A/N: Umm, lot's of self-indulgent fluff and heavy Jemily in this chapter...so... be prepared for that
"Morning, Y/n."
"Morning, Reid" you respond, collapsing in your desk chair and setting your purse next to you.
"You're early" he notes, not looking up from the paper he's writing on. With his desk across from you, it's hard to make out exactly what he's writing, but he looks intently focused.
"Yeah, I woke up a little early this morning and wanted to get a head start I suppose" you shrug. Well, part of that was true, you did have an early morning. Jack had woken you up early by climbing over Aaron and somersaulting into the middle of you both, making a human pile of tangled limbs and giggles. You were both still tired, but you were more than happy to spend your morning watching cartoons and eating copious amounts of eggs and bacon for breakfast.
As expected, he was slightly upset that you only seemed to show up while he was sleeping, but you quickly appeased him with the promise that soon you'd come over and spend the whole day with the two of them. You weren't exactly sure when soon was, but hey, it made him happy, and you were sure you'd figure it out eventually.
If you were truthful, you would tell Spencer the real reason you were early was that you rushed out the door to drive to work at the same time that Aaron left to drop Jack off at school, and you didn't want to arrive at the office at the same time for fear of appearing suspicious. But these days you didn't seem to be completely honest with anyone.
"Good morning, guys" you heard JJ's voice behind you.
"Morning, guys" you greeted, spinning in your chair to reveal JJ and Emily walking in together.
Emily just groaned in response, collapsing against her chair and pressing her head against the wood. JJ just chuckles and leans against her desk, taking a long sip of her coffee.
"Someone keeping you up all night, Prentiss?" Derek asks, taking his place at the remaining desk and placing his bag down.
"Most people would just say 'good morning,' Morgan" Emily responds without lifting her head.
"Well, he's obviously not most people" you quip. "How's the head, Derek?" you notice the white bandage still across his scalp from where the unsub had blind-sighted him.
"Better," he says "I can confidently say that I'm back on the top of my game. I slept for almost 18 hours when I got home, though, which is more than Prentiss can say." He turns the conversation back to Emily, clearly not wanting the attention on his injury.
"Did you not get any sleep last night?" JJ asks Emily.
"If blinking counts as sleeping, then yes."
"What were you doing all night?" Spencer questions. He still refuses to look up from his sheet.
"Or who?" Morgan chuckles.
"In what world would blinking count as sleeping?" you question.
"I don't know, somewhere, probably" she props her head up on her hands "Y/n, light of my life, would you please make me some coffee."
"Why me?"
"Because you always made the best coffee" she pleads "You know the amount of Splenda. Besides, you are Spencer are the only ones who know how to use the coffee machine without making it start that awful beeping sound."
"I could teach you all of those things, you know" you roll your eyes, standing up from your chair and starting towards the coffee machine.
"You're a godsend" Emily thanks.
"does anyone else need any act of good will, while I'm up?"
"If you're already going, could you make me a cup of coffee too?" Spencer calls out from behind you "Please?"
You look back at his desk, seeing an already empty mug that was presumably full of coffee earlier in the morning.
"Spencer, you've already had- woah!"
You're cut off when you slam into a wall of chest, stumbling backward only to be caught with a firm hand on your wrist.
"Hey, watch where you're-" you shut your mouth before you even finish the sentence. You don't even have to look up. You recognize the tie you picked out earlier.
"Careful" he warns under his breath, releasing your wrist "look where you're walking, y/l/n. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." You realize quickly he's playing it cool, attempting to keep it professional. You're face flushes at the realization that the team can probably see you, and likely witnessed the collision.
"Right, my mistake" you nod slowly. "Sorry, I'll keep out of your way." You move dramatically to the side, extending your arm to allow him to move past you. He just rolls his eyes and keeps on his way, greeting the team before making his way up to his office. You feel yourself deflate a little when his door closes.
"Alright, you and Hotch had your daily clash. Now, my coffee, please" Emily prompts. Well, at least you didn't do anything suspicious.
"Right" you sigh, making your way to the kitchenette to fight with the coffee machine. You come back carrying three mugs of coffee, setting them on three different desks.
"Do you normally start your mornings off with sodoku or is this just the first time I'm noticing it?" you ask, finally seeing what Reid was working on as you set a coffee full of sugar on his desk.
"I try to do it as much as possible. Most scientists agree that sodoku has similar effects on the brain to reading and writing. It stimulates the brain and can actually delay dementia and Alzheimer's. So, yes, I guess this is the first time you're noticing it" he says, taking a break to take a long sip from his mug. "thanks for the coffee, by the way."
"Of course," you say slowly, sitting back down on your desk.
"I'm not sure you've got to worry that much about keeping your brain sharp, kid. Seems sharp enough to me" Derek adds.
"Right," Emily agrees "and besides, I think one paperwork day uses enough brainpower to keep me sharp for the rest of my life."
The sound of heels clicking across the floor alerts you all to Penelope's presence in the bullpen. She sounds frantic, and when you turn around, she has her arms full with a stack of papers.
"Good morning, princess" Derek greets her as she rushes past his desk, making her stop suddenly.
"It is not a good morning, stud. It's not a good morning for me at all" she groans, frowning and leaning against his desk.
"What's wrong?" JJ asks.
"Hotch asked me for some old files two days ago, and I was supposed to leave them on his desk before he got in today, and I sort of, forgot?" she sighs "I forgot for two days in a row. I wanted to get in early to give them to him so it'd seem like I pulled them when he asked me to, but then I smudged my makeup, so I had to restart and I took longer than I wanted to. So now I have to march myself up there and explain to him what happened."
"It's alright, I'm sure he'll understand" JJ comforts, patting her back.
"Yeah, he can be a bit of a hardass sometimes, but I've never seen him get mad at you" Derek shrugs "It's just a couple of minutes late. I'm sure he'll get over it. Besides, he should be in a good mood. Y/n only pushed his buttons a little today."
"Hey!"
"I know he's not going to be mad at me" she huffs "But he's gonna ask me why I didn't get them there sooner and he's going to be all... disappointed. And that's worse!"
"I'm sure it'll be okay, Pen" you assure her "but the longer you wait, the worse you'll feel. You should just get it over with."
"You're right" she takes a deep breath, collecting her papers in her arms "I'm a grown-up, I can handle this. Nice necklace, by the way, Y/n."
"Thanks?" you ask, laughing at how easily distracted she could be.
"Okay, I'm off" she announces, setting off towards his office. You just chuckle, turning back towards the others.
"What?" you ask, feeling eyes on you.
"That is a pretty necklace," JJ says, standing and rounding the desk to take it between her fingers.
"Is it new?" Emily asks, observant as ever.
"Yes, it is" you nod, watching JJ examine the pendant "and thank you."
"Are the gems real?" JJ asks, running her thumb over the jewel.
"Um, to be honest, I don't know" you admit "I didn't buy it. It was a gift."
"Uh oh, that guy freind's giving you gifts now?" Derek pipes in.
"Umm, yeah" you smile, looking down at the golden jewelry.
"Your boyfriends got good taste, y/n" JJ releases the necklace and lets it fall back against your skin.
"Of course he does, he's dating me" you joke "I'm sure he'd appreciate that, though. Now seriously, if I don't start this paperwork now, I'm never gonna leave this place."
JJ retreats to her office and the rest of you begin the stacks of paperwork and files that clutter your desks, a combination of cold cases and incident reports from the last case. As always, you don't work long before you're interrupted again.
"Delivery for Y/n Y/l/n?" a voice says in the doorway of the bullpen. You all turn, breaking your concentration to see what had been delivered to you.
"Flowers?" Spencer questions. You stand, slightly confused, wandering over to take the bouquet from the delivery man.
"I'll kill him," you huff, setting the flowers down on an empty part of your desk. You go back to thank the man politely and sign for the delivery before sitting back down.
"Damn, this guy is one hell of a romantic" Derek states, standing and meandering over to look at the assortment.
"He's certainly something," you say. The first time might have been cute, but delivering it during the workday was a big step up from leaving it at your desk in the morning. And even then, he was only trying to prove a point. At least those flowers were nice, light in color and not flashy. You thought he knew better than to do something like this, but the large bundle of brightly dyed roses on your desk told you otherwise. "Sorry for distracting you all, I'll talk to him about scaling it back a bit."
"No, why would you?" Emily grins "at this rate, you might be getting a Caribbean cruise on valentines day."
You just laugh the situation off and go back to your paperwork. You wait for a good amount of time before walking up to Aaron's office, just to seem as inconspicuous as possible. You knock on the door gently and shut it behind you when given permission to enter.
He greets you nonchalantly, still not looking up from the paperwork he's scribbling across. When you don't respond, he looks up at you finally to see your arms crossed. "What's wrong?"
"Listen, the gesture was sweet, but you can't do stuff like that in the office" you sigh "You already won our bet, you know that, right? You don't have to make a big show like that."
"First of all, I know I won the bet. I've been considering how to take my reward all morning" he replies "and second of all, I don't know what you're talking about."
"C'mon, Aaron, don't play dumb. The flower delivery?"
"What?" he asks, confused "I didn't send any flowers. You got flowers?"
"You, you didn't?" you parrot, now equally confused. "Are you messing with me?"
"No, I wouldn't send you flowers in the middle of the workday. Are you telling me someone did?" he raises an eyebrow.
"Take a look for yourself" you gesture out the window to your desk. He cranes his neck to see the large assortment. "If it wasn't you, then I don't know where they..."
Realization hits you like a truck. You look back towards the bouquet, and then to Aaron.
"Did the deliveryman say anything? Was there a card?" he questions, still eyeing it.
"Umm, no." You can't believe you didn't see it. You also can't believe you didn't look for a card. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. It's probably someone trying to be nice."
"They're roses, Y/n," he emphasizes, "they say a little bit more than that."
"What, you're a flower expert now?"
"I'm going to call the mailroom and see where they came from," he decides, picking up the wired phone on his desk.
"Don't!" you plead, making him stop in his tracks "I think I know who it was. Um..." you look out the window, spotting an empty desk. "It was Emily. Yeah, I think it was her."
"Emily sent you two dozen roses? Through the mailroom?" he asks, a little skeptical.
"She's got some friends down there, and we've kind of got an inside joke going on" you lie through your teeth "sorry to get you worked up, I guess I just kind of...didn't think she'd take it this far. Don't call them, it'd just embarrass her."
"Alright," he says, placing the phone back down "only if you're sure."
"I am" you nod "I'm gonna, um, go back down there. Now."
He nods, allowing you to slip down to your desk. You sit down, pretending to work for a minute to avoid suspicion, then root through the bouquet. Just as suspected, you find a little white card tied to one of the stems.
Call me :)
You sigh at the curly lettering. You had almost forgotten about Katie's pleas, well, more like demands, for you to call her. She had gotten progressively more erratic in the less than 4 days that you'd known her. With all the things going on with Aaron and the case, you hadn't even thought about calling her.
You realize that if she's this persistent, she likely won't stop. You don't believe her to be entirely unreasonable, so she must have a good reason for pursuing you. She couldn't be that crazy, she was a highly respected and high-rank woman, after all. Who happened to take special interest in you and special disinterest in your boyfriend, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to suspect that her actions were the product of issues with other agents in authority. You profiled obsessive organization and over-achievement, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to think-
"Hey, is everything alright?"
You look up at Spencer, who has caught Derek's attention with his question. They're both looking at you gawking at the bouquet, which was clearly unusual. Stupid.
"Yes, I'm okay, thank you" you nod, sitting at your desk. You notice again the proximity of Emily's empty desk. "Hey, where'd Emily go?"
"She said she had to go ask JJ about a case detail" Morgan answered, "but my guess is the two of them needed one of their infamous gossip breaks with our lovely technical analyst."
"Right, makes sense" you breathe "I need to go, um, get her. I'll be back."
"Right, of course" Derek grins, leaning back in his chair "just don't chit-chat all day in there. We got crimes to solve other than the mystery of what you four are all wearing on the town for ladies night."
"Right, of course" you roll your eyes, giving him a weak chuckle. "I'll be back."
Before you go, you stealthily reach into the pocket of the coat that hangs loosely on the back of your chair and your fingers feel a crumpled piece of paper. Quickly, you place the slip of paper into the purse under your desk and slip away to JJ's office. Thank God you didn't throw away the piece of paper that Katie had written her number on, and thank the stars you hadn't removed it from where you had shoved it in your pocket days prior.
You don't know what to ask the girls, or rather, how to ask it. But you're sure you can improvise something, based on the simple truth that this older and successful FBI chief was taking a suspicious and quick liking to you. And was now making romantic gestures. You could let yourself conveniently leave out a few key details, specifically how she had seen Aaron drive you home. You just wanted people to talk to about it, and the women of the BAU had never let you down before. You knew they would kill for you, and they knew you would do the same for them.
Consumed in your thoughts, you don't even think to listen for a response when you know on JJ's office door. You knock once and push through, sure that you would find your friends standing there, sure that knocking in this place was more of a formality than a nessecity. You didn't notice that the blinds were closed or the door being left open just a crack, enough that it could be a mistake that it's even open at all. You're pulled from your thoughts immediately upon entering the office.
Your eyes first land on a mop of blonde hair spilling over the desk, but you then register the dark brunette curls belonging to the head right above. JJ is leaning backward over her desk, top of her head facing you, while Emily is hovering over her. You don't see lips connect, just the smudged lipstick on Emily's face when her head snaps up to see you.
"Fuck" she says quickly, eyes widening. JJ pushes her up, causing her to momentarily lose balance as they both stand upright and face you with mouths agape.
"Y/n, we were just, um...?" JJ wipes the smeared red lipstick from her lips and some on her neck while Emily looks down and straightens her button-down shirt.
"Really?" You ask, still in shock. "You two are...? Wow."
You really should've seen this one coming. Rooming together, spooning on the Jet, even coming in at the same times some mornings. It'd been a long time since either of them had been in a relationship due to the nature of the work, you knew, and they had natural chemistry for a long time, but it shocked you that it was happening now.
"Please don't be upset" Emily pleads, tilting her head slightly. They both give you a concerned look, ready to gauge your reaction.
"Upset?" You chuckle, taken aback "You think I'm upset?" They both look at each other then back at you, nodding a little.
"No, no not at all" you clarify. "I'm just...surprised, is all. I didn't think you two were..."
"Together?" JJ finishes, looking down at her shoes.
"Yes. That" you clear your throat "how long?"
"Seeing each other for 3 months, dating for two weeks" Emily answers, smiling slightly "I'm a little shocked you didn't notice it Y/N. We haven't exactly been subtle." You think back to all the nights they stayed together at hotels, all the casual flirting and small acts of intimacy on the jet.
"Well, I definitely thought something was going on" you defend yourself, shooting her a playful smile in return "I didn't think you'd ever work up the nerve to ask her out though."
"How do you know I asked her out?" Emily shot back "it could've just as easily gone the other way."
"I'm a profiler, it's what I do" you shrug with faux arrogance, making them both chuckle.
"A profiler that couldn't tell when two of her coworkers were dating" JJ teases gently.
"Hey, we've got rules on inter-team profiling, Jayje!" you shoot back "I was just doing you a favor by not pointing it out."
"Right" JJ chuckles and rolls her eyes "Y/n, really, we're sorry we couldn't tell you sooner. It's just hard to get privacy on the team, and we weren't ready to go public with it yet."
"No, really, there's no need to be sorry. I get it." You weren't lying. You definitely did get it. "I'm so sorry I burst in here. I didn't mean to embarrass you both."
"Well, we'll just count our blessings that it wasn't Derek or Rossi" Emily quips.
"Or Spence" JJ adds "and don't worry about it. It probably wasn't our best idea to start stripping in here."
"Especially without making sure the door was locked" Emily nods.
"That was your fault" JJ reminds her.
"Yeah, maybe it wasn't a prime spot, but it's all right" you assure. You feel like a little bit of a hypocrite at that moment. Your face burns hot at the thought of someone walking in on you and Aaron in this same position. "So I take it the guys don't know about this?"
"No, and neither does Penelope" JJ responds, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ears "the only people that know as of now are my mailman, you, and Hotch."
"Hotch knows about you two?" you parrot back. You understand why he wouldn't tell you, but it shocked you a little that he figured it out before you could.
"He figured it out a while ago. He doesn't really ever turn off the profiling, at least not for the team. He has to know about how the team works with each other, and how we all interact to keep us all efficient, so of course he snuffed the relationship out before it even really started" JJ explains.
"He never said anything until we started sleeping next to each other on the jet, then he called us up to his office to have a little chat about professionalism" Emily continues.
"Are you kidding? What did he say?" you ask.
"He was surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing" she continues "He said it wouldn't be an issue as long as we kept it strictly professional on cases. I think he might be taking some heat from Strauss and he's covering for us. He didn't say it, but I think he's happy for us."
"Wow" is all you say. "Well, I'm glad it's working out for you two. Really, I can't believe I haven't said it already. I'm really happy for the both of you."
"Thanks, Y/n, really" JJ smiles "We appreciate that. But do you think we can keep this under wraps for a while?"
"Oh, of course" you stick up three fingers "your secret's safe with me. Scouts honor."
"Thank you, really, it means a lot" Emily thanks "I have a feeling we're all going to talk about this later, but for now, I think we need to get back to work before the guys burn this place down or Garcia sets up a search party."
"Right, of course" you agree.
"Did you come in here for something, Y/n?" JJ asks, stopping you on your path to the door. Your heart sinks when you remember the task at hand. It feels a little trivial now, and you feel a little unsure about asking them. Maybe another time, you think.
"Nope, just looking for you, Emily" You lie "I have to go to the bathroom, but I'll be out in a second, okay?" They both nod and say their goodbyes as you leave, setting down on your path down the hall.
That experience surprised you a bit, and while you're happy for your friends, there's a time in a place to freak out over their relationship, which is not here if you want to keep it under wraps for them. You do find yourself smiling over the thought of how cute they are together, and you do truly hope that they're happy together. But right then, you needed to book it to the bathroom and call Katie before she made any more large romantic gestures.
You walk into the ladies room and make sure it's empty before locking the deadlock on the door. Sinking to the floor, you pull out the scrap of paper from your purse and type the digits into your phone. You close your eyes and take a deep breath before hitting the call button. It rings only two times before she picks up.
"Agent Katie Cole," she says with a performiatory professionalism. You both know it's you on the phone.
"Hi, Katie?" you clear your throat, trying not to seem agitated "It's Y/n. Um, agent Y/l/n."
"Oh, Y/n! I'm so happy to hear from you. I was beginning to think you forgot about our agreement!" she chuckles "Did you like the flowers, agent? I had hoped they were too your liking."
"They were beautiful, Katie" you try not to sigh as you attempt to keep polite, rubbing your temples "but I have to ask you not to send things to the office. It was a kind gesture, but it's a little distracting to my coworkers."
"Of course. It was Hotch, wasn't it? I knew he wouldn't like them" she continues, not giving you a chance to respond "But I admire your professionalism, Y/n. I always have. It's one of many things I admire about you. Not many agents can boast the skill set you have. That's why I had to get your attention. I have a proposition for you."
"And what would that be?" you ask.
"It would be better to do it face to face, where I can see you," she says. "Trust me, it will be worth your while. But it would be improper to discuss it over the phone. Y/n, I'm asking you to meet me somewhere."
"Okay, how about your office?" you suggest. You wanted to make this resemble a date as little as possible.
"No, I couldn't possibly do it there. I couldn't distract my team" she laughs as if it's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. "What about dinner? At my house?"
"Umm, I'm not sure that would be professional" you shutter "What about at a coffee shop? I know a good place downtown. Edmond's." You attempt to keep it public and try to keep some semblance of casualness while giving her a crumb of intimacy, which seemed to be what she desired.
"I'm familiar" she agrees "Alright, 8 AM, Saturday?"
"Sounds fine."
"Lovely" you can almost see her smile "I look forward to it. I'll see you then, agent." You disconnect the line before she can say more. Throwing your head back against the cool tile, you wonder how you ended up in this situation. Even more, you wonder what that conversation held for you.
_________________
Hey guys!
So, I know I was really slow to deliver Jemily, but I finally made it official! I plan to write more of them just because I love that ship. This chapter was mostly cute team relations that I wrote on a whim, but I hope you guys like it!
I know the criminal minds fandom has fallen off a little in the past months, which is a little sad, but I still plan on putting out content and I really appreciate all the interaction from you guys! :)
As always, please vote and comment if you enjoyed. The comments on this story always have me in tears!
Lots of love,
-S 💕