This was just a little idea that came to me the other day…. Fluffy Derek & Emily. Hope you enjoy.
As the cab drove slowly through the heavy traffic, she looked out of the window at the night sky, the buildings a blur with a smear of orange and yellow lights as the rain beat heavily. It was a long time since she'd watched this city go by. She wrapped her arms around her waist and squeezed tight, a mixture of nerves and excitement mounting.
She paid the cab driver and hopped out, rushing up the gravel pathway to avoid the rain as best she could, relieved as she sheltered under the porch. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the bell, rubbing her hands together and bobbing up and down quickly to keep herself warm. As the hallway light lit up the stained glass in the door and she watched his silhouette approaching, she subconsciously bit down on one fingernail.
He opened the door with a frown that said he was expecting no one, but in a beat it turned to a smile.
"Emily?"
She smiled back.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I thought I'd surprise you." Her smile widening upon seeing his reaction.
He placed one hand on the doorframe, "But when did you get here?"
"This morning."
"I can't believe…"
But he stopped abruptly as the voice from behind him called… "Derek, are you coming. It's getting cold."
Emily stared as she watched two petite hands snake through the space between his arms and his chest, the face of a stranger resting upon his shoulder. He dropped his arm suddenly as if it would hide what had just happened, his eyes widening and she saw his adams apple bobble as he swallowed hard.
There was silence as the two ex-colleagues were both lost for words, frozen in the moment.
"Is there a problem?" The dark haired woman asked, turning to face Derek.
"No." He uttered in a whisper, shifting his feet on the spot and turning his torso slightly to face her, "This is…"
"I'm sorry." Emily interrupted, smiling apologetically, "I shouldn't have turned up like this. I'm sorry for interrupting your evening."
She couldn't get her words out quick enough.
"No. It's fine." Derek offered, turning back to her.
"Are you going to introduce me?" The strange woman asked, removing her touch from him and standing to his side, not discreet in the fact she was eyeing Emily up and down.
"Oh sorry." Derek laughed nervously glancing to the woman at his side, "This is Emily." He said turning back to his former colleague. "This is Laura."
"Nice to meet you Laura." Emily forced a smile, offering out a hand.
She watched as Laura's mouth fell open a little wider and her eyes widened in realisation. She took a little step forward and took the brunette's hand, "You're Emily?"
Emily's eyes darted between Derek and Laura, a small hint of confusion in her eyes. "Yes." She cleared her throat gently and painted a false smile once again, "Yes I am. I was just here about a case, but it doesn't matter. It can wait. I'm sorry for interrupting your evening." She repeated, moving her gaze back to Derek, "I'll speak to you soon."
She heard his 'But…' as she turned, but ignored it and walked back into the rain that was sheeting down. As she made it to the end of the pathway, she realised she had no transport, but not wanting to make it obvious, she turned and began to walk down his street.
The noise from the cars splashing in the water covered roads and the fact she had her head down concentrating on every step she took, trying to move faster and faster, drowned out any other sound. So as he grasped her arm, she jumped and spun around.
"Emily…." He began, slightly out of breath and his face dripping with water already, "Where are you going?"
"Back to my hotel."
"You're walking?" He asked with a raised brow, "Come back and I'll give you a lift."
She looked him up and down. He was shaking from the cold having clearly ran straight after her without putting on any other clothing. His white T-shirt was practically transparent, his jeans sodden with rain and his completely inappropriate footwear…. A pair of thin slippers, the black and grey tartan ones she remembered she used to tease him about, were drenched.
"No." She shook her head, "You should get back. The hotel isn't far from here. I'll walk."
"Where are you staying?" He asked, jumping up and down on the spot.
"The Radison."
"Emily, that's like ten blocks away. Please just come back with me."
She saw that pleading his dark eyes. She knew he meant it. She knew he wanted her to go back with him, but her stupid stubbornness would get in the way.
"Seriously Derek, just go back to her."
The 'her' came out more emphasised than she'd of liked and she watched as his brow slowly dipped, completely taken aback by her reaction. He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong. She wasn't sure what he'd done wrong and she was so mad with herself for reacting the way she did, she just wanted to escape. But he took a step towards her.
"Why did you run away?" He asked gently.
"I didn't." She said defensively, wrapping her arms around herself in a tight hug.
"Emily, I didn't mean….."
"Derek." She interrupted, softening her tone a little in an attempt to regain a little pride, "Just call me tomorrow. It's fine."
She shot him a small, forced smile and turned away from him. She could feel his stare on her back as she walked away, and knew, even when she was half way down the street that he was still stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, bewildered. She imagined him watching her walk away, turning slowly, shoulders slumped and making his way back to his place…. Slowly getting angry at her. Angry for walking away …. Again. For being so stubborn and pig headed. She imagined that by the time he got back to his place, he'd want to forget about her and get back to Laura. He'd be fine. She knew he'd be fine.
But her on the other hand…..
As she walked away, no one could see them, but the tears fell. It wasn't supposed to go this way. She was supposed to surprise him. He was supposed to open his strong arms and hold her, just as he did before she left for London. Nothing was supposed to have changed. But it all had. No one had told her about Laura. Not Penelope. Not JJ. Not Derek. Why didn't they tell her? Why did she care? She missed them all so much, but life had just continued without her and she realised she was no longer a part of it…. But she only had one person to blame, and that was herself. She did what she always did back then, and ran to London, and now, that's exactly what she'd do again.
~~CM~~
As he walked home, he didn't know where to begin unravelling what had just happened. He hadn't seen her in the flesh for months and he'd ached for that moment from the second she had disappeared out of his sight at the airport that day. It wasn't supposed to go that way.
Walking up the gravelled pathway, he heard the front door open.
"Derek, what are you doing?" She asked.
He slowed his pace and looked up at the woman stood on his porch way. The tall, dark slim woman, glaring at him with a mixture of anger and questioning. He examined her and wondered who she was. Why she was there.
"Derek, are you going to answer me?" She spat out, annoyed by his silence and apparent absence mentally.
He picked up his pace and walked past her, stopping in the hallway and grabbing a jacket from the coat hook, "I'm sorry Laura, but I have to go." He told her.
"What do you mean?" She asked, stepping into the hallway, standing in front of him and crossing her arms with a furrowed brow.
"It's a case. I have to go. Are you ok to get home?"
Her eyes widened in disbelief, "But she doesn't even work with you anymore." Her emphasis on the word 'she' not lost on him.
"I know." He said, pressing his lips together apologetically, "But I just have to go."
"Well I'll just wait for you then." She insisted, her lips pursed.
He stood still for a second, took a deep breath and looked downward as he thought, but his mind could not be bothered to think properly. Not about what was happening right now in this hallway.
He threw off his slippers and leant down to put his sneakers on.
"If you wanna stay, that's fine." He said as he stood up, "But I really have to go. I'll call you when I can."
He touched her arm lightly, avoiding eye contact as he walked past and rushed to his car.
~~CM~~
She cursed as she heard the knock at the door. She threw the wet towel on the bed, fresh from her shower and pulled on her shorts quickly and manoeuvring her arms into the tank top as she made to open it.
"What are you doing here?" She asked in surprise seeing him leant against the door frame.
He stared at her, his features creasing as anger rose in him. Suddenly he dropped his shoulder and walked past her into the room.
"What the hell was that?" He said, turning to face her.
She looked him up and down; He was still wearing the sopping wet clothes, but at least had put a jacket and sneakers on. Her first thought was that he would catch a cold and she knew he hated being sick. One more thing for him to be mad at her for.
"Emily!" He said impatiently, his hands now rested on his hips, pulling her away from her thoughts.
She shrugged lightly, "I dunno." She shook her head, "Nothing."
He laughed sarcastically, "You turn up at my place out of the blue, all smiles. The you see Laura and you bail on me. Why?"
She stared at him, feeling her heart beat hard against her chest. She was backed into a corner and she didn't like it. She would come out fighting.
"What did she mean by 'you're' Emily?" She asked, changing the focus.
And he knew exactly what she was doing. He shook his head and exhaled before answering, "She knows about you."
"What do you mean?" An accusation in her tone.
"She's FBI. She knows what happened."
She bit down on her bottom lip, "Oh." She uttered, "So you're dating her now?"
He frowned in confusion and then nodded, "Does that bother you?"
"No." She answered defensively.
He swallowed, a little disappointed at her firmness. "So what is bothering you then?"
She shrugged and held her chin up a little higher, "Why didn't Garcia tell me?"
"Because she doesn't know about Laura." He said shaking his head, "Nobody does."
"Oh right." She looked down, lost for where to go next.
But he helped;
His voice softened, "It's only been a few weeks."
The fact that it was only a few weeks somehow made her feel a bit better. However then remembering this woman was FBI, again made it somehow worse.
But she checked herself and straightened up her posture, "Like I said, it doesn't matter. It's not my business."
He stared at her with sad eyes, her coldness making him shiver inside, "Really?" He said taking a step towards her.
She pressed her lips together and just looked up at him. She knew she'd hurt him. She could do that with just a few words. She'd done it before and she was doing it again and she hated herself for it.
He watched as her gaze softened and she couldn't mask the sadness whirling around her eyes.
"Shall I tell you why she's in my house." He uttered, his tone deep.
She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer and so remained silent, rooted to the spot.
He exhaled heavily and turned away from her placing a hand on his forehead in frustration. He paused for a few seconds and then began;
"I was sat at home one night feeling sorry for myself. I hated the fact you were gone. I'd sat in my living room night after night when I thought you were dead angry and upset and then when you came back my world changed…. again. That doesn't happen. People don't get second chances like that."
Her gaze moved from the floor and fell upon his back. The blinds weren't quite shut properly and she could see his part reflection in the window. His eyes were shut tight, and he rubbed his forehead, then shook his head a little as if trying to rid himself of some memory.
"I'm sorry…." She offered.
"No." He interrupted, "Let me finish."
He turned to face her, glanced into her eyes and then sat down on the edge of the double bed.
"So when you left I just felt, I dunno…. Deflated I guess. I just got you back and you were gone again. And I don't blame you for that." He said, looking her straight in the eyes, wanting her to believe that, "I totally understand why you had to go, but it didn't make it any easier. I didn't want you to go, and yeah may be I was a little mad, a little selfish, but it's how I felt." He shrugged, "So one night I sat in my house missing you and I knew I had to snap myself out of it. I couldn't carry on like that. I had to take my mind off you."
"So you went out and found Laura?"
He silently chuckled at her unintentional snarkiness, "No." He said shaking his head, "I knew her a long time ago. I just called her."
"And she came running." She smirked with a raised brow. "The Derek Morgan charm."
He half smiled, grateful for her lightening the mood a little and grateful that the Emily Prentiss he remembered was coming back, "Yeah." He uttered, "The Derek Morgan charm that you seemed completely immune to."
She didn't answer, taken aback a little, knowing he was half joking, half serious. So she just stared at him, willing him to carry on.
"You know the truth is." He began a little nervously, "She helps me forget. She helps me forget you, for a little while anyway. And I'm an asshole because I know me and her will never go anywhere. It's just a distraction."
She continued to play dumb, the part of her that wanted to protect herself taking over, "Why do you need a distraction?"
"Because I hate that you're gone." He answered without hesitation, his voice tiring and deepening with every word, "I miss you." He added softly.
He then exhaled as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.
She looked down at him as he averted her gaze and placed his hands on the bed either side of his thighs as if to steady himself.
And then the part of her that couldn't hold out on him when he was like this…. When he opened up, spoke up, "I miss you too." She said quietly and softly.
His head slowly lifted and his eyes searched out hers. He wanted to know what it meant. What they had both just admitted to, but he saw her expression change slightly and swallow hard, straightening up her body and he knew what was coming.
"You should get back to her." She almost whispered.
He scoffed sarcastically and shook his head with a smile. That Emily Prentiss with all her walls was back again.
"Really?" He asked with a raised brow.
She nodded, folding her arms across her chest.
He placed both hands on his knees and pushed himself up, coming to stand a few paces in front of her, "So what now?" He shrugged.
"Call me tomorrow. We can do lunch or something."
"Lunch?"
"Yeah. Lunch."
He stared at her in silence for a few seconds, willing her to say something else, but she didn't. She held her resolve and waited for him to make the first move.
"I'll get going then." He said, pointing towards the door behind her.
"Ok." She forced a smile, "I'll see you tomorrow."
He paused for one more beat then walked past her slowly, opened the door and glanced back over his shoulder, "Goodnight Emily."
"Goodnight Derek."
As the door shut gently behind him, she crossed the room with haste, frustrated and angry with herself. She collapsed on the bed and shut her eyes tight, but the only vision she had was of Derek walking into his house and falling into the arms of the person who would take his mind off her.
So, her eyes darted open and she pushed herself up off the bed. Without giving the cold wet night a second thought, she ran out of the hotel room still only wearing her shorts and tank top, plus the sneakers that she had left by the door. She kicked the wall in the hallway, stubbing her toe seeing the elevator was on the ground floor…. It would take forever to get to her on the ninth floor, so she ran for the stairs. She hot footed it down each step, jumping down the last three steps of each floor. Ignoring the strange looks upon her as she rushed through the lobby, she pulled open the doors and ran in to the pouring rain. She could see him on the other side of the lot, just about to open the car door.
"Derek!" She shouted, her words muffled by the thick, driving rain.
As if he was hoping for it, listening intently, he did hear her. Only, he didn't believe it. On any other day, in any other situation he would never hear her over the din of the harsh weather, so he didn't turn around, believing he would just be disappointed.
But then it came again, closer and a little louder, "Derek!"
He spun round and just saw her stop running, halting a couple of paces in front of him, out of breath and soaking wet. Her dark hair had bunched up and was wavy, framing her features. Large water droplets ran down her face, her chest and bare arms and legs. She was shivering but he didn't think she even noticed.
"Emily, what are you doing?"
She shook her head and the straggly hair flicked more water into her face, "I don't know." She said.
"You're gonna get sick. You need to go back in."
She shook her head again, a little more vigorously this time.
"Come on, I'll take you back in." He offered.
"No." She said abruptly, taking one step closer, "I wanna say something, and if I go back in I might chicken out."
His features formed into a smile and he gave a little chuckle, "Ok. Go on then." He said softly.
She bit down on her bottom lip as she plucked up the courage, "I was jealous." She blurted out.
"Jealous?" He uttered with a confused frown.
"Yes." She breathed, the cold air hitting her lungs, "That's why I ran away from your house. I was jealous."
"I don't understand Emily." He began, edging a little closer, "I had no idea…."
"Let me finish." She interrupted, gripping her hands tight that were down by her sides in a vein attempt to warm herself up, "I came back because I missed you. Because I wanted to see you… And I knew that was why I was coming when I left London. But when I saw you with her, I realised that I just wanted you." She tapered off, the realisation of her admission hitting her like a ten tonne truck. But, she had come this far, so let it all come out, "I just wanted your arms around me. I wanted to be sat in front of your fire, drinking a glass of wine. Laughing about all the things we used to laugh about. Talking about our friends and what we were going to do at the weekend. How I was going to kick your ass at the shooting range."
She paused and mirrored his smile at her last comment.
"When I saw you with her, I guess I thought that was all over. That it couldn't happen anymore. You moved on."
His smile faded and a seriousness took over. He stared at her small frame, dripping wet, shivering, vulnerable and exposed. He wasn't sure he'd seen her look so beautiful.
"I told you why she was there." He uttered in a deep, but gentle tone, "Because you're not."
She stood and stared at him and he wasn't sure if it was fear, guilt or sadness in her eyes.
Breaking forward, he closed the gap between them and slipped his jacket off. "Here." He said, beginning to wrap the coat around her shoulders, "Let's get back in."
But feeling his arms snaked around her shoulders…. What she had wanted since she had arrived in DC, she did what she only felt was natural at that moment. What she realised that she had actually come back for…. She shuffled towards him and quickly placed her lips on his. They remained like that for a few seconds until she parted her mouth, just a little, giving him permission to reciprocate. Small droplets of rain dripped into their mouths as it beat down hard covering them like a sheet, and as it did, the kiss deepened.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled into him.
He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her, letting her know he did not want this to end right now, "What for?" He breathed.
"Laura."
But her name didn't phase him, and instead he pressed against her harder, breaking the kiss and pulling her into him for a hug, "I told you." He whispered into her ear, "I'm an asshole."
He felt her breath tickle his cheek as she chuckled and he then pulled his body partly away from her, keeping one arm around her, securing his jacket in place.
They began to walk across the lot towards the hotel, "You better not be an asshole Derek Morgan." She teased.
"To you?" He said, pecking her cheek, "Not a chance."
What did you think? I know it was corny, but you've gotta have a bit of Derek & Emily fluff in your life right?