The Calm Before the Storm

[Corey Spencer]

Somewhere along the lines, through the years in which they had spent as more than just friends, Corey had gotten used to the idea of going out with Reid Chase .  It wasn't often their schedules would allow them the privilege of spending time with each other that didn't involve one of them being up at some ungodly hour.  Thankfully it made such rare moments all the more special.

The two were moving idly along the sidewalk. Dinner had been early and light, leaving the rest of the evening open though it seemed at the moment they were content to merely be in each other's presence. The sun had slipped beyond the horizon and the streetlights overhead cast a soft, white glow that mingled with the various store fronts and neon signs that dotted the downtown area.  Corey strode alongside Reid, occasionally casting a short smile her way while he spoke.  His fingers reached out and gently brushed against the back of her hand in an almost subdued sign of affection.

"We don't know how the beaver got into his bunk, but Myers still swears to this day he didn't steal it."  Corey said with a light laugh and a shake of his head.  The tale of his fellow soldier's dubious awakening with a large, stuffed rodent was one of the few involving his time in the military that didn't dredge up any melancholy emotions.  The Myers in question was a fun loving fellow who was still alive and well years after having left the military.  "That bar owner was pissed when Myers had to take it back."

[Reid Chase]

Corey was in the middle of telling the story of his bunkmates and Reid was unwittingly looking up at the much taller mutant with an undeniable look of affection. The smile on her face pretty much summed up how she had been feeling the past couple of years.

The light brush at the back of her hand was met with a glance down at their hands before she pocketed hers in her coat pockets, the smile on her face almost a shy one.

"And this is the Myers who uses his prosthetics to swat at trash pandas that keep ruining his lawn?" Reid asked, amusement clearly in her voice.

[Corey Spencer]

Corey laughed. It may not have been a hearty, out of control guffaw but it remained an actual laugh and not the usually reserved chuckle the big man let out when amused. He smiled, his head shaking as he glanced to Reid, his dark eyes gleaming with a certain sense of adoration he was rarely able to express. "That's Collins." He corrected with a chuckle. "Myers was the one who got so drunk he stole a stuffed beaver from a bar."

There was a short pause as something came to Corey's mind. His brow furrowed as he moved along, keeping his pace slow enough for his much shorter companion to be able to keep up. "Speaking of Collins, he's getting married next month." Corey said with a bit of a nod. "He wants all of us to be there." Corey's dark eyes shifted to look at Reid. "He's stationed out in California. Do you want to go?"

[Reid Chase]

The mistake had Reid chuckling and nodding. "I always get the two mixed up." She responded, which wasn't that much of a stretch. She had only seen his army buddies in pictures and through his stories. She turned to look up at him just as he looked away and she smiled.

The quiet moment they shared didn't seem to weigh on Reid the way it used to. She had learned to appreciate these little moments and sometimes even long for it when she was at work. The surprising invite that followed the quiet had her a little surprised though. The usually cool demeanour she portrayed broke just slightly as she suddenly thought of the ramifications of the invite. For just a small pocket of time, Reid Taylor Chase was suddenly an overthinker.

But of course, she didn't want Corey to think there was anything wrong so a cough and a silent nod was issued before she found her words. "Sure. When exactly will this be? The beginning or the end of next month?" She asked, trying to keep her cool demeanour.

[Corey Spencer]

"They're easy to mistake." Corey replied with another soft chuckle that rumbled from deep within his chest. "They were both idiots." It was then a hint of nostalgia crept into the big man's eyes. Rare was the moment he thought back on his time in the military with any sort of fondness, ire or emotion whatsoever. To him it was merely a chapter in his life that had long been closed, never to be opened again. Nonetheless, Corey's military service remained a large part of who he'd become today. Those ten-plus years he'd spent in the army were difficult to shake for better or worse.

"I think he said the sixteenth or the twenty third." Corey said, eyes narrowing in thought. "Sixteenth." He repeated, nodding his head confidently. "He's getting married in San Diego. If you could get the time off maybe we can make a week out of it?" He ventured carefully, his dark eyes shifting to study Reid's reaction.

[Reid Chase]

Reid chuckled, bowing her head a little at the execution of the line coming from her big, burly man. As the laugh faded, the overthinking crept in once more when he upped the ante, making what she thought would have been a day trip to a week.

In hindsight, Reid shouldn't have been overthinking things. She had actually been monogamous for three years, something she hadn't really thought of doing after that stupid breakup, but there she was. She was clearly enjoying the company of a man she was ridiculously fond of and three years of that had pretty much softened her up.

She still couldn't tell him she loved him, for some reason but she did. It wasn't even platonic anymore at this point. Hell, it hadn't been for the past three years.

So why was she worrying?

"I...I'm due for a holiday." She shrugged, still trying so damn hard to keep cool. "I'll just see what the captain says."

Seeing a hotdog cart right ahead had her nudging Corey, glad for the distraction. "Hotdogs." She approached the stand and ordered two with everything. "You want one?" She turned to look at Corey with a grin.

[Corey Spencer]

Corey wasn't sure if he should have been amused or alarmed by Reid's sudden shift in demeanor. Under normal circumstances Reid was excellent at evading her true feelings and setting up smoke screens to throw people off. Learning to navigate what equated to a social minefield when it came to the redheaded cop was one of the more interesting aspects of spending so much time with her. Thankfully, over the years, Corey had grown adept at deciphering the subtle hints and clues she gave off whenever something bothered her. Regardless of the true reason behind it something had stuck in her mind when he'd asked her about San Diego.

"Are you okay?" Corey asked, hands finding their way into his pants pockets as he watched Reid with an amused smirk on his face. "We just ate and now you want a hot dog?" It didn't matter what was up. His dark eyes still gleamed with a certain light whenever he looked at her. Through it all they'd grown far closer over the years than either of them had admitted.

[Reid Chase]

Even at her best, Reid found that she couldn't really hide anything from Corey. Not because he was perceptive as hell when it came to pretty much everything, Reid just didn't have the gumption to hide anything from the man she had pretty much dedicated three years of bachelorhood to.

When he asked if she was okay, Reid snorted and nodded. "You knew what you were getting yourself into when you started seeing me, Spencer. Hell, the first thing you brought me when you came back was food. And you're asking me about two measly hot dogs? Come on, son." She chuckled before paying and accepting her hot dogs.

She missed the look Corey gave her. Just as well, she would have faltered under his gaze. As she bit into her food, Reid nudged Corey when she did realise he was looking at her. "I'm a pig, so what. It's not like I can't work the pounds off tomorrow during training." She knew that probably wasn't why Corey was looking at her but diversion was a lot better than actually discussing what was making her want to cause the diversion.

"So what...dress code is formal? I can't remember the last time I wore a dress. Can I wear a pants suit?"

[Corey Spencer]

Corey had no response. All he could do was smile, nod and shrug his broad shoulders. Reid was right and there was little leeway in that. The small, subtle quirks that made the redheaded police lieutenant so unique had been what drew him in from the very beginning. It was what had caused them to become fast friends in high school, it had been the root cause of her being the rare person he'd kept in contact with during his years in the military and it had certainly been the reason Reid had been among the first people he'd sought out upon both of his returns.

A soft chuckle escaped. Yet another one of those little, 'Reid things' as Corey would call them if he had the presence of mind to do so. "It's formal." He answered, letting Reid's comment about working off the pair of hot dogs go. It was just Reid being Reid. "He wants to do the full military thing. I'll have to see if my old ASU's fit." He gave another short shrug at that, though this one was more resigned than the last. He wasn't all that hot on the idea of delving back into the military bearing that came with wearing the uniform again. A brow soon raised. "Pantsuit?" His head shook, though a smirk started to surface in the process. "Please don't do that to me."

[Reid Chase]

It used to unnerve Reid how well Corey could convey emotions or thought or even speech without even opening his mouth. In certain circumstances, a look was all it took to unravel her. If she were being honest, it still unnerved her, but she was getting used to it. Times like these, it made her stare at him, wondering how he did it. In the end, she gave him a smile back and nodded when he responded about the dress code.

The thought of seeing Corey in his formal wear did entice Reid to follow suit. If only not to look shabby by his side. Though she did take note of the sudden change in his demeanour when he spoke about something relating to his military background. She knew his reservations but selfishly, she couldn't wait to see him in uniform.

She stopped walking and put a hand on her waist and raised her eyebrow. "Hey, I could rock a pantsuit. I don't have a butt to fill out the pants but come on." She teased.

[Corey Spencer]

Corey watched and studied the redheaded police officer for a long moment before issuing a grunt of amusement. The duality within Reid's demeanor had always been among the most endearing of her qualities. While on the job she was a calm, calculated, determined and capable cop. When wandering around downtown Kalispell on what was most certainly not a date with the man who was most assuredly not her romantic partner she was almost childlike. He couldn't help but grin at those emerald eyes shining up at him. "I disagree with that." He remarked, though he wasn't one to dwell on Reid's physical 'assets'.

"It's a wedding, not a job interview." He countered with a smirk, hands finding their way into his pant pockets as he started moving along the sidewalk again. "You don't need to dress like you're going to prom but it wouldn't hurt to go with something a little more... breezy and light." The big man cast a short glance in Reid's direction. "Anyway. You do have the legs to pull off a sundress."

[Reid Chase]

Reid followed when Corey began to walk again, her pace quickening to match his. His comment about her legs made her chuckle and her elbow dug into his side playfully. "Do you even know how pale my legs are? They'd either blend with light coloured dresses or stick out like a sore thumb in a dark coloured one. I'd rather be in a pouffy prom dress than show off my legs." She snorted, biting into her hot dog.

She chewed thoughtfully on her food before turning to Corey with a smirk on her face. "Are you planning on giving him a bachelor party while we're up there?"

[Corey Spencer]

A soft, thoughtful chuckle followed Reid's response. The woman may have been a little crazy but no one had ever accused her of being arrogant. And it wasn't as if Corey was the type to gush over her physical features even if he did think she was wrong. "You know some of us don't think that's a bad thing." He replied, casting a short, sideways glance toward the off duty police officer. "Personally, I don't mind when you show off your legs." He gave Reid a bit of a nudge of his own.

It wasn't a chuckle that came with Reid's follow up question but rather a full on laugh. It may have been a brief, short laugh but it was a laugh nonetheless. "No. I'm just going to be there for the wedding. I don't really do the party thing. You know that."

[Reid Chase]

The nudge made Reid laugh before she raised her leg and wiggled it a little in front of Corey. "You mean like this?" She asked in what she considered to be her sexy voice. Dropping her leg after, Reid shook her head in amusement. There happened to be a few people walking by who looked at her weirdly and Reid smiled and nodded at them as though it were nothing.

"Eh, I'll find something dressy. Remind me not to ask Bell to dress me up. She'd probably find the friliest, laciest, princessy dress known to mankind and still think it wasn't enough for me." She snorted before turning to Corey when he laughed. It always made her feel good when she managed to make him laugh like that. It wasn't much, but she did always enjoy the little things he did.

"I know, just teasing." She bumped into him briefly and finished off her hot dog, throwing the wrapper into the nearest trash can before wiping her hands down on her jeans. She couldn't even be bothered with how gross she was being.

"Do you know who he's marrying? What she's like and all? I mean someone who could keep up with Collins kinda deserves a medal."

[Corey Spencer]

Corey stifled another laugh at Reid's display. He'd often found himself a bit too tightly wound even when the situation didn't warrant it. This was one of those times when he felt a little weirdness from his not romantic partner was fitting. His head shook as Reid wiggled her led around and he almost reached out to grab hold of her ankle but thought better of it at the last minute.

"I think you'd look good in something frilly and princessy." He replied with a shrug. He could certainly think of worse things for Reid to wear. Of course it was obvious he had a bit of a bias on the matter. Still, he gave a nod. "Dressy but not over doing it is probably the best way to go."

"I don't." Corey admitted with a shake of his head. "They've been together a few years is all I know. I guess she was a Navy doctor when they met."