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Five Things Morgan's Learned From Garcia
1. Safety valves can be fun. He hates the cases where she's in the field with them because when Garcia sees the pain, she can't banter. At some point, hearing her voice and knowing the next words would be outrageous became important to him.
2. Variety and color can bring happiness.
Their rapport wasn't quite instantaneous, but it was pretty close. Still, it was a work relationship, no big thing, until a few months after she'd become their tech analyst.
It was the first cold rain of fall, and Morgan had been miserable. He could handle a sunny autumn, and anyone who grew up in Chicago knew that DC couldn't even think about a real winter. Summer might have the nastiest heat in world, but it encouraged all the pretty ladies to peel off layers, and no red-blooded man could object to that. Best of all was spring. But this was a wet, cold, nasty fall day, and it was going to last three more according to the weatherman.
Garcia'd walked in to the break room in an electric blue trench coat, wearing bright pink glasses, and carrying a golden umbrella. He'd greeted her, and they'd talked for a few minutes before she retreated to her lair.
At five-thirty, the day had not gotten any better. Morgan was debating whether to go through some case files or head home, when Garcia walked over to him.
"Any plans tonight?"
He sighed. He'd been afraid they might have to have this talk at some point. Before he'd even opened his mouth, she'd shaken her head.
"Pish." She'd dismissed any awkwardness with a hand wave. "I don't need another love-slave. The upkeep is too expensive. But you, my perfect sculpture, need cheering. Hence the question."
"No, I don't, but I don't really feel up to anything."
"I insist. Come along."
Morgan wasn't quite sure how he'd found himself shutting down his computer and trailing in her wake, but that's what happened.
Their destination had turned out to be the local 4-H Club's Halloween fundraiser. There was a haunted house and a corn maze through which they'd wandered under her golden umbrella.
The main part was the farm exhibit laid out in a huge barn. He was a city kid, and so, as best he could tell, was Garcia. She'd been fascinated by the Houdan chickens and absolutely delighted that different breeds of chickens gave different colored eggs.
They'd pet an ox, counted sheep, and seen an angora goat -- their pupils were rectangular which was really odd. There were colorful quilts, fresh apple cider, and wonderful baked goods. The kids were delighted someone had come on a cold, rainy evening and had been eager to dispel their ignorance. They kind of reminded him of Reid.
Dinner had been buckwheat-apple pancakes with cinnamon and syrup washed down with good coffee.
When he went to help her into her car, he realized he was happy. The rain had turned into a penetrating drizzle, and there was a fog coming on. But standing in the parking lot, helping Garcia put a box with all her purchases (apple butter, apple jelly, apple cider, a pumpkin, damson jam, a set of placemats …) in her car, Derek Morgan was happy.
"Trust me, my darling. A little local color was just what you needed tonight." Garcia patted his cheek and started her car.
He stood and watched her, grinning, before heading home himself.
3. It's impossible to say no to knitwear. Seriously, she gets so hurt if he doesn't wear the hat she made him last Christmas -- and he'd rather be teased about wearing a hat with a yellow pom-pom on it, than see pain in her eyes. Not that he'd get teased; prevention of teasing is what his black belt is for.
4. Love can be permanent; sex doesn't enter into it.
5. Nothing is sexier than being yourself.
Five Things Garcia's Learned From Kevin
1. Chocolate does not come out of satin sheets.
2. Hotch is scary. Before she knew Kevin, she'd never thought about it.
Gideon scared her, at least when he wasn't irritating her. He could use his knowledge of people to cut them into tiny ribbons. The venom in his voice when he said, "How could you be so stupid?" had devastated her. No one had ever called her stupid before.
And Rossi, he'd caused her sheer terror even before he'd caught her with Kevin. Some of it was just not being used to him, but there'd been more to it.
One day, soon after Rossi'd been reinstated, she'd arrived for work about ten minutes later than usual. It wouldn't mean anything, some days traffic was just a bitch, but she'd overheard two junior agents talking about Rossi being back. One of them said, "When he walks through, you expect to hear his balls clang." It explained a lot.
Garcia wasn't quite sure when she stopped being afraid of him.
But Hotch? How could anyone fear him? In boss mode, he was stern but fair. The talk they'd had after the Randall Garner case had been devastating, but she knew he'd agonized over every word of the letter in her file. In some ways, it was harder for him to sign it than it had been for her.
Even harder, with Elle in the hospital and Gideon floundering, his last words to her before she left his office were, "Thank you for all your hard work." All she could give him in return was a curt nod because the lump in her throat made speaking impossible.
Garcia had heard him argue with his brother and smile with his wife and son. How could he be scary?
But Kevin assured her Hotch was.
3. Going to the airport or the train station so they could kiss in public without anyone caring was fun.
4. Italy is the most romantic place on Earth.
5. There may not be such a thing as safety in this world, but waking up in Kevin's arms is the closest Penelope can get.
Five Things JJ's Learned From Spencer
1. Geeks really know how to kiss. Unfortunately, that lesson contained the corollary that two healthy and mutually attracted young adults could have absolutely no physical chemistry.
2. Explaining something to Spencer, like football, is very sexy. He listens deeply, focusing his entire concentration on the person speaking. To be the person on the receiving end of all that focus is an unbeatable high. This is why the "no chemistry" corollary was such a disappointment.
3. His shoulders might be bony, but they're available to cry on. After Henkel, he'd been the only person to come and ask about her ordeal. She'd alienated Morgan and Emily at different times in different ways while they were working the case. JJ just wasn't comfortable talking to Gideon about personal things, and Hotch was her supervisor. He'd asked her to get counseling and offered an ear, but he'd been neither surprised nor disappointed when she'd turned him down.
Spencer had been in and out of the hospital surprisingly quickly, and the first time he'd asked her about it, she hadn't been ready to talk.
After a couple of months passed, Spence asked her out to dinner. They'd gone for noodles in Chinatown because he'd wanted to be near home at the end of the evening. It probably helped that the restaurant brought forks as well as chopsticks to all its customers.
JJ'd poured tea for both of them and talked of trivialities.
Finally, after their noodles had come, Spencer had said, "Tell me you're not still feeling guilty?"
"I left you. You were kidnapped and tortured. What would I have to feel guilty about?" She burned her tongue trying to take a nonchalant spoonful of soup.
"You tried to get me to stay until we could find a cell signal and call in back-up. I split us up. In return for my abject idiocy, you got to face three dogs driven to madness and trained to devour humans. I'd say there's more guilt on my side for splitting us up, than there is on yours for listening to me."
JJ met his eyes. "I saw only part of what you went through. I know I couldn't have made it out alive."
Spencer nodded. "I'll be honest, if the roles were reversed, I don't think either of us would have made it." He held up his hands placatingly. "You're the toughest woman I know, but as traditional as Tobias was, I think you would have crossed the line sooner. The Old Testament has far more strictures for women's behavior. He might have decided your wearing trousers violated Leviticus. I had a chance with him. We were lucky."
JJ nearly choked on her tea. "Lucky."
"Yes. If I'd been faced with three dogs? I'm scared of dogs because they attack me, and they attack me because I'm scared of them. My marksmanship's improved, but with that degree of fear, there's no way I'd have gotten all three before one of them tore out my throat. I got the ordeal I could survive, and so did you."
She'd held it together and changed the subject.
They walked together back toward her car. As they crossed the Mall, she looked at the Capitol and a hiccoughing sob escaped her. He guided her over to a park bench and put his arms her around while she finally cried.
When the storm passed, they got up and went to the car. It shouldn't have surprised her that his face was wet too.
4. Some people are happier without public birthday parties.
5. Even your best friend can be a junkie.
Five Things Rossi's Learned From Hotch
1. There's at least one more definition of the word "Fine" than can be found in the dictionary. It's the one Hotch uses when he tries to check himself out of hospitals.
2. There are times when a quiet shake of the head is more devastating than the loudest yelling.
3. Teams are good.
4. Friendship can be deeper than marriage, at least in their profession.
5. Some men are the marrying kind.
Dave had seen pictures of Haley long before he met her. When he'd taken Hotch on his first few consults, he'd given the young man twenty minutes with the hotel room phone every evening, so he could talk to his wife.
In the pictures, she'd seemed pretty enough. In person, she'd proved charming, but generic in some way. Maybe it was because there were already tensions in his own marriage, but Haley just hadn't seemed good enough for Hotch.
The next time they went into the field, Dave had asked how they'd met, and Hotch opened up. His smiles had been easier then, but he was a former prosecutor, a former SWAT member, so Hotch was already a pretty serious guy. But talking about Haley had transformed him.
Hotch had the distance of over a decade when he spoke of courting her, but it told a great deal about his southern upbringing that he could use a word like "courting" and not sound absurd. He'd even used his Biology II project on pair bonding in birds to convince her they should date.
He'd been specific. Yes, he thought his wife was beautiful, but it was because she had a glorious smile. When he spoke of her sensitivity or intelligence, Hotch shared examples. His love was deep, and it was for this woman, Haley Brooks Hotchner.
A month or so later, both couples had attended one of the rare FBI social functions. Dave had a few minutes alone with Haley and asked her about their early relationship. She'd described teenaged Hotch as a little geeky, but handsome if he smiled. There was no specificity, no little moments. She'd confessed she'd hoped he'd go into corporate law when he went to law school. Instead, she was in Washington DC married to an FBI agent. She'd sounded a little wistful.
Hotch returned with their drinks, champagne for Dave and Haley and sparkling cider for himself. Dave saw a moment of pure joy on his colleague's face when he looked at his wife.
Love was always a funny thing. Dave couldn't capture it for long in his own life, but Hotch was a living embodiment of the power of love at first sight.
He really hoped Haley appreciated the man she'd married.
Five Things Spencer's Learned From Henry
1. Henry doesn't think he's weird.
When no one else can get Henry to settle, Spencer can. He'd learned the trick the first time he babysat.
All Henry wanted was attention. He loved to listen. So Spencer explained his digestive system to him while he changed his diaper -- and sleight of hand training had been very useful in that endeavor. Henry took his bottle better if Spencer talked about particle physics or why Star Trek was better than Star Wars.
If it was a particularly restless night for his godson, Spencer would bring out the big guns and read his philosophy text books aloud, with sound effects.
All the long ramblings that made adults look at him askance, made Henry happy.
It's no secret that Spencer is an easy touch for free babysitting because Henry makes him happy too.
2. A hungry infant roots for milk. Henry doesn't particularly care if his care giver is male; the instinct is deep.
3. Creamed spinach at feeding time is a weapon of mass destruction.
4. Pureed carrots are the same color at both ends of the baby. He might not forgive JJ and Will for letting him discover that one.
5. Henry can always be forgiven.
Five Things Hotch Learned From His Team
1. There's a time and a place for physics magic, and, occasionally, it's in the office first thing in the morning.
2. Courage comes in many forms. Another unit chief once asked him who the bravest person on his team was. He hadn't hesitated before answering, "Penelope Garcia."
3. It's important to model good habits and behavior. He talked to Phillip Dowd to gain an edge, so Reid tries to talk down Owen Savage. And Chester Hardwicke. And Hotch really needed to have another talk with Reid.
4. Family doesn't have to hurt.
They'd been smart when Hotch was served with the divorce papers. No one tried to stop him walking out and going home alone. But subtly, over the next week, each of them had tried to get him out of his shell a bit. He'd shut them down until the Friday. He wouldn't get to see Jack before the following weekend, so when one of them suggested going out for a beer, he'd been amenable.
After that, their attempts to get him out of the house had increased. They started small with Dave calling him for a game of golf. Then Morgan asked if he wanted to come help him tear out walls on a house he was flipping. He'd turned them both down.
Garcia and Reid double teamed him into a "Day with Art" at the Smithsonian. Professional artists brought in their tools and let paying customers try their hand at different art forms. They'd bought him a ticket.
Much to his own surprise, he'd loved it. Reid's attempt at throwing a pot was awful, although he'd been surprisingly good with acrylic paints, and Garcia's attempt made Reid's look good. His own was passable -- even the potter who was supervising said so. It might not be anything he ever pursued, but it did make Hotch think it could be something to try with Jack when he was older.
It was a crazy day. But the next time Dave suggested golf, he was up for it. And he offered to help Morgan teach his basic self defense class at the local Y occasionally.
At Christmas, they'd exchanged gifts. Nothing dramatic, that wasn't them. The warm wool scarf from Garcia was useful as were the gloves from Emily and the bookstore gift certificate from JJ. Dave got him golf supplies, and Morgan gave him an iPod with a note thanking him for all he'd done in Chicago. In its own way, Reid's gift was the best. He was now a member of the Smithsonian Residents, and Reid had very helpfully highlighted when the ceramics class began.
5. There's nothing wrong with having been a bit of a nerd. For that matter, there's nothing wrong with still being one.
Five Things Emily's Learned From Elle
Actually, there's only one.
1. Bend, don't break.