Hello everybody; ModernDayBard here! We have another short fluff chapter, but since this is a two-chapter week, it will be immediately followed by the first half of the next case. Enjoy!
Because I am required to say it: I do not own Criminal Minds or any cannon characters/events; just those of my own creation.


Once the stress over Strauss's 'check-in' was gone, Amanda seemed back to her old self, joining in team banter and getting her work done, and whether or not she was honestly and truly recovering from her trauma or just getting better at compartmentalizing, the team respected her privacy enough not to pry...

...Into that one matter. Anything else...

"So, you got any special plans this weekend, Ninja?" Morgan asked, eyes sparking with mischievous humor. "You and Joe doing something special for V-Day?"

Amanda rolled her eyes at the exaggerated prying, then smiled sweetly. "Plans of some sort—but Joseph said it's going to be a surprise." Given that this didn't give her fellow agent much material, she figured the teasing would end there. Instead, Morgan just changed tracks and kept going.

"Hey, has anyone given this guy the big-brother 'you-hurt-this-girl-you'll regret-it talk?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Amanda replied, still keeping her voice calm as she listed them off. "Jason and Brandon via email when I began dating him, Garcia, Prentiss, you, and Rossi at the New Year's party..."

She trailed off as another agent came in with a question for Derek, and she finished her list under her breath and to herself: "And Casper, too, in his own, special way..."


The year before, Valentine's Day had been very traditional for Joseph and Amanda, and while they had enjoyed it, it was abundantly clear that Joseph had something quite different up his sleeve this time around.

Actually, it started off like most of their weekend dates did—meeting up for their obstacle run, then showering up and heading to the café for the same lunch. Amanda appreciated the nod to their routine—it was nice to be able to rely on some things to be the same—but she could tell that things were about to change by the excited look in his eyes.

After they left the café, the taller agent turned to the woman at his side with an eager grin. "Gardens, music, and theater: What do these three things all have in common?"

"I'm not sure, but I'd venture to say something about today's activity?" Amanda replied, as she tried to guess which way her boyfriend's mind was going.

"Correct, in part, but only because of the other thing they have in common," Joseph corrected. "The truth is all three of those are things or activities we have always mentioned enjoying, but rarely pursue together. So, when I heard that there are live musical and theatrical performances all this afternoon into this evening at a local botanical gardens..." he trailed off, then offered her his arm.

She took it, her smile communicating just how excited she was by the idea.


Some performances were more in line with their tastes than others, but all were enjoyable to some degree, and all were well-done, whether they were one-act plays, improvisational acting, original songs, or covers in every genre one could think of.

They also took some time, near the early evening, to wander through the green house to see the less hardy or out-of-season blooms that the Gardens wanted on display in mid-February. Most prominent was the huge room dedicated to every variety of rose you could imagine—and several you couldn't. There, Joseph took the opportunity to embrace and kiss Amanda, pulling just far back enough to whisper: "You deserved so much more than just a paltry dozen roses. They say there's about a thousand in here..."

This time, she was the one kissing him, and he wasn't complaining one bit.


So, yeah. I wrote this one two weeks after Valentine's Day, so it's not as badly out of season as some previous holiday chapters are. And yes, this may or may not be the kind of V-Day date that I would want to go on, but I figured now would be a good time to cut Amanda a break, since she won't get too many of those going forward.
As always, if you saw something you liked, or something you think I can fix/improve on for next time, don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know!