Author's Notes: As promised, here's the fifth chapter of Change for the Better. Enjoy!
Chapter Five: Surprise Visit
Annette breathed out a sigh as she and Morgan walked towards the airport following the funeral service of Officer Mark Cunningham. She wiped a tear that escaped her eye as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"I appreciate you staying back with me and coming with me to the service," he said, breaking the moment of silence.
"It's not a problem. I saw how hard this case hit you, I still owe you guys for helping me. It's the least I can do."
"You don't owe us anything, Annette."
"Yes, I do," Annette countered. "The stalker case, for starters, and my temporary stay with the team. I do want to prove to you guys that you can count on me both on and off the field.
"It may not be necessary to you, but it is to me because I found a reason to stop pushing people away. I want to be someone you all are able to lean on."
Morgan saw the determination in her eyes; despite still adapting to the adjustments, he had seen a lot of positive change in the two weeks she spent with the team.
"I'm happy we gave you a place you could belong, Annette. Now, I'm just waiting for you to give Pretty Boy one hell of a late night."
He laughed at Annette's shocked reaction and the flush of her cheeks, which earned him a playful smack in the arm.
"At least he only has one name to remember. I beg to wonder how many names you have had to remember, hot stuff," she teased with a smirk.
"Ooh. Good thing you are a taken woman, Annette Lennox. You would have been on my radar."
She giggled and shook her head, internally proud of herself for cracking a joke with one of her colleagues.
"I'm back."
Spencer looked up from the book he was reading when Annette walked in through the door.
"Hey. Welcome home."
He set the book down on the table in front of him and made his way to her, taking her go bag and satchel before giving her a kiss.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I knew Morgan was hurting over this case, and I wanted to give him some peace of mind that he didn't have to bear it alone."
He smiled at her, pressing his brow against hers.
"I'm proud of you. It's only been about two weeks and you've made quite a bit of progress."
"You really think so?" Annette asked.
"Yes," he replied with a nod. "I think you deserve to be pampered tonight. Why don't you take a shower and change into something more comfortable?"
"Really? How do you plan on pampering me?"
"How about a massage and some kisses for starters?"
"I'd like that," Annette replied. "My back and shoulders could use a good rub."
"Well, the sooner you freshen up, the sooner I can get started."
She got on the bed, positioning herself so that was sitting in front of him with her back to him. Spencer spread his legs apart and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her close to him. He ran his hands on her shoulders and her back to get a feel of how tense she was, and she was pretty tense.
"Hmm…"
"What is it?"
"It might be hard for me to massage your back and shoulders with your shirt in the way," Spencer replied.
"Are you comfortable with me taking it off?" Annette asked. "I'll make sure my chest is covered."
He gulped at the thought of her with her shirt off, and the fantasies that messed with him a week ago played in his mind again.
"I did promise that I would pamper you, and I am a man of my word."
With a nod, Annette reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it upwards. A shiver tore through her spine at the winter chill as she used her shirt to cover her exposed chest. She felt her cheeks heat up at the fact that she just stripped her shirt off in front of him, despite having her back to him. However, she took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax so that she could enjoy the massage.
Spencer let out the breath he held as he began to rub her skin, starting from her lower back and going up. Annette let out a breathy sigh, clutching her shirt close to her chest as she brushed her hair off to one side and over her shoulder. In combination with her back, the nape of her neck was ripe for his lips to claim. However, he had to resist the urge as he gave her a thorough rub, primarily focusing on the pressure points throughout her back, shoulders and shoulder blades.
Breathy sighs continued leaving her lips as she leaned her head back against his shoulder. The grip she had on her shirt never faltered, and she felt her tense muscles slowly go lax against his touch.
"That feels really good."
"Oh, Annette. You're so tense."
"Maybe I just have a lot on my mind is all."
A shiver of pleasure tore through her spine when she felt his lips on her throat, and she had to ensure that she kept her shirt close to her chest.
"How are you feeling?" he breathed against her skin.
"I feel like you're treating me like a goddess with all this pampering. What did I do to deserve such royal treatment?"
He didn't miss the playful, teasing, seductive tone in her voice as he pressed down on her shoulder blades with his palms, moving them in a circular motion.
"By being you."
Another shiver of pleasure racked her spine when he gave her another kiss on her shoulder this time. She could feel the sexual tension radiating off of him, and in turn, he felt it coming off of her. Following the rub of her shoulder blades, Annette placed a hand on his knee and moved forward to give herself a little space as she slipped her shirt back on.
"Thanks for the massage. I feel a lot better."
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him, to which he returned. Yet, he couldn't mask the hint of disappointment on his face, and she turned around in full so that she was on her knees, facing him.
"What is it?"
"I wanted to kiss you more," Spencer replied.
Mimicking the pout on his face, Annette crawled over to the spot she was just in, took a hold of his face in both hands and kissed him. She pressed her body against his, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close and leaning back against the headboard of the bed. They kissed like a teenage couple that snuck out to see each other, and she forced herself to pull back for air after a few minutes.
"Hey. I know what you're feeling, Spencer. I'm feeling it too," she whispered, keeping her eyes on his. "However, a case is still fresh in our minds, and even though I've said this before, I'll say it again.
"I would rather it be at a time when we don't have work on the mind."
He placed his hands on her forearms as he took deep breaths to steady his racing heart.
"You're just so attractive and irresistible, Annette. Everything about you just calls out to me."
She smiled, taking the compliment with pride.
"The same goes for you, handsome."
She pulled away from him.
"Lie down for me."
Wondering what she had up her sleeve, Spencer obliged, and she positioned herself so that she was lying on top of him, resting her arms on his chest and her chin on her hands.
"You love lying on top of me, don't you?"
"I do," Annette said with a chuckle. "You're just so damn comfortable, and it's easier for me to wake up to your sleeping face every morning."
He chuckled as she reached for the top button on his pajama shirt, circling it like she did a week and a half ago.
"Look, I know how much we want each other, and I have a specific time in mind. I know that the tensions are high, but it will be worth the wait if you're willing to wait for a little while longer."
He ran his fingers through her hair, catching her usual scent as he twirled a strand around his finger.
"For you, my dove, I'll wait as long as it takes," he replied. "For now, I can settle with kissing and stealing your breath away."
"Okay," Annette said with a nod. "The wait will be worth it. I promise."
The first thing Annette did when she walked into the hotel room was head straight for the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. The lump in her throat grew, and she soon fell apart as she sat on the counter. The case they just wrapped up hit her hard, especially upon the discovery that the UnSub, Norman Hill, shot his wife and two surviving daughters. It was more than enough for her to second guess her place on the team, especially if she couldn't hold her emotions together.
"Annette?"
Through her tears, she saw the doorknob twist, but she didn't speak a word.
"Annette, can you please open the door?"
Sniffling, she got off the counter and unlocked the door, cracking it open and seeing his face.
"Come on out, baby. It's okay."
He offered his hand, and Annette opened the door a little wider and extended her hand to him. He gently pulled her out of the doorway and into his arms. She breathed out a sigh as she placed her hands on his chest, while he pressed his brow against hers.
"I'm not so sure if I'm going to stay after JJ comes back. I've seen my share of bad stuff in cases, but this case was the hardest one for me to swallow."
He felt her trembling in his arms, and he planted a gentle kiss on her brow.
"When fear creeps up on me, I want to run, and I don't want to run. Not anymore, especially from you, and-"
He cut her off by pulling her into the tightest embrace he could muster. Annette inhaled his scent deeply as she shifted, wrapping her arms around him.
"You don't have to hide, Annette. It's okay. If you ever tried to run, I'd pull you closer, and if you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen. I don't care how trivial it may be to you, but if you are bothered by something, tell me, please?"
"I will. I promise. No, I swear it."
Internally, he was going to hold her to that as he took the tension out of her.
"Jordan, are you okay?" Annette asked as they stepped out of the elevator.
"I will be," Jordan replied, looking at her. "How about you?"
"I'll be okay."
She watched as Jordan walked the opposite direction of the team.
"Tough case for the both of you?" Morgan asked.
"Yeah. It did strike a nerve with me, but I'll manage," Annette replied.
She was about to head towards the desk she was using when she spotted a figure in the conference room.
"We got someone in the BAU room, guys."
The rest of the team followed her, and when she walked in, her jaw dropped when she saw JJ in the room with her newborn son.
"JJ! What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Garcia told me you guys were on your way back tonight. Thought you could use a surprise," she replied with a smile.
Soon enough, everyone else gathered in the room.
"I thought I gave you strict orders to get your place out of this head for a while," Hotch spoke in a stern tone, crossing his arms.
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself," Garcia said as she walked in with two bottles filled with milk. "Heated up to room temperature."
"Garcia, what's with the two bottles?" Prentiss asked.
Garcia looked to the door on the other side, and Annette gasped and covered her mouth in surprise when Nick and Carly came in holding baby Layla. She had to choke back tears as she hugged them.
"You guys are here."
"JJ got a hold of us and told us what she had in mind," Carly explained. "So, we tagged along."
"When did you guys get in?"
"A few hours ago," Nick replied. "However, that's only the beginning."
She tilted her head to the side, causing the couple to chuckle. When they peered towards the doorway, Annette's gaze followed, and she let out a small shriek when Anya came in with a huge smile on her face.
She wrapped her arms tight around Anya's shoulders.
"Hey. I missed you too, Annette," Anya said, tapping her back.
"Sorry if the hug is too tight. The case we just closed struck a nerve with me."
"Hey. It's okay. You're okay."
"Hope you got room for a couple more."
They pulled away, and Annette was sure she was going to cry when Ben and Belinda came in. It was a huge family hug.
"Wow. It's a full house in here," Rossi announced.
"To add to it, we're going to spend Christmas here in DC," Ben announced.
"Really?" Annette asked.
"Really," Belinda replied.
She, Ben and Anya looked over at Spencer, and Annette turned to him when she put two and two together.
"Did you arrange for them to come out here?"
Spencer smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"My Christmas present to you, dove."
She went up to him and gave him a kiss.
"Get a room!" Rossi exclaimed as Morgan began making kissing noises, causing the couple to giggle.
"Hey. I want to see you hold Layla," Annette announced.
She turned to Carly, who approached them with a smile as she offered Layla to him. He took a deep breath, remembering how he held Henry and he cradled Layla. Morgan offered to hold Henry, with Prentiss and Garcia coaching him.
"Spencer, thank you. This was the best Christmas present you could ever give me," Annette said as she gently pulled the pink blanket Layla was wrapped in down from her face.
"Now, your family, the Crawfords and your little goddaughter can enjoy Christmas in DC."
"I'm looking forward to it."
End Notes: Surprise surprise! Plus, Spencer got to hold Layla! Next chapter will be out in a day or so! Check back!
