Ariene is standing on Morgan's doorsteps a few weeks after recovering from her flu, she has a German chocolate cake in her hands. The door opens and the smiles drops from her face as anxiety piles in her stomach giving her the chills, Sarah looks at her with disgust.
"What are you doing here" she asks rudely.
"Is Derek home" she asks?
"What does it have to do with you" Sarah asks?
"I know we ended on bad terms but I came to thank him for helping me" she says.
"You completely broke my brother's heart because you were selfish and heartless. I don't care why you are here, stay away from my brother. He is vulnerable right now and he doesn't need his ex girlfriend to come in and flip his world upside down" Sarah says.
Ariene nods her head when Derek appears behind Sarah with a small towel on his shoulder and Jameson in his arm with a pacifier in his mouth.
"Ariene what are you doing here" Morgan asks?
"I just wanted to thank you for helping me, I baked you a cake. I overstayed my visit so excuse me" she says and pushes the cake in Sarah's hands before speeding off to her and climbing in before driving away.
"That was weird' Morgan says.
"Well I'm going to put the cake in the kitchen" Sarah says walking away.
Morgan looks at Sarah and then back at where Ariene drove off at her, looking down at his son he furrows his eyebrows.
"I feel like something else happened" Morgan says and Jameson eyes widen slightly making his father laugh.
-X-
The next day, Ariene is running her rounds at the hospital. She is walking beside Nurse Jeannie with a file in her hand.
"Mr. Tucker has an meningioma" Nurse Jeannie says.
"Has it metastasized" Ariene asks as she presses the elevator up button.
"No" Jeannie says.
"Alright prep him for a CT scan and if the results come back benign, we can perform a meningectomy" Ariene says.
"Alright I will get right on it" Jeannie says.
"Alright tell anyone if they need me, I am in my office" Ariene replies before stepping into the elevator and pulling out her phone.
She sees texts from an unknown number and missed calls from that same number, the elevator stops on her office floor and she steps out walking into her office around the corner. She walks in the room and looks up when she sees boots, leaning against her desk is Derek Morgan.
"What are you doing here" she asks?
"Yesterday was weird even for you. I have a clue about what happened but I want you to tell me" he says crossing his arms.
"You should be at home with Jameson" she says.
"My mom is home with him as are my sisters. Now don't change the subject" he says and she walks over closing her door and the blinds, she doesn't need the entire hospital knowing all of her business.
"I think you owe me a lot especially about what happened five years ago" he states.
"Seriously Morgan let it go" she says walking around the desk and setting her phone down.
"I deserve to know why the day after I proposed to my girlfriend and woman I planned on starting a family with, abruptly leaves without a call or a note just the ring on the bed" he demands turning around to face her.
"You don't want to know alright! It was years ago and we both moved on" she states firmly.
"No you ran away, I had to pick up the pieces" he yells at her.
"Keep your voice down" she demands.
"You know what? I have no idea why I even bothered coming here. You are still the selfish, heartless, lying person you were years ago. The best thing you have ever done for me and anyone was to leave town, I just wished you had stayed away" he says before storming out of her office and slamming the door behind him.
Ariene tries to fight back the tears that builds up in her eyes and the stabbing pain in her chest, one tear slips down and she wipes it off before folding her arms on the desk and resting her head on top of it. Maybe she should have stayed away from this place, all she does is cause pain and anger.
-X-
Her best friend Lilah comes to visit a few days later, Ariene has not left the house outside of a work reasons since her argument with Derek. Tonight is a Friday night and Lilah comes down the stairs dressed in a red, strapless heart shaped martini dress and black heels.
"Get your ass up" she demands.
"No I'm not leaving this house" Ariene says snuggling further into her couch cushions.
"I will pour ice water on you" Lilah says.
Ariene groans and turns the other way, Lilah who is taller and more aggressive nods and walks into the kitchen. When Ariene hears the water cut on, she jumps up from the couch and rushes upstairs.
"I'm going" she yells.
An hour later, Ariene now wearing a navy blue halter top dress with red heels walks in the club with her arm linked in Lilah's.
"Now we are going to get tipsy and have fun dammit" Lilah states.
"Fine let's go grab a drink" Ariene replies and leads them over to the bar, after ordering their drinks she looks up and instantly regrets coming out. Across the bar from her, Derek is standing there with one of his friends and his eyes are staring at her.
"Damn it" she mutters looking away.
"What" Lilah asks?
"Morgan's here" she says.
"Good I have something to say to him" Lilah says and starts to walk away but Ariene grabs her arm stopping her.
"No, it's fine. I just don't want to stay at the bar, let's get our drinks and dance" Ariene says as she is handed a Strawberry Daiquiri and Lilah is given a Sex on the Beach.
As they take a sip of their drink, their favorite song comes on and Lilah looks up at her.
"We are not dancing to this" Ariene says.
"We do it all the time. Come on and loosen up" Lilah says and moves their drinks to a nearby table before dragging her best friend to the middle of the dance floor.
Juvenile Slow Motion is playing, Ariene laughs as she and Lilah dance with each other. An occasional hip roll, pelvis thrust here and there; the song changes to Chris Brown Anyway and Ariene feels like this song hits home for her. She guess the liquor is finally setting it, she starts to sultry dance with any cute guy she can find while Lilah does the same behind her.
"Are you having fun" Lilah shouts over the music.
"I actually am. Thank you" Ariene says back.
A while later, her feet start to hurt so they make their way back to their table which just happens to be next to Derek's and his friends.
"Fuck my life" she mutters and rubs her temples.
"Ignore them. Hey I want some buffalo wings" Lilah says.
"You always want something to eat, fat ass" Ariene teases back.
"Ain't no denying it, now go order me some" Lilah says and takes a sip of her drink.
Ariene shakes her head, she climbs off her chair and makes her way to the bar when she feels a hard smack on her rear end. She looks back behind her to see Lilah wink at her.
"Still firm" she says and Ariene laughs as she approaches the bartender who is cute, dark blonde hair with light grey eyes.
"What can I get you darling" he asks with an accent.
"I can have buffalo wings, extra hot" she asks?
"Like you" he teases.
"I am too old for you" she says back.
"Age ain't nothing but a number" he says back and she giggles as he walks away to get their wings.
Turning around, she leans her back against the bar when Morgan comes over beside her. She moves an inch away from him, he looks over her dress before looking back up at her.
"Didn't know you wore clothes like that" he asks?
"Well we don't know each other anymore" she states.
"Whose fault is that" he asks?
"Whatever Morgan" she states rolling her eyes.
"Where are my damn wings Nene" Lilah yells.
"They coming damn, hold your horses" she yells back.
"How long is she in town" he asks?
"She leaves Monday" Ariene says.
"What's going on with you and the bartender" he asks?
"Nothing that concerns you" she states.
"You have no reason to be angry with me" he states.
"You said some pretty foul things to me" she says back.
"That was not even half of what I really wanted to say" he argues back.
"Well say it. What am I a bitch, heartbreaker, evil. Whatever you want to call me, is not even half of what I have to live through because of what happened. So you can hate me all you want Derek, it won't even come close the self hate I have for myself" Ariene says when the bartender brings the wings out to her.
She takes the wings and walks over to Lilah and sets them down, feeling a hand on her lower back she turns around and is shocked to see her friends from the FBI in DC.
"Booth and the squints" she beams and wraps her arms around Booth before moving to singularly hug each one of them.
"What are you guys doing out here" Lilah asks as she eats her third buffalo wing.
"Well we have few days off and wanted to see our closest friend" Cam says.
"I love you guys so much" Ariene says.
"Let's dance" Aubrey says and everyone looks at him and laughs.
"No offense but you dance like a fish out of water" Ariene says.
"Wow that's pretty hurtful" Aubrey says.
"I try" Ariene says.
"So where's the booze" Angela announces.
"Calm down. I'll go get us some drinks" Aubrey says.
"Where's Christine, Hank and Michael" Lilah asks?
"At home with Daisy and LJ" Booth says.
A few hours later, everyone is a little tipsy and ready to crash; they make their way out the club and Ariene pauses in her conversation with Temperance as Morgan and his friends are standing right in front of them.
"Isn't that him" Angela whispers to Booth?
"Yes honey it is" Jack says back and Cam rubs her temples.
"Come on you guys, I have work tomorrow and I only have three guest rooms. So Angela and Hodgins a room, Booth and Temperance, Aubrey you can bunk with Cam and Lilah you can share a room with me" Ariene says.
"Doesn't this remind of that time we spent the night at Angela and Hodgins house and then we were playing Never Have I ever" Cam asks?
"Yes what was the question that almost got all of us in trouble" Lilah asks?
"Let's not mention that question" Ariene says giggling.
"You guys seem very close" Morgan asks?
"Well you know Lilah but these are my friends from the Jeffersonian, that's SA Seeley Booth, his wife and anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, SA Aubrey, Dr. Camille Soroyan, Angela Montenegro our tech girl and computer wiz and more, and Jack Hodgins her husband and King of the Lab" Ariene says.
"Ha finally someone else sees it" Hodgins says.
"Well this is SSA Aaron Hotchner the boss, SSA David Rossi, Dr. Spencer Reid, SSA Jennifer Jareau and Media Liaison, Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia and Dr. Tara Lewis" Morgan says.
"FBI meet other FBI now let's go" Ariene says and pulls her keys out.
Both teams pile in their car and drive away, but when Aubrey tosses an arm around Ariene's shoulders and leads her to her driver side door. Morgan resists the urge to punch him in the face and tear his arm away from her, his stomach tightens and his fist clench unconsciously.
"Mogan" he hears and turns around to see Reid looking back at him.
"Right I'm coming" he says and jogs off to catch up with his best friend.
-X-
At Ariene's house, she is having trouble sleeping so she is downstairs in the kitchen snacking on some grapes and orange juice. Hearing padded footsteps she looks up and sees Angela leaning against the doorway.
"You didn't tell me him, did you" Angela asks?
"No we got into a pretty nasty argument a few days ago" Ariene says.
"Sweetie. Do you still love him" Angela asks walking in and sitting across from her at the bar.
"I honestly don't know. He hates me and will only blame me" she says.
Angela walks over to Ariene and grabs her hands gently, she smiles sweetly at her.
"Ari you did nothing wrong. It was an accident and you can not blame yourself for what happened, sweetie" Angela says.
"It is my fault. I wasn't eating right and drinking more milk and water" Ariene says as tears fill her eyes.
"The doctor said you didn't do anything wrong" Angela says and pulls her friend into a tight hug, Ariene cries on her shoulder as she wraps her arms around the younger woman's back.
"I have no support system out here" she says.
"If you ever need something. Call one of us, don't play strong everytime" Angela says and pulls back as Ariene wipes off the tears of her face and nodding.
"I literally have nobody out here. I'm all alone" Ariene states.
"If you ever need to talk, I am only one call away" Angela says.
"I love you" Ariene says.
"I love you too" Angela says smiling.
"Come on let's go back to bed" Ariene says and puts the food away before cutting off the light and the two make their way upstairs.