Femme Fic!
I wrote 2 stories for the ficathon this year - both in new fandoms for me (as far as writing goes).
Title: Propriety Be Damned
Author: triciabyrne1978
Rating: R for implications and innuendo
Fandom: Sanctuary
Characters: John Druitt/Helen Magnus/James Watson
Warnings: implied sex
Spoilers: vague inferences from The Five; Revelations 1 and 2.
Word Count: 1800 words
Written For: maekala
Prompt: Request Two
Fandom: Sanctuary
Characters: Helen, John, James (and any pairing/OT3 combo therein). Can also include pretty much anyone else we've seen or heard about on the show.
Prompt: How long did it take for John and James to realize that Helen isn't your typical woman, even after they became part of The Five. Can be either past or present looking back.
Three Things You Don't Want: PWP, Helen/Will, Helen/Henry
Author's Notes/Summary: Many thanks go out to jadestrick, sorcha_gaia, amilyn, divine_joker, majorsamfan and my dear friend Leah… it's been so good to get back in touch with you after so many years! Hope that you enjoy this, maekala, it was an adventure writing it!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1878
Helen's eyes flashed with an intensity James had never before seen in the seven years he had known her.
"Stay, James. Please."
He flexed his fingers, the pressure of her grip around his wrist cutting off the circulation and sending spikes of semi-painful pinpricks traveling through his joints.
"If you need me, of course, I will stay."
She smiled, and although he couldn't fathom what need she would have of him that night, he also knew there was no way he could refuse her.
James watched her smile as John's hand moved from where it caressed her cheek to entwine his fingers in a lone blonde curl. Then John's hand moved between him and Helen, drifting lower until he caught the lacing at the side of her corset, slowly untying it. James averted his eyes. He had no idea, nor did he care, what his friend was up to. Airs of propriety barely existed where any of the Five were concerned; but John knew how James felt, and should have known that this would be torture for him.
Quite frankly, James just expected better of John. What he did not expect was to feel the soft, moist heat of Helen's lips pressing against his own. Her hands threading their way under his jacket while John kissed the soft skin just below her ear.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1872
"Be still my beating heart..."
James heard John's voice before he felt the jolt to the bench as John stepped on top of it.
"You're mad," James replied, not bothering to look up from his notes.
"Love makes you mad, my friend."
James looked up, his eyes tracing the path of John's gaze. Across the courtyard, with one of the university Deans, stood a woman unlike any he had ever beheld. Her full skirt and long, flowing, blonde locks contrasted against the dark robes he found himself surrounded by on a daily basis. He had never seen anything so exquisite in his entire life and could only hope to discover her name.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1878
John's lips moved from one side of her neck to the other. Helen's head tilted to the side, allowing him greater access while her hands worked quickly to divest James of his shirt and tie. He watched as his fiancé kissed his best friend, the two somehow fitting together in a way that made his head spin. Fleetingly, it crossed his mind that he should be jealous, but the hunger burning through his veins threw that thought aside.
They wanted, no needed this, and the thought of sharing it with anyone else - even Nigel, and especially Nikola - churned his stomach.
No. This was something for them and them alone. Something that would bind them together more closely than the serum with which they had injected each other earlier that evening ever could.
John's tongue flicked the area of skin over Helen’s jugular, the pounding of the blood through her veins filling his senses and stirring his hunger even more acutely. He heard the sharp intake of her breath as his teeth followed the same path, watched as she pulled James the slightest bit closer, her fingers digging into the flesh at his hips before she moved to work on his belt.
James pulled the lace free from the side of Helen’s corset, and John took the opportunity to strip the garment from her shoulders and toss it across the room. She turned between them, their three bodies constantly touching in some way. She was the adhesive preventing them from falling apart, from giving themselves over to the serum completely and losing all control.
John’s lips met Helen’s, and he was drowning in her scent, in the sound of her blood pulsing, in the slight taste of James’s brandy tingeing her lips. He marveled over how he could not consider this losing control.
Helen relieved him of his shirt, and their hands fumbled over each other's as she reached for his belt at the same time that he reached for the fastenings on her skirt. He broke the kiss, stepping back from her just a fraction, and saw the heat that pooled below the surface of her deep blue eyes.
His belt hit the floor an instant before her skirt pooled around her feet, the thin material of her shift barely hiding the silhouette of her legs. Her hands smoothed across his chest, rising with his swift intake of air as he fisted his hand in her hair and pulled her closer, a shiver racing down his spine.
The fire in her eyes belied the soft, gentle way she voiced his name. “John.”
He kissed her fiercely this time, claiming her mouth with bruising force as his teeth nipped at her lower lip. The sharp tang of her blood hit his tongue and only spurred him onward.
He needed to have her. Needed to have James. Needed to claim and possess both of them like he had never needed anything before in his life.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1872
"Great heavens…."
He almost laughed as James stood from the bench and followed his gaze. Rumors of the possibility of women auditing classes had been floating through the hallway for several days now, but this was the first time that they had actually seen a woman being shown around the campus. To say that the woman standing across the courtyard from them had surpassed all of their hopes for the prospective students was putting it rather lightly.
John stepped off the bench and headed across the courtyard with an air of confidence that he was not entirely sure he felt, but he needed to know her name. He barely registered James reaching out and trying to grab his arm, hardly heard James' voice as he called out John's name; it was completely inappropriate and totally uncouth for him to approach, unsolicited, a woman whom he did not know. Conversely, by current standards it was totally unheard of for a woman to be walking the halls of this establishment and attending classes with the men. Protocol and tradition be damned, he was infatuated.
He caught her eye before he had made it halfway across the courtyard. The smile seemed hesitant at first, but when he did not back down, did not look away, and did not break the smile that crossed his face, her smile reached her eyes. If he had not been completely smitten with her already, she would have had him then. Her smile radiated from her face and he felt his voice catch in his throat as he stopped and formally bowed in front of her, ignoring the startled expression on the Dean's face.
"Montague John Druitt, at your service, Miss."
The crinkle at the corner of her eyes grew a bit deeper as her smile grew impossibly larger.
"Helen Magnus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Montague John Druitt." He could tell by the curve of her lips and the way she said his name that she would surprise and never disappoint.
And he was looking forward to every minute of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1878
Helen felt her chest pressing in on her. Her breath coming in quick, short gasps. It was all too much and not enough at the same time.
John.
James.
Her blood boiling through her arteries and veins with a heat and desire she had never known before.
Her fingers curled through James' hair, her head lolling back on John's shoulder as a deep moan escaped from her throat.
She would share anything - everything - with them. Her best friend and her fiancé/lover. She knew intrinsically she could trust them completely.
Tonight, she was falling.
She had allowed the hunger to take control. She had given in and they had followed and supported her in a way that she would normally never have asked of them.
The heat coiled through her body. Encouraged by their actions, encouraged by their movements, and encouraged by the immense outpouring of emotion that she felt from them.
Tonight, she had stepped to the edge of that cliff and fallen right over knowing that they would be there to catch her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
New City, USA 2009
Helen Magnus put the cup of tea down on its saucer, her breath coming in slow, even, controlled motions. For so long she had felt like her life was finally reaching a point of order. A point where she could trust in the people with whom she worked and had known for years, decades, some even centuries.
This last year had shaken her resolve.
Thrown a kink in her plans.
Tore at her heart.
James was dead. The friend -- and occasional lover -- who had seen her through more of her life than she ever cared to admit to anyone else, was lost to her forever.
John was back. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
She took another sip of her tea and stared out the window across the room. When they had been at Oxford, she had truly loved John with all of her heart. After the night with the source blood, when she had felt so close to completely losing any semblance of control - and she had - she had leaned on the two men whom she'd known would help and support her through anything, the three of them had forged a bond that could and would never be broken.
Which left her with now.
Conflicted over her feelings with John.
Hating what the source blood had done to him. What it had allowed him to become.
Loving the man he had once been. The man she hoped was still within him. The man she thought she had caught glimpses of over the last few days.
Loving the child they had created. The child she had hidden from him for as long as she could. The child who was now very much an adult with a mind of her own.
Closing her eyes, Helen exhaled slowly. The one person she would normally go to for advice was the one person who was forever out of reach. For the first time in over a century, she felt like her support system needed some rebuilding.
Ashley was her daughter, and as close as they were, some things one just did not discuss with their children.
Will was a colleague and they were fostering a budding friendship, but again, some things just weren't openly discussed.
A firm, warm arm ran across her shoulder blades, a tuft of fur tickling her neck as it moved. She leaned into his touch, welcoming his presence if nothing else. Sometimes, propriety would be damned, and sometimes the quiet support of a good friend was all that was needed.
Title: A Gentler Kind of Hazing
Author: triciabyrne1978
Rating: PG
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Characters: Emily Prentiss; Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
Word Count: 1250
Written For: queenvixta
Prompt: Request Three
Common ground
Three Things You Don't Want: Will, pregnancy, excessive angst
Author's Notes/Summary: Special thanks go out to: sgcgategirl, deaniebtvs, divine_joker, velvet_midnight, my coworker Terri and scarily enough my Mom even betad this one.
Emily Prentiss straightened up her desk and finished saving the report she was working on before shutting down the computer. Morgan had already made a show of forcibly removing Reid from the bullpen and insisting that the only two people who bothered sticking around this late were Hotch and Gideon.
As much as Emily wanted to be ‘one of the team’ she wasn’t quite ready to be alone with the two senior agents locked behind closed doors while she typed away at her desk. Tonight would be an early night, followed by an early morning tomorrow, so that she could finish the report and have it waiting on Hotch’s desk when he got in - assuming he left.
“Going out tonight?”
Jennifer’s voice startled her, and Emily cringed at the thought that she might have just jumped in her seat. “Getting ready to head home.”
JJ perched herself at the edge of Emily's desk, “Anything fun planned? Or is it just a quiet night at home?”
Emily stood, turned out the desk lamp next to her monitor and slipped her purse over her shoulder. “Looks like it’s just going to be a quiet night at home. I have a nice hot date with a bath. How about you?”
"That sounds appealing. Think you might be convinced to put it off for a bit?" JJ smiled.
Emily felt her eyebrow raise in question.
“Usually, after a case - or sometimes just because -- Garcia and I would have either headed out with the guys, or dragged Elle along for a girls-night-out." Laughing lightly, JJ rolled her eyes before adding, "Garcia and I had discussed 'inducting' you tonight, but we've been ditched in lieu of World of Warcraft. I figured I’d see if you wanted to be inducted into our little soirée anyway or if you had other things in mind for the evening besides hanging out in a possibly smoke-filled bar, drinking and enjoying some rather pointless conversation."
Emily felt the grin spread across her face. She had been happy to meet JJ and Garcia. As much as she loved the FBI and enjoyed working with the guys, it was still the 'old boys club' in a lot of ways. Having a few 'sisters in arms' would definitely make things a bit easier, and with her hours and her dedication to her job she'd never really made a group of steady friends in St. Louis or Chicago, so it would be good to have people to just hang with from time to time. "Actually, that sounds fabulous."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The bar wasn't smoky, something for which Emily was very grateful as she took a deep inhale and tried not to cough on her drink as she laughed. "He didn't."
JJ brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "He did. You would be surprised by some of the stuff Derek's pulled."
Emily sipped at her rum and coke. "I'm beginning to see that."
"No one like him in St. Louis?"
Emily huffed out a laugh. "There weren't people like anyone that I've met at the BAU in St. Louis or Chicago. Not that they weren't good agents. I never would have lasted ten years without some of them. It was just…" she trailed off, unsure of how to phrase her assessment.
"More traditional?"
Emily nodded as she swallowed another sip. "More like a job and a bit less like a family."
"Which can make it rough for a new person trying to find their niche in the fold."
Emily's nod slowed, her finger tracing a path in the condensation on her glass. "Did you just profile me?" She was buzzed enough that it didn't bother her as much as she thought it should.
JJ's hand covered her face for a moment. "I guess I haven't had enough to drink yet. Sometimes it's harder to leave the job at work, to drop the instincts. I didn't…"
Emily's laugh cut her off. "I actually wasn't offended, though I probably should be. I just wanted to make sure I knew where we were standing."
"Especially considering the rule against inter-team profiling."
"There's a rule against it? How do you turn it off?"
JJ nodded and took a sip of her beer. "No inter-team profiling. Though, on some level, it happens daily. Little things you pick up, piece together. Things you don't even realize most of the time. As for how we turn it off - when I figure that one out I'll let you know."
"I don't think you can. It's like breathing." Emily stared into her glass, watching the dark amber liquid swirl around the bottom, wondering if the bartender had known she wanted a stiff drink or if he was trying to get her drunk quickly. Judging from the way he hovered over her and JJ, she was leaning towards an ulterior motive beyond a happy customer. "No wonder we're single."
JJ's laugh shocked her. Emily hadn't been sure she'd spoken loud enough for the other woman to hear. "Garcia and I have come to the same conclusion on multiple occasions. That, and any guy that does get through our 'Spidey Sense', as she puts it, either gets completely intimidated by our jobs or the men that we work with."
"Let me guess, Morgan's done the over protective 'Big Brother' thing a time or two."
"Once or twice. Though, thankfully, never with me." JJ finished her beer and a fresh one was placed in front of her before her glass ever hit the table. "A bit overzealous tonight, aren't you, Zach."
"Not really. Just hoping that once you're properly relaxed you'll introduce me to your new friend." Zach smiled her way as he rinsed off JJ's old glass.
Emily found herself rolling her eyes. Chalk another one up to the bizarre reality that her life fell into.
JJ leaned across the bar a bit. "Zach, this is Emily. Emily Prentiss." Turning with a bit of a flourish that made Emily want to laugh, she continued, "Emily, this is Zach. Zach has this little rule about not getting involved with his good patrons from the Bureau."
Smiling and shaking her head, Emily shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Zach."
After staring for a few minutes, Zach shook his head and turned to walk away. "I'm going to have to reconsider my rules if the FBI continues hiring all the fine women in this city, JJ." Both women laughed as Zach continued to walk away.
"Is it always this interesting when you get together?" Emily asked, wondering just what sort of hodgepodge group she had gotten herself involved with.
"Oh, no," JJ replied, taking a long swallow from her new beer, "this is a calm night. Just wait till the whole family joins us. I thought I'd be gentle, break you in easy. Trust me, it's better than what Morgan did with me."
Emily downed what was left in her glass and signaled Zach for a refill. "Of that I don't doubt. But, do Hotch and Gideon really ever come out with you?"
JJ's eyes took on an evil glimmer, her hand patting Emily on the shoulder. "They usually let the kids go out and play on their own, but they do join us on occasion."
Staring at the refilled glass in front of her, Emily tried to scrub the image of Hotch and Gideon as 'Mom and Dad' out of her brain. She was going to need a lot more alcohol to get her through that story.
Title: Propriety Be Damned
Author: triciabyrne1978
Rating: R for implications and innuendo
Fandom: Sanctuary
Characters: John Druitt/Helen Magnus/James Watson
Warnings: implied sex
Spoilers: vague inferences from The Five; Revelations 1 and 2.
Word Count: 1800 words
Written For: maekala
Prompt: Request Two
Fandom: Sanctuary
Characters: Helen, John, James (and any pairing/OT3 combo therein). Can also include pretty much anyone else we've seen or heard about on the show.
Prompt: How long did it take for John and James to realize that Helen isn't your typical woman, even after they became part of The Five. Can be either past or present looking back.
Three Things You Don't Want: PWP, Helen/Will, Helen/Henry
Author's Notes/Summary: Many thanks go out to jadestrick, sorcha_gaia, amilyn, divine_joker, majorsamfan and my dear friend Leah… it's been so good to get back in touch with you after so many years! Hope that you enjoy this, maekala, it was an adventure writing it!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1878
Helen's eyes flashed with an intensity James had never before seen in the seven years he had known her.
"Stay, James. Please."
He flexed his fingers, the pressure of her grip around his wrist cutting off the circulation and sending spikes of semi-painful pinpricks traveling through his joints.
"If you need me, of course, I will stay."
She smiled, and although he couldn't fathom what need she would have of him that night, he also knew there was no way he could refuse her.
James watched her smile as John's hand moved from where it caressed her cheek to entwine his fingers in a lone blonde curl. Then John's hand moved between him and Helen, drifting lower until he caught the lacing at the side of her corset, slowly untying it. James averted his eyes. He had no idea, nor did he care, what his friend was up to. Airs of propriety barely existed where any of the Five were concerned; but John knew how James felt, and should have known that this would be torture for him.
Quite frankly, James just expected better of John. What he did not expect was to feel the soft, moist heat of Helen's lips pressing against his own. Her hands threading their way under his jacket while John kissed the soft skin just below her ear.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1872
"Be still my beating heart..."
James heard John's voice before he felt the jolt to the bench as John stepped on top of it.
"You're mad," James replied, not bothering to look up from his notes.
"Love makes you mad, my friend."
James looked up, his eyes tracing the path of John's gaze. Across the courtyard, with one of the university Deans, stood a woman unlike any he had ever beheld. Her full skirt and long, flowing, blonde locks contrasted against the dark robes he found himself surrounded by on a daily basis. He had never seen anything so exquisite in his entire life and could only hope to discover her name.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1878
John's lips moved from one side of her neck to the other. Helen's head tilted to the side, allowing him greater access while her hands worked quickly to divest James of his shirt and tie. He watched as his fiancé kissed his best friend, the two somehow fitting together in a way that made his head spin. Fleetingly, it crossed his mind that he should be jealous, but the hunger burning through his veins threw that thought aside.
They wanted, no needed this, and the thought of sharing it with anyone else - even Nigel, and especially Nikola - churned his stomach.
No. This was something for them and them alone. Something that would bind them together more closely than the serum with which they had injected each other earlier that evening ever could.
John's tongue flicked the area of skin over Helen’s jugular, the pounding of the blood through her veins filling his senses and stirring his hunger even more acutely. He heard the sharp intake of her breath as his teeth followed the same path, watched as she pulled James the slightest bit closer, her fingers digging into the flesh at his hips before she moved to work on his belt.
James pulled the lace free from the side of Helen’s corset, and John took the opportunity to strip the garment from her shoulders and toss it across the room. She turned between them, their three bodies constantly touching in some way. She was the adhesive preventing them from falling apart, from giving themselves over to the serum completely and losing all control.
John’s lips met Helen’s, and he was drowning in her scent, in the sound of her blood pulsing, in the slight taste of James’s brandy tingeing her lips. He marveled over how he could not consider this losing control.
Helen relieved him of his shirt, and their hands fumbled over each other's as she reached for his belt at the same time that he reached for the fastenings on her skirt. He broke the kiss, stepping back from her just a fraction, and saw the heat that pooled below the surface of her deep blue eyes.
His belt hit the floor an instant before her skirt pooled around her feet, the thin material of her shift barely hiding the silhouette of her legs. Her hands smoothed across his chest, rising with his swift intake of air as he fisted his hand in her hair and pulled her closer, a shiver racing down his spine.
The fire in her eyes belied the soft, gentle way she voiced his name. “John.”
He kissed her fiercely this time, claiming her mouth with bruising force as his teeth nipped at her lower lip. The sharp tang of her blood hit his tongue and only spurred him onward.
He needed to have her. Needed to have James. Needed to claim and possess both of them like he had never needed anything before in his life.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1872
"Great heavens…."
He almost laughed as James stood from the bench and followed his gaze. Rumors of the possibility of women auditing classes had been floating through the hallway for several days now, but this was the first time that they had actually seen a woman being shown around the campus. To say that the woman standing across the courtyard from them had surpassed all of their hopes for the prospective students was putting it rather lightly.
John stepped off the bench and headed across the courtyard with an air of confidence that he was not entirely sure he felt, but he needed to know her name. He barely registered James reaching out and trying to grab his arm, hardly heard James' voice as he called out John's name; it was completely inappropriate and totally uncouth for him to approach, unsolicited, a woman whom he did not know. Conversely, by current standards it was totally unheard of for a woman to be walking the halls of this establishment and attending classes with the men. Protocol and tradition be damned, he was infatuated.
He caught her eye before he had made it halfway across the courtyard. The smile seemed hesitant at first, but when he did not back down, did not look away, and did not break the smile that crossed his face, her smile reached her eyes. If he had not been completely smitten with her already, she would have had him then. Her smile radiated from her face and he felt his voice catch in his throat as he stopped and formally bowed in front of her, ignoring the startled expression on the Dean's face.
"Montague John Druitt, at your service, Miss."
The crinkle at the corner of her eyes grew a bit deeper as her smile grew impossibly larger.
"Helen Magnus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Montague John Druitt." He could tell by the curve of her lips and the way she said his name that she would surprise and never disappoint.
And he was looking forward to every minute of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oxford, England 1878
Helen felt her chest pressing in on her. Her breath coming in quick, short gasps. It was all too much and not enough at the same time.
John.
James.
Her blood boiling through her arteries and veins with a heat and desire she had never known before.
Her fingers curled through James' hair, her head lolling back on John's shoulder as a deep moan escaped from her throat.
She would share anything - everything - with them. Her best friend and her fiancé/lover. She knew intrinsically she could trust them completely.
Tonight, she was falling.
She had allowed the hunger to take control. She had given in and they had followed and supported her in a way that she would normally never have asked of them.
The heat coiled through her body. Encouraged by their actions, encouraged by their movements, and encouraged by the immense outpouring of emotion that she felt from them.
Tonight, she had stepped to the edge of that cliff and fallen right over knowing that they would be there to catch her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
New City, USA 2009
Helen Magnus put the cup of tea down on its saucer, her breath coming in slow, even, controlled motions. For so long she had felt like her life was finally reaching a point of order. A point where she could trust in the people with whom she worked and had known for years, decades, some even centuries.
This last year had shaken her resolve.
Thrown a kink in her plans.
Tore at her heart.
James was dead. The friend -- and occasional lover -- who had seen her through more of her life than she ever cared to admit to anyone else, was lost to her forever.
John was back. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
She took another sip of her tea and stared out the window across the room. When they had been at Oxford, she had truly loved John with all of her heart. After the night with the source blood, when she had felt so close to completely losing any semblance of control - and she had - she had leaned on the two men whom she'd known would help and support her through anything, the three of them had forged a bond that could and would never be broken.
Which left her with now.
Conflicted over her feelings with John.
Hating what the source blood had done to him. What it had allowed him to become.
Loving the man he had once been. The man she hoped was still within him. The man she thought she had caught glimpses of over the last few days.
Loving the child they had created. The child she had hidden from him for as long as she could. The child who was now very much an adult with a mind of her own.
Closing her eyes, Helen exhaled slowly. The one person she would normally go to for advice was the one person who was forever out of reach. For the first time in over a century, she felt like her support system needed some rebuilding.
Ashley was her daughter, and as close as they were, some things one just did not discuss with their children.
Will was a colleague and they were fostering a budding friendship, but again, some things just weren't openly discussed.
A firm, warm arm ran across her shoulder blades, a tuft of fur tickling her neck as it moved. She leaned into his touch, welcoming his presence if nothing else. Sometimes, propriety would be damned, and sometimes the quiet support of a good friend was all that was needed.
Title: A Gentler Kind of Hazing
Author: triciabyrne1978
Rating: PG
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Characters: Emily Prentiss; Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
Word Count: 1250
Written For: queenvixta
Prompt: Request Three
Common ground
Three Things You Don't Want: Will, pregnancy, excessive angst
Author's Notes/Summary: Special thanks go out to: sgcgategirl, deaniebtvs, divine_joker, velvet_midnight, my coworker Terri and scarily enough my Mom even betad this one.
Emily Prentiss straightened up her desk and finished saving the report she was working on before shutting down the computer. Morgan had already made a show of forcibly removing Reid from the bullpen and insisting that the only two people who bothered sticking around this late were Hotch and Gideon.
As much as Emily wanted to be ‘one of the team’ she wasn’t quite ready to be alone with the two senior agents locked behind closed doors while she typed away at her desk. Tonight would be an early night, followed by an early morning tomorrow, so that she could finish the report and have it waiting on Hotch’s desk when he got in - assuming he left.
“Going out tonight?”
Jennifer’s voice startled her, and Emily cringed at the thought that she might have just jumped in her seat. “Getting ready to head home.”
JJ perched herself at the edge of Emily's desk, “Anything fun planned? Or is it just a quiet night at home?”
Emily stood, turned out the desk lamp next to her monitor and slipped her purse over her shoulder. “Looks like it’s just going to be a quiet night at home. I have a nice hot date with a bath. How about you?”
"That sounds appealing. Think you might be convinced to put it off for a bit?" JJ smiled.
Emily felt her eyebrow raise in question.
“Usually, after a case - or sometimes just because -- Garcia and I would have either headed out with the guys, or dragged Elle along for a girls-night-out." Laughing lightly, JJ rolled her eyes before adding, "Garcia and I had discussed 'inducting' you tonight, but we've been ditched in lieu of World of Warcraft. I figured I’d see if you wanted to be inducted into our little soirée anyway or if you had other things in mind for the evening besides hanging out in a possibly smoke-filled bar, drinking and enjoying some rather pointless conversation."
Emily felt the grin spread across her face. She had been happy to meet JJ and Garcia. As much as she loved the FBI and enjoyed working with the guys, it was still the 'old boys club' in a lot of ways. Having a few 'sisters in arms' would definitely make things a bit easier, and with her hours and her dedication to her job she'd never really made a group of steady friends in St. Louis or Chicago, so it would be good to have people to just hang with from time to time. "Actually, that sounds fabulous."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The bar wasn't smoky, something for which Emily was very grateful as she took a deep inhale and tried not to cough on her drink as she laughed. "He didn't."
JJ brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "He did. You would be surprised by some of the stuff Derek's pulled."
Emily sipped at her rum and coke. "I'm beginning to see that."
"No one like him in St. Louis?"
Emily huffed out a laugh. "There weren't people like anyone that I've met at the BAU in St. Louis or Chicago. Not that they weren't good agents. I never would have lasted ten years without some of them. It was just…" she trailed off, unsure of how to phrase her assessment.
"More traditional?"
Emily nodded as she swallowed another sip. "More like a job and a bit less like a family."
"Which can make it rough for a new person trying to find their niche in the fold."
Emily's nod slowed, her finger tracing a path in the condensation on her glass. "Did you just profile me?" She was buzzed enough that it didn't bother her as much as she thought it should.
JJ's hand covered her face for a moment. "I guess I haven't had enough to drink yet. Sometimes it's harder to leave the job at work, to drop the instincts. I didn't…"
Emily's laugh cut her off. "I actually wasn't offended, though I probably should be. I just wanted to make sure I knew where we were standing."
"Especially considering the rule against inter-team profiling."
"There's a rule against it? How do you turn it off?"
JJ nodded and took a sip of her beer. "No inter-team profiling. Though, on some level, it happens daily. Little things you pick up, piece together. Things you don't even realize most of the time. As for how we turn it off - when I figure that one out I'll let you know."
"I don't think you can. It's like breathing." Emily stared into her glass, watching the dark amber liquid swirl around the bottom, wondering if the bartender had known she wanted a stiff drink or if he was trying to get her drunk quickly. Judging from the way he hovered over her and JJ, she was leaning towards an ulterior motive beyond a happy customer. "No wonder we're single."
JJ's laugh shocked her. Emily hadn't been sure she'd spoken loud enough for the other woman to hear. "Garcia and I have come to the same conclusion on multiple occasions. That, and any guy that does get through our 'Spidey Sense', as she puts it, either gets completely intimidated by our jobs or the men that we work with."
"Let me guess, Morgan's done the over protective 'Big Brother' thing a time or two."
"Once or twice. Though, thankfully, never with me." JJ finished her beer and a fresh one was placed in front of her before her glass ever hit the table. "A bit overzealous tonight, aren't you, Zach."
"Not really. Just hoping that once you're properly relaxed you'll introduce me to your new friend." Zach smiled her way as he rinsed off JJ's old glass.
Emily found herself rolling her eyes. Chalk another one up to the bizarre reality that her life fell into.
JJ leaned across the bar a bit. "Zach, this is Emily. Emily Prentiss." Turning with a bit of a flourish that made Emily want to laugh, she continued, "Emily, this is Zach. Zach has this little rule about not getting involved with his good patrons from the Bureau."
Smiling and shaking her head, Emily shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Zach."
After staring for a few minutes, Zach shook his head and turned to walk away. "I'm going to have to reconsider my rules if the FBI continues hiring all the fine women in this city, JJ." Both women laughed as Zach continued to walk away.
"Is it always this interesting when you get together?" Emily asked, wondering just what sort of hodgepodge group she had gotten herself involved with.
"Oh, no," JJ replied, taking a long swallow from her new beer, "this is a calm night. Just wait till the whole family joins us. I thought I'd be gentle, break you in easy. Trust me, it's better than what Morgan did with me."
Emily downed what was left in her glass and signaled Zach for a refill. "Of that I don't doubt. But, do Hotch and Gideon really ever come out with you?"
JJ's eyes took on an evil glimmer, her hand patting Emily on the shoulder. "They usually let the kids go out and play on their own, but they do join us on occasion."
Staring at the refilled glass in front of her, Emily tried to scrub the image of Hotch and Gideon as 'Mom and Dad' out of her brain. She was going to need a lot more alcohol to get her through that story.