CHAPTER 126
SEVEN PROFILER BRAINS...AND A GARCIA
"Look around…" Dan said, having joined the Trainees after their Sunday PFT.
"That's right. With only a few more weeks left, you guys are the best of the best we had, this year. And yet, as you know, it is a Sunday and it is time…" Dan added, his hand gesturing towards the outside training area.
Everyone followed him outside and once again there were a few teachers hanging out, waiting for them.
This time, with only a group of those few selected people being left, each one of them received personal feedback.
Angie realized she had amazing competition, after hearing everyone else's feedback. She knew that she had been surrounded by amazing talents in the Academy, but hearing the way the teachers and trainers praised them, made her realize that she was maybe not that good, or rather - not as advantaged as she thought.
It had been easy to think of herself as 'doing very well' during the Academy, when she had spent most of her time with only just Bryan by her side. Yes, she would hang out with the other Trainees a lot, too, but for the most part, it was just her and Bryan - a package deal. So, she had missed out on a lot of opportunities to compare herself to the others. Many of them excelled in subjects that Angie was not too confident about. Yes, she still had the profiling class privilege, but that was only because it was her ultimate passion in life. In the other classes, there were people who could kick her ass, any time, any day.
She gulped loudly, this was too much to handle. In any other occasion, she would have taken this as a stimulus, a reason to want to get better. But now, just weeks away from Graduation, she felt threatened. What if she wasn't all that? What if she ended up being cut?
"Hunter?" Dan called out, but she was way too lost in her thoughts.
"Hunter? Evaluations!" He said one more time.
Bryan nudged her, imagining what must be going on in her mind.
She smiled politely and stepped forward, as it was her turn to receive feedback from a bunch of people who had been training her, at the Academy. Most of the things she heard about herself were positive, but she also heard a lot about the things she could improve. And the other Trainees had only gotten the praise. Why was that? Was she slacking? Was she getting cut?
"Tha-thank you." She stuttered, going back in the line before the next person stepped forward, for their own evaluation.
Dan eyed her up and down. She wasn't acting like herself. Somewhere along the way, very recently, she had lost a piece of who she really was. And yes, he thought she was annoying and way too cheerful and bubbly, but he had grown to like that about her, so it pained him to see that change, to see it all be toned down, almost as if she was doubting herself. It had all started when the rumors of the BAU not accepting interns had begun circling around the Academy.
He made a mental note to himself to go talk to her, after the cuts.
"Now, as good as the feedback was, it is time to say Goodbye to a few of you…" Dan spoke with authority.
If he had to be honest with himself, he'd hate cutting those people. But at the same time, the Bureau didn't have the resources to keep this many in the program. With each week, training got more complicated, more gadgets and materials were used, and that meant more costs. To meet those costs, they had to cut people, it was logical.
He named four people and asked them to take a step forward.
"And the last one, sadly, is someone I didn't expect to be nominated by so many of the teachers…" He trailed off, his eyes set on Angela.
He took a long moment to study her behavior. He wasn't a profiler, but he knew how to read people and, so far, he had learned how to read Angela Hunter.
She had started the Academy with amazing posture. She'd stand tall, in the middle of huge muscular guys, and she'd stand out.
And now, she was almost hunched, looking down at her shoes and biting her lower lip like a guilty child. She was not the girl he had chosen to be his Wild Card. He wasn't sure who she was, but he wanted the old kick ass Angela Hunter back.
She could feel his gaze on her, awaiting to hear the last name that would be sent home. Her heart was beating so fast and all she could do was hide, she wanted to disappear, be invisible, standing next to Bryan and a bunch of other Trainees. She wasn't as confident as she used to. She didn't want to stand out. She hadn't even dared to utter some inappropriate joke now and there had been no witty remarks coming from her mouth, during class, recently.
Dan finally opened his mouth and said the name of some guy.
Angie exhaled sharply, feeling a wave of relief crashing over her. Dan noticed that, he saw all of it.
"The five I just named, please stay here with me, to get your final instructions. The rest of you – take the rest of the day off. You deserve some fun time, so go de-stress, go out, grab a beer, go dancing tonight. You have a reason to celebrate, you have worked really hard to be where you are right now." Dan spoke and watched the lucky ones walk away.
He also saw that Angie only walked further enough, to be giving Dan and the five cut ones, some privacy. But then she crashed, sitting on the grass near the training field. It felt like her knees gave up on her and she just needed to sit down and breathe. He could see her from a far, see the way she curled into a ball and let her head fall in her hands, as if she was fighting a headache. She looked broken and he had a good idea about what might have broken her so much.
Bryan did not dare approach her. By now he knew that Angie had those intense moments of self-doubt, when she would isolate herself completely and she'd want nothing more but privacy and some fresh air. She hated letting him see her like this. She wouldn't let anyone see her like this.
There had been many times when she had felt this way, but it had been easy for her to mask it all up, at the beginning. And then, the more pressure the Academy put on them, the harder she found it to play the role of the tough girl. The more her past tried to catch up with her, the more she just wanted to break down and cry. But as weak as she felt, she knew she was stronger than tears. She had promised herself – no more tears, ever.
So, she just sat there, thinking of so many things, on her own. She had been on her own her entire life. She should be good at it, right?
Why wasn't she good at it then?
Emily was chilling with Garcia and Luke, waiting for Tara to come join them for some wine before noon, on Sunday. It felt like the right thing to do.
"Heeeeeeey, pop the bottle, party is heeeeeeere!" Tara yelled out, as soon as she walked in Emily's apartment.
The door had been left unlocked, strategically. Last time Tara had been so excited about wine before noon, she had almost kicked the door down.
"Singles party?" Tara grinned, looking at who was attending that small get together.
"Uh…" Garcia blushed.
"Ah, going strong with Desmond?" Emily whispered, just in case Garcia wouldn't want anyone else to know.
"I never said I was single…" Luke rolled his eyes in turn, while Garcia chose to ignore Emily's question.
"You didn't have to, my friend. You've been acting like an uptight prick, we all know you ain't getting any lately…Plus, we are profilers!" Tara smirked and got comfortable on the sofa.
"What about you, Chief?" Luke tossed the ball in Emily's court, wanting to shift the attention to anyone else but himself.
"No, no. You don't get to call me Chief on a Sunday. No, my friend, this is just wrong." Emily could not suppress a laugh.
"You're avoiding the question…awwh…" Tara called her out immediately.
"Oh, Prentiiiiiis…" Garcia almost sung her name. "Spill! We want to know. Who is he?"
"What? There is nothing to tell. You guys have a wild imagination." Emily pretended to be upset, she knew they wouldn't push her if she put on a show.
"Oh, shut up Prentiss. You're definitely acting like you've been gettin' some. Spill!" Tara was with Garcia on this one, she was just a bit more brave with her words.
"Trust me, I'm not!" Emily's words came off a bit desperate. A bit like she was on edge. A lot like she wanted some.
"Not even with that sexy black set you just got last week?" Tara kept on pushing it.
If anyone had to extract the truth out of Emily, it had to be Tara. Luke was a guy, he would not be allowed to punch back when Emily jumped him. And Garcia was not a fighter at all. The only one who could defend themselves against the wrath of Emily Prentiss was Tara and they all knew it, which is why they let her push Emily's buttons.
"Ok, no offense, but eww. I do not need that image in my head. I'm going to find the wine now." Luke excused himself. Emily borderline naked was not something he was interested in hearing about or picturing vividly. She was his damn boss, after all.
"White is in the fridge, red is…well, in every counter in my kitchen." Emily laughed, letting him go off and wander around. She knew he'd be raiding the snacks drawer as well. She did not mind.
"So, is he hot?" Garcia was itching to know.
"Guys, I am not…" Emily then trailed off, thinking about something.
For years, she had said that she was not dating anyone, it just felt natural to say those words, on instinct. But now, she could not bring herself to say them. They felt…wrong.
Was she even dating? What the Hell had happened in Paris? Had she really traveled all these hours, just to go talk to a guy for about an hour? What had gotten into her?
"Hehe…" She chuckled silently, feeling her cheeks slightly more warm than the normal.
"Oooooooh, Prentiiiiiis!" Tara poked her with one finger and kept doing so until Emily moved to the other couch.
"Ok, I'm not dating anyone. I've just been…working on myself lately and it feels good." Emily tried to mask that chuckle up, but she was failing.
"Working on yourself? Girl, if you mean that in a naughty sense, I am your biggest fan!" Tara raised an eyebrow.
The girls had a way of sharing very personal information, so it wouldn't be out of question if Emily meant it like that.
"No! God, why do people think of me like some sort of a-…" Emily started off.
"Sexy kitten? A naughty, sexy kitten?" Garcia suggested, as ending to Emily's question.
"Vixen? Maybe look at the way you work it, next time we're out for drinks. Like…seriously, you've been a magnet for guys lately. What's the trick? And if you don't want them all, send some my way, okay?" Tara was now the one blushing. She had been trying to find a guy that she liked, but so far it had only been random hook ups and nothing that could stick.
"Oh my God, I am your Boss!" Emily grunted.
"Not on a Sunday!" Garcia said innocently.
"Yup, you said so yourself." Tara rubbed Emily's words in her face.
To her luck, the phone buzzed and she now had an excuse to take a small break from those two eager and nosy ones.
Emily stood up and walked away. It was sent to her primary phone, so it couldn't be from Richard. But then again, he did have that number as well, from when she had texted him the first time, in Paris. So she didn't want to risk opening an incoming message in front of Tara – she was quick and brave enough to jump her and grab that phone right out of her hands.
"Agent Prentiss, we just had the cuts at the Academy. I think you should talk to Angela…"
Emily's heart sunk to the sole of her shoe, reading what Bryan had just texted her.
"Please don't tell me she got cut!?" She texted back immediately.
"She didn't, but she's…I don't know. She's upset, maybe. She wouldn't let me even look at her after the cuts. I hate seeing her like this and she always shuts me out, so I figured maybe you could try to reach out."
"Where is the rooftop exit at the dorm building?" Emily asked, automatically sensing exactly where she'd be able to find Angela.
"Never been there, but she does like the rooftop of the Academy building, where our lectures are held. The door is always unlocked, you can access it freely."
"Thank you for texting me, Bryan. I'll take it from here. Also, congratulations for staying in the Academy. I have no doubt both Angela and you would make amazing Agents in a few weeks' time."
With her last text Emily grabbed her car keys and announced to her house guests that she needed to run an errand before she could join them again.
With a loud sigh of joy, she realized that it had been fortunate that she hadn't drank just yet, so she could still drive.
A little later, she found herself at the barrier of the Government property.
"God, I'd only do this for you, on a Sunday!" Her eyes rolled, thinking of a certain young brunette.
She even allowed herself to park parallel, blocking two cars in the Academy parking lot. Why would she care? She was only there for a few minutes after all.
Her feet found the way to the elevator and then took the extra flight of stairs to the rooftop. And, like she had imagined, there she was…
"Living your best Titanic fantasies?" Emily asked, with a smirk on her face, catching Angela at the edge of the rooftop, letting the wind blow in her face, with her hands up in the air.
"You do know I have never even seen Titanic, right?" Angie rolled her eyes with her back at Emily, but somehow the woman knew what Angie's reaction would have been.
"Okay, so you're just trying to breathe then." Emily stated calmly, walking to her side and standing still. "I can relate."
For a long moment she let herself copy Angie's posture. And then she got it, there it was: the wind blew in her face and she felt just like that white wine in her fridge - cooling off and relaxed.
"You don't have to profile my every move, you know?" With this statement, Emily heard a mixture of annoyance and pain in Angie's voice.
"I know." Emily spoke calmly, still facing the horizon. This breeze was fantastic, it almost washed away her worries for a second or two.
"I'm fine, I survived the cuts." Angie shrugged. She was beyond sure that Bryan had contacted Emily, he had to have done it.
"Sweetheart, you have survived way worse. Nobody doubted that you'd survive this stupid Academy…" Emily felt brave…brave enough to try to reach a hand over to Angie before she'd finish her sentence.
To her surprise, Angie allowed to be held. Emily's hand wrapped across Angie's shoulder and, standing next to her, she held her close.
"…Nobody, but you." Finally, Emily said it.
"I don't doubt myself!" Somehow, Angie took that as an offense.
"No, you never did doubt yourself. But you doubt Angela Hunter." Emily's hand squeezed Angie's shoulder lightly and it was enough to calm her down a bit.
"She did something and now you are wondering if she was even worth it, if she's a good person, if she is the one you want to be." Emily continued, feeling Angie's head rest on her shoulder.
"I didn't want to be a brat. And you didn't deserve it. It's like everyone thinks I'm perfect, but what happens when-…" Angie had finally started to open up, but Emily cut her off.
"…When they learn that you're not?" Emily suggested and then laughed at the way Angie twisted her head, looking up at her with confusion. She looked like a surprised and very impatient young child. She was adorable.
"We already know you're not perfect, baby. That's why we love you. That's why you fit so well in our weird, crazy, unconventional family. We want you because of you, not because of who Angela Hunter pretends to be. You are going against eight profiler brains here. Well, seven profiler brains…and a Garcia." Emily chuckled at her last clarification.
"I feel like I'm reaching a point where I'm starting to spiral and I don't want Angela Hunter to crash and burn. I've worked so hard, for her to be in the FBI. I'm already having to bite back the pain from not being in the BAU, but it's just…"
"…not fair? Yes, life is not fair, darling. But it doesn't mean that you need to stop fighting. If anything, you need to kick ass twice as much now. You're a fighter, I mean, look at your last name…you're a Hunter!" Emily reminded her and this time Angie smiled. She was proud of that name.
"I know, but I can't help feeling like I'm on my own, with no one to handle me, and I'm about to blow up in flames. And we don't want that happening, do we?" She challenged, this time without making eye contact with Emily.
"Oh, wow, you do not need to be handled…" Emily cringed, thinking of the meaning of her words.
"Yes, I do! It's what I know. It's what keeps me grounded. Come on, you know this!" Angie groaned, like a fussy teenager. But Emily knew exactly what had triggered that.
"Alright, so how about this…I'll handle you. Okay? I'll hold you responsible for the things you do and I'll make sure you don't crash and burn. Sounds good?" Emily suggested, her hand now warming Angie's shoulder, going slightly up and then down, in slow motions.
"Sounds absolutely terrifying!" Angie kept on cringing.
"And since when is Angela Hunter afraid?" Emily let out a silent chuckle. This girl was a piece of work.
"Okay fine. Handle me! But if I burn, I'm taking you down with me!" Angie meant those words as a joke, her laughter confirmed it, but somehow Emily was sure there was truth in them, too.
"Oh, I like it when it burns. It's when I'm at my top game." Emily was so sure of herself, so calm, so collected. Angie envied her for it. She looked up to her, for it. In her eyes there were three kinds of people – the boring random push-overs, the achievers and the Emily Prentisses of the world, who kicked ass and accepted crap from nobody. All her life, Angela had wanted nothing more than to be one of the Emily Prentisses on this Planet.
"Now, can we finish that sulky conversation in the car? There's wine at my place and few very eager and thirsty profilers off duty. Actually, now that I think of it, we may need to stop by the shop and get some more stuff. I'm sure my bottles at home are already empty." Emily sighed, knowing how much Tara loved her wine.
"Oh, it's fine. I was going to have a run and then do an extra work-out." Angie pointed at her attire: black leggings, crimson sports bra and a sheer black top.
Emily realized that the girl must have been freezing, out there in the wind, wearing just that. However, Angie showed no indication of being cold. Maybe that was because she felt the warmth Emily was oozing, holding her in a sideways hug. Or maybe she was just young enough to have hot blood and to not care about the temperatures.
"No, it's Sunday and I already called Dan on the way here. He said it's your day off. Now come on, let's go to your room and get your essentials for a sleepover. What do you say? It's Monday tomorrow, so it's perfect, our schedules are synced!" Emily smiled, but then saw how confused Angie was.
"Our Monday morning training, remember?" Emily reminded her.
"Oh? I thought that was just…"
"What? Something I'd say just to get you off my case? A lie? A failed promise?" Emily turned Angie sideways, so that they were now facing each other. With her pointy finger, she pushed Angie's chin up, requesting eye contact. She also let her finger rub against Angie's chin a couple of times, just because if Angie was a child, that was exactly what Emily would instinctively do. And Angie had a very cute chin, Emily could not help but pay it some extra attention, now that Angie was allowing all this physical intimacy without biting Emily's entire hand off, in retaliation.
"No more failed promises from me! You can be sure of that!" Emily whispered, looking straight into Angie's eyes.
"Now, get going! This is an order from your handler, Agent!" Emily changed her tone of voice, now dramatically trying to sound like a tough one, as if she belonged to a movie about superheroes.
In a way, she was a Superhero in Angela's eyes already.
"If I sweet-talk you into forgetting about gathering my stuff from my dorm and get you to go straight to the car instead, would it mean I can borrow some of your clothes and stuff, at your place?" Angie grinned as they awaited the elevator to hit the first floor.
"My 'boring old lady' clothes?" Emily faked offense now, repeating what Angie had said about her style, just days ago.
"Oh, no. Not those. I want the red Dior dress!" Angie practically ran out of the elevator and walked straight to the parking lot. There was no way she'd go grab her own boring clothes from the dorms and put more time and space between herself and a glass of wine…or two.
"God, no!" Emily panicked.
How did Angie even know about it? Oh, she must have seen it the night when she slept over recently. Emily remembered telling her to grab something to wear around the house.
"You know, you have expensive taste." Emily smirked.
"Oh, baby…it's all or nothing!" Angie said in her own overly dramatic voice, acting like she was a Diva on the red carpet.
Emily enjoyed the Hell out of those little outbursts. On a daily basis, she'd deal with serial killers and gruesome discoveries. But having someone so spontaneous and dorky around felt refreshing.
"You can have anything, but that dress!" Emily bargained, now in the car and on the way to check out at the barrier.
"Fine, then I want the grey form-fitting one." Angie smiled.
There would come a day when the red Dior would be hers. She just had to be patient.
"Oh…" Emily blushed.
That was the dress she bought in that small boutique in France. She then wore it on that night in St. Tropez when Richard and her broke into the hotel illegally. That was also the dress that rode a little too high up when she was about to fall from the fence and when Richard's hand had inevitably ended up squeezing her…
"Hello?" Angie called out, since Emily was now trying not to think of how long it had taken Richard to let go of her butt. He had caught her before she'd fall, but his hands had gotten comfortable in that position and it had felt like he'd never let go.
"Oh, someone's blushing!" Angie grinned.
Now that they were in the car, she had the perfect opportunity to grill Emily about her boy toy.
"Did you wear those two dresses with French Daddy?"
"Angela!" Emily gasped, the surprise of those words, said in such sweet innocent tone of voice, making her foot twitch, hence hitting the speed pedal a bit too hard.
"And don't call him that. Eww!" Emily added.
"Oh, I won't call him that. You will." Angie chuckled and looked at herself in the small mirror, in the over the head compartment above the passenger's seat. She didn't seem too worried about how sporty she looked. It was a Sunday. Only Socialites ever dress up on Sundays anyway. She rather thought about the fact that if she put this 'French Daddy' concept in Emily's head, repeating it enough times, then it was just a matter of time that Emily would make a complete fool out of herself, uttering those words to her new boyfriend, out of the blue. Angie suppressed a smirk, just imagining the sweet moment that this would be. She wished she could be there, to see Emily frantically excuse her inappropriate little slip up.
"That's not what I call him!" Emily kept her eyes on the road, trying to avoid an incident…or a ticket, while Angie muttered a 'Not yet!' to herself, now fully letting her smirk grow.
"What then? Mon ogre?" Angie suggested. That felt like something Emily would say, as it was the word you'd call a man with insatiable appetite, in a certain sense, of course. It only felt suitable that a woman like Emily would go for a man like that.
"And you're his bombasse…" Angie chuckled. This was perfect. She would definitely be named his Femme Fatale.
"How do you even know such slang?" Emily was beyond shocked. Those were words for the grown up world.
"I've lived in France, duh."
"Yeah, when you were a child!" Emily was absolutely in panic.
"I was a very curious child." Angie kept on grinning like the Devil, enjoying every second of this. She loved being in a car with Emily Prentiss - that woman had nowhere to escape and she just had to listen to Angie's teasing at all times.
"Aww, tu es une chochotte, Emily!" Angie then melted the ice a bit, calling Emily a French term of endearment that people would use to tease their overly sensible friend.
"Yup, that I am." Emily shot her a glance.
"So, who's back at your place now?" Angie finally asked, after having found a piece of chewing gum in the side door compartment, now loudly chewing on it and trying to make bubbles.
"Eh, just Garcia, Lewis and Alvez." Emily waved a hand in the air, as if this bunch was no big deal. Sure, it wasn't the entire BAU, but it was still company enough.
"I would have loved to gather the whole gang, but I guess Sundays are for family, so us single losers are now hanging out and drinking wine instead." Emily added.
"Luke…Luke Alvez?" Angie said in shock.
She also sat up straight, trying to look less like a truck driver on his lunch break. She did, however, not tone down on all the loud chewing.
"Uh, yeah…" Emily was surprised. She thought Angie already knew everyone's name and surname. Why did she want a confirmation?
A second later, Angie was casually looking up, in the mirror above her head. Her left hand pointy finger trailed underneath her eye and she sighed, hating the faintly visible signs of exhaustion and the lack of sleep.
"So, uh…" Angie leaned against the car seat. "How come you're hanging with the singles? I mean, aren't you technically in a relationship?"
"I technically don't know how to answer that question." Emily laughed out loud. "And either way, I don't want my team to know anything just yet, so please, I am begging you, do not make those awful hints in front of them, okay? I already tell you much more than what I'm comfortable with…"
"But you've told me nothing!" Angie whined.
"And that's how comfortable I am, discussing my love life with you!"
"Oh, love? Are you in love? Jesus, finally, now you can tell me what the heck that thing feels like, so I can successfully fool people! I always get caught and called out on my bluffs when it comes to that crap. Come on, shoot!" Angie asked curiously.
"First of all, love is not crap!" Emily said defensively. "Secondly, you can't and should not go around, fooling people that you are in love with them. Third…" Emily stopped for a second, analyzing her own words before she came to a conclusion.
"Man, you are so whipped!" Angie laughed again. That was pretty much the conclusion Emily had just drawn.
"So, everyone is single and you're just pretending?" Angie asked further and Emily was trying so hard not to say what was on her mind.
"Yes." She said instead, giving Angie a moment for a victorious smile, before she ripped it off her face. "Actually, no. Someone else is also dating, but it's casual and they don't call it a relationship, so they are eligible for Single's Sundays."
"Huh. Guys!" Angie scoffed, assuming it would be Luke. Casual dating sounded like something a guy would say, about his relationship.
"Actually, it's Garcia. She's been hanging out with a guy that she likes, but no labels have been stitched yet."
"Oh?" Angie was surprised.
Emily did not say anything else. She was cursing the bridge in front of them, taking way too long to get to the other side of it.
"Never live in a place where your commute involves a bridge!" She told Angie.
"Don't think I'll ever be able to afford living somewhere, so no need to worry."
"About that…" Emily was grateful for the change of topic. "Everything would change once you get your placement. You should apply for housing, once the internship starts. The different departments sometimes pay half of your rent for you."
"Mhm…" Angie said absentmindedly. There was no way she would tell Emily about the all expenses paid offer she had received, for the New York field office.
"As for your stay at the Academy…let me help you out?"
Angie rolled her eyes. She knew this was coming.
"No. I'm good. Thanks."
"Put your pride aside for a moment, please. You're not good. Everyone else goes out for drinks or even a weekend off, now that you guys are allowed to have days off and travel back home."
"I don't have a home. So I'm fine. I don't need to go anywhere."
"Angela…" Emily was glad that the moment this serious conversation hit them, she was already parking in front of her housing complex.
"Money is just stupid paper. It means nothing to me, if not well spent. And I have plenty of it." Emily continued, but somehow failed to come across genuine with that last part of her statement.
"I'm calling you a bluff on that." Angie said instantly. She could read it on Emily's face – that woman was not as well off as she pretended to be.
"Fine, yes. I do have money, blocked in offshore accounts. I can't use those funds. And I have limited sources in my local bank account, basically just my monthly salary…"
"Isn't that a lot of money anyway?"
"Yes, but I'm…investing. But I'm good. I use the rest of it for the apartment, food, leisure, travel…and I still have some left. Why can't I give you some? Just for basic necessities. I'm not offering to buy you off. It's just something to help you out before you get your placement with a Unit…" Emily trailed off, once again frowning at the fact that the Unit to accommodate Angela was not going to be hers.
"I don't need to spend on anything. I barely even go to the bar with the others, and when I do, come on…I bat my pretty eyelashes and I get offered drinks. You know how it is." Angie said innocently.
"But what about the other things a girl your age needs? Clothes, make-up, shoes, a new bag, a brunch with the girls…"
Angie shut Emily up by placing her hand on top of hers. They were still inside the car and Emily's hand was on top of the gear shift.
"I'm not like the other girls my age, Emily. I need a badge and a gun and I need…"
"The BAU?" Emily whispered.
"Yes." Angie reached out with her other hand, opening the door. She felt like she was suffocating in that car. Or was it the conversation?
She hopped out and checked her hair in the reflection of the side window. Her hands frantically slicked it a bit, until there weren't any more naughty strands poking out.
Emily got out as well and she walked over to where Angela was. Standing behind the girl, Emily put her hand out, holding an object between her fingers, anticipating how Angela would need it.
"So, uh, you don't happen to have a-…" Angie started off lamely, trying to mask up her request.
Turning around slowly, she realized Emily was already holding the thing she needed, handing it to her.
Without fussing about it, Emily walked over to the entrance of the building, casually opening the door and walking to the elevator. Seconds later, Angie ran after her.
"This color looks beautiful on you." Emily smiled, looking at Angie's freshly painted lips.
"Keep it." She told her, when the girl was trying to hand her the lipstick back.
"Yeah! Can you believe it? And then he said-…" Garcia was raving about something when the door opened.
"Prentiiiiiiiis!" Tara said cheerfully. She had a way of warming up the room with the way she spoke. For being such an introvert in her personal life, she sure was a goof when she was with her colleagues.
"And Mini Prentiiiiiiiis!" Garcia squealed, seeing Angie walk in, right after Emily.
"Yeah, because just one Prentiss was not enough…" Luke tried to act like he didn't care, but he couldn't help feeling curious how the dynamics of the group would change, now that Emily's copy-pasted and much younger version has been introduced.
"We were one single girl short, so I just had to go get her." Emily chuckled, pointing at Angie and making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
That only lasted until Angie eyed the wine bottle, sitting on the living room table.
"Yummy!" She muttered, already on her way there.
Emily walked to the kitchen first, grabbing two glasses, before she joined them all.
Tara noticed the glasses were different, when Emily handed Angie the smaller one, while holding the chubbier glass for herself.
"She likes white wine." Emily explained.
"And white wine likes meeeeee!" Angie said cheerfully, allowing Garcia to pour her a full glass.
Garcia then continued telling Tara her story, but Luke had been a bit bored with all the girl talk. Emily, however, sat closer to the two of them, now fully invested in what Garcia was saying.
That left Angie, sitting next to Luke on the sofa.
"So, things with Ken Doll didn't quite work out?" He asked casually.
"Oh…" Angie was inspecting the wine in her glass, not even giving him a look. "You're dumber than I thought."
"Ouch, what the Hell?" Luke laughed. Where did that come from?
"We were never really together, duh. I was joking, at Emily's dinner. I hope you're better at profiling killers, than you are at figuring girls out." She smirked, now finally glancing at him for a brief second.
Luke felt like an idiot. Had he been the only one to have believed her little charade…and all their holding hands at the table?
"Plus, he's not my type. He's too nice."
"Let me guess, you like bad boys?" He took a sip of his wine - white wine, his favorite.
"Oh, no. I'm not your typical airhead who falls for the bad boy act."
"Then what is your type?" He was unaware of how quickly he shot that question.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Alvarez?" She said calmly, her facial expression not changing - not smiling, not smirking, just…casually playing her annoying little game.
"It's Alvez." He corrected her. "And you didn't answer my question."
"And I won't." She smiled, taking another sip. Oh, she enjoyed a good game.
"Oh, I am so going to find out anyway!"
"Great, please let me know when you do. I've been dying to know."
Emily was now listening to Tara laugh her heart out, after Garcia shared something quite embarrassing with the 'red wine aficionados' group. And yet, over the laughter and all the loud talking, she kept an eye out to the other sofa. She couldn't hear the words, but she was fairly sure she knew what the conversation was about. She shook her head, seeing Angie be so cool and collected, while Alvez was getting more and more worked up with every time the girl opened her mouth.
"Never have I ever bragged about something I have not done." Emily put her glass in the air, rounding everyone up.
It was a group day, and so far there were two groups formed between them. Somehow Emily was not too comfortable with one of them, being on their own, so she decided to unite everyone.
Everyone took a sip, including Emily. They wouldn't need a second invite, to play any kind of a drinking game.
"Never have I ever experimented to see my sexual orientation." Garcia took her turn. They always played clockwise.
Luke winced and put his glass down at the table.
Garcia was the first one to take a long sip. They all knew that about her, she had been more than open and honest about it. Tara was next, she was single and she did not care what people thought of her.
That only left Angie and Emily. In a fight for dominance, they looked at each other, with smirks on their faces.
"Oh, screw it." Emily gave up and took a sip. "And it wasn't experimenting with my sexuality. It was…well, college. And booze." She cleared it up.
If only they knew that they were quite familiar with at least one person that young and drunk Emily had once upon a time locked lips with…multiple times.
Angie chuckled. This game was awesome.
Painfully slowly, she put her wine glass against her lips before taking a sip as well.
"It most definitely was experimenting with my sexuality." Angie said, with rosy cheeks.
Emily nearly choked. How did she not know that? When? Why? Not that she would ever care, or judge her, but it was just surprising.
"Daaamn, Mini Prentiss…" Luke muttered, eyeing her up and down.
"Yeah, that's when I figured I don't like desperate guys." Angie smirked and took another sip, just because she wanted to drink after hitting Luke with those words.
"Never have I ever spied on my neighbors." Tara's turn came and this time, she did not drink. "What? I live in a secluded house."
Garcia and Emily drank, but Luke just frowned. He was not enjoying this game, it let him stay a bit too sober.
Angie drank as well. "I'm a curious person. I like spying, I guess you could say…it's my specialty."
Emily rolled her eyes. This girl was a baller.
"Never have I ever made fun of someone." Angie's turn came.
Everyone drank, but her.
"I don't put people down." Angie then explained briefly.
Nobody expected that of her. She looked like she could have been a mean girl in high school.
"Never have I ever cheated on someone I was in a relationship with." Luke spoke and watched Garcia and Tara take a sip, while Emily, Angie and him kept the glasses immobile in their hands.
"Good girl act, alright…" He whispered to Angie, almost as if he was making fun of her.
"Never have I ever had a one night stand." Emily spoke, but quickly realized something. "Oh crap, we don't have to take a sip for each time we have, right?"
Everyone laughed and also drank. Angie did not.
"I'm a classy gal." Angie shrugged innocently, explaining herself when everyone looked at her, in disbelief.
"Never have I ever exited the bathroom without washing my hands." Garcia was the one who always had the weirdest suggestions for this game.
It surprised her how many of them raised their glass. Everyone, except Emily and Angela.
"Never have I ever fallen asleep in the public transport and missed my stop." Tara laughed and took a sip.
"Okay, story time. I was working in a travel agency while in college and I had those annoying evening classes sometimes, so I'd do a morning class first, then run for a shift at work and then go back to Uni for the next class. I'd often be too tired, so I might have skipped my stop a few times." Tara licked her lips as she spoke, loving the taste of this red wine. Emily knew how to choose alcohol.
Only Luke drank, along with Tara.
"When I was a kid, there was this playground in Brooklyn. My parents wouldn't allow me to go there, as they thought the elder kids who hung around there were some sort of a gang or whatever, but I really liked playing basketball and those kids were good. So, I'd tell my parents I was out with my skateboard, but I'd really just catch the bus and go shoot hoops with them. That's until I realized they really were part of a gang. But anyway, on my way back home, for dinner, I'd be so tired that I'd fall asleep on the bus. The driver eventually learned where I had to get off and he'd honk the horn for me to wake up, when he was pulling over at my stop. He was a nice dude." Luke explained.
Something about the way he was reminiscing about his past – with that glow in his eyes; was endearing for the four girls that were now keeping him company. Luke may act like a jerk all he wanted, but deep down inside he was a decent guy, with a big heart.
"Never have I ever smuggled something illegally, across the border." Angie smirked and took the first sip.
It was also the only sip to be taken.
"I remind you that you're in a confined space with a bunch of FBI Agents…" Emily raised an eyebrow, letting her know she had to think twice before opening her mouth to explain herself on that one.
Angie decided to stay quiet, for this one. Although…on the inside, her nerdy self was itching to let Emily know that she had used a non-appropriate term, as the definition of a 'confined space' was a space with limited entry and egress and not suitable for human inhabitants - like a storage tank, for example. And then again, Angela wasn't fond of Emily's apartment anyway, so in her eyes the term used would have been correct – it was not suitable for human inhabitants anyways.
"Never have I ever dyed my hair a crazy color." Emily suggested, already taking a small sip. "College, it was the 80's. Blue was fun until I ended up accidentally dying the ends of my hair – and mind you, I did a terrible job at it; after a drunk night out…naturally."
Garcia drank twice. Her hair was nothing but crazy colors anyway.
Angie drank as well. Chuckling, she explained. "So, I had to change my appearance this one time and I had nothing to do it with, so I used tie dye and I ended up with uneven purple and pink strands of hair. I did a lousy job."
"Oh, I have a good one! Never have I ever fallen into a hole deeper than I was tall." Garcia kept the game going.
"Fallen? No." Angie put her glass on her lips and took a sip anyway. "Thrown into, yes!"
Emily drank as well. She had been thrown in more holes than she could count. Her job kind of required her getting down and dirty, especially the job she had before she joined the Bureau.
"Okay, we need a break. I'm feeling lightheaded. There you go - Never have I ever seen an alligator or crocodile in the wild." Tara spoke, thinking she had cheated the game and that nobody would drink.
Angie drank.
"Brazil, Summer of 2016. Don't ask. Those Caymans are nasty creatures!" She rolled her eyes, remembering a certain run she had to do, for her life.
"Now back to getting drunk! Never have I ever had a surprise party thrown for me." Angie took her turn, but this time she was the only one who did not drink. She hadn't chosen her line very wisely. Or maybe she just wanted to make everyone else drunk before her?
"Nobody has ever thrown you a surprise party? Like I believe that!" Tara looked at Angie in disbelief.
"Nope. Nobody really cares about me, so why would they?" Angie said casually.
There was something about the way she spoke about herself – sometimes in a very negative way; that bothered a few of the people on Emily's team. Rossi had been the first one to notice it, followed by JJ and now Tara. It almost felt like Angie did not have the confidence she was making believe she had.
"That's not entirely true. Emily organized that surprise dinner when your Mini Week was over." Luke pointed out, desperate to give Angie some sort of comfort.
"Oh, Alvarez, you and I have very different definitions of a party. Yeah, Emily's dinner was amazing, but it was not a surprise – I was actually invited to it beforehand. And really, Tara's question was about a party. And that, for me, means that the food is liquid and cooled off, or maybe on the rocks even; the lights are dim; the clothing is questionable and barely there, shall I add; there would be pink chiffon bows on the chairs; dress code would oblige everyone to wear glittery clothes; reggaeton and urban underground music would be blasting and it would be oh-so-inappropriate to sing along to; illegal fireworks will take place at midnight; and best of all – there will be a three layer cake with a 'Crime Scene – Do Not Cross' tape surrounding the thick bottom layer; the FBI logo on the side of the middle layer, while on the top layer there would be a milk chocolate real-size figure of a Glock 17 9mm handgun next to a very detailed copy of my badge, with my photo on it, made of sugar dough, edible, mind you."
"Yo, that was one Hell of a detailed fantasy." Luke's eyes were wide in shock. His idea of a party was booze and girls. Nothing else would matter.
"A girl wants what a girl wants." Angie smirked, thinking to herself that Luke hadn't even heard a quarter of it all just yet.
"Also – I was not done talking. Don't you dare interrupt a lady! Where 'yo manners at!?" She slapped his shoulder lightly, adding those words before she took a deep breath and started to pour the rest of her fantasy out on everyone.
"Now, as you walk into the big open space area, you actually walk in on a pink 'red' carpet, a fluffy one. And then you go through a balloon arch with glittery white and pink heart-shaped balloons that will also be scattered all around the dancefloor, and you end up at a huge backdrop for the first photos of the night – a black screen, with neon lights that suddenly come on and read 'Screw The Odds, I MADE IT !' And when you walk a bit further, there's a pastel colored cotton candy stand, a caramelized pop-corn stand and a small ice-cream truck which would also offer vodka flavored ice-cream, among other options, like caramel and some cool weird shit like cherimoya, feijoa, tamarillo, loquat, longan, physalis, kiwano – you know, all exotic fruits that ya'll never even heard of! And then, further from there, you find a cute and huge My Little Pony figure, as backdrop for the more drunken wild selfies of the night. Also, so Prentiss could live out her craziest riding dreams and we could forever take the piss out of her about it. And since we're on the topic of being wild – I want a piñata, so I can get creative with a blindfold on my eyes and a baseball bat in my hands and not get judged for being overly aggressive. I can also get a lil' summ'tin sweet out of it, eh?"
Angela only stopped speaking for a second, when she felt the need to let some air invade her lungs again, only so that she could continue speaking in double the speed.
Emily kept quiet the entire time. She was making mental notes about all the things she was hearing and she has never had to mentally write down so quickly and memorize so much information. It messed with her head, but even though it felt like it was already spinning, she gave Angela her full and undivided attention, listening intently to each next word that would come out of the girl's mouth.
"I can already hear your inner thoughts, Garcia, and before you ask – yes, there is a very strict dress code! As I mentioned – nauseatingly glittery garments are a must and I'd prefer fun colors – up to you whether you'd want them to be neon or pastel, but ya'll better shine like the stars above! Moreover, all girls must wear pink gold studded tiaras, to fully let our inner Queen sides come out to play. The boys…well, they can wear Mickey Mouse ears from the Disney store." With a sly smile, she checked out Luke's disgusted facial expression.
What she didn't know was how cute Luke and the others found it that Angie kept on hinting, very much subconsciously, that they would all be part of that fantasy of hers. Like, in a way it sounded like the fantasy wouldn't be complete, without them in it.
"As for the table arrangements…all must be paper – not plastic; because obviously we'd trash the place like the true Neanderthals that we are and everything must be thrown away after, so why waste the good porcelain, you know? The table center piece – an awesome six-floor stand with pink and white macarons, but only and exclusively from Ladurée, to satisfy my boujee Parisian urges before I get down, dirty and inappropriate, Prentiss style. And since Prentiss is not all that boujee and innocent either – how about some caramelized bananas? And yes, because it's way more inappropriate to lick those in public, instead of apples. And you bet the girls are having a certain type of a contest with those! The napkins will be pink, naturally, and they'll have an obnoxiously girly font on the print that would read 'Da Baddest Beyotch On Da Block!' and please do feel free to consult me about the exact spelling of that before you make it sound lame and desperate by spelling the words out in a grammatically correct manner. Then there will be cute tiny jars, filled with small M&M-looking chocolate candies with very inappropriate tiny text, like 'kiss my bum-bum', 'screw you' and 'you need to get laid'. Occasionally, we'd all be allowed to take a sip of something that is not alcohol, and for those cases we'd have multi-use, customized sippy cups, to avoid spills, also – with our names engraved with rhinestones, so ya'll can use them later on and be reminded of the coolest party you've ever been invited to."
Angie could have said a few more things, but by the looks of it everyone was already feeling dizzy – if not because of all the wine they had consumed so far, then because of all her chatter and over the top cheerful presentation of what sounded like it would have been Garcia's dream second birthday bash, back in the days…sans the whole naughty side to it maybe.
"But the one thing I really and I mean really care about is – no presents! I just want the entire BAU to be present." Angie smiled to herself, putting a smile on everyone else's face too, with those perfect finishing words to that insanely detailed and quite disturbing little fantasy of hers.
Why, of course the BAU would be part of her fantasy.
At this point their drinking game was over. Everyone was pleasantly tipsy when the clock hit midday and that was all they ever wanted out of this Sunday gathering.
REVIEW REPLIES:
"rmpcmfan" She definitely learned as much as she possibly could, at that conference. However, the certificate only comes after success at the exam and we have yet to see whether Angie did good...or not. Remember how self-conscious she was after the exam when she told Reid that certain things she only answered by intuition, as she never heard of the theory for what the question asked? Maybe she did really bad and she won't get that paper? However, she did make contacts, as she usually does. It's her specialty - connecting to people, even if she says she hates people and 'feelings' and physical proximity, lol. As for the internship - Angie's mind is firmly set on the BAU and literally nothing else! As tempting the NYC field office proposal was, she dumped it like trash and would never even think about it again. Let's just hope things will work out just fine for her, after all...hehehe!
"Ducksdragonfly" LOL Angie friendzoned Reid before she even said 'Hello' that day, hahaha! She's very strict about telling people about her flirty nature, so they won't get any ideas. She definitely needs Emily, but she dislikes it when people she cares about give her free things. She'd take a free meal if the Bureau is paying, but she would have politely declined, had she known it was Reid who'd pay. And she's hesitant about letting Emily help her out, although she knows she needs the help. And yet, all is not as it seems. Lol! As for the Casino, I needed to find a thing that both of them would enjoy and there was literally nothing I could picture Reid do, willingly hahaha! Hmm, the NYC Unit would be a great stepping stone. However, Angie would rather crawl the way up, on her own. She acted completely uninterested in this awesome offer, knowing very well that the BAU not only can't match that offer, but can't even MAKE an offer, at all! And she'd still not even consider her options, whatever other options there might be! I wonder why...hmmmmmm! OMG we neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed Emily to be in the reboot! She better not dump the BAU for a dude, even if she does really love Mendoza. I'm just saying, lol! And I hope the other series are cool, too. Also, I'm sorry to hear you're hurt! Wish you a quick recovery. Stay safe!
"sweetkid45" Oh, the NYC field office had an awesome proposal - all expenses paid, she wouldn't even need to look for an apartment herself and she'd get a salary, too! If the BAU was even able to offer her a place, she'd be broke, hungry all the time and living in a complete dump with about ten college students, just so she could afford the place, lol! In NYC it sounds like she'd be living her best life! Now we shall see if Angie chooses the good life...or the life she's always wanted, at the expense of her materialistic stability. PS: If Emily knew the NYC was trying to snitch Angela from underneath her nose...everybody better duck down and take cover, lol, the Prentiss bomb is about to blow up!