**A/N: Yay! A new chapter! :D Ok, I've never been to Alamosa and I know there probably isn't a big court house or anything, but let's call it artist's liberties, lol :)**

Chapter Twenty Five

"Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens." – Douglas William Jerrold

Lauren and Derek made it to the plane just in time. Everyone was already settled in their usual places and Lauren hovered by the door unsure of where to sit. They all looked so comfortable, it was easy to tell they had all worked together for so long. But Lauren didn't want to upset any kind of system they had.

Hotch was sat towards the end of the plane, JJ, Emily and Derek were sat at the table, Rossi was sat in front of her and Spencer was sat near to them all to one side. It was obvious they all had their own seat and they had done for some time. Lauren looked over the empty spaces, specifically the ones next to Hotch and Spencer.

The plane began to move and Lauren was jolted forward. She took the seat closest to her and guessed the decision of where to sit had been made for her.

"Flying still not your favourite past time?" Rossi smiled sympathetically at her as she slid further into the seat next to him.

"Not really." She tried to keep a calm tone but her finger nails dug into the soft leather arms of the seat.

"Maybe Reid can give you some oh-so-comforting flying facts." Lauren listened to Rossi's amused words desperately trying to ignore the vibrations beneath her feet.

"It's not a long flight so let's get started." Hotch said as he walked toward the table central of the plane. Derek had already set up his laptop so as Penelope peered through the screen at them all with a bright smile.

"The police department will be waiting for you when you get to the airport. It's a pretty small community which might make things easier." Penelope suggested.

"Or harder." Derek commented.

"Small communities can sometimes be harder to penetrate and get information from." Spencer said in his usual matter of fact way. "They feel more loyal to each other and often feel more denial over the acts committed by someone they know so well."

"Well, let's hope there's lots of neighbourly disputes." Rossi stood from his seat and rested against the side of the plane as he looked over them all. Lauren was sat with her back to them glancing over her shoulder, still feeling too uncomfortable to get up and walk around the big tin can flying through the air.

"When we land Derek and Prentiss go and see the latest crime scene. Rossi, you and Reid can go to the morgue and see if there has been anything new found. I will stay at the police department and begin setting up."

"And what about me?" Lauren asked only now standing from her seat and staring at Hotch. She didn't feel hurt that he'd forgotten her, he must have been so used to the team being just them for so long. "I can help you-"

"No, you can go with Derek."

"Actually, Sir," Penelope's voice came from the laptop. "You may need help setting up the equipment. The local PD have granted me permission into their records but it will require a link up to their systems." Lauren could have hugged Penelope if she hadn't been just pixels on a screen.

Hotch frowned. "Of course." He said finally and Lauren sighed in relief. They needed time alone.

The flight had gone as they usually did. There had been quite a bit of chatting from Emily, JJ and Derek with witty interjections made by Rossi. Spencer had smiled and nodded when the need had arose but his attentions had been elsewhere. He been watching Hotch and Lauren from above the folder he held.

Lauren would often look to Hotch with a worried, confused expression but Hotch would pretend to ignore her. He shifted in his seat often and tried to concentrate on his i-Pad and the case files on them. Spencer didn't understand what had happened between them but it must have been serious. He wasn't ever one to pry into the personal lives of others, especially Hotch's. But whatever had happened was upsetting Lauren and all he wanted to do was help. It was hard to watch Lauren looking so dejected and sad. The light buzzed at the front of the plane indicating they would be landing and Spencer tried to concentrate on the case ahead.

The team had been quick to move into action when they had reached the airport. Derek and Emily had hopped straight into the rented SUV and driven off and Lauren had obediently followed Hotch towards their own vehicle.

"Coming?" Rossi asked Spencer. Spencer barely heard the question as he watched Lauren and Hotch drive away. "Reid?"

"Huh?" Spencer spun round to face the older agent.

"What's wrong?" Rossi looked concerned. "I've never know you to be…unfocused."

"It's nothing." Spencer lied and headed past Rossi towards the large black car. He pulled open the door and sat in the passenger seat.

The pair drove in silence for some time. Spencer let thoughts of Lauren whirl in his head. Though she was driving him to distraction he couldn't say he necessarily didn't enjoy it. His work had been his focus for so long he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be sidetracked.

"Thinking of Lauren?" Rossi asked suddenly. Spencer flicked his gaze to him and felt unsure how to answer. He ran his fingers nervously over his legs and tried to think of a response. "I'm guessing you noticed the way Hotch and her were avoiding looks on the plane?"

"Oh. That." Spencer said in relief. "I can't work out what it was about."

"Maybe that's for the best." Rossi said with a shrug. "Hotch can be pretty stubbornly private about some things."

"I suppose it's none of our business." Spencer said and watched as Rossi gave a slow smile.

The Alamosa Police Department was deceptively large. The building was old and made of a cream coloured brick. It was square and looked pretty tiny from the outside. But as Lauren walked through the glass doors the inside was open and airy. The equipment was modern and clean and the few people inside looked unstressed. It was a far cry from the scene in the New York department.

"You must be from the FBI." A woman said as she neared them. She was tall and slim and looked more like a surfer than a police woman. "I am Captain Margaret Harper." She held out a hand and Hotch took it politely.

"I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner and this is provisionary Agent Lauren Lewis." Lauren couldn't help but smile as she shook the woman's hand. Agent Lewis. It sounded good. Even if she was only provisionary for now.

"We're glad you're here." Captain Harper sounded truly relieved. "We've never had anything like this happen here. It's put the town in panic mode."

"The victims weren't all from here were they?" Lauren asked. She'd been reading the files and the first two victims originated from completely different states.

"No, we get a lot of people staying here 'cause it's close to the court house in the city."

"So there's lots of strangers?" Hotch confirmed and Harper nodded.

"We've cleared out a room for you guys to use." Captain Harper lead them to the back of the large building. The room they had been given was light and had wide windows looking over beautifully cut lawns with orange leaved trees sprouting from them. "If you need anything just let one of us know." Harper smiled politely and shut the door behind her, leaving Hotch and Lauren alone.

"She seemed nice." Lauren said after a while of silence.

"Not all police departments are so welcoming." Hotch stated and began pulling out his laptop and files from his large briefcase. Lauren also began to help set up everything they would need. As she did she watched him carefully. She just couldn't work out what she'd done. Everything had been fine last night, in fact better than fine.

"So," Lauren said trying to once again start conversation without just asking what was wrong. Hotch never did well with up front questions about his wellbeing. "Have you had a case in Colorado before?"

"A couple." Hotch answered and then fell silent again. Lauren frowned.

"Have I done something?" Lauren blurted finally, unable to cope with the cold shoulder. She stood straight and put a hand on her hip.

"This is hardly the time or place to have a discussion, Lauren." He said strictly still continuing with unpacking his things. Lauren groaned in frustration and walked towards him.

"Hotch," She said as she pulled his arm so as he'd face her directly. "I don't understand what I've done." His face was unreadable. "You seemed happy last night."

"I'm not unhappy." Hotch said. "I'm…" His brow furrowed and he seemed to be searching for the right words. "We will talk later. Right now, we have work to do." He slid his arm from her light grip and got back to opening up his laptop. Lauren wanted to shake him until he told her what was wrong but he was right. As usual. She didn't want anyone else to die because she was unfocused by her personal life.