A little idea that popped in my head… Hope you enjoy it.
Tag to 2x10 Lessons Learned.
"What we got Hotch?" Morgan asked, pacing behind the unit chief across the bull pen to keep up.
"I'll explain everything in a minute. You need to meet someone first." He said as they made it to the mouth of the entrance to the briefing room.
Morgan frowned in confusion, "Who?" He asked, but his question went unheard, his voice trailing off upon seeing the dark haired woman sat at the round table.
"Everybody meet Agent Prentiss." Hotch said hurriedly.
"Already have." JJ smiled, "Been filling her in on protocol."
Morgan didn't have time to process everything going on in front of him and as the new Agent looked up from her paperwork, she stood and smiled at him, his natural instinct to hold out his hand to her, "Derek Morgan." He offered.
"Emily." She responded, her smile widening and her eyes fixed on his that were still full of confusion, "Prentiss." She finished off.
She shook his hand firmly and he was sure he felt an extra squeeze from her just before she let go, but he was quickly snapped away from his thoughts by Hotch, "We can make nice later." The unit chief ordered, taking his seat and indicating to JJ to begin the briefing.
Morgan leant back in his seat and listened as the media liaison talked through the case. His stare occasionally glanced to the brunette sat opposite him, her dark hair poker straight, hanging around her face and her crisp suit hugging her slender body. 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 not why Morgan looked the way he did.
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.
"JJ, I need you to appraise the local police chief. Come with me to my office so I can brief you what on we do and don't tell them." Hotch told the blond.
"Oh JJ." Emily called out, standing as she did, "Is it ok for me to get my bag from your office?"
"Sure." JJ smiled warmly, then turning swiftly to catch up with her boss.
Morgan hung back for a few seconds, then followed on behind the newest team member as she manoeuvred around the edge of the bull pen. He looked around shiftily to see if anyone was watching as he walked towards JJ's office. Standing in the open doorway, leant up against the frame with folded his arms, he watched her, her back to him, hunched slightly over the desk.
"Unbelievable." He uttered, his tone flat and unrevealing.
She stopped what she was doing and glanced over her shoulder back at him, opening her eyes wide and raising her eyebrows, and then just as quickly turning back towards the desk, pressing her lips together to subdue her smile.
"What do you mean?" She asked, shuffling the papers in front of her.
"You... You didn't flinch when you saw me."
"Neither did you." She said turning around fully. "You introduced yourself first remember…..? Derek Morgan." She finished dryly.
He took a step into the office and lowered his voice, "C'mon. I was in shock." He told her. "I had no idea you were going to be there."
"And I had no idea that you were going to be there either."
"You didn't?"
"No." She stressed with a small shake of her head, "Believe me, I would have spoken to you first if I did."
He stared at her, remembering the Emily Prentiss he used to know back in Chicago. There was something different about her, but he couldn't fathom what; She was still a brunette. She was still slim and fresh faced….. She was still beautiful.
He gave up trying to figure it out as there wasn't much time, so he turned the conversation to a more pressing subject.
"Where did you go?" He almost whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear, but unable to stop himself from asking.
"You know where I went. I got seconded to Interpol."
"Yeah, but you disappeared off the face of the earth. You cut your phone off. Untraceable."
She shrugged apologetically, "I couldn't call you."
"Really?" His tone was slightly accusatory.
"Yes. Really." She stressed. She looked at those dark brown eyes that had always managed to speak to her, even if he remained silent.
She broke into a half smile, "Don't tell me... I broke your heart." She half chuckled.
He looked at her for a couple of seconds until a smile crept across his lips too, "Oh yes." He smirked, placing a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "I never got over it."
"I see you haven't changed." She said dryly with a small roll of her eyes.
"Seriously though Em, you really think I didn't care that you just disappeared?"
Her eyes read his and her smile widened as she turned back towards the desk, "We were fuck buddies Derek... 'no commitment' remember. Your words."
"I do." He sighed, his tone one of recollection.
She pretended to sort through her bag as silence fell upon them and she remained still upon hearing the door close and his light steps approaching her. Feeling his presence right behind, she turned to find him just a couple of inches from her. He looked at her with a determined stare, his eyes almost glazing over and a gentle smile dancing upon his lips.
"Hi." He whispered.
She paused looking into those familiar, unwavering dark eyes, "Hi." She eventually whispered back.
Her chest heaved as she felt his little finger brush the back of her hand.
She let a beat pass taking in the sensation before clearing her throat and breaking their stare.
"I really have to get going." She told him, turning and gripping her bag, "I've got a lot to do to impress Hotch and I get the feeling Gideon isn't too happy to have me along for the ride, so not being punctual right now is not a good idea."
"Ok." He smiled genuinely, making her feel slightly more at ease, "But what's the deal with Hotch?" He frowned.
"Long story." She said, shuffling past him.
"Ok, but we'll talk when you get back ok?" He called to her as she hurried away from him.
She stopped and glanced back, "Absolutely."
"Oh and Emily….."
"Yes?"
"Just be yourself and you'll do just fine." He muttered with a warm smile threatening to form on his lips, "They'll love you." He added quietly.
She smiled gratefully, "Thank you. I'll see you when we get back."
"You bet."
~~CM~~
"Morgan?" Reid queried as he and Emily walked across the half darkened bull pen, rows of lights illuminating one by one as they sensed the Agent's movements.
The dark profiler was leant over his desk, his head rested on his crossed arms, fast asleep.
"Morgan." Reid repeated, awkwardly touching his friend's shoulder in order to rouse him.
Morgan raised his head slowly, opening his eyes and just as quickly shutting them tight as the lights sent a small bolt of pain behind them.
"What are you doing still here?" The young Doctor asked, a confused smirk playing on his lips.
Morgan exhaled deeply, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to orientate himself, "Paperwork." He breathed.
"Are the others here?"
"No. They went hours ago."
"Well, I'm doing the same." Reid said, placing some files on his desk and grabbing his keys out of the top drawer of his desk. "See you on Monday guys." He said turning on his heels and making his way out of the otherwise deserted bull pen.
Emily stood, hovering above him, pursing her lips as she tried to subdue her smirk holding her bag with both hands in front of her as if standing to attention. "Were you waiting for me?" She asked.
He raised a sleepy brow towards her, then looked back down to his desk, searching for his own car keys, "Don't flatter yourself Emily." He uttered playfully, stretching his arms out to the side, expanding his chest and yawning as he began to stand up.
She let out a small chuckle watching him slip his black leather jacket on.
"So, you picked one hell of a case to start on." He said. "You did a good job."
"Me?" she waved away, "It was all Gideon's doing. He's pretty amazing."
"You're not wrong there." He conceded, throwing his bag over his shoulder and beginning to walk with her.
"I am definitely grateful to be going home right now though."
"So, where is home?" He asked.
"I've got an apartment near Georgetown, although all my stuff is still in boxes, many of which are still in my car."
"You want some help?"
"What now?"
He shrugged, "Why not? Not like we're in work tomorrow."
"Well I'm not passing up on that offer."
~~CM~~
She stood against the dark wooden table that was set against the wall in her sitting room, her hands clasped around the mug of steaming hot coffee. Her head was cocked slightly to the side, her attention entirely drawn to Derek Morgan working steadily through the boxes he had just carried from her car. He was slightly breathless and he'd removed his jacket as the work out had made him hot and a little sweaty. She admired his sculpted arms that flexed as he moved boxes around as if it were a game of Tetris and she thought to herself how he had changed. She remembered his arms back then. His entire frame in fact, and whilst his body was in good shape all those years ago, it had still had a boyish tone to it; He was definitely in a man's body now; it was a little bit worn, a little bit rugged, but strong and solid…. Lived in.
She shook a little as he pulled her out of her little trance.
"You could give me a hand you know." He said, shooting her a sidewards glance as he hovered over one box.
"But you're doing so well on your own." She smirked.
He raised his brow at her but remained silent.
"You know I wasn't expecting to unpack. I've got all weekend for that."
"So now you tell me." He sighed, standing upright and placing his hands on his hips. "You could have told me before, just like you could have told me most of these boxes were filled with books….. and heavy ones at that."
A short sharp breath escaped her nostrils as she half chuckled, "Sorry. But you did do a great job." She said, a hint of sarcasm, pressing her lips together to subdue any further smiles.
He shook his head with a defeated smile, eyeing the floor in front of him as he contemplated what to do next. She wasn't about to help him in that decision and just stood staring at him with those intense and unreadable eyes.
He let his hands fall to his side and began to make his way towards her. With each step, both of their smiles grew a little bigger and their eyes locked on, neither willing to be the first to break.
They both remained completely still as they stood toe to toe, neither of them moving a muscle. He looked down at her and she looked up to him, their smiles fading until there was just a hint upon their lips and their stare softened.
Just before he breached the silence he inhaled deeply causing his chest to rise heavier than it had, but all that came out was a whisper. "Hi."
This time the smile broke through as he watched her mouth 'hi' back, but barely a whimper came out.
He edged his face a little lower, but teasingly stopped, gauging her reaction…. Where was she with this right now?
He got his answer just a moment later when he saw her straighten up her body, bringing her a little closer to him. But she stopped too. That was her game. She wouldn't be the one to make that final step…. She would always make him do it…. most of the time.
But he wasn't in the mood for a game tonight. There was no way he would win this one. He didn't want to; Her eyes were pulling him in.
He bridged the small gap between them and she closed her eyes as his familiar soft lips pressed against hers. He felt a light breath on his upper lip as she exhaled gently, almost in relief. He cupped her face in his hands and moved his attention to the corner of her mouth, pecking lightly across, and when he got to the other side he stopped, pulling away just an inch to look at her. For a moment her eyes remained shut and when she realised he had parted from her, feeling a cold rush of air, she opened them, to see his dark, yet sparkling eyes smiling at her.
"What?" She murmured, sensing his thoughtfulness.
"There's something about you that's different." He said, he voice deep and a little gruff.
"I'm not different." She said hastily, a slight hint of defensiveness in her tone.
He let out a small laugh and smiled warmly at her, "Ok, I take it back, you're definitely the same Emily Prentiss."
"What do you mean by that?" She asked with a raised brow.
"Defensive."
He watched her soft features tense and felt her body stiffen a little and realised may be he'd moved too quickly.
"I'm sorry Emily." He whispered, "I didn't mean to…."
He stopped, a little lost for words and went to step away, putting distance between them. But she immediately felt a twang of something in her gut.
"Hey. Where are you going?" She said, grabbing hold of the waistband of his jeans and
pulling him back towards her. "We're not done."
He stared at her for a few seconds, his mind racing. Racing back a few years remembering how she was…. Just like this. Push and pull. Push and pull.
"Oh really?" He smiled, his brow raised as his felt her hands move to his belt buckle.
"Yes." She told him, feeding the end of the leather belt though the buckle, "And if we're going to pick up where we left off…." She paused, dragging the belt out from the waistband and dropping it to the floor, "You have to quit profiling me."
"I wasn't." He uttered, transfixed by her stare.
She arched her brow in protest.
"Ok. Ok." He surrendered, "May be I was…. Just a little. But no more. I Promise."
Her smile widened and her glare on him didn't falter as she grasped the base of his shirt and lifted it over his head, letting it fall to the ground.
"I think I know what it is." He said staring at her.
"What what is?"
"What's different."
Her brow furrowed impatiently, "What are you talking about?"
He lifted his arms and slid his splayed fingers either side of her forehead, underneath her soft dark hair and then ruffled it.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a confused smirk.
"That's what was different….. Your hair."
She bit down on her bottom lip, almost shyly glancing away from him and then back up. "Ok, you got me there. I wanted to make the right impression."
"You mean straight laced Emily Prentiss?"
"Something like that."
He let his smile take over his face for a few seconds and then snaked his hands around her waist, pulling her tight into his body, finally leaning down to kiss her…. It was hungry yet tender and everything she remembered it to be.
"You know this isn't allowed don't you." He mumbled, not breaking the union.
"Really?" She said breathlessly, "I thought it was just frowned upon."
He pulled the top half of his body away from her, his hands remaining fixed on her waist and shook his head slowly with a playful smirk, "Not allowed." He told her.
She arched her brow as she digested the information and he watched her intently waiting for a sign of what she wanted to do, immediately regretting saying anything.
Eventually she lifted one hand and traced one finger from his chest slowly down to the waistband of his jeans. The playful look in her eyes let him know exactly what she was thinking….. Especially when she gave a light tug to the material. That was the Emily Prentiss he remembered; The one who didn't mind breaking the rules…. Or bending them as she used to say.
Her eyes stared up playfully at him, "We'll just have to be careful then if we're going to pick up from where we left off."
Immediately his smile filled his face and a small breathy laugh escaped from the back of his throat. He removed his hands from her and guided them to the top of her shirt.
He began to undo each button with precision, as if hurrying would break them.
"You do know we're working with a bunch of profilers don't you." He said, not removing his stare from her as he made it half way down the shirt.
"How good are they?" She asked.
He chuckled, "Good!" He emphasised with no uncertainty.
"I think we can manage it."
He got to the last button and struggled a little due to the clamminess of his fingers. As it eventually popped out he let his hands wonder under the fabric and meet the smooth skin of her tiny waist.
He saw her swallow as he did and shuddered just a little.
"I guess you're going to be good at hiding it right?" He uttered, leaning down kissing her lightly on the lips, then moving to her jaw line.
"What do you mean?" She asked, her head falling back an inch or two to give him better access and her arms snaking up over his shoulders and around his strong, thick set neck.
"Well, as you seemed to disappear of the face of the planet…." He mumbled between kisses, "I'm assuming that you've been undercover."
She remained silent but he felt her smile. He pulled away from her once again and the look she gave him was enough to confirm exactly what he had believed, or at least had wanted to believe for the past six years.
"I've been undercover too you know."
"Really?" She said, the hint of surprise entirely evident to him.
"Yes." He answered, feeling his way under her shirt with his hands and slipping it offer her shoulders, "But clearly not as important or as exciting as your stint."
It was clear from the look on her face that she wasn't about to offer any information whatsoever, and part of him was a little disappointed and maybe hurt, but the other part of him that knew the old Emily Prentiss, knew she was good at her job and professional.
As the white shirt hit the floor, leaving the upper part of her body exposed aside from the cream laced bra, he determinedly kept his eyes fixed on hers.
"Well looks like we'll be alright then." She murmured, but it was flippant, almost as if she were bored of that conversation….. or just didn't care.
She held onto his stare; Her lips smirked. Her eyes crinkled at the edges. She was daring him to look down, but he didn't falter.
That was until 'Derek' fell out of her mouth in just a breath and he couldn't hold back any longer. His eyes began their decent, tracing down her slender neck and over her heaving chest coming to rest upon the small gap between her breasts. He glanced back up, wrapped his arms around her waist again tightly and pulled her in close to him. He kissed her lips momentarily then diverted his attention to the fleshy ivory mounds.
He felt her hands furrow down the back of his jeans and underneath the material, grasping at his butt cheeks….. and that was it. No more time for conversation. He crouched slightly, lowering his body and whipped one arm around the top of her thighs and lifted her, a small high pitched noise escaping her lips as he surprised her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Please tell me you have a bed." He said, looking at her with a hunger in his eyes that took her back to their many liaisons all those years ago. That look he gave her the first time he took her home after a drunken night at O'Reiley's Tavern on Madison Street. Or the last time they had been together at her place; The night she knew she was leaving the next day and would probably never see him again….. And all those times in between where they had developed this 'arrangement' that was convenient to them both. That look that made her feel like the only person in existence to him at that moment.
She nodded and signalled to the door behind her and before she could finish nodding, he was at the closed door and gave it a shove with his size twelves.
"Hey, careful." She protested playfully.
"I'll buy you a new goddamn door." He growled, pushing the door open the rest of the way with his shoulder and rushing into the unlit room that was filled with shadows from the moonlight as she had yet to put up any blinds.
He practically dropped her on the bed and a bluish strip of light lit up her face as he hovered above her. He remained still for a second as he studied her. "God I missed you." He whispered deeply as memories flooded his thoughts.
"You mean you didn't replace me when I left?"
He cocked an eyebrow at her and shook his head ever so slightly, "Believe me, you are irreplaceable Emily Prentiss."
She chuckled lightly which eventually formed into a smile, but this time it was soft and warm, "I missed you too." She uttered.
And as he felt her familiar fingers undo the zipper of his jean and begin to roll the fabric down over his hips, he lowered himself slowly until he felt his burning hot flesh meet hers…. And they began to relive those memories….. Hungrily. Fiercely. Desperately…...
~~CM~~
An hour or so later, she sat on the bed up against the carved oak head board, a white sheet draped across her chest, covering most of her naked body apart from her left leg that was uncovered, bent upwards in front of her. Derek lay to the right side of her, his bare chest on full display, hands behind his head and a goofy smile painted on his lips.
She reached over into the bedside drawer and pulled out a packet of Camel lights.
"Don't tell me you haven't given up that filthy habit." He tutted, looking up at her.
She glanced over to him and defiantly drew one cigarette slowly from the pack and placed it between her lips.
"You men you quit? Don't tell me you're one of those irritating ex smokers who like to be all patronising and shit."
He chuckled as she lit the end of the stick and took a long drag, closing her eyes as she inhaled the fumes, and he was sure he could see the exact moment the drug took effect.
"Hey give me a drag." He said, nudging her hip with his elbow.
"Oh no." She said shaking her head, "I wouldn't want to corrupt you."
He pushed himself up and rolled onto his side, balancing on one elbow, "Agent Prentiss." He began, reaching up and taking the cigarette from her hand, "I think you already did that."
He took a long drag, handed it back to her and lay back on the pillow. As he exhaled the fumes he stretched his arms out to the side and then placed them back behind his head, "And long may it continue." He uttered.
She smiled to herself and thanked God for the weekend….. They had a lot of catching up to do.
I have no idea if that was even interesting, but it was a thought that came to me after writing 'This Thing'. Let me know what you think :D