Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
Reid was still silently fuming when he and Lila got back to his apartment later that night. Gideon had been way out of line, and he knew it. He knew that Reid didn't want Lila to feel pressured into anything and that he didn't want her doing this job for the rest of her life. She was happy with her acting career, and he wanted it to stay that way until she wanted to change it.
Lila could tell he was seriously pissed off, and let him cool off by talking with Penelope until they dropped her off at her apartment.
"Spencer, what did he say to you?" Lila asked once they were in the apartment. It was a nice place, spacious and modern, but still homey.
"He didn't have to say anything." He muttered. Despite the slightly cryptic answer, Lila knew what he meant.
"Well, what was he thinking?" She corrected.
"It's nothing-" He started and she shook her head.
"You wouldn't be this mad if it was just nothing." She stated with confidence.
"He just-" Reid stopped mid-sentence and heaved a breath. "He wants to recruit you." This shocked her slightly. Why would he want her? "I know that you don't really want to be an agent, but I don't want you to feel pressured or anything. I also don't want you to think that I want you to be an agent. Not that I don't want to work with you, but I don't want you to see the things that I see every day." He stumbled over a few of his words, but she knew he meant what he said.
"Spence, you don't have to worry about that." She assured him. He nodded as he walked into the kitchen. Most of his appliances were stainless steel, (which was a feature Lila had insisted he have when looking for a potential apartment, even though he didn't see the point).
"You really don't have any food in your house, do you? Mrs. Gonzales would be ashamed." She said, pawing through his cupboards. He rolled his eyes at the mention of his housekeeper, and she continued. "Do you even eat when she's not around? I swear you've lost weight, if that's even possible." She looked over her shoulder to give him an appraising look, and he frowned at her.
"Yes, I eat." He informed her indignantly. "My teammates make sure of that." He thought back to all the times JJ would scold him in a restaurant for not eating all of his food, or Garcia would try to force feed him cookies, or Morgan would insist that he gained all his nutrition from coffee and sugar alone. She snorted.
"They seem like the type." She told him.
"What type?"
"The type that look after each other." Well, she had that right. Before he could respond to her assessment, she continued. "So, what takeout places are good around here? Looking at the state of your kitchen, I have a feeling you would know."
…
Prentiss walked into her apartment, locking the door behind her. She had rented a new apartment with a better security system after almost being burned to death in her last one.
"Honey, I'm home!" She called, and Sergio came running down the hall. She flashed straight white teeth at him as he curled around her legs. There was the sound of slippers coming from the kitchen and Abigail, her girlfriend, walked into view. Her long blond hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she was dressed in pajamas.
"You know, I feel like you like that cat more than you like me." She joked, and Prentis laughed.
"I've missed you." She said as she walked toward her, pulling her into a tight hug and dropping a kiss on her cheek. She was only about 5'6 and Emily, who was already taller than her, was wearing heels.
"Hard case?" Abigail asked without pulling away. She felt Emily nod.
"You have no idea." She said, letting out a slightly shuddery breath. The blond pulled away and grabbed her hand, pulling her girlfriend to the kitchen. She put a warm coffee mug into her hands before sitting down.
"Tell me about it." She requested, crossing pajama-clad legs over one another. She already knew about what she and her team did, and that she could shapeshift.
"They all-" She cut herself off. Abigail waited patiently. "They all reminded me of you." She whispered. "And they were all killed by a shifter." Abigail finally understood. Emily often struggled with the idea that thinking like these killers made her not so different than them.
"Baby, you would never-" Emily shook her head.
"I know, but… it was just a lot." Abigail pulled her into a hug, now on the same level that they were sitting down.
"I know, Emm, I know." She murmured. Prentiss was struck by just how lucky she was, that her girlfriend hadn't been living with her when her apartment went up, that she stayed with her upon learning about her power, that she loved Sergio, that she loved her.
"I love you, you know that?" She affirmed, her voice muffled by the fabric of Aby's robe. She chuckled.
"But of course, how could you not?" Prentiss had to agree with that.
…
JJ walked into her small house and put her purse down on the table. She thumbed through the mail in her hands as she turned on the lights in the kitchen. She set the mail down, about to pull her phone out of her pocket when she heard a floorboard creak behind her. Before she could turn, harms wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened, and she spun, breaking the loose hold and punching the man behind her in the nose.
"JJ!" He yelled in a deep southern accent, stepping back and out of her range. She blinked, realizing who it was standing there.
"Will?" She asked. "What the Hell!" She fell out of her fighting stance, and he relaxed slightly. "You didn't think to tell me you were here before you sneak up on me like that? You scared the crap out of me!"
"I texted you that I would be here!" He said, holding his now bloody nose.
"No, you didn't!" She then realized, "My phone is dead."
"Well, geez, if I had known that…" He trailed off, and they were both quiet. "I'm sorry."
"No, Will, I'm sorry, I'm just…"
"On edge?" He asked, and she smirked.
"How'd you guess? Come on, let me help you clean that up." She said in regards to his still bleeding nose.
After a brief examination, she told him it wasn't broken.
"So, why are you here?" She asked once they were settled on the couch.
"Well, I got some time off work and I knew that you were getting off a case, so I thought it might be nice to come to see you." He explained. They had met on a case in Louisiana, a woman had been leaving notes like Jack the Ripper at her crime scenes.
"Well, despite the rough start, I'm glad you came." She said, leaning on him. He smiled.
"Yeah, I am too."
…
Hotch knocked on the front door and waited patiently. The porch light was on and he was sure she wasn't asleep- he had told her he was coming soon.
"Aaron!" She said before the door was fully open.
"Hi, Beth." He said, smiling. She pulled him into a quick hug before opening the door more to allow him to enter. He wasn't really living with her, but they spent alternating nights at each other's houses.
"I thought you would be on the case longer." She said, a slight inflection in her voice. He nodded.
"I did too, honestly, but I'm glad I'm not." He said, leaning in a kissing her. She smiled against his lips.
"Hmm, me too." She hummed.
…
Penelope sat on her couch, flipping through channels and considering rewatching Dr. Who when there was a knock at her door. Her brow furrowed slightly. She didn't think she was expecting anyone. The knock came again, and she got up. She looked through the peephole and smiled as she opened the door. Derek, who had his arms full of grocery bags, beamed back at her.
"What's up, Babygirl?" He asked as he walked in.
"Nothing much, my Chocolate God, just waiting for you to bless me with your presence." He put the bags down on her counter and pulled out popcorn, an assortment of candy, and three movies. She laughed. "You do know how to spoil me."
"Well, you deserve it." He said, and she smiled wider. She never realized how terrible Shane had been to her until Morgan had first shown up at her apartment with snacks and movies. He was better, and they weren't even dating! So she just basked in the attention, knowing that he would always be there for her.
…
Rossi and Gideon sat in his mansion, talking over scotch.
"Do you remember that time… in upstate New York? When it was snowing and we had to take sleds everywhere?" Gideon asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
"And that kid dared us to take his sled down rattlesnake hill?" Rossi asked, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"You went flying down that hill so fast, I could have sworn-"
"Wait, you were the one that went down the hill!" Rossi corrected.
"What? Are you sure?" Jason asked, feigning confusion.
"Yes, I'm sure. Losing your memory in your old age, Jason?" He quipped. Gideon laughed.
"Nope, sharp as ever." He laughed. Rossi just shook his head at his friend antics.
A/N: Wow, I didn't have a plan for this but I was not expecting that. This was one of those chapters that kinda wrote itself. As always, I hope you enjoyed and thank you to all who have read, reviewed, faved, or followed!