Darling deception- a criminal minds fanfic

Outbreak of a new life (3)

The backdoor opened before anyone could say anything, a cheery, overly smiling Graham walking in with sweat dripping down his bare chest.

"It's hotter than hellfire out there" he chuckled, taking a sip of a glass of ice-tea Darling handed to him as he patted his body dry with the flannel shirt flung over his shoulder, "thanks honeybuns."

"Oh give me a break" Morgan mumbled sarcastically to himself, forcing himself to focus back on his work but something Graham said to Darling next made him look back up.

"What are you wearing?"

It wasn't just what he said, it was his tone- a kind of tone Morgan had heard someone talk to Darling with before.

"What?" She tilted her head before looking down, "oh, just an old dress of mine-"

"It's not usually what you wear, now is it dear?" His tone was almost commanding without giving a command, condescending without outwardly being something you could call out, "don't you think you should go change?"

Morgan fully looked up now, staring at Graham with a burning in his eyes.

To his surprise, a burning that Darling didn't share.

She just nodded at Graham almost apologetically, giving in immediately which wasn't like her at all, "right, yeah- I'll go do that."

"You can't tell her what to wear" Morgan didn't realise he was speaking until the team all looked at him in surprise at his defence, Darling too.

"What was that agent?" Graham turned to him with his usual cheery tone and bright smile.

"I said-" he went to stand up but Hotch placed a hand on his shoulder as he continued to write.

"Stay out of it Morgan" he mumbled.

"Hotch I-"

"That's an order."

Morgan sighed at his tone, shaking his head and forcing a smile at Graham "nothing, don't worry."

"Okee dokee" he smiled, turning back to Darling, "thanks for the tea babe, I'm going to drive to the store in a bit, need anything?"

"Actually the lockdown is extending to shops and supermarkets now just to make sure the outbreak doesn't come through any produce, you will need to go with an agent or officer" Hotch looked over at him, "Doctor Reid can go with you on his way back to the lab."

"I'm going to the lab?" Reid raised an eyebrow at him, Hotch looking over and nodding.

"Right... okay, let me just grab my bag from upstairs."

"So, Graham is it?" Rossi began talking to him causally, Darling almost glaring at him at his tone that she could tell was about to ask yet another inappropriate nosey question.

"Sure is" Graham smiled.

"Where abouts are you from? I can't quite place your accent."

"Canada- born and raised" he smiled with pride, "well until I moved to Texas with my dad."

"Is your dad American?"

"Yeah and he was a military man so we moved around a lot" Graham nodded with a chuckle, "one of the many reasons I didn't follow in his footsteps for the army, I'm not a fan of moving around a lot."

"Surprising that you're with Darling then" Morgan mumbled under his breath to himself, but Darling picked up on it, shaking her head slightly before turning back to Graham with a smile.

"Could you pick me up some peaches from the store and whipped cream? I'm gonna make peach pie later."

You hate pie, Morgan fought the urge to say, pressing his frustrations into his pen as he wrote.