Chapter 11
By 5:34 I'm in the parking lot of the BAU, making my way up to the seventh floor and spotting Spencer almost immediately in the bull pen.
"Hey!" I greet Spencer as I plop my bottom on top of a free space on his desk, taking him by surprise.
"Hey, you made it" he responds with a smile on his face, closing the file in front of him.
"I'm a woman of my word" I reply, "How've you been?" I ask while swinging my legs back and forth.
"I can't complain" he answers, "What about you?"
I pause. I reflect on the events of the past four days, the bad out weighing the good by miles.
"I guess I could say the same" I lie with a fake grin. I quickly take a glance of my surroundings, and in doing so I realize that there are three pairs of eyes on me.
"Um, Spencer?" I lean in and speak lowly. "I'm being stared at" I laugh and Spencer pushes back his chair so they're in his view.
"Really?" he deadpans to the three agents, who immediately make it look as though they're doing paperwork
"Hi, I'm Lia- the long lost half sister" I introduce myself while hopping off Spencer's desk, and approach the desk of the ebony haired woman.
"Emily" she sticks her hand out and we shake.
"Jennifer, you can call me JJ" the petite blonde sitting on Emily's desk pipes up. We shake hands.
"Derek Morgan" the tall, dark skinned, and rather good looking man from the next desk over says as he approaches my vicinity. "Pleasure to meet you Lia" he grins and we shake hands.
"It's nice to formally meet you" I say somewhat nervously to the three with a wide grin. "Aren't there three more of you? Agents, I mean. " I blurt out nervously. They all smile.Before any of them could answer, a heavy set blonde woman came rushing around the desk in my direction. She was wearing a hot pink dress with yellow tights, a blue cardigan, and purple shoes. It was an interesting outfit, but she pulled it off damn well. I could tell she was wearing purple eye makeup behind her plain black glasses, but I couldn't tell the initial color of her eyes. Maybe brown, blue, even green, but I wasn't positive.
"Out of my way!" she shouts while frantically waving her hands through the crowd of people she was rushing through.
"You must be Lia" The pep in her voice was something I definitely not something I was use to, but it was refreshing. "I'm Penelope, all knowing goddess of technology and optimism, but you can call me Garcia. You, my love, are absolutely stunning" the vibrant young woman introduces herself, and I can't help but grin ear to ear.
"Oh, um, th-thank you" I stutter and keep the corners of my mouth pointed upward. No one says a word, they just stare at me. I look around the room awkwardly, hoping someone would say a word.
"Pretty boy has a sister..." Derek chuckles and I do in return.
"Pretty boy?" I laugh and glance back at Spencer. I scan his being. "I can see it... I think" I conclude and grip the desk below me.
They continue to stare.
"Um, is there a way I could get a cup of coffee?" I ask awkwardly.
"Oh, of course! I could use cup myself" Emily gladly accepts, and I hop off the desk. I can feel eyes scanning my being as I walk silently in the opposite direction, muscles tense. I swallow the lump in my throat.
We reach the counter top where Emily hands me a blue 'FBI' mug, and grabs one for herself. She pours the bitter liquid into the vacant cups.
"Thanks" I grin and add sugar, followed by cream. Emily adds Spleda to hers. I turn around and lean against the counter, analyzing the room around me and the people in it. Agents moving from desk to desk, stacks of files being exchanged. Phones ringing. My eyes wander over to the BAU's section, where I can see Spencer peering directly at me. I stick my tongue out, puff out my cheeks and cross my eyes, breaking the expression when I giggle. Spencer returns the favor by straining the facial muscles and dropping his jaw, and I can't help but laugh a little louder. I catch Emily's attention.
"What's so funny?" she asks with a smirk. I point at Spencer, and Emily lets out a small laugh. "He talks about you a lot, ya know" she informs me, and I won't lie, I'm slightly taken back.
"Really?" I reply.
"Are you surprised?" she responds.
"Sort of" I say and take gulp of my coffee. "What does he say?" I ask curiously.
"Your similarities mostly, how smart you are" she goes on and I blush. "He says you're graduating this year?" she mentions and I nod my head.
"Yeah, in June" I confirm with a smile, "It can't come soon enough" I add and take another sip.
"My thoughts were the same when I was in high school, couldn't wait to get out" she says with a grin.
"Lia!" a voice cuts in from my left, startling me. My body jolts and coffee sloshes all over my left hand, my heart almost skipping a beat.
"Crap" I mutter lowly to myself as Emily takes the mug from my hand and exchanges it for paper towels. I look to man next to me and do my best to plaster a smile on my face. "Sorry," I say with a nervous laugh.
"No, I apologize, I snuck up on you" the dark haired, emotionless man apologizes, "SSA Aaron Hotcher" he introduces and sticks out his hand, we shake.
"It's nice to meet you" I grin and hope my cheeks don't appear as fiery as they feel.
"And you as well" he replies stern faced. I examine his features and add it to the compartment of my brain that holds the physical analysis of each person I've ever met. "We've all heard a lot things about you" he admits without a facial expression.
"Good things I hope?" I counter. Hotch cracks a small smile, which I don't expect. Emily does the same.
"Nothing but" Hotch replies, and within moments his name is called from across the bullpen. It's JJ, holing a manila folder, looking rather grim. "Excuse me" are Hotch's final words before meeting JJ and the two retreat into his office.
"Damn" Emily mutters under her breath.
"What?" I answer.
"There's another case" she sighs.
"But you guys just got back" I reply and sip my coffee.
"Welcome to the BAU"
...
When I arrive home the house is cloaked in darkness. It is 8:46pm, the past few hours spent at the BAU as the team prepares to leave for a case the following morning. No much conversation is held, but instead comfortable silence. It's exactly what I needed. Quiet.
I check the living room, where my mother is not. I check the kitchen, not there either. I quickly tread upstairs and find my mother sleeping soundly in her bed. A small smile crosses my face and I retreat in my bedroom, Penny sitting on my computer desk gazing out the window.
"Hi sweet girl" I coo and scratch her chin. She leans in and I run my finger through her fur. My core warms as my attention is completely occupied by the pudgy ball of love before me. I grin ear to ear.
"Your ass looks nice in those jeans" a snarl peeks out and destroys the tranquil silence. I don't need eyes in the back of my head to know who it is. My blood freezes in my veins.
I immediately scoop up Penny and let place her down on the ground, where she scurries underneath my bed. I turn and glare in John's direction. "Go away" I roll my eyes and turn my back, tidying the books and papers scattered atop my desk. "I'm tired" I sigh. Suddenly my braid is yanked back, pulling me with it, and I'm thrown onto my bed.
"Good, you won't be able to fight as much"
I don't say a word. I don't move a muscle. I close my eyes, pretend I'm somewhere else, anywhere but the position I'm in now. I think of myself running, running running running. Soaring over dirt mounds and leaping over sumps.
Push it to the back of your mind, Lia. The back of your mind.