"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." – Dolly Parton
The weather was bad. "No", Hotch thought. "Bad didn't cut it. It was apocalyptical." The team was on the way back from a rapist case in the town of Winchester, Virginia. The case had been pretty run-of-the-mill with the team being able to arrest the unsub in a matter of days. As the case was close to Quantico, a mere two-hour drive away, they had abstained from using the jet, traveling in two Chevy Suburban instead. When they left Winchester, the sun had still shined brightly, but in a span of just 15 minutes, first the rain and then the storm had begun. Worse even, the interstate had been flooded, so they were forced to take a detour through the countryside. Reid, sitting in the lead SUV with Hotch driving and JJ riding shotgun, had quickly deducted what he called the optimal route, using an old roadmap JJ had found in the glove compartment. Due to the abysmal visibility conditions, their speed had slowed to a crawl, barely averaging 30 km/h. But even at that speed, Rossi could only follow the lead vehicle with great difficulty. He drove the second SUV, with Morgan beside him who had his eyes glued to the road, ready to alert Rossi to anything unforeseen. In the back, Garcia, who had accompanied them on the trip gossiped with Prentiss.
In the lead car, JJ glared over to Hotch. Most people would have missed the small signs of concern he was emitting. Even if she wasn't a profiler, she knew him well and was not easily fooled. His lips presented a thinner line than usual and his grip on the wheel made his knuckles go white.
Hotch was on edge. He was so focused on the road, that he blended out everything else. Gradually, he became aware of a weight on his arm. When he risked to take his eyes off the road for a split second, he saw JJ's hand on his arm and that she was smiling at him.
"Relax a bit okay? You are way too tense." He was often amazed by her empathy. She was seemingly always able to judge a situation accurately and to react accordingly. He smiled, even if his eyes remained glued to the road.
"Thanks, JJ" he responded. Then all hell broke loose.
In an instant, the sky was illuminated by a lightning strike. JJ and Hotch winced as the lightning struck a large oak tree. It was old and withered from centuries of exposure to the elements and the sudden release of millions of volts was too much for it to handle. With a loud crack that sent splinters flying everywhere, the tree split in half near the roots, slamming down on the road in front of them, a mere 40 meters away. This all happened so fast, Reid in the back had just lifted his head when the tree hit the road. JJ on the other hand was momentarily stunned, still looking in the direction where the tree had stood. It looked like an explosion had ripped it apart and she couldn't look away from this display of natures raw force until she was janked forward until her belt caught her.
Hotch's reflexes seemed almost as fast as the lighting itself. Even before the tree had settled and blocked the road completely, he had slammed the brakes as hard as he physically could, praying that they would stop fast enough.
In the second car, Rossi couldn't see the tree falling through the dense rain that hid everything more than 50 meters away. He only saw the two bright lights. The first was the lightning that illuminated the sky and a split second later, the red brake lights from the leading car. Morgan's eyes widened but before he could say or do anything, they were already slowing down.
For now, luck seemed to be on their side. Both SUVs lost their traction on the wet road and slid sideways. Miraculously, they not only managed to stop in front of the tree but they also avoided crashing into each other.
In the lead car, there was a moment of shocked silence, before Hotch spoke up. He turned around in his seat, looking first at JJ and then at Reid. He placed a hand on JJ's shoulder, who looked visibly shaken by the turmoil.
"Everybody alright?", he asked them.
"I'm okay", Reid answered, eying JJ. But she also nodded.
"Okay. Let's take stock of the situation", he commanded and even as none of them had their windbreakers at the ready, he left the car. Reid and JJ shared a sorrowful look before following their boss into the rainstorm.
Behind them in the second car, the others overcame their own shocked silence. It was Morgan who first spoke up looking over to Rossi. "Man, good that you still have sharp reflexes."
"I drove Jeeps through the jungle long before any one of you was even thought of", he retorted. "But without automatic gunfire, it's not that exciting", he added, to the relieved laughter of his teammates. Prentiss leaned forward and padded both his shoulders in silent gratitude.
"Let's take a look," he said, unintentionally mirroring their boss.
"Hello no, no way I'm getting out there. That will ruin my dress", Garcia let out. "You are field agents, you are much more qualified to get wet." She couldn't hide her smirk at her last comment.
Rossi didn't dignify this with a response, just waving her off before following Emily who had already left the vehicle.
"Sure thing baby girl, just keep the car safe". Morgan's voice drifted over while his silhouette disappeared in the rain. The three of them quickly caught up to JJ, Hotch, and Reid, who were examining the tree, illuminated by the lights of their SUV. Hotch turned around to them, his suit already soaking wet. But he seemed completely unphased, his presence still calm and commanding.
"Thanks for not crashing into us", he greeted Rossi in an attempt to lift the overall spirit. "That would've meant at least 20 pages of additional paperwork". He was rewarded with a few chuckles. They turned to face the tree again, where JJ currently helped Reid off the large trunk.
As the two returned, Reid reported. "There is no way for us through or around this tree."
"Can we move it?", Emily asked hopefully, but he shook his head.
"American oak trees of this size weigh around 65 tons. Nothing that we have here would be of any use, we would need heavy engineering equipment." While he rambled on about the steps of road clearing, the real catastrophe began.
On the steep hillside on the left side of the road, the ground was so soaked that it gave way, resulting in a developing landslide that was quickly racing downwards.
Downhill by the cars, Reid's word flow was cut short by a gesture from Hotch. "Can you hear that?", he asked the group. With Reid now silent, they all could hear the faint rumbling growing steadily louder.
"What is this?", JJ asked, an unsure look on her face as she looked at Reid, expecting an explanation.
"There could be multiple sources for this kind of sound. The most plausible however would be a mudslide." Like on queue, as soon as he said the word, the rain lifted for a split-second, allowing them a glance at the wall of dirt that barreled down on them.
Hotch wasted no time. "Run and take cover!", he bellowed as everybody made their escape the way they had come.
"Morgan, get Garcia!". Rossi had to shout to make himself heard over the now thundering sounds of the landslide. Garcia protested when her door was suddenly pulled open and she was dragged out of the vehicle. But her protests abruptly stopped when she saw the rest of her team, running towards her and Morgan as fast as they could. Then she lost sight of them when she was dragged away by Morgan.
After nearly 100 meters of full sprint, he shoved Garcia into cover behind a large boulder at the side of the road before he spun around, peeking through the rain for signs of his team. Hotch emerged first, quickly taking up position next to him. Reid and Rossi arrived nearly simultaneously and dived behind the boulder to either side of Garcia. She instinctively took hold of both their arms.
"Where are the girls?", Morgan asked Hotch, just as Prentiss emerged pulling JJ beside her. When they reached them, Morgan caught Emily and Hotch JJ before all four jumped behind the boulder as well. After the rumbling had subsided and they had gained back their composure, they emerged from their hideout.
The bit of the road they could see through the rain looked like the surface of Mars with everything covered in red mud. Their SUVs were nowhere to be seen, either buried or swept away.
"Remind me, what did you say about additional paperwork?". Rossi was the first to speak up, but a glance from Hotch that could have killed a weaker man caused him to stop joking around. "Does anyone have a cell signal?", he asked the gathered team instead. Everybody checked their phone, but one by one declined.
"There is a motel about a mile from here down the road", Reid offered up instead, reciting the map he had studied in the car.
"Great", Garcia deadpanned. "So we just need to cross Mars and the tree over there". She gestured over the mud field where the road had been.
Lacking any better alternative, Hotch led the way. The others followed, first JJ and Reid, then Morgan and Garcia with Emily trailing behind. Rossi made up the rear of the column, making sure nobody got lost. They passed the mud and the tree mostly in silence. All of them were now drenched by the rain and it was quickly getting cold. Nobody was dressed appropriately for the weather. All only had their normal work clothes. Morgan had draped his leather jacket over Garcia's shoulders, but that offered only minor respite to her. They continued for fifteen minutes. Everything was silent except for the sounds of the rain and Emily's colorful curses that she let out every couple of minutes.
Rossi decided to try and do something about it and closed the distance to her. "You know that cursing doesn't help?", he smirked at her despite the look she gave him in return.
"It lifts my spirits", she countered angrily. "How can you be so…", she asked a few seconds later, struggling to find the right word.
"Indifferent?" he offered and she nodded. "Same as with not crashing cars in rainstorms". She answered with a confused look, prompting him to elaborate. "Vietnam. Stuff like this was daily business in jungle warfare. I never thought I would experience something similar again". His face took on a distant look as he recalled his time overseas.
"That must bring up some memories", Emily responded, carefully studying his expression.
He looked down at her and nodded. "Some good, some bad. But this here has at least some advantages. In 'nam, there were no beautiful women to keep a lone soldier on patrol company." He winked at her.
That elicited a hearty laugh from her. "You are an incorrigible charmer."
"I just can't escape my nature", he added, offering her his arm, which she accepted.
The rest of the way was free of curses.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a small but very comfy-looking motel. The building looked old but had clearly been renovated lately and the light shined invitingly through the windows. Hotch led his column inside. The sudden burst of warmth hit them like a brick wall, as by now all of them were quivering from the cold. They took their time to dispose of as much moisture as possible before properly entering the small cozy lobby.
The receptionist at the desk gave them a look of bewilderment as they came into the room. Hotch flashed his badge at her. "FBI, I need rooms for me and my team". His demeanor was polite, but his tone made it clear that he would not accept a no.
"I'm sorry Sir, we are nearly booked out", she replied with an apologetic smile. "The only room we have left has two queen-sized beds."
Hotch weighted is options for a moment. It was already past eight and they had no cars or even an idea where the next motel or police station was. And his team was already in a bad enough condition. So, he decided it was of no use to order them back into the rain for the faint chance of a better motel. "We will take it", he said, turning back to the receptionist. "And can you please arrange extra blankets and towels for us?".
"Of course Sir", she replied as she handed him two key cars. "Your room is the last one on the right side of the corridor. If you wish, we can also dry your clothes overnight", she added, taking pity on their completely drenched state. That got her beaming smiles from the group. "I take your clothes to the dryer when I bring you extra blankets." She looked on as the man she presumed was their boss turned around, taking his odd collection of people with him. Once in their room, an audible wave of relief overcame them.
"Fuck I'm so cold", Garcia let out.
"We need to get dry as fast as possible", Reid interjected. "Depending on windspeed and surrounding temperature, wet clothed lead to a 25 times increase in temperature loss".
"Too bad I left my extra fluffy pajama in a landslide", Garcia deadpanned in response.
"What a day…", Emily sighted. "You know I love all of you guys but I never thought I had to strip before you", she added, becoming aware of the fact that nobody had spare clothes.
"I hope nobody went commando today", Morgan added, earning general laughter.
One by one, Emily, JJ, Rossi, Morgan, and Hotch started to strip down to their underwear. Contrary to Emily's earlier joke, she and JJ seemed much less embarrassed than the guys, with even Morgan keeping his head down, not wanting to send the wrong signal to his female colleagues. When both JJ and Emily had dumped their piles of clothes to the ground and looked at each other, they burst into laughter. Both of them wore matching, nearly identical black underwear.
"Are you stealing my style?", JJ teased her.
"I thought plain black was internal policy for female FBI agents", Emily laughed.
When they turned around, they could see that Garcia was still in the process of undressing, while the guys still awkwardly looked down.
"You all act like you've never seen a woman undress before", JJ remarked.
"Yeah, you will get stiff necks if you all look down for the rest of the day. And it's not like we're totally naked, so heads up goddammit", Emily tuned in.
That helped to dispel the awkwardness that had crept into the room. Rossi quickly capitalized on the situation, securing the shower for himself. There was a knock on the door and Hotch opened, revealing the receptionist who brought them their towels, pillows, and blankets. Garcia and Emily made their way over to the door, helping their boss to take everything in. Morgan meanwhile had found a Chinese takeout flyer on the small desk by the window and he quickly began to study it.
This gave JJ the opportunity to go over to Reid, who stood between the beds, still fully dressed and lost in his thoughts.
"Hey", she pulled him from his thoughts as she stopped right in front of him. "You need to get dry too". He nodded, a very awkward look on his face, but still not moving. She stepped even closer to him and lowered her voice. She wanted to reassure him, but at the same time didn't want to display his insecurity to everyone. Still, he tensed up even more at the presence of her, suddenly becoming painfully aware that she was only in her underwear and he blushed, turning bright red and dropping his head to the ground.
"Hey what did Emily say, Heads up", she extended her hand and forced his chin up.
"Sorry", he returned sheepishly.
"Don't be", she answered. "Do you remember the time we trained together for the FBI swimming test?", she asked him and he nodded. "It's just like we are in swim clothes again". He nodded again and slowly started to unbutton his sweater vest.
"There you go", she smiled at him, helping him with the remaining buttons.
"How are you so nonchalant about this?", he asked, having finally shed his wet clothes but with his face still red with embarrassment.
She just shrugged. "I don't know, with you guys, it just doesn't bother me that much. We know each other so well and spend so much time together. I guess I just feel safe with you". "Going on prison visits is worse", she added after a short pause. Seeing his questioning look, she elaborated. "The way the guys there look a woman there is much worse than being half naked with all of you."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know it is this bad for you and Emily", he said, the awkwardness of the situation now forgotten.
She just shrugged it off. "It's part of the job. And it helps when one of you guys comes along. It's nice to have someone with you that doesn't look at you like he wants to do you in front of everyone".
She leaned even closer to him and her voice became a whisper. "And even Emily admits that it's cute when you guys become overprotective in there", she smiled up at him. "If you tell anybody that I admitted that to you, I'm gonna make you disappear forever", she added with a stern look. He saluted at her and she laughed, his embarrassment now totally forgotten.
At this time, Rossi emerged from the bathroom and she shoved him in the direction of the shower. Rossi on the other hand went over to Morgan, taking it upon himself to order them a dinner worthy of the struggles of their day. JJ meanwhile joined Garcia, Emily, and Hotch in constructing additional bunks on the floor and gathered the various piles of disregarded clothes for their trip to the dryer.
"Too bad this attire doesn't get us into a proper restaurant", Rossi sighted, dramatically gesturing down his sides as he got off the phone. That earned him a round of laughter. Until the food arrived, Emily, Garcia, and Hotch managed to circle through the shower. When the food arrived, Rossi took it in and insisted to pay and invite his team. "You have earned yourself a little care", he winked.
"Picknick time", Garcia exclaimed and insisted that everybody join her in forming a circle on the floor, blankets draped over their shoulders. Rossi joined them last, balancing glasses that he found in the bathroom, before settling on one of their newly constructed bunks.
"I know this isn't exactly O'Kefe's, but this will get the warmth back into us". With that, he conjured up a bottle of Chinese plum liquor from one of the food bags and started to fill the glasses. He handed the glasses out to wide smiles.
"To us and to a good end of this god-awful day", he proclaimed as they touched glasses.
Morgan let out a long sigh as the liquid burned in his throat. "Man Rossi, did I ever tell you I love you."
"Not with words", Rossi chuckled. He filled their glasses again before they dove into their makeshift feast.
When they finished, everybody cuddled up in their blankets. It turned out that Rossi had planned well ahead, bringing up a second bottle of plum liquor. Despite the day, it was a fun and comfy evening, with conversations flowing easily. After the bottles were empty, JJ suddenly burst into laughter. Her outburst led to looks of amusement and bewilderment.
"It's just this whole situation", she blurted out. "I just imagined what I should tell my mom on Christmas when she will ask how work has been." Now everybody joined her laughter.
"You know Mom, it was the usual", Emily spoke up, her voice emulating JJ's. She sounded remarkably similar. "Oh, and I attended a dinner with my boss and team only in my bra and panties."
On hearing Emily mimic her, JJ nearly suffocated from laughing. It became so bad that Hotch, who sat next to her, started to eye her with concern. But she brushed him off, tears of laughter running down her face.
"We really need to get together more often", Garcia said, her eyes roaming between her friends when she had calmed down enough to speak,
"But maybe next time we should dress adequately so that Dave doesn't need to endure takeout as our only option", Hotch mused, before they all busted into laughter once again.
When they finally calmed down, they decided to go to bed, as it was already late in the evening. Morgan vanished into the shower while the rest gathered in front of the beds.
"Each of them fits two", Reid unnecessarily stated.
"You really are a genius", Garcia smirked before beelining to the left bed.
"I can take the floor", Emily offered up.
"No, you can't", Rossi chimed in from the side. "As long as this Italian gentleman is present, no woman is allowed to sleep on the floor".
She first wanted to protest that she didn't need special handling, but a look at him convinced her that it was futile. So she took her spot next to Garcia.
"Sorry that I have to separate you from your chocolate thunder", she joked to Garcia.
Garcia sighed dramatically. "I guess I can live with you instead for a night", she winked and pulled Emily onto the bed. "Seems like you can pick your bunkmate JJ."
"I pick Spence", she answered without hesitation, looking over to him and eying his slender frame. "He takes up the least space."
At this time, Morgan emerged with shattering teeth. "JJ you are not going to like this, but it seems the warm water is off for today. It just turned cold on me."
"And silly me thought that this day would have a good ending", she groaned as she made her way past Morgan and into the bathroom.
When JJ returned, shivering from the cold water, everybody had already laid down. She darted across the room, eager to get back into the warmth. When she settled into the bed, her cold feet touched Reid's. As soon as she touched him, he scrambled as far back as he physically could without falling off the bed.
"You feel like an icicle", he proclaimed reproachfully.
She looked at him with a penetrating gaze. "Here is the deal". Her voice was low and calm, but he knew whatever would come next would be as definitive as a law of nature. "I share my bed with you." She placed great emphasis on the word my. "And you share your warmth".
At her stern look, he moved back properly into the bed, resignatingly smiling at her. "I guess I do not really have a choice".
"No, you don't", she smiled warmly at him. "So be nice to your best friend."
He returned her smile before bowing to the inevitable. He allowed her to snuggle up to him as he played little spoon. Her arms reached around him, embracing him as she closed her hands in front of his chest. He took her freezing cold hands in his, in order to warm them up. As a thanks, she squeezed him. As everybody was now settled in for the night, they all wished each other good night before drifting off to sleep, concluding an extraordinary day.