"The slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Daughter
I awoke with the lightest of touches tickling my right arm. At first I merely twitched before feeling the touch again and frowning, sighing in my sleep before reaching up to rub a hand over my face.
I blinked a few times, frowning at the blinding light pouring inside the room I was in. I sighed emphatically, glancing to the nightstand next to me, my eyes falling on my bra hanging from the lampshade.
The memory of last night came flooding back to me in that moment and I smiled from ear-to-ear, turning around on the bed immediately to face a sleepy - and still naked - Spencer, propped up on his arm watching me with a sleepy smile.
"Good morning." I grinned elatedly.
"Good morning." He echoed, leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine.
He pulled back with a proud smile and I couldn't help but lay there on my back beside him, watching him with fascinated eyes.
Did last night happen?
Was he really mine?
"Yes it did." Spencer's sleepy thick voice told me and I frowned, did he just read my mind?
"How did you know that's what I was thinking?" I asked with a painful tug in my throat.
"Your eyes say it all." He told me matter-of-factly, reaching forward to push my hair from my face, his long fingers tucking it behind my ear.
His fingers then trailed from my ear down my neck to my shoulder, tracing my skin along my left arm before dancing across to my bare stomach, his fingertips flicking at my belly-button piercing.
"You kept that quiet." He said matter-of-factly and I smiled.
"You kept that quiet." I echoed, flicking the shadow of a sick-pack on his torso, turning onto my side to face him properly.
He smirked and blushed slightly and I couldn't help but grin. Even after last night he was still blushing.
The sheets were pulled to cover from our hips down, but that didn't stop us knowing what was beneath there. Last night had been nothing short of a dream.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," He said suddenly after a long while of the both of us laying looking into each other's eyes. "Don't move." He said, climbing out of bed and subtly taking the top sheet off the bed, wrapping it around his waist as he walked.
I wolf whistled as he got to the bathroom and he turned to glance over his shoulder at me; his cheeks reddened as he smirked and ducked inside.
I sat up on the bed, holding the sheet to my chest as I glanced out of the window next to the bed. It was a bright morning; sunny as usual, but it was difficult to guess what time it was.
I laid back down and crawled over to Spencer's side of the bed, lying on my side to reach his watch on the floor by the wall, picking it up to see that I'd accidentally broken the strap in my hurry to rip his cardigan and shirt off last night...
I set the watch back down on the nightstand and pulled the sheets up around me, inhaling Spencer's familiar smell from where he'd slept last night.
A few moments later he came back from the bathroom and hopped onto my side of the bed.
"No fair, your side's all cold now." He whimpered, his breath hot on my scapulas.
"Whoops." I smirked, rolling onto my side in order to face him again.
He was smiling at me broadly, that smile I loved so much; the one that lit up his whole entire face and made me believe that there was no such thing as evil in the world because that smile existed.
He reached up and ran the fingers of his left hand over the tattoos on my shoulder, watching his hand as he done so.
"Do all of these mean something to you?" He asked quietly in a curious tone and I nodded my head. "Every single one of them?" He asked, gently tracing his fingers over my tattoos lacing down my arm.
"Every single one of them." I echoed, inclining my head slightly.
"Did your grandma get to see them all?" He asked in a cautious tone and I shook my head.
"I got my first tattoo the week after she passed away." I explained.
"You were rebelling?" He guessed and I nodded my head. "But you were only thirteen." He said and I sighed.
"There was a tattoo party one of the older guys at my school was having. I found out, gatecrashed with a couple bottles of my grandpa's booze and they let me jump ahead. It became a bit of a regular thing. They'd have a party and I'd supply the booze. My grandpa was always too drunk to notice a couple bottles of his whiskey or vodka gone anyway let alone a big ugly tattoo on my arm."
"He was a hard liquor guy?"
"Still is as far as I know." I said with an incline of my head.
"What's this one?" Spencer asked, tracing the floral vine on my forearm with the small birds at my elbow sat on the top of the vine.
"Daisies were my grandma's favourite flower, and robins were her favourite bird." I explained.
"Oh," Spencer said in a sweet tone, nodding his head. "I didn't recognise what they were exactly because there's no colour," He said. "But that's kind of beautiful." He added.
"I didn't want any colour," I said softly. "I was pretty adamant about that when I was a kid."
"What was the last one you got?" He asked and I smirked. I rolled onto my stomach and gestured to my back where the tiny little footprints led from my ribs to the centre of my back where words were tattooed horizontally across the centre of my back.
"That's beautiful." Spencer said with a nod, tracing over the words gently before I rolled back onto my side again.
"My old friend Caitlyn?" I said and Spencer nodded at the memory of the girl who'd blown my cover almost a year ago now.
"She was my best friend when I lived in New York, and I was extremely close with her younger brother and sister. The last thing her little brother said to me were those words," I said.
"They knew I had to go away for a very long time and they knew they'd probably never see me again. His little sister didn't really understand. She was only three. He was five, a little older, and he said that no matter where I am in the world the moon will always follow me and guide me home whenever I'm scared. I thought that was a pretty beautiful thing for a kid to say."
Spencer leaned forward and kissed the corner of my mouth, his breath pooling my face before he sighed and pressed our foreheads together.
"That is a lovely thing to say." He agreed and I smiled, knowing that we had to get ready.
"Where're you going?" He pouted as I rolled to the other side of the bed and wrapped the sheet around my body as I got to my feet.
"Well, we are here to work Spence," I said a little sadly and turned to see his pouted lips, his pleading expression begging with me from the bed.
"And I have to go to the pharmacy before we head to the station." I explained and he frowned, sitting up on the bed as I retrieved my go-bag.
"Pharmacy?" He echoed. "What for? Is something wrong?" He asked and I turned to face him with a smirk.
"You forgot your coat last night, babe," I joked. "I kind of need to get something for that this morning." I shrugged and smiled sweetly at him before heading inside the bathroom.
*
After I'd showered and dressed I headed back into the bedroom to dry my hair with the dryer supplied and hopefully find the bobble Spencer had tossed last night.
"About the pharmacy..." Spencer said as soon as I was back in the bedroom. "I still don't get why you're going." He said and I smirked, reaching up to tap his face lightly.
"I need the morning after pill, Spence," I said. "That's what happens when dudes don't wear condoms. Either that or a baby." I shuddered at the thought and Spencer's eyes flew wide.
"Oh," He almost choked. "Okay. Well let me shower and then we'll head to the nearest pharmacy." I almost laughed at how sudden his change of opinion had been and watched as he hurried inside the bathroom with the other sheet wrapped around him.
Once I'd gotten ready, I gathered our things from last night and neatly folded them onto the dresser while trying to go back over our movements and retrieve my hair bobble.
But, to no avail, I pulled my fingers through my naturally wavy hair we grabbed our satchels and left the room, hoping not to bump into any of the team as we made our way downstairs.
"Ssh!" I hissed, pointing across the lobby to where Morgan and Prentiss were making their way into the restaurant where breakfast was served.
"They're hardly going to hear us all the way across the lobby, Melly." Spencer chuckled, squeezing my hand tighter and pulling me for the exit.
"I don't know why we're worrying anyway," I laughed as soon as we were outside in the car park. "I mean, how're they gonna know?" I scoffed, climbing inside the SUV.
The Doctor
"You know there's still an eleven percent chance it might not work." I said matter-of-factly as we left the pharmacy, a bag of hair-ties in Mel's hand.
"There's always a chance that condoms won't work either, Spence, but most people still use them." She laughed as we headed along to the coffee shop.
"Twelve percent chance actually." I nodded and she looked up at me with wide eyes.
"Seriously?" She asked and I nodded my head.
"Wow. I didn't know that." She admitted.
"How do you know all these things anyway?" She asked as we headed inside the packed coffee shop filled with people buying coffees before they headed to work.
"Anything I read just stays in here," I shrugged, tapping the side of my head and wrapping an arm around her waist in order to pull her to my side to dodge the barista weaving through the queue with a tray filled with dirty cups.
"So I guess at some point I've read that and it's still there." I smirked and she shook her head in awe.
"That must be incredible." She said and I shook my head.
"Incredibly annoying maybe," I said. "But remembering every little thing has it's cons." She smiled up at me sympathetically, reaching up with a cold hand to sweep my hair back from my face.
I ordered us our usual coffees and we headed across to the station, entering inside the office with Mel laughing hysterically as I carried the bag of bobbles between my teeth, our coffees in my hands while she tied her hair back with one of the bobbles.
"Good morning." Prentiss grinned at us from the coffee table at the back of the office, everyone turning to us with broad smiles as we entered happily into the office.
"Good morning." Melanie grinned, taking the bag of bobbles from my mouth and shoving them into her satchel as she took one of the coffees from my hand and took a seat at the table.
"Morning." I smiled bashfully, blushing under the heating gaze of everyone in the room. I sat down next to Mel, subconsciously lacing our hands together under the table.
The Technical Analyst
As usual I was waiting outside of the elevators for my crime-fighters when they returned home.
"Welcome, welcome, my furry friends. I trust everything went well?" I asked as Derek wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the side of my face; his usual greeting.
He then immediately launched into a detailed explanation of how they'd finally tracked Ms. Charlotte White and how she'd tragically committed suicide by cop.
Unfortunately, for like the first time ever I wasn't listening to a single word my dearly beloved was saying.
And this was because I was far too distracted by my cheeky-chappy-twin-geniuses as they came out of the elevator all wrapped up in each other.
Well, maybe not quite so intimate, but Reid had his arm around Mel's waist and was saying something to her in a quiet voice, his mouth centimetres from her ear as she laughed that laugh of hers where her eyes crinkle up and her cheeks go all puffy.
It was an adorable laugh I'd only mastered to receive a couple of times.
I frowned and narrowed my eyes on the couple as Rossi and Hotch led the way inside the BAU closely followed by Reid and Mel.
"What," I interrupted Derek by holding up my hand and halting us both in our tracks, Emily and JJ stopping too. "Has gotten into them?" I asked with my eyes still trained on Reid and Mel as they headed for the coffee pot still glued side-by-side.
"Oh that?" JJ smirked knowingly, stepping closer with Emily.
"They've been like that all day." Emily nodded.
"I think someone got a little lovin' last night." Derek chuckled from beside me and I gasped, hitting his chest as I stared up at him.
"No way?!" I choked.
"Yes way." JJ nodded happily.
"I'd bet my house on it." Emily agreed.
"They're practically glowing dollface." Derek told me.
"Oh my giddy-aunt," I grinned. "This is fantastic. Is Hotch onto them yet?" I asked and they all shared a knowing expression.
"You haven't spent all day with them," JJ scoffed. "If he's not onto them then he's either blind, clueless or ignorant. And we know Hotch is the complete opposite of those three things."
I nodded my head.
"I need to know every detail of their behaviour from the second you saw them today." I demanded and the three of them scoffed.
"Let's take this into your office little-miss-I-know-everything." Derek joked, steering me in the direction of my office.
"I'm gonna go make some coffee and start on my report. You guys have fun now." JJ laughed.
"Oh I cannot wait to hear this!" I cheered as we set off down the corridor for my office.
"Hey Garci hold up a sec!" Mel called from the bullpen. I turned to see Reid making his way to his desk and Melanie coming towards us with a coffee and a flowing fro.
"Go, chocolate thunder, go, shoo!" I hissed, jabbing Derek in the back, knowing Mel wouldn't breathe a word of last night with Derek around.
"I just wanted to thank you for the help on the case..." Mel was saying as she approached us. I was narrowing my eyes deliberately at Derek, trying to convince him to take the hint and go talk to Reid.
"Oh my little cherub!" I dramatically laughed as Derek took a step back towards the bullpen. Emily ducked her head to avoid Mel seeing her smirk and I grabbed Mel's arm through mine.
"Anything I can do to help my little crime fighters!"
The Doctor
"I know what you're going to try, and before you even try it, don't bother. I'm not telling you." I said to Derek as he approached my desk with a certain...air to him.
"What?" He said a little too-innocently and I looked up at him with an arched brow.
"Don't 'what' me Morgan; you're just as bad as the girls, I know you're wanting me alone to ask about last night and you can forget it." I turned back to my papers and slid my glasses further up my nose, embarrassment blushing my cheeks.
"Oh am I now?" He asked with a knowing smirk, plopping down onto the edge of my desk.
I couldn't help it, I smiled, shaking my head in awe.
"See there you go," He said, pointing to my face. "If nothing happened last night, and I suggested we have a chat right now, you wouldn't be smiling you'd be saying some witty cruel remark and storming off like a kid."
We both chuckled and I shook my head, clearing my throat desperately.
"So?" He asked, shrugging at me as he leaned forward slightly.
"So what?" I retorted with a smirk.
"Was it all you were hoping it'd be?" He asked and I arched another eyebrow.
There was a brief pause before I said,
"You're being serious? Have you ever seen Melanie?"
He smirked, nodding his head as he cast his eyes over the BAU, subtly locating Aaron and Rossi by the coffee pot behind me across the room.
"Well, it was better than I ever could have imagined it'd be." I said simply, not wanting to say anything else on the subject.
"Do you love her?" He asked suddenly, looking down at me again.
"What?" I asked defensively. What a random question to ask me.
"It's a simple enough question. You loved Maeve and you lost her, I need to know if you love Melanie so I can be around to make sure you never lose her."
I forced the lump out of my throat by swallowing hard, clearing my throat and rapidly blinking my eyes without looking at Morgan's pressing stare.
"The truth?" I asked, glancing back up at him after a long pause.
"I've loved her since the day I sat on the other side of a door and realised she was about to die and I wasn't."
The Daughter
The next day I awoke the sound of my fire alarm going off. I propelled myself into a sitting position, smelling the faint smell of burnt toast and hearing the sounds of Spencer clashing around in the kitchen.
"Shit shit shit." I heard him mumbling and then things went silent. I smirked to myself and covered my mouth with a hand to prevent myself from giggling as I climbed to my feet and padded to the bedroom door.
I peered around to see him heading back inside the kitchen frantically; his shoulder-length wavy hair bouncing as he hurried.
I smiled to myself and silently padded through the living room and paused at the archway into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe watching as he hurried from one end of the kitchen to the other, frantically pouring coffee and checking on the bagels he'd put inside the toaster as the cremated ones laid on the counter.
"Good morning." I said, announcing my presence and consequently making him leap into the air with a surprised yelp.
"Jesus Mel," He laughed self-consciously under his breath, tucking his hair behind his ear and blushing. "You surprised me," He said. "W-what're you doing up anyway?!" He stuttered in a higher tone. "You're supposed to still be sleeping, go!" He exclaimed, waving me out of the kitchen.
"What?" I giggled, standing off the doorframe and smiling at him innocently. He chuckled and shook his head, a dimple showing as he frantically shooed me out of the room.
"No, don't give me those eyes," He chuckled, about-turning me in the doorway and gently pushing me in the direction of my bedroom.
"Back to bed, go," He said and I went before pausing and turning to look over my shoulder. "Go!" He laughed and I giggled, heading back inside my bedroom.
I found Spencer's cardigan lying over the armchair with his other clothes from yesterday and pulled it on over my pyjamas as I pulled open the curtains and yanked my hair into a bobble, climbing back into my partially warm bed.
"Okay," Spencer entered my bedroom with a tray baring two cups of coffee and a plate of bagels. "This is how you were supposed to wake up," He said as he carefully crossed the room to my bedside.
"Good morning Melly." He said, leaning down to kiss my forehead and set the tray on my lap.
"Aw Spence," I cooed. "You darling." I grinned, reaching up to pull him back down to me gently, lightly kissing his lips. "Thank you." I grinned and laughed as he hurried around to the other side of my bed and climbed in, lying on his stomach diagonally beside me, taking a bagel off the plate.
"Sorry I burnt the first lot," He said apologetically and I laughed around my coffee-cup.
"That's what you cremated earlier?" I asked and he nodded his head.
"I'm not much of a chef," He admitted bashfully and I giggled. "But JJ says I make good spaghetti."
"JJ?" I echoed in confusion.
"Yeah uh, this one time Rossi invited us over to his house and taught us some Italian recipes," He explained.
"JJ and I weren't on good terms at the time," He sighed and refused to look me in the eye as he explained.
"I decided that I'd been pretty immature about the whole thing and invited JJ and Will and Henry over for dinner. I made the spaghetti Rossi taught us how to cook and apparently they loved it."
He shrugged with a proud little smile and my expression lightened; turns out the story wasn't half as bad as I was expecting.
"Well then I can't wait to try it." I said with a smile and Spencer looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"How about tomorrow night?" He asked and I grinned.
"Sure," I nodded emphatically. "Sounds perfect."
The Doctor
After breakfast we cleared up and ended up in the living room with Milky discussing on whether or not Mel should have a house-warming party or if that novelty had worn off when her cell started ringing.
"Hotchner," She answered automatically before laughing and saying, "Uh sorry, hello?" I could practically hear Jack's voice yelling,
"Good morning Melanie!" I smirked from the opposite end of the sofa and Melanie smiled broadly, her eyes lighting up at the sound of his voice.
"Why good morning Captain, how are you?" I watched her as she spoke with Jack, her eyes completely lighting up, her mouth turned up into a beautiful smile that never faltered once throughout the entire conversation.
The whole time I absentmindedly played with the hem of my cardigan which Mel was wearing - a thousand times better than I ever could, for the record - which was literally only a few inches in front of me as our legs got tangled together in the centre of the sofa; our backs pressed against opposing arms.
"Hey Beth, I'm good, how're you?" Melanie spoke with Beth for a short while before my ears pricked up at the sound of my name. "Yeah Spencer's right here. He stayed last night yeah. How'd you know?" She laughed and rolled her eyes at me.
"That predictable huh? Yeah thanks. Okay speak to you later." She said goodbye and then hung up with a long intake of breath.
"How are they?" I asked and she nodded her head.
"They're great," She said. "They're both asking after you. Apparently my dad had a feeling you'd stay last night." She shrugged and rolled her eyes again.
"Profilers." I sighed.
For the rest of the day we pretty much lazed around together; watching films and TV shows, enjoying the lack of work to worry about and the lack of impending things to do.
It was nice to just spend time with Mel alone; no distractions; nobody else; nothing else; just the two of us enjoying each other's company.
After dinner I stretched from beneath her and she tilted her head up to look at me properly.
"What's up?" She asked and I smiled, tugging on the hair tied back in her bobble.
"I better go," I said matter-of-factly with a small smile. "I have to get in the things for tomorrow night's dinner remember?" I reminded her and she frowned.
"Why don't you just stay the night again and tomorrow we can go together to buy the stuff for dinner? I can even help?" She suggested with a grin and I chewed on my lip as I thought about it.
"Please Spence?" She asked with a petted lip, rolling onto her stomach so she was completely laid out flat on-top of me, her hands playing with the neck on my t-shirt.
"Pretty please?" She pleaded, batting her long lashes. I sighed and laughed, nodding my head.
"I don't see why not."
She cheered excitedly and kissed me briefly before tucking her head under my chin and wrapping her arms around me.
I loved how comfortable she was around me and how much she loved spending time with me; but I had a funny feeling that she didn't particularly want me to spend the night, but just someone to keep her company in the apartment.
I could tell how much she hated living alone now, and I could tell how much she regretted moving out of the family home.
I sighed into her hair, my eyes briefly closing as I realised it didn't matter if she wanted me to stay tonight, the next night and the night after that so she wasn't alone.
I'd do anything for this girl lying in my arms; and I didn't give a damn what that anything entailed.