I was working on the chapter for a while - and I decided to split it up instead of waiting for it to be perfect! I hope you enjoy it!
Please feel free to leave comments and reviews - Happy New Year!
"Did you sleep here Robert?"
She asked as she took in his 5'oclock shadow, crumpled shirt, and tired eyes. Actually, he was wearing the same clothes and his go bag remained in the corner. She knew her coffee was great and she'd been looking forward to it all morning. But he deserved it.
She passed it to him
"Here" she said as she passed him her favorite Starbucks drink – he needed it more than she did.
He took one sip and smiled at her – "Heavenly," he said as his eyes brightened up and his smile widened.
She chuckled, "Good coffee can do that, right?"
"Give me 10-15 and I'll tell you what we've found on the servers."
She looked around the War Room and was surprised to see more pictures of her, Bruce, and Jack on the wall. Some of the photos were from yesterday's gala.
"We made the papers?" she said when her phone rang.
She answered without looking, "Derek, I'm here already."
"Wrong favorite man in your life," a familiar voice chuckled.
"Theo," she said as a smile came to her lips.
"My 11:30am class just let out and I figured I'd try you – since we didn't talk last night."
"So sorry, honey," she murmured, "The case is intense," she said taking the call to a corner in the room.
She talked lower, "I can't say much but about it beside I'm in the field with the team and semi-undercover I guess. But I don't want to think about that," she rushed out biting her lip, "how are you?" she cooed.
"Don't bite your lip?" he ordered and it surprised her
"Undercover?" he asked, "Should I be worried?" his voice filled with concern
Her teeth released her bottom lip, "How did you know?" He hated that she bit her lip. She made him read all of the dirty parts of the 50 shades of grey books and all he took away from it was he hated biting of the lip. He always pulled her bottom lip from her teeth and kissed her vigorously – it just made her do it more.
"Not at all Professor Hottie."
He chuckled, "I like that one," he cleared his throat, "Are you sure things are ok? You sound weird and I know you're doing that lip thing."
She exhaled slowly and licked her lips.
"Now your taking deep breaths—you only do that…"
She cut him off "You've been hangout with us too long. You are turning into a profiler." She cleared her throat, "When I get home we have to talk – but I can't with the case being active and all so please let's talk about you – I get to spend all day talking about this case."
She elevated her voice to make it super perky, "How are things going Professor Thor?"
He laughed, "things are great. My parents are coming in early next week – they wanted to stay with us but I told them that you're moving in and it's not the best time. Mom wants to make us dinner – her famous lasagna."
"Do you think she'll remember I don't eat meat – last time she asked me to eat around it."
She mumbled under her breath, "She's not my biggest fan."
"She loves you," he countered firmly—she could hear his smile
"Hmpf," she grumbled
"She sent you a moving in gift—I think it's so you."
"Oooh what?" she said excitedly.
"Key word is Sur- Prise, my love?" he laughed, "So how's San Fran?"
"Busy" she replied automatically, "Super busy, actually."
"I love you - I can't wait till you're back home."
"I can't wait to be home," she said trying not to think of that kiss she and Bruce shared. Well how she kissed him – her fake husband.
Bruce, she thought as she touched her lips remembering his lips… his hands on her back, her knee, holding hers. Less than 48 hours ago she just recommitted herself to her boyfriend. She's moving in with him.
She is committed to Theo.
She was so thankful that Emily slipped her a card of a lawyer who could help her get out of her marriage. Maybe they could find Alfred get divorced in the next 48 hours so things at home will be normal.
She tuned back into Theo who was prattling on about something, "I apologize in advance for the living in sin lecture my mom is going to give us. She's a southern Baptist and she…"
"I get it, honey" she interrupted soothingly before he started talking about marriage and timelines – sometimes his need to marry her felt more like branding a horse then a declaration of love. Like, it was the next logical step.
She was starting to sound like JJ and Emily – his number one and two detractors.
"You're my favorite sinner, darling," she said as she walked away from all possible ears.
"When we're housemates," she teased we're going to have to find new sinful ways to occupy our time – I think we should start in the Jacuzzi."
Theo laughed as Derek walks in the room.
"Morning," Derek says to Robert.
He notices the poor analyst hasn't been to bed as he puts down the coffee he bought for Garcia.
"Any updates?" Derek asked.
"I had a couple of technical issues getting the software to work on the CIA server. Once I was able to get the program running in a complicated stealth mode – we've had no glitches. But I didn't feel comfortable leaving it – just in case something happened. We're about," he said looking at the computer screen 5-10 minutes away from knowing if any of the unsubs had contact with Jack or Alfred."
"Great news,"
"She got you the good stuff," he said nodding towards his coffee.
"When we went through our geek to g-man training she would always grab me one. I forgot how much I missed her."
"Her coffee," he amended his statement.
"She's good like that," he said watching her, play with her ponytail while she talked to Theo. He could tell by her smile that she was on a personal call and there's only one call she would take on a case.
Bruce, Emily, and Rossi enter the War Room as Derek heads over to Penelope.
Derek leans into Penelope and presents her with her coffee as she hangs up with Theo.
"A god amongst men you are," she said smiling at him.
He kisses her forehead and says "Good morning, mama"
"I'll show you a good morning…" She lifts the coffee, "but you beat me to it" she smiled giving him a sexy once over.
"Touché," he chuckled, "how was your night?" he said leaning into her.
She shrugs, "I slept."
He cocks his eyebrow
"Eventually," she admitted.
"My brain was doing this thing where the wheels wouldn't stop turning – I mean bump wheels up… wheels stop," she said.
"You gotta sleep and you have to eat. It's going to catch-up with you and we need our goddess of all universal truths on her A-Game."
"Yes, sir." she teased.
He brushed her hair out of her face gently looking into her eyes. He knew all of her tells and he wanted to make sure nothing else was bothering her. "So, let's get some food to go with your coffee," he said tapping her nose affectionately.
He placed his hand on her lower back and walks her to the breakfast buffet.
Bruce puts the coffee he brought for her down as he sees Derek beat him to it. He watches them and he can't stop. This is one of the few times his mind feels free to do so… she seemed happy yet pensive on the phone but Derek has this way with her.
This loving way with her.
His touches and caresses bring a smile to her face an ease to her body that seems so natural.
Rossi watches Bruce and sees the waves of emotions reflect in his eyes.
Emily looks to Rossi "have they set a date yet?"
Bruce jams his hands in his pocket and – "married." he clears his throat, "they're getting married?"
He looks back at the couple and see Derek piling her plate with fruit and eggs
"She's happy," Bruce said finding his smile.
"She'll be happy as soon as the ink dries on your divorce,"
Bruce knew Emily hated him from the limo ride to the event last night. He could feel the animosity radiating from Emily and he accepted. He was glad there was someone like this in her life even if she hated him. A fierce protector. Penelope needed that.
"Penelope would make an excellent best woman or maid of honor – I would be worried about her bachelorette party throwing skills– it could be like that Bradley Cooper movie about Vegas and tigers."
"I thought," Bruce said confused looking between Rossi and Emily.
"Coffee, Rossi? Emily asked and walked away at the same time annoyed that Rossi put Bruce out of his misery. She was enjoying the assumption flit across his face. He deserved it for treating her so badly. Who let's their wife think they're dead? A pompous rich a-hole is what Emily thought, and she thought Theo was bad. Bruce takes the cake.
"No," Rossi said shaking his head – "You two should sit down and talk. When the case is over," he said looking at him warmly. "There's a great Italian Restaurant in DC Porcini's I can get you a reservation."
"Maybe," he said watching as Derek fed her strawberries.
"OMG look at this," Robert calls to the team as Erin and Aaron enter the room.
The team watches an Alfred's abduction. He's exiting Regan airport on the phone.
"Can we get audio?" Clancy asks
"Stand By."
"I have to do this Lesley—I can't just leave it like this."
The audio crackles and the team catches the end of his sentence "…the same city."
He listens, "I'm supposed to meddle in his affairs – that's why he pays me."
"I shouldn't have lied," he clears his throat "sometimes my boy needs a good kic…." The audio goes out or he tape freezes.
He sighs heavily – "Darling, I owe them…""
The audio crackles again and the team catches the end of his sentence "…in the family"
There is a man holding a sign up for him.
Hold on he says to Leslie as he approaches his driver.
"I didn't book a car."
Alfred scrolls through his messages, "I don't have a confirmation," he places the phone back to his ear as the driver says, let me resend it to you. "Did you book me a car?"
"This is why I love you."
"Now go play cupid so you can retire those wings."
"Can you rewind to the beginning?" JJ asks
The team re-watches it trying to zoom in on the driver's face. But the facial recognition software can't work at such a distance.
"We should re-interview Lesley?" Clancy says, stating the obvious.
"Why?" Lucius asks, "She says she didn't know anything."
"she booked him a car and the woman said she didn't know he stayed in DC. I think we may have our first lead."
"Whose server was it on?"
"Luthor's" he replied, but it's encoded on a camera Alex's company installed at the airport."
"Alex and Charlie—could they be a team?" she wondered aloud as she walked over to Robert and asked, "May I?"
He rolls his seat away, and she raises the keyboard so she can stand and type comfortable. She inserts her thumb drive that's attached to her keys and starts clicking away. "I was working on this program… well, more like an application. Maybe we shouldn't discuss the fundamentals," she said biting her lip.
Robert is intrigues and stands up to watch her work. "Wait did you just hack the airport camera system?"
She looks at him scolding, "no of 'course not. The government owns this feed in essence so I'm just accessing our files," she said returning to the screen. She continues to click, and he's about to ask another question. "Now is not a good time Bobby."
He continues to watch her work in amazement.
The screen is filled with all of the nearby camera—making their overhead projection look like a series of ice cube trays with a large square in the middle.
"What's is Alfred's cell number?" she asks and Lucius responds instantly with a smirk on his face. She finds his service provider and the program she built begins to run.
10 seconds later we can hear both sides of the conversation.
"Oh no, has your flight been delayed." She says
"not exactly," he says.
Lesley groaned, "should I push back our trip?"
"No, I'll be back in two days – we'll stay on schedule."
"Does Bruce know?" she asks
"I have to do this Lesley—I can't just leave it like this."
"You both need time to cool down – let level heads prevail."
"They're in the same city," he said coming to a stop.
"She's moved on and he should too – we know this. He knows this. We should all stop pretending like this is normal. You need to stop meddling and let him be Alfred."
"I'm supposed to meddle in his affairs – that's why he pays me.." Alfred replied
"What about her? What about what she wants?"
"sometimes my boy needs a good kick in the arse. I shouldn't have lied to her. She deserved more." He sighs heavily – "Darling, I owe them…""
"You are just as stubborn as he is,"
He laughed as he continued to pull his bag, "It runs in the family."
There is a man holding a sign up for him.
Hold on he says to Leslie as he approaches his driver.
"I didn't book a car."
Alfred scrolls through his messages, "I don't have a confirmation," he places the phone back to his ear as the driver says, let me resend it to you. "Did you book me a car?"
"Alfred, I'm a doctor… not a psychic!"
He laughs again, "This is why I love you."
"Now go play cupid so you can retire those wings."
"To the moon,"
"And back," she replied
The team watch Alfred look at the driver's screen and then his own. They talk briefly and the man takes his suitcase and leads him out of frame.
"Crap," Penelope mutters and she hacks the surrounding camera's history so we can follow Alfred to the car. She then added more code so she could see the license plate – It's probably stolen but we can see where they were before here."
Penelope zooms as tight as she can and then runs another program that get the license plate number, "115HLM6" Delaware plates.
"We should run those"
"Agent Garcia," Clancy called as Rob took over searching for the plates, "Yes, sir. I know I'll give you the apps—they're just not 100% ready yet. I still have to tinker with them." She said as she bit her lip, the entire team knew she was fibbing. They knew she didn't want to be a part of people's privacy being violated. On the heels of her past being on the board, Rossi figured Clancy had a long wait ahead of him.
Thanks for reading and I apologize for they typos! i3 reviews :)