American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop

"Oh, come on, Parker! You're going to spoil my dear Lila. She only played a supporting role in the remake of Baywatch. It's just the start of her acting career." As she spoke, the sophisticated gallery owner, Mrs. Lawton, appeared with Rossi, her arm linked with his. Despite her modest words, the pride in her tone was unmistakable.

Mrs. Lawton, who Rossi had referred to earlier, seemed quite familiar with the young actress.

"Baywatch is getting a remake?" Jack's surprise was genuine, and before he could say more, JJ pinched him playfully on the side.

Baywatch, also known as Sea Patrol or Beach Rangers, had been one of Jack's favorite shows growing up. He loved watching the fearless lifeguards diving into the sea to save lives. He swore his love for the show had nothing to do with the bikini-clad women running along the beach.

"Hi, I'm Lila Archi. Aunt Lawton is my godmother." The beautiful young actress, who appeared no older than 20, gracefully extended her hand to Reid.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid… uh, just call me Spencer… uh, no need for the 'doctor' part."

"Wow, our little Reid seems to have grown up when we weren't looking," Emily whispered teasingly from the side.

Unlike the awkward onlookers, the BAU team collectively broke into amused smiles. This was the first time they had seen Reid so nervous and flustered in front of a girl.

"I won't call you 'Doctor,' Spencer," Lila said kindly, rescuing Reid from further embarrassment.

Just then, a camera flash went off. Out of nowhere, a guy with a camera started snapping photos of Lila, catching the BAU team in the frame as well.

"Hey!" Jack stepped forward and grabbed the guy's arm, deftly snatching the camera from him with a firm squeeze.

"FBI. You want to spend a night in jail?"

After removing the memory card, Jack shoved the camera back into the paparazzo's hands and handed him off to the approaching security. The small scuffle caused a minor stir, but it quickly dissipated as a few waiters arrived with champagne to smooth over the tension.

"So, you're all FBI?" Lila didn't seem put off by Reid's earlier awkwardness. On the contrary, she and Reid moved to the side, continuing their conversation.

"Uh, yes, we're agents from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit."

"Behavioral analysis?"

"We use criminal psychology to analyze crime scenes and learn everything we can about the perpetrator."

"Psychological analysis? Are you doing that to me right now?"

"Uh, absolutely not!"

Lila giggled, "I'm just kidding."

"Oh… uh…"

As the two continued talking, the rest of the BAU team stood nearby, stifling their laughter.

"My God, is that young actress flirting with Reid?" JJ said, astonished.

"What should we do? My heart aches—some devious woman is trying to steal my precious baby," Emily said, feigning the role of a possessive, disapproving mother-in-law.

"Oh, come on. Shouldn't we be happy for him?" Jack chimed in, grinning wickedly. "I was just thinking about reserving a spot in my backyard to build a small cabin for an old and lonely Reid to live in."

The team couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Jack still remembered when he first met Reid at the FBI Academy, and how nervous Reid had been when Jane Banner first appeared in front of them. 

But after that, Reid quickly returned to normal, acting no differently than he would around any other attractive woman. They even had a conversation later, where Reid expressed his desire for a partner who could match him in intellect and spirit. And now, here he was, seemingly entranced by a pretty young actress.

As they were leaving the gallery, Reid spent $2,000 on an abstract painting that he and Lila had spent a long time admiring together. According to Reid, someone had finally taught him how to appreciate abstract art, and the rest of the team couldn't help but smell the scent of budding romance.

Over the next few days, Jack was busy once again, dividing his time between the Hunter family's house and the Wolf brothers' farm. 

Joe Mason, who had come to Los Angeles to recuperate, was recovering well. Jack used acupuncture to help him heal, treating his liver issues and supplementing his recovery with nourishing medicinal soups. The old CIA agent was starting to look like his old self again, full of life.

Bald-headed Frank Moses had returned to his retired life. There was no rush to deal with Marla Grayson, the vicious woman. They would wait until things cooled down.

On another front, Braxton's wife, Alia, had safely given birth to a baby girl. Jack prepared a variety of nourishing recipes for her, including stewed pig's trotters with soybeans and codfish tofu soup. 

Hannah and JJ were more frequent visitors than he was, along with Hotchner's wife, Haley. As the saying goes, "Three women make a show," and with a group of women together, the men had no choice but to stay on the sidelines.

Chris and Braxton were even talking to Jack about getting a yacht to go sea fishing, though none of them had any experience, so they were looking for a suitable partner to guide them.

——

Today, Jack returned to his "home base" once more. The dark-skinned police commissioner, Grey, had organized a workshop and invited BAU's psychological experts to train the officers in criminal profiling. 

The main presenters were Hotchner and Reid, while Jack mostly accompanied them. After all, it had only been two years since he left the LAPD, and he still often mingled with the guys there. It would have felt awkward for him to give an official lecture.

As the workshop wrapped up and everyone was getting ready to leave, Angela and Tim came storming in with grim faces.

"What's going on?" John, who had been bragging to Jack about his fishing skills, was surprised to see their serious expressions.

"Big trouble. There's been another murder—two people were shot in a house near West Hollywood, a young actress and her fiancé," Tim said with a sigh.

"Why did you say 'another'?" Jack immediately picked up on the key word.

Angela, now a full-fledged detective and Jack's former trainee, grabbed Jack's thermos without hesitation, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow. "What are those little red things in your water?"

Jack was caught off guard. Angela had never been one to stand on ceremony with him. He rubbed his nose helplessly. "Uh, goji berries. But that's not the point. Do you think this is a serial killer?"

"There have been two other cases over the past few months, both involving a .22 caliber handgun, both celebrities. One was famous producer Willie Merman, and the other was a young actress named Chloe Harris. You can imagine what will happen once the media gets wind of this," Tim explained, his face grim.

While Angela vented, Tim remained silent, standing next to Hotchner, the two of them looking quite in sync.

Jack glanced between Tim and Angela, knowing that they hadn't come to the BAU team just to vent. There was something they wanted. Instead of offering help immediately, he waited for them to make the first move.

The atmosphere grew tense. Everyone looked at one another, no one willing to speak first. Finally, Reid, ever the straight shooter, broke the silence.

"We don't have any cases at the moment. Maybe we could check out the crime scene?"

"Great! Just a quick look at the scene, I'll drive," Tim said, visibly relieved.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you, Jack?" John suddenly realized.

"You two are so childish!" Angela huffed and stormed out of the room.

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