x. Coffee Beans
"You were good with them," he says as he approaches her and gestures at the children reuniting with their parents. She's standing back, toying with the edge of Derek Morgan's FBI jacket and waiting for her handler to call her back. Her mission is over, but she claims she needs more time to ensure everything at the scene is handled.
"Thank you," she replies quietly, her voice thick with tears of joy.
"This is the best part of the job. Why we all suffer through the hellish nightmares from these cases," he adds and she swears his eyes are shining with tears too.
It's rare that she gets to witness the good that she is doing, the reasons why she does the things she does, the justification for all the sins she's committed. He's right. It feels amazing. She doesn't get enough of it at Interpol. She does good work, challenging work, but it doesn't have this kind of gratification.
"Emily, have you eaten dinner?"
She raises an eyebrow curiously, "Are you trying to get me to go on a date with you?"
"I'm not trying to take you out and–"
"And fuck me?" She interrupts and is graced with a hint of his smile. She misses his smile. It doesn't seem like he smiles enough either.
"I have no intention of doing that," he lets out a chuckle, carefully avoiding the topic of sex. He doesn't think she knows that he's still married, and he's definitely not going to bring it up. His marriage to Haley may be a sham, but he will never be unfaithful as a married man. Knowingly married, anyway. "I just want to talk to you. I think there's a lot that we need to tell each other."
She nods in agreement, then grabs a notepad and pen from the nearest FBI technician's hand, who just sputters until she returns the items.
"Here, um, my phone number," she adds and thrusts the paper into his hands. "I'll be in D.C. for a few more days to unwind. Forced vacation time thanks to the higher-ups, you know. I have a place in Georgetown. There's a really good coffee shop nearby, if you want coffee."
"I usually prefer tea," he corrects gently, and she marvels at how she had lived with him for a month and didn't notice. "But I'll choke down some coffee beans with you."
He still manages to bring a smile to her face. Damn, she's in deep. "I have to go, but call me?"
"I will," he says earnestly. "I want to work this all out, Emily. I know it's not the same, it's not some carefree fling, but there's still something between us. I'm not saying we need to address that now, but I think we need to reconcile all this."
"We need honesty."