The morning light filtered in from the window, a bit of sun reflecting on the freshly fallen snow gave the intensity a little boost as the sunlight warmed Antonia's face. She tried to hide from the invading light, burying herself beneath the blanket, she let out a soft groan of dissatisfaction. She then breathed deeply, not recognizing the scent of the blanket that covered her, she pushed it off her head and sat up. She sucked in a sharp breath at the unfamiliar place she found herself waking up at, and as the fog of sleep was finally lifted, she quickly calmed at the thought of how she ended up sleeping on Agent Fitzgerald's couch.
With quiet, polite conversation, and delicious food, the meal was enjoyable for both parties. When the food was consumed, Aiden took their plates to the sink and rinsed them, walking to the table he could see that Antonia was quickly fading. "Maybe the wine wasn't a good idea after all." He teased, watching her glare at him playfully. "You look like you're going to fall asleep sitting there."
"I am just fine, thank you." She said, taking another sip of wine, she looked across the room at a collection of photos that were on a small bookshelf. She stood up and walked across the room, picking up a photo of a woman. "This your mom?"
"Yes." He said, watching her with humor in his eyes as he washed the dishes.
"You both have the same smile and eyes." She said, picking up another photo, of a young Aiden with his arm around another boy, a little younger than himself.
"That's my brother, Liam." He said, dropping the subject as he turned off the water.
Antonia placed the photo down, and walked over to the counter, leaning against it with her glass in her hand. She sipped from it and watched him dry his hands. Her eyes held a deeply thoughtful expression. "Liam and Aiden." She smiled. "One would think that you were of Irish descent." She teased.
"If the last name didn't throw you over the edge on that hypothesis, I'd have to question your doctorate." He teased, tossing the dish towel toward her, she picked it up and tossed it back at him. He smiled, but noticed that she seemed to be withdrawing at a remarkable rate. Her smile had faded, and her eyes were now tracing the marble on the counter. "Thank you for sharing Christmas dinner with me." He said
Her eyes flicked up to his, and she carefully slid her wine glass across the counter toward him. "Thank you for dinner. It was delicious." She said with a tender smile, with a tinge of sadness.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, I'll be fine." She said, turning around. She walked over and sat down on his couch, pushing herself into the corner, she pulled her feet up and lay her head down.
He walked around the counter and sat beside her, not too close, but close enough to watch her eyes droop a little. "You can stay here tonight, if you want." He smiled, and he watched her lift her head up with a blank expression. "I mean, if you're tired. I can bring you home if you want, or you can stay here. It's fine." He smiled.
"I can take a cab." She said, yawning as she lay her head on the arm of the couch again, her eyes fluttered closed. "Maybe the wine wasn't a good idea after all." She mumbled sleepily.
He let out a soft laugh, but noticed that she had already drifted off. He pulled a blanket from the back of the couch, carefully draping it over her, watching for just a moment as she burrowed into it. "Goodnight." He whispered, standing up, flicking off the light beside the couch before returning to the kitchen to finish cleaning the dinner plates, and heading off to bed himself.
Antonia stood, stretching as she looked around at the apartment in the daylight. She could hear the sound of water running in the bathroom, and spied the clock on the wall. It was nearly 8am, and she was still wearing the clothes from the day before, as well as the fact that she was in someone else's apartment. She yawned and stretched, carefully folding the blanket that she had used, draping it over the back of the couch. She could smell coffee being brewed, and glanced toward the hallway, and to the pot of coffee, quickly she walked around the counter and opened the cupboard over the coffee pot, smiling at the perfectly stacked mugs. She reached in and pulled one down, and carefully poured herself a cup.
She breathed in the pleasant scent of the dark liquid, and turned around, her eyes closed as she took her first sip. She heard the sound of the bathroom door close, and sipped again as he stepped around the corner in a t-shirt and a pair of suit pants. "I thought I heard someone pillaging my coffee." He said, watching her eyebrow lift over sipping from the cup.
"I would apologize, but I am really not sorry." She said, taking another sip.
He laughed, and pulled his own cup down. He leaned over to the refrigerator and pulled out half and half, and set it on the counter just as his phone started ringing loudly. "Sorry about that." He said. "I keep it loud when I'm in the shower." He lifted the phone to his ear. "Fitzgerald." Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and his eyes flicked to Antonia. "Yes, sir." He said softly. "Antonia?" He looked to Antonia and watched her eyes widen. She shook her head, and hands in the air to indicate that she wasn't there. "Uh, no sir. She's not here." He turned and gave her a pleading look. "Um, well, we ate dinner, and I… sent her home in a cab." He said, staring at the counter, he listened to Booth for a moment. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm sure she's fine, she's a pretty resourceful person. Yes sir, I will be in shortly. I just have to drop off… my dry cleaning." He said, sending another pleading look to Antonia. "Yes sir, I'll meet you at the lab. Thank you." He said, hanging up the phone he gave Antonia a pained expression. "That was not cool."
"That… That I'm sorry about." She whispered, sipping from her coffee. "Thank you."
Aiden nodded and poured his creamer and coffee, and returned the half and half to the refrigerator. He turned around and leaned against the counter and watched her for a moment, their eyes clashing in a moment of awkwardness. "I should probably go get dressed." He said, sipping from his cup, he set it on the counter.
"I should probably go check my phone." she said quickly, walking toward the front closet where her coat was hanging, and when she glanced toward Aiden, he was disappearing into the room at the end of the hallway.