She collapsed onto the grass off the side of the path, her chest heaving. It had been awhile since she had exerted this much physical energy. Playing hide and seek with a former international arms dealer that was hell-bent on seeing you dead could cause a person to become a bit of a hermit. She wasn't even sure of the last time she had been jogging. Of course, the whole "table leg to the gut" incident hadn't left her in all that much of a mood for physical activities of any kind, let alone one that she didn't really enjoy in the first place. Maybe she was just getting old.
"Oh my! The big, bad Emily Prentiss. How the mighty have fallen." She groaned internally. As she had hit the grass, she'd been hoping that Morgan wouldn't notice. He had been so far ahead of her. If only he hadn't, then she'd be left to die in peace.
A chuckle managed to seep through her gasps for breath. She had a snappy retort on hand, but was far too exhausted to actually get it out. She smiled warmly, and was mildly aware that he could only see half of her face because the other was flat on the ground.
He cocked his head to the side as if studying her. After a moment of silence, he dropped down to her side, lying next to her on the grass. She couldn't help but think how strange they must have looked to passers by. "I'm glad you agreed to this reconditioning. I honestly thought you'd tell me to shove it or somethin'."
"Maybe I've lost a step or two," she confessed truthfully.
"Or twenty?" he added playfully.
"Or that," she conceded.
He breathed in heavily, and she couldn't quite figure out why. He didn't seem to be winded at all. "I've really missed you," he let out the weighted words, laying his hand softly over hers.
This time her voice failed her for an entirely different reason. She closed her eyes, unable to look into his momentarily. The honesty in them as he had spoken those words to her, debilitating. She squeezed his hand lightly as she tried to stabilize her emotions. She had no plans to cry in the park today. "I've missed all of you," she admitted easily. Opening her eyes and meeting his, she continued. "But you?"
That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed. He quickly pushed himself to his knees with a large grin in place. As she began to do the same, he grabbed her calf firmly. She looked over her shoulder, asking incredulously, "What are you doing?"
"It's hot out here," he said as if his intentions were obvious. "I don't want you to have a heat stroke or something." The confusion that set in was enough to distract her for the time it took him to remove a sneaker and a sock. Now she was really confused. "Damn, woman. When's the last time you washed your feet?"
"Hey!" she protested adamantly, laughing while trying to gain control of the situation. By the time she was able to roll over he was standing up, just as barefoot as she was. He grabbed her by the hand, and then easily pulled her to her feet. He let go to bend over and pick up his shoes, and she did the same. It was easy for her to follow along with him. Whether it be breaching a murder's lair, or playing in a park like a couple of teenagers.
As they both stood, she took the initiative of grabbing his hand this time. He winked and then took off running, dragging her behind him. As they ran, the destination became glaringly obvious. Part of her wanted desperately to stop. The other half though, the half that was so happy to be back with her family, that half was just as desperate to jump into the Potomac.
A/N: I honestly don't know what's gotten into me. I'm not typically a fluffy person... Anyway, I promise to get to my Dexter Crossover this week if you're reading this and are angry about that. Let me know what you think about this one, please. I like it!