Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have some personal stuff going on that means I don't have the time or the will to write really, but I wanted to get something out for you guys, so I found this story I did some time ago. My intention was to flesh it out a lot more, but I just haven't been able to. But I hope you like it anyway though and the idea!
"So, is it 'wheels up' today Hotch?" Reid asked, almost jogging to keep up with his unit chief who was pacing large strides towards the round table room.
Morgan chuckled, 'Wheels up'? Kid what's wrong with you?"
The genius turned to the older agent, "I just wanted to know because there's this silent black and white movie on at the…"
His words trailed off as Morgan held one hand up to him, shook his head and walked ahead, following Hotch into the room where the rest of the team waited, plus one dark haired stranger, sat, her head bowed reading the case file in front of her.
"Everybody meet Agent Prentiss." Hotch said hurriedly, circling the table to take his place.
"Already have." JJ smiled, "Been filling her in on protocol."
Morgan did what came naturally, holding out his hand to greet her. The new Agent looked up from her paperwork and stood up, smiling at him as he held out his hand to her, "Derek Morgan." He offered.
But as their stare connected his eyes widened. She looked familiar and his mind began to race back in time.
"Emily." She responded, giving him no time to process his thoughts or speak before her and her smile grew as her eyes fixed on his that were still full of confusion, "Prentiss." She finished off.
As she shook his hand her smile didn't falter, but he felt her squeeze harder than he thought necessary, and was sure he saw the tiniest of a single shake of her head.
Their brief moment was quickly interrupted by Hotch, "We can make nice later." The unit chief directed, taking his seat and indicating to JJ to begin the briefing.
Morgan sat back in his seat and listened as JJ talked through the case. He couldn't help but occasionally glance at the brunette, surveying her….. He knew her, but she was different. The dark, poker straight hair hanging around her face and her crisp suit hugging her slender body, was a far cry from the woman he remembered.
He raised a brow, looking between his team mates as she read the Arabic text with ease, everyone seemingly surprised and impressed by her talents. But that was the last of his thoughts….. Had he got it wrong? Could he be mistaken? His head shook as he told himself silently that he was not mistaken at all.
And as Hotch gave each team member their direction; Reid and Gideon to take Prentiss with them to conduct the interrogation, everyone else to remain in DC, she glanced at him. It was brief. So quick no one else would have noticed, but it was enough for him to know his instinct was absolutely right.
A few minutes later he sat at his desk in the bull pen staring at hers that was beside him, a black leather bag and a set of car keys upon it. No paperwork yet, but he knew it wouldn't be long until there were piles of case files…. Hotch's test of new team members. Seeing if she'd crack under the pressure.
He sat up quickly hearing a soft tone, "Derek?" She murmured having silently approached and stood next to him.
He looked up to her and nodded, but said nothing.
She glanced around making sure no one was in earshot, then looked back down to him, "Please don't say anything. I will explain everything when I get back." She uttered.
He ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he thought and then stood up, leaning in close to her, "How do I know I can trust you." He whispered, almost a growl.
Her eyes widened taken aback slightly by his bluntness, and her nostrils flared feeling slightly aggrieved, "How do I know I can trust you?" She retorted.
Their stare locked on for a couple of beats, before she turned and grabbed for her bag off her desk. She looked back to him and took a large breath, thinking as she exhaled, "Just don't say anything ok?
He paused before nodding unconvincingly.
She took a step closer and looked him straight in the eye, "We're on the same side." She said in a low firm tone before stepping away from him and to the other end of the bull pen, where she waited, albeit a little nervously, for Gideon and Reid.
~~CM~~
As he made his way down the stairs, he rubbed his tired eyes and then the back of his neck, grumbling to himself about who could possibly be calling so early on his day off, the last case having only finished the previous evening.
His eyes opened fully in surprise upon opening the door and finding her stood on his porch.
She pressed her lips in a half smile, "Can we start again?" She asked, holding out the Styrofoam cup as an offering. "Dead eye." She stated as he accepted the drink.
"Dead eye?" He said, "You remember."
"Of course I do." She said softly, her almost apologetic smile fading. "Triple shot of espresso right."
His features softened, and his body relaxed as he breathed out. He moved to the side of the door frame, inviting her in to his property where he then led her to the sitting room. "Have you had any sleep?" He asked, glancing back to her and indicating for her to sit on the deep, two seater couch.
She shook her head as she sat, "We just landed an hour ago."
"You must be exhausted."
"I am, but I wanted to straighten things out between us first. It would just play on my mind if I didn't."
He nodded in understanding, sitting down opposite her. As he did, she placed a brown paper bag on the coffee table in between them.
"What's in that?" He asked, staring at it with an inquisitive frown.
"Take a look." She told him.
He leant forward and carefully opened the bag, the paper rustling between his fingers. The sweet smell hit his senses as he peered inside and then looked back up to her, "Donuts?" He queried with a raised brow. "We never ate donuts." He stated.
"I know." She uttered, biting down on her bottom lip, "But I just thought that may be you liked them."
He glared back at her, his foot tapping silently on the thick carpet underneath his bare feet, "You knew?"
She nodded.
Three years prior…..
"Derek." The man said, "We're just a few weeks away from having enough to go to the arrest phase."
Derek rubbed his forehead tiredly, his whole body, not to mention his mind, exhausted.
"You ok?" The man asked.
Morgan half chuckled sarcastically, then sighed heavily, "It's just been a long six months Harrison. I'll be glad when it's all over."
"Hey." He replied, lightly tapping his colleague's arm, "Hang in there man. It's nearly done."
"I know." Morgan uttered, "You don't need to worry. I'll be fine. I will finish this." He said with determination.
"I'm your handler. It's my job to worry." Harrison reasoned, "Now go get yourself a drink in Harry's bar. I heard the Bakers are going to be in there tonight. May get something useful from them."
"Sure." Morgan said, holding out his hand which Harrison dumped a wad full of twenty dollar notes into.
"I'll talk to you at the end of the week. You get anything juicy that can't wait, send a page."
"Will do." Morgan said, before throwing his bag over his shoulder and making his way back to his 1980 black and cream Chevy.
Half hour later he sat at the bar. The place was old and worn, but in a homely, lived in kind of way. The old, original duke box played in the corner of the room next to the pool table where two guys, who wouldn't look out of place in the Hell's Angels, played against each other. There was a warm buzz to the atmosphere; conversation was flowing, but quiet, just a murmur under the music…. No sign of the Bakers though. He guessed they were going to be a no show tonight and he couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
He wrapped his hand around the thick beer tankard in front of him and took a long swig. It was time to hit the road and get some much needed sleep. As he pulled out his wallet to pay the bill, his attention was drawn to the woman that was suddenly stood at the bar, three stools away from him, who had approached unnoticed.
"Bourbon on the rocks please." She said to the barman, barely looking him in the eye before turning her attention to her purse.
Morgan watched her. She was erratic. Flustered. Jumpy may be. Her dark wavy hair bobbed up and down as she shook her head, clearly annoyed by something. She shoved a long slim cigarette in her mouth as she continued searching her purse.
"You need one of these?" He offered.
Her head snapped round to look at him. A few beats passed as she examined him, sizing him up, but her small frown softened as he held up the small pack of the bar's own brand matches, ripped one away from the pack and struck it against the coarse surface.
A small grateful smile crept across her lips as they both took a step towards each other allowing him to reach to light the cigarette.
As the flame took hold, she took a long hard drag, her eyes closing momentarily as the sweet sensation from inhaling the nicotine took effect. He couldn't help but smile at how she changed in that split second. She looked peaceful. She looked beautiful.
Remembering where she was, she suddenly opened her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry." She said, turning her attention back to her purse and pulling out the pack of cigarettes once again, "You want one?" She asked, offering the box to him.
"Oh no." He said shaking his head, "I don't."
"You don't know what you're missing." She winked placing her purse back down on the bar.
"Clearly." He chuckled, "But you certainly look like you needed that." He said, nodding down the burning stick in her hand. "Bad day?"
She smiled contemplatively, "You could say that." She said, elegantly sitting on to the bar stool now that her body had calmed somewhat, "You wanna another one of those?" She suggested, pointing to his empty glass.
He raised his brow in contemplation, also glancing at the empty tankard, then washing away any thoughts of going to get some sleep. He nodded slowly, "If that's an invitation to join you, then yes, I wanna another one." He grinned, his smile lighting up his entire face.
"Beer please." She said as the barman placed her bill down in front of her.
He reached out and covered the bill with his palm.
"Er, you don't have to do that. I asked you." She said, naturally putting her hand over his to stop him.
For a brief moment their eyes locked onto one another, the unfamiliar touch of a stranger sending a strange sensation through both of them that was entirely unexpected.
He swallowed, a little taken aback by the effect this tiny gesture had had on him, "This is on me." He told her with a small wink to mask his reaction, sliding his hand, along with the bill, away from her.
"Well thank you." She smiled warmly.
They waited in silence for the bar tender to serve the ice cold beer, before she turned slightly to face him and held out her hand, "Lauren." She offered.
He smiled and took her hand, shaking gently as he took a seat on the stool next to her, "Christian." He said.
Her smile widened, "It's nice to meet you Christian." She uttered, before taking another long drag on the cigarette. "Oh you don't mind if I…" She asked, removing the stick and gesturing it towards him.
He shook his head, "Of course not. Go ahead. Like I said, you look like you need it….. You wanna talk about your bad day?"
She half chuckled and looked back towards the bar. "Bad day?" She said, "It's a bit more than that."
"Oh?" He uttered, not pressing, but inviting her gently to tell him more.
She turned to look at him once more, her elbows rested on the bar top. "I just needed to get away."
"From what?"
"My life." She sadly smiled, "I just need an escape every now and then. This place is good for that."
He looked into his glass before taking a gulp of the cold liquid, "I know the feeling." He told her.
"You sound like you do. You wanna talk about it?"
He pursed his lips together and shook his head, "No more than you do."
In tandem they turned to look at one another, her lips breaking into a smile first, followed very quickly by his.
"How about we just get drunk then?" He ssuggested, holding up his glass to her.
"That sounds like a very good idea." She agreed, picking up her tumbler and clinking the thick glasses together.
And so they did…. they drank, and laughed, and took themselves away from the dark worlds they had both been living in for the past few months….
Hers a world of violence, death and the destruction of people's lives. She lived with evil…. A man that was evil. A man she had to allow to touch her, to kiss her, to build a life with. She just needed to escape from it. Just for one night.
His too was a world of violence…. The drugs underworld. Watching girls slowly kill themselves with the filthy narcotics they pumped into their veins, willing to sell their bodies… their souls, for just one hit. Young men shot on street corners like rabid dogs, kicked into the gutter as if they had no one who cared for them. No one who would cry for them. And he had to stand and watch it unfold in front of him. He needed to escape too. Just for one night.
But one night turned into two. They both pretended the second time was a chance meeting, that neither of them had been back to Harry's bar several times, just for a drink, hoping the other would turn up again. Because this was against protocol. You weren't supposed to do this; form relationships with people outside of the target group. But sometimes you just needed release. Just some escape. So at the end of the second night, he walked her to find a cab and reluctantly for both of them, that was as far as it went. He waved her off and made the long walk back to his temporary apartment unable to stop thinking about the woman…. the stranger, he still knew nothing about but who had tugged at something inside of him.
So the third time they met for coffee. A coffee wouldn't hurt…. He ordered the 'Dead Eye' – a triple shot of espresso which she teased him about until she tried it and then ordered herself one too. She'd been hooked on them ever since. That day he walked her to her car, but this time placed a tender, very brief kiss to her cheek to say goodbye. She smiled sweetly, but inside panicked. This couldn't happen. This shouldn't happen. It was against protocol. He was a distraction. She couldn't lead this guy on.
And that's what she thought the fourth time, but that thought was quickly shoved to the back of her mind as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips, nipping along her jaw line. He ran his rough thumbs over her bruised face and stared at her, "Who did this to you?" He growled in a whisper, thinking this was one too many girls he'd seen in this state…. A man's hand prints on her perfect pale porcelain skin.
Of course she didn't tell him. She just hushed him with a solitary finger to his lips, running her hands under his shirt and tracing the contours of his torso in encouragement for him to continue.
As he made love to her in his bed, she closed her eyes taking in the feel of his body rocking against hers, the weight of him on top of her making her feel safe and relaxed. Content….. Because this was on her terms. She wanted to be here. With him. It was her choice, not a direction. Not an order. She picked him. He picked her. His kisses were tender, yet wanton and her kisses back to him were genuine. Not forced. Not fake.
They lay in the dark, both naked, both staring at the ceiling, individually knowing that they were still living a lie, but it had felt so good. So real. Just right. Everything that had happened that night was genuine. It came from who they really were.
She was the first to turn and break the silence. She looked at him, pushing herself up on to one elbow to stare at him. He turned and smiled at her, her face half covered in a shadow, half lit up by the moonlight. He tucked a straggly piece of wayward hair behind her ear.
"You're beautiful." He whispered in a deep, serious murmur.
She smiled shyly and turned her head slightly averting his gaze, but he quickly turned it back with one finger under her chin. "Hey." He said catching her eye, "You must have people tell you you're beautiful all the time. And if they don't." He paused, pushing himself up to steal a brief kiss, "Someone should tell you that every day. Because you are."
She pressed her lips together in order to subdue her embarrassed smile, but as she stared at him, her features soon turned serious.
"What?" He asked.
"Somebody told me something about you today." She told him, her voice small and quiet.
His brow raised, "The somebody who did that to you?" He asked, pointing to her marked face.
Ignoring his question, she continued, "He told me you were involved with some bad people. The Nicholls? The Garrisons? They're big time."
He stared at her for a few beats searching his mind for how to play this one. Who could have found out he was involved with these drug lords other than someone who was themselves involved in this seedy, underground world? Who was she caught up with? But he couldn't afford to divulge anything. He wouldn't answer her questions, so he diverted.
"You came here with me." He uttered, "Even though you believed that."
Neither of them were sure whether that was a question or a statement.
She swallowed before responding, "I didn't wanna believe…." She paused, exhaling a sigh.
"Didn't wanna believe what?"
She half smiled, "You just don't seem like that kind of guy."
"What kind of guy?"
"A bad guy."
He let a couple of beats pass feeling the frustration build inside of him. "I'm not that kind of guy." He told her, wanting to say so much more.
She smiled. Not a happy smile. Not a sad smile. But one of those smiles that says 'I know you're lying and that makes me sad.'
"Ok." She whispered, laying her head back on the pillow and closing her eyes.
He wondered if he'd lost her at that point and then he told himself that may be it was a blessing. This couldn't continue anyway. He just hoped that there would be one more time. One more meeting. One more kiss.
He closed his eyes and traced his hand across the mattress searching for her touch. He found the warm skin of her hand and let his rest against it. She didn't move away from him, but instead softly ran her fingers over his until they both fell into a sound sleep.
Her dreams took her back to the moment she had received those bruises the day before. One of Ian Doyle's men had seen her talking to a dark stranger. Someone he didn't know. That wasn't allowed. She felt him smack her hard across the face for daring to share her time with a man other than him and it woke her with a jolt.
She glanced over to the man lying next to her that was fast asleep, his face relaxed and content….. And she knew this was a risk. She realised it was too big of a risk. But it had been worth it. Just those few hours had revived her somehow. Gave her back a little bit of herself.
But a few hours was all she could risk. She reluctantly pulled the single sheet that lay over their naked bodies off of her and gently rose from his bed, careful not to wake him. She stood over him wondering if this stranger that was so tender, so attentive, so caring, could really be the man involved in the things Ian Doyle had told her. Something didn't fit. But it didn't matter anyway. It had to be over.
She wanted to kiss him goodbye, but there was too much chance of waking him, so instead she whispered, "Bye Christian," before tiptoeing in the dark, picking up the trail of pieces of her clothing that had been shed on their slow, but frantic journey to his bedroom just a few hours ago.
She was almost to his front door when her foot hit something very hard. "Shit!" She hissed loudly. She reached down grimacing with pain and felt wetness on her toe. Fumbling round for the lamp switch, she turned it on. She inwardly cursed seeing the blood on her foot, but was quickly distracted by the papers strewn across the floor that had fallen out of the box she had stubbed her toe on.
She began to shuffle the papers into some order but suddenly stopped dead. She recognised the header on one of the forms. She prised the single sheet out of the pack. It had no details on it. No one else would know what this was. But she did.
She felt her heart begin to beat hard against her chest and her hands shook as she replaced the paper to where it was before. Ignoring her bleeding foot, she frantically put her shoes on and ran out of the apartment…. never looking back.
"I was careless." He uttered, fiddling with the plastic top of his coffee cup.
She shook her head, "It didn't matter. No one else found it."
"Keeping any kind of paperwork in the apartment that would point towards me being undercover is a basic error Emily. You know that."
She shrugged, "Well it didn't come to anything so forget about it."
He looked up to her, a seriousness over his features, "It made you disappear." He whispered.
She gave a wry smile. "I was caught up in something that meant you were in danger. The people I was working on would have hurt you real bad if they knew I was with you that night which is why I was leaving. If they figured out you were a cop….. they'd of killed you. It just cemented for me that we could not see each other again."
He frowned, "What were you working on anyway?"
She hooked her head, "I can't tell you that."
"Even though it's finished?"
"Please Derek. It's not important. Can we just forget about it?"
"That's pretty hard considering what happened between us."
"I mean forget about the undercover stuff. People can't know what I did."
There was a pleading to her tone which threw him, and worried him just slightly wondering what kind of thing she had been involved in, especially as he thought of the bruises on her body.
"Derek?" She said, pulling him out of his trance.
He nodded reluctantly, "Ok. It's forgotten."
"Thank you." She smiled.
"So what about what happened between us?" He asked, "Was that Lauren? Were you after information from me?"
Her smile quickly faded, her forehead crinkling into a frown and he immediately regretted his question.
"No." She almost spat, "That was genuine. Well as genuine as it could have been in those circumstances. You were lying too remember….. Christian." The sarcasm in her last word not lost on him.
He held up his hands in surrender to her, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.
This is all just a bit of a head fuck really isn't it?"
His dark eyes bore into her and she could see the apology pouring from them. She couldn't really blame him for the paranoia. Working in the worlds that they did, they both all too well that people lie…. All the time.
She allowed her lips to curl at the edges, "May be we should start again….. again." She half chuckled, "We have to work together and trust each other. This isn't the best of starts is it?"
"No." He smiled back, pausing a beat before continuing, "How about Derek buys Emily lunch and we bury Lauren and Christian under a big slab of chocolate cake?"
He face broke into a big smile and she laughed, "Sounds like a good plan." She stood up, "But can we make it dinner? I need to go home and get some sleep. Some of us only finished our shift a couple of hours ago."
"Sure." He smiled, standing up also.
But she didn't move. She stared at him and he could see she had thoughts racing through her mind. He remembered that beautiful stare like it was yesterday.
Somehow he knew to stay still as she stepped around the coffee table and stopped a pace in front of him. She took a breath as she gazed at him, before closing the gap between them and kissing his lips softly, but briefly, causing his eyes to fall shut. They opened a beat later after she pulled away from him and his eyes questioned her.
She smiled sweetly, "That was Lauren saying goodbye to Christian. I didn't get chance to do that before."
The skin at the edges of his eyes crinkled as he smiled back, "Bye Lauren." He whispered. "And hello Emily." He added in an utter. "I'll pick you up at seven?"
She nodded, trying to subdue her slightly shy smirk, "Yes Derek. Seven is fine. See you then."
And as she walked away, and as he watched her, they both smiled thinking about the stranger they once knew. Both of them now knowing that Lauren and Christian had been a lie, but the short hours they had just spent together was enough to realise that, those two people three years ago who had shared a drink. Shared a laugh. Shared a bed….. that those two people had been Emily and Derek. No doubt…
I think this idea was better in my head, and like I say I would have fleshed it out, but at the moment I'm not in a position to and I wanted to post something. So I hope you enjoyed it.