Hey all, here is the next chapter for this fic. I think this is a fun chapter and I hope you like it. There is a small part in here where I attempt (key word, here) to create an FBI case report; so if it seems confusing or it just looks like a bunch of nonsense, you can skip it (it's not vital to understanding the story). I just thought that it added extra flair to the chapter. Also, another thank you to those of you who have followed and/or favorited this story. It means a lot to me that you've stuck around to read Jamie's story. With that being said, I hope you enjoy and please remember to review! Happy reading. x
All rights go to the owners of Criminal Minds, except for my original character.
Not Like This
Chapter Twenty-One: The Very Next Day
January 1st, 2015
At this very moment in her life, Jamie Carter despised her five-thirty alarm. Upon hearing the ringing from her phone, the world felt like it was spinning, even though her eyes hadn't opened yet. Her hand reached for the device with the blaring noise and luckily stopped it one the first try. "If I move too fast, I will vomit…" she thought to herself. So, very carefully, Jamie sat herself up and threw her legs over the edge of her bed. The aching pounding in her head was hard at work, making her regret her decision to have a little (maybe a little too much) fun. Through her befuddled brain, she could vaguely remember events from the night before. There was the drinking, the dancing, the drinking, the wondering if she should kiss someone and, oh yeah, the drinking. Even making herself comb through what she could remember made her stomach turn, and she knew that she needed to reach her bathroom. Without making herself even more sick, Jamie rushed to the bathroom and hunched over her toilet. She held back her hair in one hand and clenched the side of the toilet bowl with the other. The sickly feeling protested in her stomach and as it came up, it made her want to never drink again. In the moment, she could only focus on the biter, vile tang in her mouth and thinking how bad it would be if she called into work. She felt achy, extremely thirsty, and her eyes hurt as the lights shined down on her, but it wouldn't be okay if she skipped out on work.
When she was done upchucking, Jamie started a hot shower for herself. Dropping her pajamas onto the tile floor, she stepped into the shower, letting the hot water and steam fix what it could. She stood under the showerhead, resting her eyes just a tad longer before she would even attempt to be fully alert for the day. The ailing feeling in her stomach was still present and she knew from experience, that it wouldn't go away until later in the day. "Advil…and some coffee…" she said to herself, washing herself thoroughly. The shower was quick, but it helped her feel somewhat refreshed. Stepping out of the shower, Jamie dried herself off and wrapped her towel around her body. She grabbed her phone, checking the time to make sure she hadtime to make herself somewhat presentable for the day. She did have the time, so, with her phone in her hand, Jamie made her way down the stairs and into her kitchen.
At least…that's what she had wanted to do.
When she came down the stairs, her eyes caught immediate sight of a familiar figure crashed out on her couch. Jamie froze in her place at the bottom of the steps and stared…just stared. There were no words and no actions taken to figure out why he was there, just racing thoughts. She was able to recall drinking at the bar with the others and talking with Spencer…but, what happened after?
Jamie scratched at her wet head of hair and shook it off. Assuming that if anything had happened, she wouldn't have been fully clothed and he wouldn't have been sleeping on the couch. So, very carefully with light steps, Jamie walked towards a sleeping Spencer and poked with quickly on the shoulder with one finger. It was like she was a child, poking at the scary monster to check if it was still alive. When it didn't work the first time, she tried it again, this time with more force. No luck that time, so, Jamie had to take a different approach. She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him, "Spencer…" she whispered, afraid to speak any louder due to her hangover. "Hey, wake up…"
Spencer rolled over a bit, his eyelids fluttering as he was being woken up. He came to and the first thing he saw was Jamie looking down on him, her wet hair and her body wrapped in a towel. "Um, hi?"
Jamie was confused and scoffed a little bit, "What do you mean 'hi'?" she asked, "What are you doing here?"
He rubbed his eyes and sat himself up on the couch, "You told me last night and I quote: 'You can stay here tonight if you want to…'."
"…I did?"
"Yes, but I'm not surprised that you don't remember it. You drank a lot last night."
Jamie stared at him, still in awe that she had found him sleeping on her couch. "…right." She looked around her living room, making sure there weren't any other surprise visitors. "I was going to make some coffee. You want some?"
Spencer nodded and looked back up at Jamie, but swiftly looked away. "I can do it," he assured her, "…maybe you should go put on some…clothes?"
Jamie turned her head down, seeing what had the guy ruffled. "Oh…" she let out, nodding her head. Without another word, Jamie made her way back upstairs and into her bedroom. She towel-dried her hair once more and dropped her towel, letting it land wherever on the floor. She grabbed her undergarments and pulled those on and from her closet, she pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a basic black t-shirt. It was casual, yet still appropriate for work. Pulling on her clothing, Jamie walked into her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. What she was wasn't too pretty, but it was nothing a little (or a lot) of makeup couldn't fix. She threw on her usual products and brushed her hair so it was tangle free, then threw it up in a damp ponytail. Even though it wasn't her best look ever, it was satisfying enough to where it looked like she wasn't strolling the "walk of shame" every time she entered or left a room. Leaving her bedroom, she walked down the steps again, feeling a hard pounding against her skull with every hard step she took.
Entering the kitchen, she was met with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and a rattling sound that told her Spencer had dug out the Advil. He handed her the bottle of pills and a cup of coffee, which she graciously accepted. She took out two Advil and popped them into her mouth, swallowing them down with a healthy gulp of hot coffee.
"How are you feeling?" Spencer asked her, drinking from his own coffee.
Jamie shrugged, placing down her mug and walking towards one of her cabinets. "I feel like I'm hungover…" she answered, pulling a drinking glass and filling it with water. Downing the water, she went back to her savior, coffee, drinking it and feeling it's warmth on her face. Her eyes met Spencer, who seemed to be off in his own little world. "Spencer…"
That caught his attention. He met her eyes, "Yeah?"
It was awkward and she didn't quite know how to go about asking. She grabbed her ponytail from the back of her head and draped it over her left shoulder. "…last night…" she began, unsure of how to proceed.
"…yes?"
"I know I drank a lot…"
Spencer put his coffee down on the counter and a serious look took over his face, "What about it?"
It didn't have to be this complicated. She was an adult and so was he, therefore, if anything had occurred between the two of them, she had the right to know. Jamie shook her head and drank from her mug, stalling her question. She turned her mouth in different directions, letting her tired, green eyes wander anywhere and everywhere.
Spencer stood up straighter and crossed his arms over his chest, "Jamie?"
"Did we have sex?" she spit out rapidly, her eyes wide and her heart pounding in her chest.
Spencer looked taken aback by the question and no doubt a little uncomfortable, "No, we didn't."
"…really?"
"Jamie, considering the copious amount of alcohol you consumed last night and me being sober…"
"Okay, okay," Jamie said, waving a hand in front of her. "I get it, it didn't happen. It's just…you understand why I had to ask, right?"
"Don't worry about it."
"I'm not…" Jamie cleared her throat, finishing what was left in her mug. "Um, you can use the shower if you want to. We still have a little time before we have to be at the office."
Spencer shook his head, also finishing his coffee. "It's okay. I have my go-bag in my desk, so I'll just use the facilities at the office."
"Sure," Jamie replied, placing her now empty mug in the chrome sink. "So, what about your car?"
"That's right…" Spencer said, rubbing a hand over his face. "Uh, can you take me back to the bar after work to get it?"
Jamie tilted her head at him, basically telling him that it was dumb of him to ask. "Of course, I will," Jamie pulled her phone from her back pocket and looked at the screen, "I usually leave in about fifteen minutes, but if you want to leave now so you can change and stuff…"
Nodding in agreement, Spencer patted down his pockets, confirming he had everything with him. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Okay, just let me grab my keys and some shoes," Jamie said, but spinning back around on her heels. "Unless…you want to drive since I'm, you know, hungover?" The face Jamie was giving Spencer said she was asking nicely if he would drive instead.
Spencer chuckled a little and walked towards her, "Yes, I will drive. Go get your shoes." He couldn't help but smile as one grew on Jamie's face as well. She left him downstairs, rushing to go grab some boots from her floor. Making her way back down the stairs, Jamie shoved her feet into her black boots, grabbed a jacket from her closet, her purse and nodded her head at Spencer, confirming she was ready to leave.
With her keys in hand, Jamie left Spencer out the door first, locking up behind herself. The sun wasn't visible in the sky since it was covered by grey clouds, but at the same time, it was still somehow bright as ever. Groaning, Jamie dug through her purse and pulled out her black sunglasses, providing herself with enough darkness to walk twenty feet to her car.
It was going to be a long day.
Jamie and Spencer hadn't shared many words since leaving her apartment; but as they stepped onto the elevator, one initial thought came to Jamie's mind. She turned to Spencer, eyes wide under the black sunglasses she never bothered to remove.
"You know we're going to get crap for showing up together, don't you?"
"My thoughts exactly," Spencer replied, licking his lips nervously. "Maybe nobody else will be here."
Jamie faced forward again and sighed, ready to embrace whatever teasing the rest of the team would throw at them. "…we'll see."
Coming up on the sixth floor, the elevator doors opened and the two stepped out onto the floor. They walked side by side up to the glass doors, Spencer stepping in front to open the door for Jamie. She thanked him, walking into the bullpen and letting her covered eyes watch for any ambush that could come towards them. Thankfully, there was nobody from their team in sight and Jamie could hear Spencer sigh in relief, as well as herself. Each of them made their way to their own desk, Jamie sitting at hers and Spencer digging out his go bag from his.
"Have fun," Jamie called out to Spencer, seeing him walking away to go change.
Jamie looked at the clock on the wall, feeling the lights from above pierce through the black frames of her glasses. It read six-fifty-eight, so she was a couple of minutes early; she was defiantly going to rub it in the other's faces when she saw them. The fact that she had shown up early after a wild night before any of the others, amused her. She laughed quietly to herself and decided to go make a fresh pot of coffee.
The brew dripped slowly, running the patience out of the young agent. Her fingertips taped against the counter and her eyes, still shielded from the light, watched the brown liquid fall into the small pot. While she could've been doing anything while she waited, her brain was simply uninterested in going straight to case reports from the previous week. There was a few that she had to finish and on top of that, there would more than likely be a new case for the team to take up. Jamie knew that no matter what, it would be a busy day and she would have to power through it. From her spot, over by the coffee machine, she could hear another person's steps on the BAU floor as they walked closer towards her. She faced forward, pretending not to hear and kept herself from looking at the one who'd just arrived. The coffee seemed to be taking days to brew, as it was barely half way done. Her fingertips kept their rhythm on the counter top and Jamie's attention was focused on staying to herself until she absolutely needed to face another colleague.
"You're actually here today," the voice said behind her.
Without facing them, Jamie rolled her eyes under her sunglasses. "And why wouldn't I show up to my job?"
The voice laughed, clearly amused by Jamie in the moment. "Well, for starters, you were all kinds of messed-up last night."
"I do recall some…stuff." Jamie shrugged, still watching the coffee pot drip.
"What about those sunglasses, Carter?"
"What about them?"
"…you're indoors."
Jamie sighed and turned to face to eager individual. Her hand reached up and slowly pulled off her sunglasses. "You see this?" Jamie asked, motioning to her own face with a finger. "This is not going to be putting up with your crap today, Morgan."
"Wow, you sure do look-"
"Ah! No, no, no!" Jamie stopped him, "Not another word…"
Morgan laughed, maneuvering his way around Jamie to grab the finished coffee. "I'm just saying," he started, pouring two cups of fresh brew. "you look like you had a fun night last night."
Jamie groaned and rubbed her face, "You drank just as much as me. How come you're not all…ugly looking?"
"That's easy, because I'm Derek Morgan."
"Oh, ha ha…" Jamie mocked, taking the cup of coffee that was being handed to her. With her coffee in hand, Jamie began to make her way back down to her desk, with Morgan following behind her.
"You go home with some unlucky lady last night?" Jamie teased, sipping her beverage as she sat in her desk chair.
Morgan scoffed, sitting on the edge of Jamie's desk. "No, I was a responsible friend for your information." he told her smugly.
"Oh," Jamie drew out, "interesting. Also, I don't believe you."
"Say what you want, but I remember everything. Unlike someone else over here…" he teased. Morgan drank from his cup, eyes darting around the bullpen. "Reid is usually here before anybody."
That caught Jamie's attention quick, "What?"
"Reid's usually here doing work before any of us."
Jamie shrugged, acting like she didn't know Spencer's whereabouts. "Hm, maybe he…is running late?" Her attempt to cover herself and Spencer, wasn't the greatest. Jamie could see the suspicion rise in Morgan's eyes as he watched her. "…you better not be trying to profile me."
"Sweetheart, it doesn't take a profiler to know that you're flustered over something." Then, within less than a minute, a big smirk took over his face. "You, uh, have something you want to share with the class?"
Jamie kicked her feet up on her desk, rolling her eyes dramatically as she did. "No," she told him, "And I don't know what you're referring to anyway."
"Sure…" Morgan played along for a second, "So, that wasn't you who I saw giving googly eyes to Reid last night at the bar?"
"Who was giving googly eyes?" a different voice asked, walking towards Jamie and Morgan.
Jamie turned her chair, seeing Penelope in her bright wardrobe. "It's nothing."
"Oh, no," Penelope said, holding up a finger. "I for one, need to hear some NYE aftermath." Penelope turned to Morgan, knowing he wouldn't hold back from the teasing, especially if she was involved. "Spill!"
"At the bar, last night, I swear it looked like Carter wanted to scoop up Boy Genius."
Penelope gasped and turned to Jamie, "Did you?"
Jamie held out her arm, telling them it was ridiculous. "Did I what?"
"Jamie and Spencer, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."
"I swear, you two are children," Jamie told them, wagging her finger at them both.
Penelope and Morgan laughed a bit, then upon seeing the resident genius enter the room, things took a turn.
"Hey, there's my man!" Morgan called, earning a glare from Jamie.
"Morning, guys," Spencer said, sitting down at his own desk next to Jamie's.
"Why are you all wet?" Penelope asked him.
"It looks like he took a shower," Jamie answered, drinking from her coffee.
"Well, duh. But why wouldn't you take one before coming to work? You never do that."
"How would you know?" Spencer was quick to defend.
Then, Penelope must've come to a realization as she began to hit Morgan on the chest with the back or her hand. "He didn't go home last night!"
"Wh-what? Of course, I did!"
"No way," Penelope told him. "Either you went home with someone else after you dropped off Jamie or…"
All of the attention was focused in on the two red-faced agents sitting at their desk. They knew that this would happen. This stuff always had a way of getting out, even if they didn't mean it to.
Jamie looked at Spencer, her eyes fully open and her mind less groggy as their teammates came closer to the truth. She turned back around, taking her feet from her desktop. "Look," she began, "nothing happened."
"Oh!" Morgan shouted, seeming happy. "I knew it!"
"You knew nothing!" Jamie told him.
"This is crazy!" Penelope squealed.
"It really isn't," Spencer chimed in, "I took her home and since it was already late, she told me I could stay. So, I slept on the couch."
"Whatever you say, man…" Morgan said, getting up and walking away from the group. He left with a smile on his face, one that Jamie wanted to rip off him.
"I have to go, too, but I want details!" Penelope declared, walking away in her heeled shoes.
"There's no details to tell!" Jamie called out. She slumped back in her seat and turned to Spencer, "I don't think we'll survive today."
"Look on the bright side. There's no case today."
"Seriously?"
"You didn't get the email?"
Jamie shook her head and opened her computer, "I haven't checked it yet." She typed away on her laptop, scrolling her way through her emails until she found the one she was looking for. It pleased her, knowing that they wouldn't have to leave for a day or two. As she was reading, another topic came to her mind. "Oh, hey, when did you want to go get your car?"
"Um, after work is fine."
"Okay," Jamie agreed. She faced him, giving him a small smile with wagging eyebrows, "Maybe today will be our kind of nine-to-five."
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
DATE OF TRANSCIPTION: 1/1/2015
FD-307 (RE. #177-208)
CARLY SESSNA (CS) was interviewed by properly identified Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. SESSNA provided the following information about SR. RAYMOND SESSNA (SRS) as well as information not included in this document.
On December (12) fourth (4) twenty-fourteen (2014), the SESSNA Family consisted of approximately thirty-four (34) formally inducted members. CARLY SESSNA, Boss of JARED LANGLY (JL), also known as (a/k/a) "JAREY LANG", Underboss of the SESSA Family were both incarcerated on November (11) fifteenth (15) twenty-fourteen (2014). CARLY SESSNA, two (2) years prior, chose SR. RAYMOND SESSNA to be the acting boss. SR. RAYMOND SESSNA had chosen JARED LANGLY to be the underboss of the operation. RAYMOND SESSNA JR. son to SR. RAYMOND SESSNA and brother to CARLY SESSNA, incarcerated at the time of JARED LANGLY, was to assume control of the operation upon his release from prison.
The captains in the family, who were not presently incarcerated, were: WILLIAM ZAMBARDO (WZ) (a/k/a) "WILLY ZAM", ROBERT ZAMBARDO (RZ) (a/k/a) "BOBBY ZAM"; RICHARD SESSNA (RS), DEDRICK SESSNA (DS) (a/k/a) "DODGE"; ALEXANDER MARK (AM) (a/k/a) "MARKSMAN"; LESLIE RUSSO (LR) (a/k/a) "LIL R", SAMANTHA RUSSO (SR) (a/k/a) "BIG R".
CARLY SESSNA'S (CS) crew consisted of uncles: RICHARD SESSNA and DEDRICK SESSNA (a/k/a) "DODGE". Along with ALEXANDER MARK (a/k/a) "MARKSMAN"; LESLIE RUSSO (a/k/a) "LIL R" and SAMANTHA RUSSO (a/k/a) "BIG R"
SR. RAYMOND SESSNA'S (SRS) crew consisted son: RAYMOND SESSNA JR. Along with WILLIAM ZAMBARDO (a/k/a) "WILLY ZAM" and ROBERT ZAMBARDO (a/k/a) "BOBBY ZAM".
JARED LANGLY (a/k/a) "JAREY LANG" was co-operating both sides from the SESSNA residence in BOSTON, MA.
Investigation through: November (11) fourth (04) twenty-fourteen (2014) – December (12) twenty-sixth (26) twenty-fourteen (2014).
FILE: 201S-MA-62945
Date disclosed: 1/1/2015
Jamie's hands were tired from all the typing she had done throughout the day. There never seemed to be a time where the team didn't have to write up case reports. Regardless, paperwork was a part of the job whether she liked it or not. Although, she had just finished her last report for the day and she was finally caught up on her paperwork, which made Jamie feel (almost) free. Sitting back in her chair with her hands behind her head, Jamie closed her eyes, wishing she could be at home in bed. Through her resting eyes, the light could be seen, but when a shadow overcame the light, Jamie's eyes flew open. What she saw, made her jump a tad, but she didn't even scramble to make it look like she was working hard.
"Carter, I need you to hand in those reports by tonight." Hotch informed her.
Composing herself, Jamie scrolled along in her computer and gave Hotch a knowing smile. "I just finished the last one a few moments ago. So, I'll definitely have the hard copies on your desk before I go."
"Perfect. Go home and get some rest. I expect to see everybody here tomorrow for the next case."
Jamie nodded, sending her report to her printer as she did. "Will do, boss. Have a good night."
With that, Hotch walked back to his office, never looking back at anyone around him. Jamie sighed, she was relieved the day was over. She looked at the clock on the wall and it wasn't even that late. It was nearly seven o'clock and Jamie was starving. As her printer produced the pages of her long report, Jamie looked around for Spencer. She hadn't forgotten about driving him back to the bar to retrieve his own car. While she didn't see him anywhere in the bullpen, she decided to text him.
TO: S. REID
6:57 P.M.: Hey, are you ready to go soon? I just finished my last report.
Sending the message, Jamie collected the finished printed report in her hands. She shuffled them neatly together and placed them in the prongs of an official FBI case report folder. Taking the report in hand, along with the older ones she had stuffed in her desk, Jamie walked up the catwalk and over to Hotch's office. She knocked before she entered, but when she didn't hear a reply, she peered her head around the corner. Hotch wasn't in his office, so Jamie walked in quickly and placed her fresh report and the others on his desk. While she made her way out, her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans.
FROM: S. REID
7:01 P.M.: Down on the fourth floor. Give me five.
That satisfied Jamie. They were both getting out at a decent time and the sooner Jamie got home, the better. On her way, down to her desk, she saw JJ heading out across the floor. "Hey, JJ!" she called, walking quicker to catch her blonde teammate.
JJ spun around, smiling at Jamie as they stood in the middle of the bullpen. "Hey. Looks like we get an early one tonight, huh?"
Jamie sighed dramatically and pretending to wipe sweat off her forehead. "I know, but I think we deserve it. We've been buried in these reports all day."
JJ nodded in agreement, looking around her. "Another day, another dollar, right?"
"Not enough dollars," Jamie joked along. She placed her hand on JJ's shoulder, offering her a smile as they walked down the floor. Before they got all the way to Jamie's desk, they both spotted Spencer walking in through the glass doors.
"Hey, ready to go?" Jamie asked, meeting him halfway.
"Yeah, just have to go collect my things."
"Same here," Jamie replied. She walked over to her desk, grabbing her purse and coat.
"You guys have plans or something?" JJ questioned, making sure only Jamie could hear her.
"I have to drive him back to the bar. He left his car there last night."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." JJ said.
"Okay, I'm ready," Spencer told Jamie, meeting her at her desk.
"Me, too."
All three agents left the sixth floor together, parting ways in the parking garage. Jamie and Spencer got into her car, Jamie starting the engine.
She turned on the heat, rubbing her hands to warm them a little before she grabbed the wheel. When she was ready, she put the car into drive and began the short journey back to Red Derby. While on the road, a thought came back to Jamie. She turned to Spencer and asked, "Are you hungry?"
The question seemed to have caught him off guard, as he narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Jamie took her eyes away from the road for a second, training them on her passenger. She laughed a little, "Does your stomach wish for sustenance?"
"Oh, yeah, I could eat."
"Good," Jamie said, "I figured since we're heading back into town and I'm starving, we could get a bite."
"Sounds good to me."
When they pulled into the parking lot of Red Derby, Jamie made sure to park her car right next to Spencer's. Since they were in the heart of downtown, there were plenty of spots to choose from to grab some food. They got out of the car, walking down the street, deciding where they wanted to eat.
"How about Chinese?" Jamie suggested, pointing at a little corner restaurant.
"That place doesn't have forks."
Jamie smiled and laughed whole-heartedly, "You still can't use chopsticks?"
Spencer laughed, too, "Like I told the others, you can't pick up food with number two pencils." They walked a little further down the street, seeing groups of civilians go by. "What about that diner around the corner?"
"Oh, that one with the fifties' décor?"
"That's the one," Spencer clarified.
"I've never been there before. Sounds good to me."
The two strolled down the street, enjoying conversation like any other pair of people. Nothing seemed out of place at the moment. Here they were, two friends with a crazy, complicated past, going to dinner like nothing bad had ever happened between them.
Upon entering the diner, Spencer held the door open for Jamie and she gave a gracious thank you. They sat themselves down in a booth in the middle of the establishment. Thankfully, it wasn't too busy, so they had room to move and to speak as they wished. The décor was dedicated to the nineteen-fifties and it filled Jamie with happiness.
"This place is great," she said out loud, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
Spencer nodded in agreement, "I come here quite a bit. I like to change my surroundings when I read-"
"…because one place for too long gets stiff." Jamie finished for him, earning a shy smile.
"Hey, you two. What can I start you off with?" an older waitress asked the pair.
"Can I get a chocolate milkshake and a plate of French fries, please." Jamie ordered without hesitation. She couldn't help but notice the chuckle that came from Spencer on the other side of the booth.
"You know what, make that two." Spencer told the waitress, holding up two fingers.
"Absolutely," The waitress spoke, writing down their order. "I'll have that out shortly," She walked away to the kitchen window, placing their order ticket on the ledge.
"What was so funny?" Jamie wondered, tilting her head at Spencer.
"Oh, nothing," he said, running one hand through his hair. "It's just…you still order that?"
Jamie smiled at him and laughed herself, "Um, what was that thing you said to me my first day on the job? Oh, that's right…some things never change."
"I did say that," Spencer admitted, clearly recalling the memory. "We've come a long way since then, though."
"I'm glad," Jamie told him, adding a small nod of the head and genuine eye contact. She licked her lips and thought, "This could've turned out completely different."
"How so?"
"Well, I mean, look at our past. It was hard in the beginning to not have what happened ten years ago, not interfere with where we are now, you know?"
"I get it," Spencer reassured, "What was it you said to me on the flight back after you first case? Oh, that's' right…maturity and professionalism." he teased, using the same sarcasm she did just moments earlier.
Jamie laughed, smiling and shaking her head in slight embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah, I did say that."
"Here you two go," notified the waitress as she placed their milkshakes and French fries on the table. "Is there anything else I can get for you tonight?"
"I think we're goo here, thank you." Spencer told her before she walked away.
Jamie dug right into her food, starving from a day of constant typing and computer screens. "Ugh," she moaned, "this taste like heaven."
"I'm actually going to agree with you this time," Spencer said, eating his food as well.
Jamie slipped her straw in her mouth, drinking up her favorite flavor of ice cream. "Hey, how's your mom doing?" she questioned, turning the conversation.
Spencer finished chewing his fries before answering, "She's good. She, uh, actually moved back to Vegas a few months ago."
Jamie's eyes widened at the news, "Oh, that-that's…cool."
Spencer quirked one eyebrow at her and popped a fry into his mouth, "Cool? Seriously?"
"What am I supposed to say? Believe me, it was a genuine thought, but we both know she isn't my biggest fan."
"She's over that," Spencer informed her. "I mean, the next time you see her, she'll probably grill you again, but-"
"The next time?"
"Huh?"
Jamie took a fry from her half-empty plate and chewed on it. "You just said there'll be a next time that I see your mother…"
Spencer was obviously flustered. Either he meant it one way and she took it the other, or it was just innocent wording. "…it doesn't have to be taken out of context."
Jamie put her hands up in the air, surrendering, "Hey, it was an innocent question." she claimed.
The next couple of hours flew by, as they didn't even bother to looks at the time. Their conversation had taken a mind of its own. Both of the off-duty agents had a deep affection for intelligent conversation; they always had. Their ability to just sit and talk to one another was something that Jamie always admired about their relationship. Even though ten years had gone by, that didn't seem to change their ways. There in the booth, at that moment in time, they weren't bound by any obligations or barred by human limitation.
It was just…Jamie and Spencer.
By the time they had left the small diner, it was ten o'clock. They shuffled out after agreeing to split the bill and walked back the way they came to their cars through the dark night. The winter air was chilly and the breeze didn't help the cold feeling that overcame Jamie. Neither of them noticed that Jamie had moved in closer to Spencer's side as they walked, as they were still too busy in conversation. When they came to their vehicles, they both stopped in front of Jamie's.
"I'm glad we did this," Jamie told him.
"Me, too," Spencer agreed, "Kind of reminded me of old times, you know?"
"Yeah, I do."
Their eyes met in the gold beam of a street light. Jamie gave him a small smile and a hymn of laughter as she felt a little awkward. There was no doubt in her mind that he felt that same way, but at the same time, it felt familiar, almost confortable. It also felt like one of those cliché moments from the rom-coms. That moment where the two characters stare deeply and meaningfully into the other's eyes…and then they kiss.
Except that didn't happen here.
Spencer cleared his throat, banishing the awful silence that was surrounding them. "Uh, so anyway, it's getting late. I should probably…"
Jamie nodded slowly, her eyes cast downward at her feet. "Yeah, me, too." She moved her eyes back up and offered Spencer one last smile, which he returned. Then, it was like Jamie couldn't control herself. She stepped forward, throwing her arms around Spencer's neck and pulling him down to her height in a tight hug. They stayed like that for a moment, wrapped in one another's arms.
"Good night, Spencer." Jamie said, releasing him from her hold.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Spencer replied, leaving Jamie with one last, beautiful smile as he made his way to his own car.
Thanks for reading and please remember to review! I would really appreciate it.
