Chapter Text
Joining the BAU so soon after my break-up was both the best decision and the worst decision of my life. It allowed me to have a new start after the breakup with my ex-girlfriend and it allowed me to prove her wrong. Yet, being single meant that I had developed a crush on one of the other agents. It felt so juvenile to blush every time she walked into a room but goddamn , I couldn’t stop staring at her.
I developed a friendship with the ladies at the BAU. Penelope was the first person to welcome me, wrapping her arms around me and calling me ‘Pumpkin’. JJ was next, insisting I came along to a girl's night. It took a while to become friends with Emily, her reluctance to get to know someone and my hesitancy to strike a friendship with my boss making it harder than with the other ladies.
It was easier after we’d both had a few drinks, Penelope insisting on playing a drinking game for us to get to know each other. I ended up being a victim to most questions, the ladies wanting to know me. It was JJ who’d asked if I was in a relationship and then I had to explain that I was recently single, my break-up just over a month ago, and then came the questions of how sad I must be over him. Then came the correcting.
“My ex, uh, was a she ,” I stated, dropping my gaze to the rim of the glass.
“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry,” Penelope said, her hand reaching over to squeeze my knee.
“It’s okay, Pen. I’m getting over her. It was for the best, She didn’t make me happy so I ended it.” I looked up and met Penelope’s eyes, my gaze flicking around the room. I looked over at Emily, who raised her eyebrows at me. I picked up my wine and took a sip, praying that someone would ask more questions.
JJ was the first one to leave, going home to Will and her children, which left Penelope, Emily and myself. I grabbed one of the blankets that Penelope kept on the arms of the couch and draped it over my legs. With the way that Penelope’s corner couch was laid out, I was in the corner with Penelope to my left and Emily to my right. My legs were crossed in front of me, my feet tucked underneath the opposite thigh. Penelope was leaning against the cushions, facing me and Emily was as perfect as ever, her legs tucked up on the couch and her wine glass being held steady on her thigh.
Penelope got up to use the bathroom and grab another bottle of wine, leaving me and Emily alone in Penelope’s living room. She stretched her legs out with a groan, lifting her arms above her head while she stretched, her shirt riding up a little and leaving a sliver of skin on show. My gaze dropped to it for a moment, my breath catching in my throat.
“Hey,” Emily murmured, my eyes flicking up to meet hers. “Was she your first?” She asked, her voice soft. I nodded softly, my eyes closing when she looked at me sympathetically. “The first Sapphic break-up is the hardest.”
My eyes shot open, looking at her with surprise. She smiled softly, swirling her wine in the glass.
“Mine was difficult, though they all are. I don’t think it stops hurting as much, you just learn how to deal with it better,” she stated. “My last one was hard, we were engaged,” Emily admitted. “She broke up with me when I asked her to move back to DC with me. She didn’t want to move from London, I didn’t see myself going back, so she broke it off.”
“I didn’t realise you liked women too,” I said, and Emily nodded towards the door frame.
“We all are,” she informed me, “Pen’s pan, she likes everyone, which you’ve probably gathered by now. JJ’s bi, she dated a lot of women and a few men before she met Will. I’m a lesbian and you’re you.” I smiled at her explanation, thankful that we’d finished our little conversation before Penelope came back in.
“Truth or dare?” Penelope asked and I watched as Emily’s eyes widened.
“Absolutely not, Penelope. I’m not up for your dares tonight.” Penelope pouted, pleading with Emily.
“Not even a mild one? I’ll be nice!” She promised. Emily glanced over at me, hoping I’d give an answer for her. Instead, I raised my eyebrows at her and winked.
“Fine, I’m in, but I’m not happy about it,” she stated, reaching for the new bottle of wine and opening it.
“Truth or dare, Em,” Penelope asked, tapping her fingers on her thigh excitedly.
“Dare,” Emily stated confidently.
“You see this person?” Penelope asked as she gestured to me, “I dare you to call them ‘baby’ for the rest of the night.” She sat back with a smirk and watched as Emily’s mouth dropped open and a blush came over my cheeks. I noticed Emily glare at Penelope, like she knew something I didn’t.
Emily sighed, taking a large sip of wine, wincing as she swallowed it.
“Fine. Truth or dare, baby ,” she made sure the name was emphasised to satisfy Penelope.
The way Emily was looking at me was intoxicating. The way she looked at me made me want to fall to my knees, and the way she smirked made me want to push her against a wall and kiss her until she was gasping for breath.
“Truth?” I said, a little unsure of what I was getting into.
“What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?” She asked. A smile broke out on my face as I tried to figure out a way to answer her question.
“I’ve never had one,” I admitted, toying with the stem of my wine glass.
“You’ve never had a bad date?” She asked. “Must be nice, I’ve had some awful ones. I vowed last ladies' night to never go on a date again.”
“You had one question, Prentiss. I’m not answering that.”
“But,” She went to say my name, pausing when Penelope tutted at her. Her voice dropped a few tones, sending a wave of arousal through my body. “ Baby , how do I know you’re telling the truth?” Her voice had turned into a mix of being seductive and something she would use in an interrogation, and Penelope was now watching us with intrigue.
“I’ve never been on a date, so therefore, I can’t have ever had a bad one. I have to be telling the truth, Ma’am.” I played into the interrogation she was giving me and I watched as Emily’s eyes dilated slightly at my comment.
“Never, ever? Not even in your most recent relationship?” She asked.
“No? I guess we did go on dates, but they were just spending time together. We never formally labelled them.” She leaned in closer to me, her tongue wetting her lips, my gaze dropping to her mouth.
“They don’t count. You deserve so much better, baby.” She reached out, brushing a piece of hair that had fallen back behind my ear and then sat back, crossing her legs in front of her.
“It sounds like you’re offering, Miss Prentiss,” I commented, noting how she tensed slightly.
“Maybe I am, baby girl, you’ll never know. I’m just saying, you deserve to be wined and dined, and you deserve to be worshipped afterwards.” She finished the rest of her drink and stood up, letting us know that she was going to leave.
Penelope pulled Emily in for a hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek and then Emily offered me a hug. Her hands rested on my lower back and her mouth was just next to my ear. I could smell her perfume as she squeezed briefly and it made me feel even more drunk than I already was. Just as she was about to pull back, she whispered into my ear.
“I was offering, let me know.” She stepped back, her hand resting on my shoulder for a moment. “Goodnight, ladies,” she announced as she headed for the door.
“Hey Pen, I should probably head out too. Thank you for inviting me along, I had a wonderful time.” She turned to me from across the room, her curls bouncing around her chest.
“I’m sure you did. Thanks for coming, Pumpkin. I’ve got a spare bed if you’d rather stay. I know it’s a long way home for you.” I hesitated, not wanting to impose on Penelope’s space for much longer, though the thought of a bed at that very moment seemed very appealing. “I’d like it if you stayed,” she added.
“Thank you, Penelope. That would be lovely.” I grabbed the remaining glasses and bowls from the coffee table and followed Penelope into the kitchen, helping her load the dishwasher.
She showed me to her spare bedroom, and passed me a spare toothbrush, letting me get ready for bed in my own time while she wiped down the kitchen.
When I woke the next morning, it was to the smell of coffee, toast and soft music. I glanced at my phone, my eyes widening at the time. It was later than I would have liked to have woken up, but I felt the most rested I ever had.
I managed to get one of the best night’s sleep I’d had in a long time in Penelope’s spare bed. The mattress was soft and layers of blankets kept me warm. There was also something enjoyable and safe about being in an apartment with someone else. While I loved having my own apartment and space to myself, I missed having someone else’s company at times.
I climbed out of bed, running a brush through my hair. I headed out of the bedroom and into Penelope’s living room where I would see into her kitchen. She was standing next to the counter, a cup of coffee next to one of her hands, a plate with a few crumbs left in front of her and her phone in the other hand. She was listening to music and humming along softly, moving slightly to the beat. I leaned against the doorway for a few moments, just watching her and then I moved opposite her.
“Morning,” I said, Penelope’s gaze shooting up to meet mine. She brought her hand up to her chest, holding it there for a moment.
“Jesus, what a way to scare a girl,” she commented, a smile breaking out on my face. “Good morning, buttercup. Can I get you some coffee? Breakfast?” She turned the music down slightly so we could talk.
“Coffee would be good, thank you, Pen. I don’t really do breakfast, but thank you for the offer.” She insisted I sit down at the counter while she made me coffee, so I did. It was rare I had an easy morning so I just wanted to embrace it. A smile spread across my face as I watched Penelope making my coffee. The way she moved with ease around the machine had me intrigued. I knew I’d never be able to work something like that but she seemed to enjoy it.
“Here you go, sugarplum,” she said, sliding the mug across the counter. “So, how did you find last next? Still got a crush on our lovely boss lady?”
“Last night was fun, I really enjoyed it. As for Emily , that’s for me to know. I’ll put it this way, it certainly didn’t help me stop simping over her when she was calling me ‘baby,’ Penelope.” I glared at her slightly, a blush spreading across the blonde’s cheeks.
“Oopsie,” she whispered, shrugging her shoulders. I started drinking my coffee, which was just the right temperature for me.
“You know, I’d say that I really hate you, but I’ve never loved you more.” Penelope smiled at me, watching as I finished my coffee. I walked over to her sink, washed my mug out and placed it on her draining board.
“I’ll have to add you to the lady's night group chat,” Penelope said, “We’ve got a ladies-only group chat and if you’re going to come to the next night, we need you in there.” She picked up her phone, typing for a few moments and then I heard my phone vibrate from the bedroom.
We parted ways to get ready for the day, so I had to slip back into the same clothes I’d worn the night before. Thankfully, I’d worn leggings and a sweatshirt so I didn’t feel like I was doing the walk of shame.
I pick up my phone, smiling at the notification from Penelope.
Penelope Garcia added you to ‘Sexiest Female Agents <3’
Penelope: Guess who stayed the night last night?
Emily: Who? What happened? I need details, Ms Garcia.
You: * Attached image *
I made sure to send a photo of myself holding my phone in Penelope’s bathroom mirror, my sweatshirt from the night before clearly visible. I’d washed my makeup off and my hair was messier than the previous night, partly a bedhead, despite me having brushed it.
Jennifer: Ooh la la, look at you
You: That bed is very comfortable, I don’t remember the last time I slept so well, I won’t lie :)
I left Penelope’s flat, thanking her eternally for her generosity the previous night. I sat in my car for a few minutes while I set up my GPS with directions home. This was my first time at Penelope’s and I had needed to use my GPS to get there.
I got home safely, making my way inside and letting the girls know, as they’d requested. A few minutes passed before my phone pinged with a private message from Emily. My heart skipped a little at the notification, but I opened it regardless.
Emily: You should have let me take you home last night.
You: Jesus, bold much? ;)
Emily: Shit, that didn’t come out as I wanted it to. I’m sorry.
Emily: I meant, I could have dropped you off at home if you didn’t want to stay the night, that’s all.
You: Thank you, but I wanted to stay the night. It gets a little lonely in my apartment
Emily: You can stay at mine if you ever want to, I know that I like company after a tough case, and I have more than one spare bed.
You: Thank you, I’ll take that into consideration :)
You: Though I sleep better in a bed with other people, just saying ;)
Emily: Bold, I like it.
Emily: See you on Monday, lovely.
I smiled at the pet name, chastising myself for feeling giddy over my stupid crush. I needed to think about someone else. It was too distracting to think about her all the time. I looked at the time, grabbed something to eat for lunch and then curled up on my couch. There wasn’t anything interesting on the TV so I opened up Netflix instead. I turned on Grey’s Anatomy which I had started watching months ago, and opened up Tinder on my phone.
I flicked through a few people, liking some women and passing on others. I froze at the profile in front of me. There was no image of her face on the profile, just pictures of her body in various outfits and poses, and brunette curls spilling over her shoulders. That little black dress looked perfect on her. It hugged her figure in all of the right places and showed enough cleavage to draw my eyes to her chest. I noticed the small flower tattoo on her collarbone and looked down at her name. Em, 36.
Surely it was a coincidence, surely there were other brunettes in DC who went by the nickname ‘Em.’ Fuck it, I thought. I took a breath and swiped right. Even if this lady wasn’t Emily, she was my type and I wanted to get to know her. I swiped through a few more women, eventually losing interest and putting my phone down.
I paused the episode, heading into my bedroom to grab some clean clothes and then into the bathroom to take a shower. I needed to wash my hair and I didn’t feel clean, especially as I hadn’t showered the night before. I let myself take a long shower as it was rare I used my own bathroom anymore. Usually, it was some crappy bathroom in a motel in the middle of nowhere that had a water stream less powerful than a shower of rain.
Finally, I was warm and clean so I climbed out of the shower and wrapped myself in one of the fluffy towels on my towel rail. I wrapped a smaller one around my head, rubbing the towel over my hair to dry it a little. I’d used the expensive shampoo I kept at home, making me feel more confident.
I slipped into the clean clothes I had brought to the bathroom with me and dropped the clothes I had been wearing before I’d showered into my hamper to wash later.
Then, I checked my phone to make sure we didn’t have a new case, which, thankfully we didn’t. I did, however, have a Tinder notification that I’d matched with someone. There was also a new message waiting for me from Em.