Darling deception- a criminal minds fanfic

Rewards

Morgan still wasn't used to seeing Darling sat on the jet sat opposite him as they flew out for another case- the fourth official case she had been on with the team since getting there, although with the other two after her first she had just stayed at the office helping Garcia with the filing but since there was an emergency case both her and Penelope were called to help in person, Morgan watching as Darling stared at her phone with almost anticipation for a reason he couldn't quite place until it rang, jumping her despite seeming to be willing for it to ring in the first place.

"Is it alright if I take this real quick?" She looked over at Hotch and asked as he continued the briefing.

"Of course, let me know any updates" Hotch nodded, surprisingly understanding and seeming to know what the call was about which confused Morgan all the more.

Morgan had been close with Darling on the last few cases of course, but they hadn't been working together much given the team were out of state a lot and she was working back at the office, not to mention he still wasn't entirely sure what she was doing on the team.

Everything felt slightly strange after their last 'meet up' with ice-cream in the field that had a hint of tension it, but Darling seemed pleasant enough with him when he went to pick her up for work hours prior to getting on the jet in the morning from her apartment- only to find that Hotch had already turned up to pick her up which he found odd all the more.

"What's the phone call about?" Morgan tried to ask Hotch as casually as possible. 

"She's having trouble finding a reliable child sitter in Virginia."

"She has a kid?" Ashely raised an eyebrow in shock and a hint of judgement to her voice.

"I have 15 kids, two more on the way if I counted correctly" Darling joked as she walked back in from the toilet and took her seat, looking over at Reid who tilted his head with confusion at the joke he didn't quite understand, "I'm kidding sweetiepie, Addie is my niece who I'm looking after for my brother- she seems to think she's old enough to look after herself for a week so I had to convince my other brother to go back and look after her."

"I mean she is 14 Darls, you were traveling across states alone taking rides from strangers at 15" Morgan chuckled, Darling smiled at him with a found memory in her eyes.

"And whose fault was that?"

"It's not my fault that I wouldn't drive miles to pick you up and take you to a concert you didn't invite me too in the first place" he laughed, "and anyway Addie is far more responsible than you were at that age- I'm sure she wouldn't try to make a fire skateboard."

"A fire skateboard?" Reid raised an intrigued eyebrow at the conversation.

"It was my solution to not being able to drive; you put a can of hairspray on the back of a skateboard and light a match, it worked out great most of the time" Darling explained eagerly which made Morgan laugh.

"If by 'worked out great' you mean almost cost you locks of your hair on more than one occasion then sure."

"I sure did underestimate how much hairspray I wore" she chuckled.

"Were you one of those prissy beauty pageant contestants or something?" Ashley asked with an offhanded insult, Morgan glancing over at her and her seemingly 'friendly tone' with judgemental words that Emily and Garcia exchanged looks at.

"Oh god no, I was an ugly little thing at 15- could have never won pageants" Darling laughed, seeming like she didn't notice the subtle dig, "my mama just had a keen love of big hair that I inherited."