Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Davis and friends don't sue... Deal?

The club was crowded and noisy. Shrinking back from the mass of bodies, Spencer stepped slightly behind Ryley, grateful to feel Morgan's commanding presence at his back. Neither his friend nor his girlfriend missed the action and set up a plan of attack.

"Bobby." Ryley hissed, drawing her friend close so that he could hear her. "You're tiny. Slip through and find us a table. Everyone else!" She turned, shouting to be heard above the din. "Link up so we don't lose anyone! Arms, no hands! They're harder to separate! If you do get lost, go to the bar, ask for Randy, and he'll get you to us! Girls, be careful! He can be a bit handsy!"

The team nodded and did as instructed, everyone but Derek and Emily completely out of their element. Aaron, Dave, JJ and Will preferred local pubs, Penny and Kevin preferred cyber cafes, and Spencer just didn't like going out at all. Forming a formidable chain with Derek in the front to act as a sort of battering ram, they made their way through the crowd, everyone sighing in relief as they made it near the stage and saw Bobby staking out a row of booths near the stage.

"You're amazing!" Wade murmured to his boyfriend, whisking the slighter man into the crowd. "Ry! Get us a Boiler Maker and a Pomegranate Martini when the waitress comes around!"

Ryley nodded, letting Spencer slide into the booth first so he's feel more secure in the corner and curling next to him. Shaking his head, Derek plopped onto the seat in a space between two tables. "The Martini thing for the tiny one?"

"His name is Bobby!" Ryley admonished. "And no! It's for Wade actually! He has a weakness for the things!"

"What about you Little One? What's your alcoholic weakness?"

"Sex on an Alligator!" She replied, smiling at his shocked look. "I'll get you one! They're delicious!"

"You shouldn't be drinking Ryley!" Kevin said, shocked and receiving a sharp smack to his forearm from Penny.

"She's a legal adult! To a child! Leave her alone Kev!" The tech analyst yelled, scowling at her boyfriend. She turned to Ryley. "Get me one too. Its sound's cool! What's in it?"

"Melon and Almond liqueur, Jager, and pineapple juice. It's delicious!"

Spencer shook his head. "How do you know about so many strange drinks?"

She giggled, kiss under his jaw. "I read a lot of cookbooks growing up. Made a list of everything I wanted to try and have been steadily making my way through it ever since I turned 21. So far, Sex on an Alligator is my favorite!"

"What do you have left Ryley?" Dave asked, cocking his head to the side."

"Just one actually." The intern grinned. "It's a warm drink called Southern Hospitality. Peach Southern Comfort, apple cider, vanilla extract and two cinnamon sticks. It's all heated together and served with whipped cream on top! Mom says I actually get to have one when I go home for Christmas, so I'm saving it."

Aaron shook his head. "You're heading home for Christmas?"

"For a couple days. My cousin just had a baby and I've got to go pay my respects to the newest member of the tribe."

"Tribe?"

"We have a huge family." Kevin put in, rolling his eyes. "And besides Ryley and I here, they all stuck to the same area. No one lives more than five miles apart."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing Uncle Kev." Ryley said with a smile, well aware of the animosity between Kevin and the rest of the family. She just didn't get involved. "Can we just not get into this tonight? We're supposed to be having a good time and showing the profilers a new side of life." She leaned forward, staring at the team. "So what have y'all deciphered so far?"

Aaron smiled, looking around. "There's nothing to decipher. So far, you're just a normal group of young adults with a different look and taste in music than most of society."

Emily nudged him playfully. "Is that really all you see Hotch? Tsk, tsk. How are you the team leader?" She studied a nearby group. "Your right about the style and music, but there more to it. Most of these kids are more serious. Look at them." She nodded to the band of people she was watching. "They're more serious. Things actually matter to them. If you look at the girl's bag, it's covered in environmental stickers and they're not just for show. Most of those you only receive after participating in some function or another. Their clothes are all made of 100% cotton, most likely U.S. grown and made. They're kind of like the hippies of this subculture, right?"

Ryley nodded, smiling at Emily. Dave spoke up next. "Those over there are the followers. They're not really into the culture; it's just the latest hip rebellion." He nodded to a group dirty dancing near the stage. "They look the part, but they don't feel it. The boy, his clothes. They're right, but they're slightly off. It's all popular symbols and bands. Nothing out there or different. It's the same with the rest of them."

"Those in the middle of the dance floor are the originals." Derek put in. "They're older than most here, and the way they dance is different." He pointed to two guys who liked like they were fighting to the music. "It's called Krunk. I remember when it first started. It was right about the time the Goth movement hit the spotlight."

Spencer picked out a group curled on the edge of the stage, talking and laughing. "Those are the music lovers. They don't care about the style. They just like beat. They purposely picked that spot because it's near the speakers."

"And that's the biggest group, or the most well-known." JJ said, waving at the large group of morose looking individuals near the bar. "Depressed, emotional, angry, truly rebellious. They personify society's representation of what this music and style is all about."

"So… in short?" Ryley said with a smirk, leaning back against the booth.

Derek sighed, ruffling her hair. "In short, there is no one set type of people in any culture. You guys are just as many and varied as any other group."

"Good profile!" She replied with a laugh. Just then, the waitress came up to them. She looked irritated and bored, all at the same time. Ryley arched an eyebrow at the woman as she took their orders, taking extra time to flirt with Spencer.

None too subtly, Ryley reached up and drew Spencer down to her for a kiss, ensuring that the waitress was watching. The team broke into laughter after the woman huffed away, and Spencer was blushing like mad. Shaking his head, he laid his forehead against hers, smiling slightly. "Possessive Ryley?"

She had the grace to look a little guilty. "Maybe a bit."

Spencer laughed and pulled her to his side, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You know that traditionally a possessive mate indicates that said mate believes other potential partners have a possible future with their boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/ etc. and is and indicator of low self-worth."

Ryley cocked her head to the side, looking up at him curiously. "Really?"

Spencer nodded, pulling his arm from around her as he got into his topic. "Yes. You see, the possessive quality manifests for one of two reasons, sometimes both. The first is a lack of trust between the partners. If one person believes that the other is still searching for a suitable mate, even though they are in a relationship, they tend to be more prone to jealousy. Also, a person is more domineering if they feel that they are less than suitable for their partner. They're not good enough, if you will, and fear that their mate will soon realize that and move on to better prospects. It's common in new relationships but usually fades as the bond grows and matures. Such actions in a long-term association is indicative of an unhealthy relationship in which one or both partners are unaware of the other's emotional needs."

She paused for a moment. "'Cool' seems like an inappropriate response to that."

Derek nudged her playfully. "So do you have low self-worth Ry?"

Ryley shrugged, pulling Spencer's arms back around her. "No more than most women. We're all a bit insecure."

"I know that's right!" Emily said with a smile. She stood from the table, pulling Hotch with her. "Come on. Since you're my partner for the night, let's go dance."

Aaron shot Ryley a murderous look, but followed Prentiss onto the floor. Ryley snickered, burying her face in Spencer's side. Soon, the waitress was back with their drinks, pointedly ignoring Ryley and Spencer, even going so far as to set their drinks on a different table. Derek passed them over to the couple with an irritated scowl in the waitress's direction. The woman didn't seem to notice, even going so far as to ask Derek to dance with her when she had her break. Morgan looked the woman up and down coldly. "Sorry doll. I prefer real women. Not little girls who pout when they don't get their way."

The server's face contorted into an ugly mask before she flounced away, causing the whole team to break into laughter once again. They settled into a comfortable chatter after that. Soon Wade, Bobby, Aaron, and Emily made their way back to the table, flushed and panting. "Dear God." Aaron exclaimed, collapsing into his chair. "They need to incorporate that 'Krunk' dancing into the FBI's training. It's more strenuous than hand-to-hand."

"That's because you have to incorporate a mixture of boxing, MMA, and breakdancing into you moves all while keeping up to the rhythm." Ryley replied with a laugh, taking a sip from her drink. "It looks cool and gives you a good work out, but it wouldn't be much good in the field."

"True that." Derek said with a laugh. "I say we all have a shot and head out to the floor. There are some pretty ladies here tonight."

Ryley rolled her eyes but flagged down a new server, a guy this time and one that both she and Bobby were familiar with. "What do we want guys?"

"You choose!" Will said, eyes gleaming mischievously. "You're the one who knows all the weird drinks."

Ryley rolled her eyes but thought for a moment. Smiling, she waved the waiter down and whispered in his ear. The man grinned and nodded before heading through the mass back to the bar. Dave looked at Ryley suspiciously. "What did you order us child?"

She smiled innocently. "Nothing bad Rossi. I promise."

Derek scowled, staring at his roommate. "Uh-huh. Sure. Why do I not believe you?"

"Because you're an oppressive, over-bearing control freak who has no idea how to trust others with buying groceries, much less ordering you a drink or," Ryley let out a mock gasp," god forbid, watching you six."

"Says the mystery riddled intern who won't even tell the oh-so-generous control-freak what's in the wooden box in her room."

"We're all entitled to our secrets." Ryley replied flippantly. "That doesn't discount trust any more than you not telling us about your properties or Penny keeping her acting a secret did."

Derek laughed, ruffling her hair. "You realize, we found out about that. We'll find out about the box too."

"How long did it take you to figure out about Penny's acting, exactly?"

Morgan flushed and scowled. "Not the point."

Ryley chuckled. "Oh, it is most definitely the point. By the time you figure it out, I could already be through academy and on a different team and you'll all have forgotten all about me."

Aaron laughed. "Trust me Ryley. You're not going anywhere. You'll be lucky if I'm not requesting weekly updates from your academy professors."

"You wouldn't."

"Ask Reid."

Ryley glanced at her boyfriend who nodded, confirming that Hotch had actually done such a thing to him. Groaning, she thunked her head on the table. "You're evil Hotch."

"Nope. I just have a vested interest in m future team members."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it. Oh look! The shots are here!"

Sure enough, the waiter was making his way back to their table, tray held high above his head. The man grinned at Ryley. "Randy says to tell you that Mr. Mercer called. You and your friends are on the house for the rest of the night."

Everyone turned their eyes to Ryley who shrugged and thanked the man as he passed out the drinks. After he left, she sighed and made her explanations to the team. "Tristan, Mr. Mercer, owns the place. His daughter was in my English Lit class. I helped her pass and on the rare occasion he realizes I'm here, comps the bill."

Wade grinned. "To Ryley, and her irritating need of helping everyone who asks. It gains her the right friends and saves us all from worrying about how much these mystery shots cost us."

Bobby snorted, raising his glass up next to his boyfriend's. "Like we would ever find out. You know as well as I do that Randy has a credit card number on file for her. He's had a tab started for her since she walked in a probably would have covered the whole thing, none of us being any the wiser."

"We would have figured it out when it came time to pay." Wade reasoned.

Bobby shook his head. "Nope. She's got a plan for that. She'd say some small number, 5 or 10 bucks, and have us leave it on the table as a tip. Been there, done that with her."

Derek turned wide eyes to Ryley. "Really?"

She shrugged. "The servers only make $2.13 an hour. They live off their tips."

"I meant the part about lying to us about how much this night out costs."

"Oh that. Yeah, pretty much."

Derek opened his mouth to protest but a look from Spencer cut him off. Sighing, he raised his shot glass. "To Ry."

The team concurred the statement, ignoring their intern's protests, and tossed back the shot. Ryley couldn't help but giggle as they all, even Rossi, coughed and sputtered. "Jesus Christ Ryley!" Penny cried, shaking her head. "What the hell was that?"

Will smacked his lips, the only one unaffected by the drink. "It's minty."

Ryley smiled. "It's called a Dead Green Frog. It's peppermint liqueur, crème de menthe, Kahlua, Irish cream, and vodka."

Derek groaned and sunk his head onto the table nearest him. Glaring, he glanced at Will. "We are never, ever, ever letting that child pick the drinks again."

The Louisiana man shrugged placing an arm around JJ. "I don't know. It wasn't half bad. I'd be willing to give it another go."

"How are you not hacking and gagging like the rest of us?" Spencer asked.

"I'm from Louisiana, Spence." Will replied with a grin. "We've got moonshine. After you get drunk on that stuff, nothing bothers you anymore."

Ryley laughed, pushing Derek out of the booth and dragging Spencer behind her. "Come on Spence!" She said excitedly. "Let's go dance!"

Spencer blushed and stopped her. "I can't dance Ryley."

"Neither can I." She grinned and sidled closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. Standing on tip-toe, she whispered in his ear, "It's just an excuse to press our bodies far too close together and wiggle around. Doesn't that sound nice?"

The team hadn't heard what she said. They only knew that Spencer suddenly turned bright red, but nodded and followed their youngest member into the crowd. They broke into laughter. Nudging Emily, Derek nodded after them. "What do you want to bet we really don't want to know what she told him."

"More than I've got in the bank." Emily replied with a grin, grabbing Hotch and dragging him after her. "Come on old man! Let's get you back out there."

JJ laughed and grabbed Will, intent on figuring out how to move to this kind of music, while Kevin gave Penny a questioning glance and, with a nod for Garcia, they found a quiet spot to sway. Wade and Bobby were already back out there, chatting and laughing with some people near the stage, leaving only Derek and Dave at the table. Derek looked at Dave. "So should we go find a couple girls to show us the ropes?"

Rossi shook his head, taking a sip of his bourbon. "I'd feel like a cradle robber out there. I'll hold down the table. Watch the girl's purses. Go have fun."

"You sure man?"

"Yeah Morgan. Go."

"Alright. I'd say holler if you run into trouble, but in this crowd…" Derek looked around pointedly.

Rossi laughed, gesturing for Derek to go. "I'll be fine. Go fine some cute little girl. I'm going to sip my drink and watch the crowd."

Derek nodded and headed off, his eye already on one of the eco-girls along the back wall. But first he made a detour to where he saw a tall, awkward looking man and a short curvy girl talking quietly. Quickly, he told them about Dave, knowing Ryley wouldn't let the man stay alone in this crowd for long. Sure enough, Ryley was already headed back to the table, Spencer's arms firmly fastened around her waist, by the time Derek made his way to the eco-girl.

Ryley plopped down across from Rossi, smiling brightly. She and Spencer leaned together comfortably. "All alone Dave?"

"You all abandoned me for the dance floor." Rossi joked. "What are you two doing back any way?"

"You want the truth or do you want something to make you feel better?"

Dave stopped and thought for a moment. "The truth."

"Derek told us you were here alone. So we abandoned the dance floor in favor of you!"

"Throwing my words back at me. Not nice young Jedi." Dave said, doing a mock-Yoda voice.

Spencer groaned and buried his face in Ryley's hair. "Dear god, your Star Wars impressions are worse than hers, Rossi."

"Oh hush Spence. It wasn't that bad." Ryley admonished, pushing him gently.

Rossi watched the two with a smile. "You two are almost sickeningly sweet, you know that right?"

She grinned, reclining into Spencer's embrace. The amount of touching the two did absolutely floored Dave. Spencer barely shook hands. He grimaced when Derek slung an arm around his shoulder or ruffled his hair. And if Garcia attacked him with a hug he stood stiff and silent like a board. But with Ryley, he not only relaxed into her touches, but initiated some himself. It was like they thought they were living in a dream world and if they didn't hold onto each other, it would all evaporate. "We try."