday night babysitting,” Garcia said. Blake and Reid looked up and gave her almost identical sharp glares, and JJ gave her a glance that said traitor. Morgan chuckled and shook his head, not bothering to comment.

“So the waiting game begins,” Rossi said. “Who will be next to succumb to the BAU cold? Anyone up for a bet?”

“Yeah, I bet on Reid,” Morgan said. “If Pretty Boy has such a lousy immune system as he says he does, he’ll get it first.”

“I think so, too,” Rossi said.

“I bet on Blake,” Reid said and received a dark look from the woman in question. “What? If you’re so desperate not to get sick, you’re more likely to get it. The stress adds to matters and makes you more susceptible to illness.”

“Not gonna happen,” she said.

“I bet you 10 bucks you’ll catch it before I do,” Reid said.

“Done.”

“I’m not shaking on it, though.”

“I definitely wasn’t going to suggest that.”

Rossi chuckled.

“The use of breathing masks is considered cheating, just so you know. As is quarantining JJ and Garcia.”

“Guys, it’s just a cold. It’s not the bubonic plague,” Garcia said. “Jeez, calm down.”

“That’s what I said,” JJ muttered and sneezed again.

This was going to be a long week...

Edited July 24, 2015 by Chanel_no5

[CHOCOLATE <3]

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I just finished all the episodes on netflix, and haven't been able to watch season 10, so this is exactly what I needed)

[stars123]

ahhh. I squealed when I saw there was a new criminal minds fic. I love it! you nailed the characters - can't wait for more

[2SHY222]

Oh I am soooooooo excited to see how this goes!

[silentdreamer789]

Great start!

[Chanel_no5]

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I just finished all the episodes on netflix, and haven't been able to watch season 10, so this is exactly what I needed)

Thank you!! Hahaha, yeah, I've just started watching season 10 and I missed Blake so much I had to go back and watch season 9 again.

ahhh. I squealed when I saw there was a new criminal minds fic. I love it! you nailed the characters - can't wait for more

Aww, I'm glad you liked it! Thank you!

Oh I am soooooooo excited to see how this goes!

So am I... I have a pretty good idea, but it's not entirely written in stone yet.

Great start!

Thank you!

Okay guys, here’s the next part. I'm not as heavy on symptom/details as I usually am, but that's because I'm so unused to write cold fics. I hope you'll like it anyway, I do the best I can with what I have.

***

Tuesday morning

“No coffee today?” Reid asked. Blake shook her head.

“Nope, today I went with orange juice. Vitamin C and all that.”

“You know, the idea that vitamin C helps preventing a cold is actually a myth.”

“Yeah, I know, but I believed in it until recently, so, don’t underestimate the placebo effect.” She paused. “Is that hand sanitizer?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’ve heard that the efficiency of hand sanitizer has been debated. Some say soap and water are still more efficient.”

“Mm, partly true. That mainly goes for stomach viruses though, not so much cold and flu viruses,” Reid said as he filled his hands with the colourless gel and began rubbing it in. Blake considered what he just said, pursed her lips and nodded slowly.

“I see. Could I have some?”

“That would be contra-productive to our bet,” Reid replied.

“Aw Reid, come on!”

“You guys are more enthusiastic about this than you are about your crossword puzzle battles,” Rossi remarked. “What is the deal anyway? I mean, apart from a bet being a bet.”

“I just take so long to shake a cold, and it tends to develop into bacterial infections such as bronchitis and sinus infections,” Reid said, and Blake nodded.

“Yeah, same here. One cold and I end up coughing for weeks, even months sometimes. Also, this weekend my husband comes home for the first time in five months and we’re planning to go out on a date night. I refuse to get sick in time for that.”

Derek Morgan dragged himself through the door and stifled a miserable cough against his fist.

“Not a word,” he rasped, but Reid lit up.

“I see you lost the bet,” he said.

“… and gained a cold,” Rossi filled in.

“That was quick,” Blake said. “24 hours from exposure, that’s an extremely short incubation period.”

“Entirely possible, though,” Reid chimed in.

“It’s not 24 hours,” Morgan said. His voice was ragged and congested. “I met with Penelope for Sunday brunch, so it‘s more like 48 hours.”

“Aha,” Rossi and Blake said in unison.

“So, tell me, how does it feel to lose a bet?” Reid asked in a voice that sounded suspiciously smug. Morgan grunted.

“Well, I’m currently more interested in discussing the outcome of your bet with Blake. Either of you starting to feel ill? Headache? Sore throat? Runny nose?”

They exchanged looks - fiercely competitive ones - and then shook their heads.

“I’m fine,” Reid said.

“I don’t feel any different than yesterday,” Blake said and turned back to Reid. “Give me that hand sanitizer.”

“To improve your chances of winning the bet? I don‘t think so.”

“No, to improve my chances of actually going to the movies this weekend. Come on Reid, please?“

“Nope. It’s every man and woman for themselves now.”

“I’m done asking nicely, hand it over or I’ll cuff you and take it anyway.”

“Alex! Okay, fine. Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

Rossi shook his head, but couldn‘t help laughing a little. He had seen them both from their competitive sides before, especially when they did their crossword puzzles, but this was almost ridiculous. He turned back to Morgan, who had seemed to fade into the background.

“How are you feeling?”

“Honestly? Like I’m about to die,” Morgan replied in a thick voice as he dug through his pockets and found a tissue. He had barely gotten it up to his nose when a tickly sneeze overpowered him.

“HeeESCHUH! Ugh…”

He blew his nose and then covered his face with both hands.

“I’m so glad this week is for catching up on paperwork, and not going on a case,” he groaned.

JJ walked in with two cups of tea. She looked like she would rather be at home in PJ’s and slippers; her hair was messy, her nose red and she had dark circles under her eyes. She sat down and handed over one of the cups to Morgan.

“Here you go,” she said in a ragged voice and coughed. “Tea with lots of honey. Speaking of honey, your baby girl just went home. She was running a fever.”

“God, they’re falling like Domino bricks,” Blake muttered and moved her chair as far away from the sick, contagious duo as she could get.

“And you’re next,” Reid said from his somewhat safer place even further away.

Rossi looked from the young man to the older woman and back again.

“You two just have the weirdest friendship I know. Also, Reid, just for the record, I still bet on you before Alex.”

Reid raised his eyebrows.

“Yes, but I’m going to give you a run for the money…”

Edited July 21, 2015 by Chanel_no5

[CHOCOLATE <3]

Oh my gosh, this is so cute.

It makes me so happy (Probably 'cause of Morgan )

[crazygirl22]

I love your Storys! Can´t wait for more!

[darkness-is-the-light]

I was extremely happy to see that you had began a new Criminal Minds story. All of the characterization is perfect, I can see everything happening in my mind like it's an actual episode. Despite the fact that you don't write cold stories often, you are doing absolutely wonderful.

[2SHY222]

Adorable! They're acting like children while everyone else except Rossi is sick. Lol this is funny and very well written!

[stars123]

can't wait for more!

[Chanel_no5]

Oh my gosh, this is so cute.

It makes me so happy (Probably 'cause of Morgan )

I can totally picture him being a 'man flu'-type. Big strong guy going all miserable.

I love your Storys! Can´t wait for more!

Thank you!

I was extremely happy to see that you had began a new Criminal Minds story. All of the characterization is perfect, I can see everything happening in my mind like it's an actual episode. Despite the fact that you don't write cold stories often, you are doing absolutely wonderful.

Aww, thank you so much! I have to admit it's funnier to write this than I thought it would be. Although I end up imagining that I have a sore throat myself.

Adorable! They're acting like children while everyone else except Rossi is sick. Lol this is funny and very well written!

Thank you! Yeah, they've really gotten into the competitive mode...

can't wait for more!

Okay, here's part 3 for ya.

***

Wednesday morning

Hotch’s cell phone rang, and he picked it up while wiping his nose with a handkerchief. His cold had broken out fully last night, and he was grateful he had his own office where he could close the door behind him, unlike the other agents.

“Hotch.”

“Hey Aaron,” Rossi said in an oddly strained voice. “Something has come up, so I won’t be able to make it today.”

Hotch scoffed. “You caught it too, didn’t you?”

“No.” He then betrayed himself by coughing. Hotch smiled to himself even as his nose began tickling.

“If you admit that you’re staying at home to prevent the others from… huh… uESCHHO! EeSCHOO! Sorry… from gloating, I promise I’ll keep you up to speed on Reid and Blake,” he said and sniffled.

“Alright, I admit it. Just don’t tell them,” Rossi said, his voice getting closer and closer to cracking altogether. Hotch chuckled until he began to cough instead.

“Feel better, Dave.”

“You too, Hotch. And the minute one of those hotheads start showing symptoms, text me and tell me who.” He paused to clear his throat. “I can’t believe Reid held out longer than I did,” he muttered, mainly to himself.

“I think I’m going to bet against you, actually. Blake’s desk is closer to JJ and Morgan’s which means she’s exposed to larger quantities of viruses.”

“Yeah, but Reid took the wrong coffee cup and drank from JJ’s on Monday without either of them noticing.”

“And you didn’t tell him?”

“Of course not. That would have made things less interesting.”

***

By early afternoon the competition between the linguist and the young genius had become fierce. Blake and Reid kept staring each other down from across the room, like two gunslingers on a street in a desert town. The fumes from hand sanitizers made the bullpen smell like a vodka distillery with a leak. Morgan and JJ took turns coughing and sneezing, and every once in a while they could hear muffled sneezing coming from Hotch’s office. The constant reminder of all the germs in the air made them both skittish and they twitched each time someone sneezed or coughed.

Reid sipped his coffee, then set the mug down and coughed into his sleeve. Blake leaned back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side, waiting for him to regain control.

“Admitting defeat, are you?”

“No,” Reid replied in a half-choked voice and cleared his throat. “I swallowed my coffee the wrong way, that’s all.” He gave her a big smile. “Disappointed, are you?”

Blake didn’t reply. She went back to work in silence, but about twenty minutes later, she inhaled sharply as she was about to yawn, and Reid’s head immediately turned in her direction.

“What?” she asked. He looked disappointed beyond words.

“I thought you were going to sneeze.”

“I told you, I don’t do that in public,” she replied, sounding almost as if he had suggested that she’d walk around naked.

“So you said, but even the strongest mental block can be overcome if the urge is powerful enough.”

“Oh God, you two,” JJ groaned and blew her nose. “Get over it, you’re making my headache worse.”

“EeeSSCHUuh! Huh-epTSCHugh!”

“You did not just sneeze all over those paperclips, did you?”

“Knock it off Blake, I’m dying here, cut me some slack,” Morgan sniffled and rubbed his still itchy nose.

“You’re hardly dying from a cold,” Reid said. “I’ve never understood why so many men tend to think they’re so much sicker than they are whenever they have a cold.”

“Thank you!” Blake and JJ said, but Morgan glared at him.

“I’ll remember that comment when you catch it,” he said. “You get pretty cranky yourself, kid.”

“No I don’t. I dislike feeling unwell of course, but I don’t whine when I have cold.”

“No, you whine before you even catch it,” JJ said and stifled a painfully congested sneeze against her wrist. “Listen guys, I’m sorry I brought the plague upon you, but these things happen and you might just as well have caught it from a stranger in the grocery store, okay?”

“I haven’t caught anything,” Reid said.

“Correction; you haven’t caught anything yet,” Blake said with a sweet smile. “And neither have I,” she added smugly.

“Yet,” Reid muttered and took another sip of his coffee, while hoping for dear life that the scratchiness in his throat was a figment of his imagination. And if it wasn’t, then he hoped that Blake secretly had the same issue, at least.

.

Edited July 22, 2015 by Chanel_no5

[Melody]

Yesss I love Reid and Blake they way you write them is just sooo cute Also I just adore this scenario

[ToothTen]

Ah, I'm thoroughly enjoying this! I'm kind of on fence regarding contagion, partially because I usually only enjoy reading male sneezes and contagion tends to ignore gender preferences, but this is so well written and humorous that I'm flying through it with no hesitation

Now don't mind me if I set sail on my own little ship and pretend that Hotch caught the cold from JJ because they were spending extra time together

[matilda3948]

This is so ridiculously good it's not even funny. Also, it's funny so bonus points

[CHOCOLATE <3]

Gah! This is just the best

I think it's hilarious that Morgan is going all man-flu XD

[stars123]

ah love this story! great job

[2SHY222]

I couldn't stop laughing. Poor Rossi but I like that he and Hitch are betting against each other

[2SHY222]

I couldn't stop laughing. Poor Rossi but I like that he and Hotch are betting against each other

[Chanel_no5]

Yesss I love Reid and Blake they way you write them is just sooo cute Also I just adore this scenario

Thank you! I really liked the dynamics between the two of them.

Ah, I'm thoroughly enjoying this! I'm kind of on fence regarding contagion, partially because I usually only enjoy reading male sneezes and contagion tends to ignore gender preferences, but this is so well written and humorous that I'm flying through it with no hesitation

Now don't mind me if I set sail on my own little ship and pretend that Hotch caught the cold from JJ because they were spending extra time together

Oh my God, thank you very much! And by all means, sail your ship. There could have been reasons Garcia had to babysit Henry...

This is so ridiculously good it's not even funny. Also, it's funny so bonus points

Hahaha, aww, thank you sweetie!

Gah! This is just the best

I think it's hilarious that Morgan is going all man-flu XD

Thank you so much! The poor tough guy...

ah love this story! great job

Thank you!

I couldn't stop laughing. Poor Rossi but I like that he and Hotch are betting against each other

Haha, never in a million years that Rossi would show up and admit to the whole team that he caught the cold before the one he was betting on..!

So, let's go for part 4 out of 5. And this will be slightly more focused on symptoms. Slightly. And some denial. Enjoy!

***

***

Thursday morning

It seemed the coughing was relentless, only interrupted by the occasional sneeze. Not that the bullpen was ever very quiet, but this was something out of the ordinary. Or, as Blake put it when she came in that morning and unloaded her things onto her desk:

“Oh my God, this place sounds like the audition for Stephen King’s The Stand!”

But then she looked at JJ and Morgan and dropped the attitude for genuine concern.

“How are you guys? You look like death warmed over.”

“Feels like it, too,” JJ admitted. “I hope you won‘t have to catch it.”

“Speak for yourself, JJ,” Morgan muttered and gave his nose a long, harsh blow. “I can’t believe those two have escaped this crap so far, it’s not fa-hahERSSCHUH! Fair.”

Blake shrugged.

“Try teaching at the University. It’s not like daycare, but trust me, you build up a pretty amazing immune system over time in that environment.”

She very slowly strolled over to Reid’s desk.

“And… how are you doing?”

Reid looked up at her and ran his hands through his messy hair.

“I’m fine, I didn’t sleep well last night is all.”

“You sure? You don’t have any colour.”

“How is that odd, I never do,” Reid objected, and Blake laughed.

“That is true, you should spend more time outside.”

“So now you’ve gone from mocking me to mothering me,” he said and sipped his coffee. "Not sure that's an improvement."

“I can go straight back to mocking if you like. Wait, what’s that?” she pointed to his desk. A look of panic flashed in his eyes and he tried to put his bag on top of the item.

“Nothing.”

“Funny, it looks very much like cough drops to me. Is there something you want to tell me?”

He looked her straight in the eyes, trying to look as innocent as possible.

“No.”

Blake held the stare, waiting for him to crack - most people did if she stared at them long enough - but he didn’t. She felt somewhat disappointed, but she knew what she had seen, and there was no way he would be able to hide his progressing cold for very much longer.

“Alright, but I’ll be right here when you break,” she said and smiled. Reid returned the smile with the same amount of fighting spirit and said nothing. The reason for this was the fact that his throat hurt. It had gone past a slight scratchiness, but not into the stage where his voice was affected.

Not yet.

God, he hoped Blake was suffering in silence as well.

***

By noon, his nose had joined the festivities, first with a slight tickle, and then with a drip. This would soon enough be difficult to hide, he reckoned, and got up from his chair to go to the men’s room and blow his nose. He found himself holding his breath as he passed Blake’s work station so he wouldn’t accidentally sniffle and give himself away.

Once he had left the bullpen, Blake said, without taking her eyes off the computer screen;

“He’s lost the bet. I’m just waiting for him to say the words.”

“Finally some good news!” Morgan exclaimed and immediately began coughing. “Aw, man,” he muttered under his breath.

“You’re such a good friend, wanting him to get sick,” JJ said and gave him a playful punch on the bicep. “And you too, just waiting to bust him,” she added in Blake’s direction. Blake nodded calmly and rubbed more hand sanitizer into her hands.

“More of that stuff? I’m surprised you’re not drunk on the fumes by now,” JJ said and coughed.

“Don’t I wish,” Blake replied. “This would be much funnier if I were.”

When Reid returned, his nose was decidedly a bit pink around the nostrils. The three other agents exchanged amused looks, but said nothing.

***

He held out for almost an hour, when his nose decided that it was time to add sneezing to the symptoms. He turned away from the others, tucked his face into the sleeve of his cardigan and took great pains - literally - to suppress the first sneeze to an almost inaudible shudder.

Unfortunately, three FBI profilers who actively look for signs like this, are pretty hard to fool.

“Bless you, Spence!” JJ said in her raspy cold-voice. Morgan chuckled hoarsely.

“That wasn’t a sneeze,” Reid said.

“Oh, really?” Blake said, trying to stop herself from grinning but not doing a very good job of it. “What was it then? A recital of Lincoln‘s inauguration speech?”

“Just the hiccups.”

While Blake could have let him drag out on the charade a while longer, just for the fun of it, she didn’t need to. Reid’s eyelids fluttered, his nostrils widened and his breath began to hitch, and no matter how much he tried to hold it back, he sneezed again. Twice. And stifled as they were, they were still sneezes.

“HehNGG! NGTXH!”

He rubbed his nose, desperately trying to stop the tickle before it made him sneeze again, but there was nothing he could do. He burst forward with a chesty, resounding

“HeeeUUSSCHHO!”

A few seconds later, Hotch came out of his office, with handkerchief in one hand and cell phone in the other.

“I heard that, Reid,” he said. “Dave will be pleased to know that he won.” He glared at Blake. “I thought you’d succumb first.”

“Well, I don’t want to brag…”

“Don’t,” he said. “You’re not out of the incubation period yourself yet.”

“I’m not sick,” Reid insisted, but nobody was listening. No surprise there, he thought as he returned to the paperwork. It wasn’t like he was going to give in yet anyway. If the others could work with a cold, then so could he.

.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Chanel_no5

[stars123]

soooo good!

[CHOCOLATE <3]

DENIAL

Shhhh…stop denying it, Reid. We all know you're sick >:]

[Sitruuna]

Oh gods Channel the latest chapter is delecious. The whole story is but Reid has to be my favourite victim character out them all.

By noon, his nose had jointed the festivities, first with a slight tickle, and then with a drip.

that's a really beautiful sentence

And awwww he's still trying to deny it.

[2SHY222]

Lol Hotch to the rescue. I absolutely love it. Poor Reid. Keep going

[Chanel_no5]

soooo good!

Thank you!!

DENIAL

Shhhh…stop denying it, Reid. We all know you're sick >:]

Teehee, it's always important to keep up appearances...

Oh gods Channel the latest chapter is delecious. The whole story is but Reid has to be my favourite victim character out them all.

By noon, his nose had jointed the festivities, first with a slight tickle, and then with a drip.

that's a really beautiful sentence

And awwww he's still trying to deny it.

Aww, I'm so glad you liked it!! Thank you!

Lol Hotch to the rescue. I absolutely love it. Poor Reid. Keep going

Thank you! Can't be easy working with a bunch of stoic plague-spreaders.

Soo, here's the last part, also with some denial, and if you squint at it in a dark room, there is some hinting at H/C as well.

***

Friday morning

“And then there were two,” Blake said and looked around. “They finally called in sick?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Reid, you should probably go home too. I’m not messing with you this time, you really do look awful,” she said in a much softer voice. As fun as the cutthroat staying-healthy-competition had been, she took absolutely no pleasure in watching the result of his defeat.

“I guess I look worse than I feel; if this cold follows the usual pattern I won’t be feeling too bad for another 5-8 hours. I‘m still well enough to get some work done” he replied and coughed heavily into his sleeve, almost as if to contradict his own words.

“If you say so. I can hardly force you, as much as I may want to,” she said and turned on the computer. The bright screen made her head ache. She wasn’t sure if the raw sensation in her throat was just a bout of hypochondria or if she really was in the early stage of this godforsaken cold, but she wasn‘t going to mention it. If she was lucky, she would at least manage to get through the day without anyone knowing.

***

A few hours later, when her nose started tickling, she was absolutely certain that she was unwell, but Reid looked much worse for wear.

Poor kid, she thought, everything seems to happen to him. Then she remembered that this particular predicament had happened to the entire team. At least they weren’t called away on a case; she shuddered at the thought of having to deliver the profile in front of a group, talk to the media, all in all talk to people… or worse still, having to hunt down an unsub, while the entire team battled a miserable cold.

Reid interrupted her thoughts with a raspy, hollow cough, and for a moment she could hear exactly what she would sound like herself in a day or two. That chesty, rattling, painful cough that always piggybacked the sniffles. Her head colds never failed to turn into chest colds, and judging by the sound of it, Spencer belonged to the same unlucky breed.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, wishing she could put the upcoming week, or even weeks, on fast-forward.

Reid walked by on his way to refill his coffee. He stopped by her desk and said;

“You okay?”

Blake forced a smile and said a silent prayer that her voice would carry.

“I’m good. Why?”

“You keep swallowing, which leads me to believe that your throat is sore but not yet to the point where you have to cough. Also, you can’t stop touching your nose, which isn’t one of your usual tics…”

“My usual tics?”

“Um, yeah, you often do this thing with your jaw…” He saw the look in her eyes and wisely decided to change course: “Never mind, it’s not important. My point is that if you can’t keep your hands off your nose you’re probably experiencing discomfort…”

“For the love of God, Spencer,” Blake began and noticed that her hand once more was wandering up to her tickly nose. She forced herself to lower it. “…it’s nothing. I think you’re just projecting your own discomfort on me.”

For a moment he looked uncertain, then Blake had to sniff. It was either that or allowing her nose to drip. A grin spread across the young man’s face.

“Keep telling yourself that,” he said before he walked off, sneezing twice - harsh and throaty - on his way through the room. Blake raised her hand to her nose and rubbed it hard to prevent herself from following his example.

***

Around lunch, Hotch came out of his office. He looked like hell.

“Let’s call it a day and go home,” he said in a near-cracking voice. “Enough of the fight-till-the-end attitude, we’re not gaining anything from it. Blake, whatever you’re doped on to keep yourself healthy, I want some.”

Blake opened her mouth to reply, and found that her voice had bailed on her. She coughed and felt a blush spread across her face. This was not part of the plan. Hotch noticed her embarrassment and coughed out an amused chuckle.

“I’ve got to hand it to you though, you fought it well,” he said. “Feel better.”

“I’m okay,” she said and was grateful to hear that she could at least speak again, although it was obvious that she wasn‘t tiptop.

“So am I,” Reid croaked, sounding more like a frog imitating a crow than any level of ‘okay‘.

“Neither one of us is okay. Go home guys. I will as soon as I finish the report I’m working on right now.”

***

Blake didn’t need to be told twice - well, okay, twice, but not three times. She gathered her things and turned to ask Reid if he wanted a ride home, but he had already vanished. She didn’t like the thought of him alone on the subway, but she didn’t want to come across as bossing him around either. She took her things and headed for the elevator.

Usually her sneezes came with a lot of warning, giving her more than enough time to withdraw from other people and find a tissue. And if she had no chance of escaping, she could always block the sensation altogether. But this time, like Reid had said earlier this week, the urge was too powerful for her mental block to work. And it came too suddenly for her to do anything other than sneeze; she didn’t even have the time to get her arm up in front of her face.

“AAESHHO! Heh… EISSCHHEW!”

She slowly straightened up, blinked and sniffed.

Well, shit.

“I thought you said you didn’t sneeze in public,” Spencer Reid said from behind her, amusement and concern both present in his congested voice.

“Okay, I didn’t know the public was sneaking up behind me,” she replied, but although the retort was meant to sound harsh, her voice was too weak to make it sound that way.

“Sorry, but I wasn’t sneaking. I thought you heard me.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I‘m also sorry about your date night; I suppose it‘s ruined now.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. James texted me earlier today, he won’t be able to make it back to America until the end of next week anyway. So…” she trailed off as she took a closer look at the younger man. “Hey, Spencer, you really don’t look too good. You have a fever, don‘t you?” Before he had the time to respond she put her hand to his forehead and nodded. “Yes, you do.”

“It’s okay. I’m just going to crawl up somewhere and die quietly.”

“Not whiny, huh?” she said and smiled. “Listen, why don’t you come home with me? I make a mean chicken soup, and then we can watch a movie and feel sorry for ourselves.” And I can keep an eye on you, she added inwardly.

“You don’t think your husband would mind?”

“The day he minds me spending time with my friends, is the day I throw him out,” Blake said, struggling to finish the sentence before she had to sneeze again. At least this time she managed to catch it in her sleeve. “Heh-IISCHEW! Ugh…”

Reid fished a pack of tissues out of his messenger bag and handed them over. She accepted them gratefully.

“Thank you.”

“Bless you,” he said as if he had just recalled this custom. Blake sighed.

“Alright, since I have a feeling this isn‘t the last time I‘m going to sneeze today, just a heads up: don’t ever bless me.”

“Good. That’s one of those pointless pleasantries I’ve never understood why people still bother with.“ He cleared his throat before continuing; “It does nothing to help; all it does is drawing attention to someone who probably doesn‘t want attention drawn to themselves that particular moment.”

“My opinion exactly.”

They went into the elevator when Blake all of a sudden remembered something.

“By the way, you owe me 10 bucks.”

“Come on Alex, you got sick too.”

“Yeah, but I beat you by a whole day.”

“Fine,” he sniffled and took out two fives from his wallet and pushed them into her hand. “Profit from my suffering, that’s very noble of you.”

“Excuse me, did I or did I not just invite you home and promised to make you soup even though I’m feeling worse by the minute myself?”

He laughed hoarsely and broke eye contact.

“Yeah, you did. Thanks.”

She smiled and patted his arm.

“You know what they say about misery.”

“It loves company. The idiom originates from the play Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe,” Reid began, but interrupted himself with a sneeze. Blake returned the pack of tissues to him and said softly;

“Spencer, I know. Save your voice.”

He nodded. That was good advice. Also, he would probably do well to remember that Alex was ill too; while she usually had a lot of patience with him stating random facts - often more than most of the team - it wasn’t likely to be unlimited.

This week had been a humble reminder of the fact that even though they were the elite profilers of the FBI, they could all still be knocked down by something as simple as a cold virus. There was probably a lesson to be learned there somewhere, but for the time being, they were too busy feeling sorry for themselves to bother. And even though none of them would admit it openly, they all felt that they were entitled to a little self-pity.

The end.