Reckless

Chapter Nine

Hermione looked up from the morning newspaper as Harry entered the kitchen. Harry had been asleep when she came in last night so she hadn't had the chance to ask him how the rest of his night went. With a small chuckle she wondered if he had managed to get away from his harassing blind date easily. She was surprised to see him grinning like a fool as he fixed his own cup of coffee. She set the paper down slowly onto the counter top.

"I'm going to have to thank Derek," he commented, "after I rag him about that horrible choice of a woman…" Hermione blinked and curled her fingers around her coffee cup.

"Why?" Hermione asked. He had sounded so displeased the night before that she feared for Derek's life. Just because they weren't able to use magic in front of them, it wouldn't stop Harry from playing a prank or two just to get back at the agent. Still, she would have to watch him. Harry seemed to be preoccupied with adding just the right amount of creamer and sugar to his coffee, but in reality she knew he was measuring what to tell her and what to keep secret in his head. It was something she had come to accept from Harry; after all, he would tell her in due time. It was just how they were. Secrets, no matter how big or small, never lasted long between them.

"Because it led to me meeting a very interesting woman," Harry explained as he turned away from the counter. Hermione nearly dropped her cup in surprise, but managed to keep hold of it as a wide smile drifted over her lips.

"That's great!" She exclaimed as he sat down across from her. As they sat sipping their coffee, Harry told her everything. Hermione smiled widely at the descriptions he used to describe Haley. Just one night around her and her brother was completely enamored. She would hate to see what would happen when he started to pursue her seriously. Hermione knew for a fact that he would and she would probably cave to him. No woman could resist Harry once he got serious. "So, what do you think I should do?"

"Give her time," Hermione said. "Be her friend first. Don't rush it. She's more than likely wary of your job and therefore you. Show her that you'll be around. Show her that you're good with children." They smiled as they thought of little Teddy. He lived with Tonk's mother now. Harry and Hermione regularly visited him.

"It's about that time, isn't it?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. A comfortable silence fell over them. Before Harry decided to break it, "are you going over to Spencer's again today?" He asked. Hermione smiled and shook her head.

"I figured we could hang out today," Hermione suggested hopefully. Harry smiled.

"Sure," he answered. "Anything particular you want to do?" He asked.

"Well…" Hermione bit into her lip as she thought, "there's a sandwich place I want to try out, but other than that I guess we could just hang around here and watch movies."

"That sounds good," Harry agreed as he stood and put his cup into the sink.

"Where's the Girl Wonder?" Derek asked as he stepped inside Spencer's apartment. He blinked as Spencer smiled softly at just the mention of Hermione. "Oh, man," he laughed, "you have it so bad." Spencer's soft smile morphed into one of amusement.

"I've had it bad ever since I met her," Spencer returned good naturedly. Derek glanced at him as he sat down on his friend's couch. Hotch and the others would be joining them later, but at the moment Derek wanted to talk to his friend one on one.

"How long have you known her?" Derek asked. Spencer smiled softly and launched into the description of the day they met. Derek laughed hard after he painted the picture of that day in the library. "I could see that," he gasped as once he finished laughing. Spencer smiled. Once his friend calmed down, he asked what had really been bugging him: "Why'd she leave?"

Spencer stood in front of the restaurant Hermione had promised to meet him at after she settled everything with her parents. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stay and he knew it too, so he wanted to make this night memorable. He gripped the ring box in his pocket and prayed that she would be able to get through to her protective parents. So, he waited patiently. He had brought a book just in case she was terribly late, but he found that he couldn't concentrate on the pages. He was too worried. He waited until the restaurant closed to leave. He didn't go home. He went straight to the condo that the Grangers rented each time they came to Los Vegas. His heart fell when he saw the empty driveway and darkened house. Fear clenched him. Had she not been able to talk her parents into waiting another day? Had they forced her to leave? He swallowed. With a heavy, fearful heart, he returned home. His hands were shaking as he readied himself for bed. He placed the ring box on his nightstand and lay down in his bed. He fell asleep staring at the engagement ring he planned to give her.

"She had left off and on during our relationship for boarding school, but I understood that. We were eighteen when she left," Spencer said. All of the humor that had been in Derek's eyes left at the sight of pain in Spencer's. "Her family wouldn't allow her to stay no matter what argument she gave them." A small silence fell over them. Derek smiled suddenly, catching Spencer by surprise.

"Well, she's here now," Derek reassured. "And you can pick up where you left off." Suddenly, Derek wiggled his eyebrows, "if the behavior in the office was any indication, I'd say you already have and much more." Spencer's cheeks flushed.

"Nothing much has changed," he muttered. Derek's eyes widened as the implication of that statement sank in.

"My man!" He exclaimed with a laugh. Spencer rolled his eyes as his friend clapped him on the shoulder. Spencer knew that Derek wouldn't push him for information. Still Spencer couldn't help but think of the first time Hermione and he had made love. They had been seventeen and had been arguing over his low self-esteem. Hermione had kissed him out of anger and to push her earlier point that he was attractive. Then, she had proceeded to show him just how attractive she thought he was. It hadn't been as awkward as Spencer had thought it would be; he had forgotten that both he and Hermione were very passionate people.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Spencer asked in order to break himself out of his thoughts of his first night with Hermione. Derek smiled.

"Yeah," Derek answered as he stood to pick out the movie. Spencer shook his head at his friend and turned to the kitchen to fix some popcorn.

Hermione bit into the sandwich she ordered and listened to Harry as he ranted about the differences between old generation movies and the newer generation movies. Hermione smiled as she chewed the amazing sandwich. Harry could go on forever and ever about it.

"Some of them have redeeming qualities, but they can't go a single scene without introducing sex somehow!" Harry exclaimed, waving his chip around in the air. Hermione smothered laughter in order to swallow her bite.

"Um hum…" Hermione murmured as she took a sip of her Dr. Pepper. She couldn't help but remember the way Spencer would blush and look away each time one of those scenes would come on the screen. She would look away as well but just to see the adorable look on her love's face not out embarrassment. She was inches away from tuning out her best friend and brother. She had heard this rant many times. She could probably quote it back to him by now. "Harry," he stopped mid-sentence and quirked his eyebrow, "eat your sandwich." She demanded. Harry laughed.

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin. In truth, he had been waiting for that. It had become a game for him to see just how long Hermione would listen to him rant about it. Harry ate his sandwich dutifully, not wanting to push her patience anymore.

"Now, come on! We've got to meet the group at Spencer's!" Hermione exclaimed as she throw her sandwich wrapper away. Harry smiled and ate the rest of his sandwich haistely and tossed the wrapper.

"Okay, okay…"

Harry was disturbed from his small dozing by the shrill ring of his phone. He glanced over at the black cell phone and fought off a small groan. After spending all evening watching movies with Reid, Morgan, Garcia, and Hermione, all he wanted was to rest.

"Hello?" Harry answered his cell without looking at the number. Not that he would know it was Haley calling because she hadn't given him his number. She was too cautious. Her heart had been treaded too many times.

"Hi, Harry. This is Haley. I don't know if you remember me-" Haley started; her fingertips twined and untwined the white chord of her house phone.

"Yes, I remember you. How could I forget?" Harry asked, being truthful. He tucked an arm behind his head and waited for her to respond.

On the other line, Haley blushed prettily and placed her hand over her racing heart. 'Oh! I'm acting silly! Come on, Haley! You're not a teenager anymore!' She closed her eyes and summoned the courage to tell Harry the reason she called. She bit into her bottom lip and clenched her open hand into a fist.

"Well, my son wanted to say hey to the man that mommy talks about so much," Haley stated. Harry smiled widely and blushed slightly. Haley of course was biting into her bottom lip even harder. The night before Harry had told her that he adored children and would love to meet Jack. She thought that she should ease Jack onto Harry. If they were going to go on more outings, like she hoped they would, Jack would no doubt be with them.

"So, you've been talking about me?" Harry fished. Haley blushed and gripped the phone a little harder as her nerves began to act up again.

"He may have overheard me talking to the babysitter about why it took me so long to get home," Haley explained with a small coy smile. Harry bit into his bottom lip, ready to apologize for keeping her from her son for so long; but the teasing, playful tone she spoke in told him that everything was fine. So, he opted to go in another direction.

"Hum, must have been one really lucky man to hold your attention for so long," Harry flirted. Briefly, he was reminded of conversation with Ginny. Often times, those conversations lapsed into unashamed flirting. Vaguely, he hoped that, like Ginny, Haley wouldn't mind. On the end of the other line, Haley, still holding her bottom lip in between her teeth, smiled.

"Well, I was a pretty lucky woman to hold his attention," she returned. It was so refreshing to flirt like this! It had been so long since she had. And with such a young man too!

"He would be a full not to be entranced," Harry returned. Haley's smile grew as did her racing heart. Her brow's furrowed however when she heard a female voice drawl: "For god's sake, Harry! You're about to give me cavities."

"Who was that?" Haley asked. She knew that his attention was too good to be true…

"My sister in everything but blood," Harry explained in a reassuring tone.

"Oh," Haley sighed in relief. She jumped slightly as a small hand grasped onto her leg. She glanced down at her son.

"Momma! Let me talk to him!" Jack whined. Haley's heart sped up as Harry's chuckle flowed through the phone line. Haley sighed and passed her small son the phone.

"'Ello!" He greeted. On the other line, Harry smiled softly.

"Hello, Jack," Harry greeted. Jack shifted and asked the question that had been bothering him all day.

"Are you going to replace my daddy?" Jack asked. Haley's heart froze and her eyes filled with tears as she waited for Harry's answer.

"I'll never be able to do that, Jack," Harry answered in a reassuring tone. "Your dad is one of a kind." Jack nodded enthusiastically at that. Haley smiled softly.

"He's so cool!" Jack gushed then launched into the things that his father had achieved. Harry listened with a gentle smile. Haley was also smiling gently.

"See, I could never hope to be that awesome," Harry answered. Jack nodded in agreement, but didn't say it. Haley smiled happily as the boys talked. It delighted her that the young man that was a potential love interest would get along so well with her son.

Hermione, for all her teasing, was delighted that her brother had someone in his life now. She could see that something was going to come out of this, but whether good or bad she didn't know.