#Luke Alvez you should let me salute you

[fuckingstrange]

NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THE FIRST TWO MINUTES OF S12E3 TABOO

HOLY FUCKING SHIT ADAM RODRIGUEZ YOU ARE ONE OF THE MOST GORGEOUS MEN ALIVE

[spoookymuulders]

you make my heart beat like the rain

read it on ao3 here total word count: 7067 chapter word count: 3467 warnings: mentions of bruising

chapter two. there are no words left to speak. in which luke alvez definitely does not have a crush.

            The smell of scrambled eggs and bacon floats through the air as Luke tugs open the door to the diner. Early morning chatter bounces through the restaurant while regular patrons sip at their coffee, waitresses flitting between tables with warm smiles and bright eyes. Luke waves to Josie as he settles into his usual spot, elbows resting on the counter. Before Josie can step in front of him, however, Ellie appears, beaming at him, all bright eyed and bushy tailed, and Luke’s heart jumps into his throat.

            Morning, sunshine! She signs. Luke returns the greeting as Ellie grabs the coffee pot from the back counter and fills the mug she’s set in front of him. He sips at his coffee as she signs at him, nodding his confirmation that he’d like his usual, please and thank you, and watches Ellie as she bounces away, leaning on the counter a little ways down and refilling Jason’s coffee cup with a smile. 

            Sure, Luke doesn’t need to go to the diner every morning before school. Nobody needs to eat out every morning. But it’s become part of his morning routine. Besides, diner coffee tastes better than coffee made at home, and Ellie’s always been more than happy to fill his travel mug for him before he heads off to work. He drags a newspaper closer as Ellie slips into the kitchen, flicking through the pages till he lands on the funnies.

            He chuckles to himself as he reads them, looking up and pushing the paper away when Ellie sets a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him, and he grins broadly at her. 

            I heard a rumor that there’s a new kindergarten teacher in town. Ellie signs. Luke nods, sipping at his coffee and wiping his hands on his napkin before he answers her.

            Zara or Zelda or something. He signs, I guess she’s staying at the bed and breakfast until she finds an apartment. Ellie hums thoughtfully, leaning a hip against the counter and sipping at her own coffee.

            You be nice to her, Luke Alvez. She signs at him, squinting lightly. Luke feigns offense, putting a hand to his chest, and his heart flutters when Ellie laughs. The sound is warm and sweet and makes him think of freshly baked cookies and caramel-flavored coffee. They sign back and forth sporadically throughout the rest of his visit, and he tucks ten bucks under his plate. He waves to Ellie as he slides off his stool and heads for the door, stretching as he slips out - he has just enough time to stop home and grab Roxy before he heads to school.

            The tinkling of the bell above the diner door catches his attention and he turns back around, raising a brow when Ellie comes bounding down the stairs after him and pushes a paper bag into his hands. 

            You didn’t think I’d forget your two-year anniversary at the school, did you? She signs. Luke blinks twice, then smiles warmly, his heart swelling - in all honesty, he’d forgotten about his two-year anniversary as PE teacher at Callahan Elementary, so he’s not entirely sure why Ellie remembers. He peeks into the bag, gasping when he spies three of her famous brownies, and hauls her into a hug.

            She laughs in his ear, squeezing him tightly for a moment before she steps back. He signs about a thousand thank you’s as Ellie waves him off, still giggling, and he tells himself that the fluttering in his chest and his stomach is because he’s so excited about the brownies and not at all because he’s been hopelessly ass-over-head in love with Ellison Mackenzie since the day he met her two-and-a-half years ago.

 ****

             Zoe smooths her skirt, turning in front of the mirror and wondering for the fifth time if she should change again. Glancing at her watch makes the decision for her and she grabs her bag quickly, throwing it over her shoulder and hurrying downstairs. She scurries into the kitchen, stumbling to a halt when she sees Hotch and his son at the table, the boy’s legs swinging as he grins broadly at her.

            “Morning.” Hotch says, raising a brow. Zoe clears her throat quietly and fixes her hair.

            “Good morning.” She says softly. 

            “Would you like some breakfast?” Hotch asks. Zoe shakes her head quickly.

            “No, thank you - I’m running a little behind, actually.” She says. Hotch nods and sips at his coffee, wishing her luck as she hurries for the door, digging her keys out of her bag. She pauses on the porch to double-check one last time that she has everything, and is heading down the stairs when the door bangs open behind her. She freezes, her heart jumping into her throat, and turns around slowly, relaxing only when she sees Jack hurrying towards her.

            “Zoe, I made this for you!” He crows, waving a piece of construction paper at her. She blinks and furrows her brows, feeling the tension leave her shoulders as she takes the paper. Jack had taken to her almost as soon as she had walked through the door on Friday afternoon with JJ. He’d been patient enough to let her settle into her room, then had eagerly asked if she wanted to play legos with him, completely ignoring his father’s reprimanding look. But Zoe had agreed, settling on the rug in the living room with Jack and helping him build an X-Wing, and she’d found herself smiling and relaxing little by little.

            She looks at the paper he’s shoved into her hands now, tipping her head. It’s folded in half (sort of) and there’s a big smiley face drawn on the front. She opens the homemade card and feels a smile grace her features. It reads Good luck, Zoe! In Jack’s messy scrawl. Each letter is a different size than the one before it, and the G is backwards, but it makes her heart soar. Crouching down, she draws Jack into a hug and squeezes him gently. 

            “Thank you so much, Jack.” She says softly. He throws his arms around her neck and returns the squeeze easily, then beams at her as he steps back. “I’m gonna put this on my desk.”

            “I told daddy I’d come check on you during lunch.” He says seriously, and Zoe chuckles. 

            “Well, I’ll see you at lunch, then.” She says. Jack nods and gives her a mock salute, then runs back inside to finish his breakfast. Armed with a newfound confidence and a handmade card, Zoe hurries to her car and heads for the school. She looks around the town as she drives, glad that the school isn’t far away, and parks in the faculty lot. She exhales quietly before she gets out, and grabs the box of supplies out of her trunk, knocking it closed and looking up at the school. It’s been years since she started at a new school, and it’s like being the new kid all over again.

            A loud bark makes her turn around quickly, and she squeaks when she spies a German shepherd running at her full-tilt, a young man sprinting after her. Zoe goes stock-still, heart pounding, but the dog slows to a trot as she nears and starts sniffing around Zoe’s ankles. She lets out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding as the man approaches as well, grimacing.

            “I’m so sorry, she gets really excited about new people.” He says apologetically. “But she doesn’t usually run off like that. Roxy, here - here.” The dog pads over to sit beside him and looks up at him, tipping her head innocently as he snaps her leash onto her collar. He looks up again after a moment and offers a welcoming smile. “You must be the new kindergarten teacher.” 

            “That’s me.” Zoe says, offering a small, nervous smile of her own. “I’m Zoe.”

            “Luke, nice to meet you.” He returns, sticking a hand out. Zoe adjusts her grip on the box and shakes Luke’s hand. “I’m the PE teacher.” Zoe nods and they fall into step side-by-side as they head into the school, chattering lightly. Luke does most of the talking, Zoe nodding and chiming in here and there, but mostly she stays quiet. Luke finds himself feeling an almost brotherly sort of protection over her five minutes into their mostly-one-sided conversation, but he keeps that to himself. He walks Zoe to her classroom, leaning against the doorframe as she slips in, Roxy peeking in around his legs.

            He watches Zoe as she sets her box on the desk and looks around, exhaling softly. She instantly seems more comfortable, more at home than she had in the parking lot or the hallway, and Luke makes a mental note of this. Glancing over her shoulder, she offers a small smile.

            “Thanks for walking me to class.” She says. Luke chuckles and nods. 

            “Well, I promised a friend I’d be nice to the new kid.” He says, his tone gently teasing. Zoe laughs then, and Luke grins, proud of himself, because that’s a genuine laugh. “Hey, I’ll come find you during lunch, see how your day’s going.”

            “Ah, two prince charmings coming to check on me during lunch? Must be my lucky day.” She says with a smile. When Luke raises a brow, she continues, “Jack Hotchner said he told his dad he’d come check on me during lunch, too.” Luke chuckles and nods, checking his watch and giving a wave before he heads down the hall towards the gym.

            Alone in her classroom now, Zoe turns slowly and takes it all in. She’s glad she’d come in over the weekend to make the classroom feel more like it’s hers. She’d received the class roster and taken the time to set up cubbies and seating charts, had lost herself in setting everything up just right, and when she’d checked the clock and realized it was 11:45 at night, she’d felt calmer than she had for months beforehand.

            She sets a few things out on her desk now, including her card from Jack, and perches in her chair behind it with an exhale. She has five more minutes before the students start arriving, so she takes the time to set out a few morning activities before going to hover by the door and greet her new class as they come in.

 ****

             The morning goes by in a whirlwind, and before Zoe knows it, it’s lunch time. She escorts her students down to the cafeteria, making sure everybody has their lunch before heading back to the classroom with her own tray. She sinks into her chair with a slow sigh, smiling slightly as she nibbles at a carrot, and glances up when a knock sounds at the door. She waves a hand for Luke to come in, smiling when she realizes he’s being tailed closely by Jack.

            “How’s your first day goin’?” Luke asks, pulling a chair up to the desk. He helps Jack settle into it and pulls up another, flopping into that one and nibbling at his own lunch.

            “Really good, actually.” Zoe says, smiling. “The kids are great. Everyone’s been super nice.” Jack swallows a mouthful of his sandwich and chimes in.

            “Mrs. Wilson said she thinks you’re doing a great job!” He says, grinning brightly. “She even told Mrs. Strauss!” Luke lets out a low whistle, and Zoe glances at him, brows furrowed just so.

            “Mrs. Wilson is the secretary - and I’m assuming you met Strauss when you had your interview?” Zoe shakes her head.

            “Not in person, at least,” She says, “I had a video interview, it was before I moved here. I haven’t had a chance to meet her in person yet.”

            “Well, you probably will by the end of the day.” Luke tells her. “She’s.. A tough one. To say the least.” Zoe grimaces, suddenly nervous for the end of the day. She lets Luke and Jack distract her through the rest of their lunch hour, wandering back to the cafeteria with Jack when their time is up. They part ways with Luke at the gym and Jack slides his little hand into Zoe’s. She glances down at him with a small smile as he swings their hands lightly.

            Jack runs off as soon as he spies his class, shouting a farewell over his shoulder, and Zoe corralls her students by the door. They line up quickly and bounce after her down the hall, heading for the playground. Zoe hovers by the edge of the structures as the kids play, keeping count of each of them. When recess is over, she leads them back to the classroom, and they stop in the doorway, frowning curiously as they look around the room - Zoe had taken a moment as they’d left to flick the overhead lights off, opting for a few strings of fairy lights instead. 

            “Miss Zoe?” Pipes up one little voice. Zoe tips her head, indicating that she’s listening. “Why are the lights off?”

            “We’re gonna have some quiet time.” She says, moving to crouch in front of the kids. “And I thought it could be fun for all of us to read a book together.” 

            “What book?” Chimes in another little voice, this one from a little girl named Savannah.

            “Well, I’m not sure yet. I thought we could all choose one together.” Zoe says, smiling gently. Fifteen confused pairs of eyes blink at her for a moment, and she raises a brow. 

            “We get to pick the book?” Abel asks. Zoe nods, tipping her head.

            “I have a few choices we can all pick from.” She says, standing and waving a hand for the kids to follow her. One of the things she’d done over the weekend was set up an armchair in one corner of the room and laid some pillows and bean bag chairs around it. The kids settle into their seats as Zoe scoops her books off the seat of the armchair and perches in it. She lists off the books she’s grabbed, takes a vote, and smiles when they settle on The Secret Garden - it’s one of her favorites.

            They read the first two chapters of the book and spend the rest of the afternoon working on some literacy problems in the dim lighting of the classroom. When the last ten minutes of the day hit and Zoe tells them she doesn’t assign homework when they ask, it’s like Christmas came two and a half months early. The kids go bounding out of the classroom as soon as they’re released, shouting about no homework and the garden they’d talked about earlier. Zoe waves after them, flicking the lights back on and blinking in the sudden brightness.

            She’s in the process of cleaning up and pushing the chairs in when someone announces their presence at the door by clearing their throat twice. Zoe looks up and straightens immediately when she realizes it’s the principal, fixing her skirt lightly.

            “Mrs. Strauss.” She says. 

            Erin Strauss is a formidable woman to say the least. She is certainly the most principal-looking woman Zoe’s ever seen, with her blonde hair pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck and her matching beige skirt-and-blazer set. 

            “Miss Collins.” Strauss says coolly. “I trust your first day went well?” Zoe clears her throat and nods, offering a nervous smile.

            “Very well, yes, thank you.” Zoe says. “The kids are great, and everyone’s been really nice.” Strauss nods and hums, coming further into the room and fixing a book on the shelf lightly.

            “I heard your students shouting as they left for the day. Something about no homework?” Strauss says, brows lifting towards her hairline, and Zoe’s heart jumps into her throat.

            “Yes, ma’am.” She says, shifting her weight. “I’m a firm believer that homework isn’t beneficial or necessary. The children do enough work here at school, I don’t think they need to be sent home with even more.” Strauss hums, watching her for a few long moments. 

            “We’ll see about that.” Strauss says. “Welcome to Callahan Elementary, Miss Collins.” With that, she turns on her heel and strides out of the room. Zoe exhales quietly, feeling the tension leave her shoulders instantly, and she gathers up her things, shoving them into her bag. She shoulders it quickly and slips out, hurrying down the hall towards the gym. Luke is just coming out when she approaches, and his warm smile calms the frantic butterflies in her chest and stomach a little.

            “Hey!” He says brightly, holding securely to Roxy’s leash when she tugs on it. “How was your first day?”

            “Strauss hates me.” Zoe says miserably, reaching out to scratch Roxy’s chin gently. Roxy licks at her hand eagerly as Luke chuckles quietly.

            “She doesn’t hate you.” He says, falling into step beside Zoe as they head out of the school. “She just.. Takes a while to warm up to people.”

            “How long did it take her to warm up to you?” Zoe asks, looking up at him. Luke grimaces sheepishly.

            “I’ll let you know when she does.” He says. Zoe looks at him incredulously, then sighs.

            “I thought she was gonna rip my head off because I didn’t give out homework!” She says. Luke’s brows lift and Zoe huffs lightly. “Homework doesn’t help anyone with anything. All it does is add more stress and that’s the last thing kids need.” Luke chuckles quietly, shaking his head fondly.

            “Alright, c’mon.” He says, stopping at Zoe’s car and hovering by the front. “I want you to follow me, okay? I’m gonna give you a proper welcome to Callahan, and you’ll feel way better about your run-in with Strauss after, I promise.” Zoe shifts her weight and nods, climbing into her car and waiting for Luke to pull out of the parking lot. She follows him closely to the diner, looking it over with a small smile when she parks and climbs out - it seems to be the quintessential small-town diner, with a neon sign on the roof and red vinyl seats visible through the large windows at the front. Luke waves a hand, leading her inside.

            He settles into a booth for a change, letting Roxy settle at his feet, and Zoe slides in across from him. Almost immediately, a young brunette appears at the end of the table, her hands flying as she signs at Luke. Zoe watches with wide eyes, awestruck as she always has been by the beauty of sign language.

            “This is Ellie.” Luke says, signing as he speaks. He signs Zoe’s name and Ellie beams at her, waving eagerly. Zoe returns the smile and waves back, shuffling her feet lightly. Luke signs back and forth with Ellie for a few moments before Ellie bounces away, heading behind the counter with their drink orders scribbled on her notepad.

            “Ellie owns the diner.” Luke tells Zoe, nodding when she does. “She grew up here and moved away for culinary school, which was a little rough. She lost her hearing when she was seventeen.”

            “Damn.” Zoe says softly, glancing at the girl behind the counter. She’s bright and bubbly, and it’s clear to Zoe that Ellie has never let her lack of hearing dissuade her from anything. Luke nods as Ellie reappears with their sodas. She hovers, notepad ready and waiting, and scribbles down their orders as Luke signs them.

            “She told me once that her family used to come here all the time when she was a kid, but right before she moved away to go to school, it closed.” He says, sipping at his drink as Ellie flounces away. “She saved up every penny she could and bought the place as soon as she moved back, and it’s like a Callahan landmark now.” Zoe hums thoughtfully.

            “It seems like everyone knows some ASL.” She muses, watching another man a few booths down interact with Ellie. 

            “Yeah, all the regulars learned a handful of signs when she moved back and bought the place, just to make it easier on everyone.” Luke says. “I took it as a language in high school and continued in college, so I taught some of them.”

            Ellie comes back over at this moment, two plates in her hands, and sets them on the table. Luke and Zoe both sign a quick thank you and Ellie smiles, squeezing Luke’s shoulder gently as she turns and heads to another booth at the opposite end of the diner. Luke watches Ellie go with a small smile, then digs into his burger eagerly.

             Nibbling at her fries, Zoe watches Ellie go, then turns back to Luke.

            “So.” She says. Luke raises a brow.

            “So.” He repeats.

            “So, exactly how long have you liked her?”

            Luke chokes on his soda.

[dontshootmespence]

Swan Song

A/N: The start of a Winter Olympian AU for @illegalcerebral‘s AU Challenge! Also, go follow her because everything she writes is awesome! That being said, I know I can’t make this into a one shot because I’m a masochist, but I’m not actually sure how long this is going to be. 

P.S. I’m doing as much research into rules and regulations and the moves of each sport, but they may not all be completely accurate. I’m trying the best I can.

Chapter 1

Cue internal raging.

Emily Prentiss was flat out in the pipe having whiffed the Double McTwist 1260 again. She was so damn close. If she could land it in competition, she would be the first woman ever to do it. She wanted it so goddamn bad.

Pushing up, she hopped and slid down the rest of the pipe to where her coach was waiting. Markus Leskov was one of the best coaches in the world; the only reason she’d been able to afford his services was because her mother had pulled strings, but that’s all her mother had done for her.

For the last 18 years, Emily had worked her ass off to gain her mother’s attention; she knew it - she didn’t try to fight it. Granted she loved snowboarding too; she was pretty sure ice ran through her veins in more ways than one, but the reason she pushed herself so hard was because she hoped that her mother would finally peel herself away from her work for a split second to notice her again.

“Am I deluding myself?” She asked Marcus. “Can I hit this?”

Leskov hadn’t told her, mostly just because he was never the kind to show a ton of affection, but he had never trained a harder worker and doubt he ever would. “You can. You’re not leaning into enough because the backside rodeo isn’t as smooth as it could be. You come out of that smooth and you’ll nail it. Go again.”

“Get up, Prentiss!” Her teammate and competitor Allyson Reid screamed.

Snickering, Emily took a deep breath and saluted her coach before heading back up. “Got it, coach.” He believed in her...that should be enough, right?

“I love you, too,” Matt said into the phone. “Take care of the little man and the even newer little man.”

Kristy laughed as she ran her hand over her ever-protruding belly. “Love you. Bye, honey,” Kristy replied. Their second son, Jake, was due in a month, so she hadn’t been able to accompany Matt to the Olympics this year; she didn’t feel too bad though. His mother and father had gone with him and she and their eldest son David, would be watching on TV. 

David was so excited about getting to see his father on screen. I’m gonna be just like daddy when I grow up, he’d said as he made a sign for him. Matt couldn’t see it obviously, but David was going to hold it up anyway and send the pictures from across the globe.

After hanging up the phone, Matt handed it off to his coach and sped around the rink. He was competing in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races, as well as the team pursuit. His legs were going to turn into jelly, but it was nothing like the pain that Kristy went through before and would be repeating in a matter of weeks, so he considered him blessed and leaned into the turn.

“I’m in!”

Spencer Reid spun around, his hair smacking into his face as he turned to see his friend of 20 years, Jennifer Jareau. The previous day he’d been notified of his acceptance to the American skating team; he was in his early, almost mid-20s. In skating age, that was pretty ancient - almost retirement age, so this was his last shot, and it was JJ’s too. “You’re on the team?”

“Yes!” JJ skated toward him, her white practice dress floating gently in the breeze she created. “I made it! This is the last chance for us, yea?”

Nodding, Spencer spun her around and started going through his routine in his mind. “I’d say so, so let’s give it our all and go out with a bang, okay?” He grabbed her hands and spun around in a circle. He’d been practicing day in and day out for nearly 20 years straight. He’d been so close in the past and so had JJ; they’d worked too hard for this.

"I plan on it.”

“Damn right, you do!” JJ turned around to see her sister, Rosaline, and coach, Alex Blake glide out onto the ice. Rosaline won the gold at the 2010 Olympics; JJ always wanted to be like her. This Olympics was her last shot to do it.

As if she could sense JJ’s thoughts, Rosaline cupped her sister’s face in her hands. “Stop comparing yourself to me. Your routines are amazing. If you nail them, the gold is yours. They’re the most difficult of the women’s routines. You’ll practice and the moment you step on that ice you’re gonna let everything go and have fun because this is what you love, okay?”

JJ swallowed the lump in her throat and rested her head against her sister’s before shooting Alex a hesitant smile. Rosaline was right, but letting things go was easier said than done. “Alright, I’m ready to start. Let’s do this,” she said with a huff of air and an even deeper breath.

“What about Spencer?” Alex asked, reaching out to greet the young man she’d come to know over the years. "You done yet?”

“No, but I’m still waiting for Hotch to get here. He’s running late today,” Spencer replied. His coach, Aaron Hotchner had come down with the flu recently. He, his wife Haley, and son Jack had been passing it back and forth - leaving him to coach Spencer over Skype. “Spencer, I can’t coach you in person right now. I can’t risk getting you sick before you try out for the Olympics!”

That had actually been for the best, but it was going to be nice to see his coach again. Despite his seniority, Spencer considered Hotch a friend; he’d put faith in him and his abilities when so few would, and had even slashed the price of services after seeing Spencer’s mother work herself to the bone to give her son and daughter the best shot at succeeding in the sport. “You start. I’ll wait for Hotch and watch your routine. I don’t think I’ve seen the whole thing yet.”

“And I haven’t seen yours either”

“You will.”

Searing pain ripped through her the second she hit the ground. “Elle Greenaway, 19, of the United States is down!” The announcer was speaking. What happened? 

“Do you know your name?”

“Elle Greenaway,” she replied softly, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She was going on her gold medal run. “What happened?”

“Freak accident. One of your skis flew off mid jump.” In a panic, she looked down; she could barely feel her lower half. “Don’t move,” the man insisted. 

“I can’t feel my legs...I can’t feel my legs...I can’t feel my legs...”

As her feet hit the ground, she smiled. Her father jumped up and down, screaming about how amazing his “little girl” was until she skied up to him, embracing him. “How did that feel?” He asked. Beside him, her mother was sobbing.

“Good,” she breathed. “So good.”

“We couldn’t be more proud of you, Elle,” her mother said, sniffling. 

On that day eight years ago, she had fractured one her lower vertebrae; it took years of physical therapy and additional years of competing again to get back to where she’d been, but she was here. The Sochi Olympics had passed her by, and for a time following the 2014 games she found herself in a slump, but with her parents’ encouragement, she pushed through. Once again, she had a shot at gold.

Her skate hit the ice and they both screamed. 

Penelope Alvez nee Garcia screeched in delight. Her mouth dropped open and her husband came up behind her, hugging her tightly. “Increible, mi reina,” he whispered softly.

“You too, my love,” she replied, reaching back and rubbing his cheek with the palm of her hand. They had been practicing together for more than two decades now, and only now had they been able to consistently land one of the hardest moves in the art of pairs skating - the throw triple axel. “We really have a shot this year. We could win.”

“As long as I’m with you, I always win,” Luke said. 

Penelope snorted, her face blushing under the adulation of her husband and the cool breeze coming off the ice as they skated. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” This was going to be their last Olympics together. Presumably, they’d always be skating; both felt like it was in their blood, but after this year, they wanted to focus on something else - starting a family. 

For the last year, they’d been happily married, and both husband and wife wanted nothing more than to add to their family and introduce all the little Alvezes to the sport they loved so much. “Now all we have to do is make sure we nail the throw triple axel, the death spiral, the 2 overhead lifts, the jump sequence, the pair spin and the choreography and we have this in the bag,” Penelope said, shrugging under the pressure.

“The throw was the hardest and we’re doing it consistently. We’ve got this.” Luke had more than enough faith in them for the both of them. Years from now, he was sure they’d be able to tell their kids about the time mommy and daddy won gold at the Olympics.

It felt weird not being on the slopes. Kate Callahan had never done any other activity during her years in school and beyond. After seeing the Olympics as a child, specifically Heidi Preuss, she told her parents she wanted to ski. They’d tried getting her into other sports as well. They’d attempted to get her into musical instruments. But she wanted nothing else than to ski. “You think you’re ready?” Her coach, Maureen Zechmeister asked as they clinked glasses. It wasn’t booze, but it was a toast all the same. She only asked because she wanted to gauge Kate’s own belief in herself.

“I think I’ve got this. I’m gonna medal. I can feel it,” she smiled, taking a sip of her Diet Coke. In 2014, she nearly qualified, but came in fourth during qualifications. The past four years had been non-stop training and she’d qualified in first.

She and Maureen arrived in Pyeongchang a few days ago and had been training ever since, but Maureen was not about training oneself into the ground. “I do too. You’ve been training hard.” Her parents emerged from around the corner and waved. “You ready to eat?”

“Ummm...always.”

“Now, what did you do wrong?” Rossi asked as he approached Derek sprawled out on the slope.

Like his sister Desiree, Derek sought constant perfection in the hopes of proving their living mother and now deceased father proud. Little did they realize that both had always and would always remain proud of the three children they loved so much. David had first hand knowledge; he’d started as Derek’s coach after his father died. Promise me you’ll help his mother and look out for him.

Derek looked up, his brow furrowed in aggravation. “I’m trying to hard to make the best time and I’m bombing,” he said flatly, referring to the act of going recklessly fast down the slope.

“Exactly,” Rossi replied. “You want to carve, not bomb. You have this; you’re just pushing yourself too hard.”

Extending his hand, Rossi helped Derek up and caught his attention. “Hey, kid. Look at me.”

Derek was frustrated, his eyes scanning far off in the distance. He knew what Rossi was going to say and although he appreciated it, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear right now. 

“What am I, wood?” Rossi chuckled, slapping Derek’s shoulder. Once he had his attention, he continued. “You have all the skill necessary to win every event you’re in.” He hated seeing Derek so heavy with emotion. “I know why you try as hard as you do. He is proud. No matter whether you win or not. You know what he said to me all the time? Practically every day before he went to work?”

“No, what?” He actually didn’t know. “He told me he was proud all the time, encouraged me and everything , but...that’s a parent thing.”

Rossi huffed and leaned against the pole. “No, that’s a good parent thing,” he replied. Rossi was with Joy how Derek’s father had been with him. “He encouraged you and supported you and lived his life the way he did because he believed, and I quote ‘children are apt to live up to what their parents believe of them.’ He thought the world of you and your sisters, and you’ve already exceeded expectations, okay?”

Jabbing his poles into the ground, Derek took a deep breath of the cool mountain air and smiled despite himself. “Deep down, I know it. It’s just...”

“It’s hard,” Rossi finished. “He’s never far from your mind.”

“Exactly.”

It astounded Tara Lewis that her father could watch her come down the track in Olympic record pace for luging and yet say nothing, but this is how it had always been. He attempted to be fatherly by physically placing himself in her presence, but he never really showed her any indication of pride - only resentment that she had succeeded where he brother had failed.

Steven had always been the favorite - typical son over daughter bullshit, but honestly, Tara was pretty sure that if her father hadn’t been exactly how and who he was, she wouldn’t be where she is now. Tara worked harder and harder every day with her coach, Alexandra Heismer (who was more of a parent than her father had ever been), in order to succeed proudly, and in his face. “Olympic record pace, Dad!” She exclaimed, purposely pumping her fists in the face of his disappointment. “At this rate, I could pull out a world record run.”

Pulling off her helmet, she let her hair fly free and smiled up at the board. “Opening ceremony is tonight, so I’m gonna stop on a high today and go get ready.”

“You think you’ve trained enough?” Her father asked. There was a distinct hint of jealousy in his voice, not for himself, but for Steven. 

Tara nodded as she walked away. In 2010, she placed 5th. Four years later, she won bronze. This year was her golden run, and hopefully 2022 would follow suit. “Definitely. It’s my year.”

It was the Americans turn to enter the stadium. Everyone gathered into a large group, intermingling by sport. “Ready?” Tara asked the woman standing next to her.

“Oh me?” Emily replied. “Yup, I’m ready to go. What are you competing in?”

“Luge. You?”

“Snowboard cross and halfpipe.” Emily took in the look on the other woman’s face - almost free. “You look happy.”

“I am,” Tara replied. “I’ve worked my ass off, and I can’t wait to shove my success in my father’s face.”

Emily snorted as the group began to walk. “You have parent issues too? And we’re walking together. Fantastic,” she said. “Although I live and breathe snowboarding, I am wondering if my mother will actually give a shit if I medal.”

As they continued on, they found out that they were competing, for the most part, on opposing days. “You cheer me on, I’ll cheer you?” Tara asked.

“Sounds good to me.”

“What about me?” Ally butted in after giving her brother a tackle hug. She’d been training so hard she hadn’t seen him since they landed in Pyeongchang the week before. 

They marched onward with the rest of the American athletes, meeting up with people they’d known for years and introducing themselves to those they’d never met. The two women were familiar with Spencer Reid and Jennifer Jareau, considering that figure skating tended to be the most spoken about winter sport. Emily had met Spencer before, but do to the Reid twins both being involved in sports, they never really got the chance to know each other. She was stunned that she’d never met Derek Morgan before though, she had heard his name in passing.

In turn, Spencer and JJ met up with Luke and Penelope, having last seen them at their wedding the year before. Though they lived across the US from each other, they kept in touch after meeting years earlier at the World Championship. 

JJ also saw Elle Greenaway from across the group and ran over with Spencer in tow to introduce herself and tell her how inspirational she found her. “I watched your first Olympics when I was 16, and my heart broke for you, but I’ve been following your career ever since. Spencer and I are actually going to be there tomorrow when you compete.”

“That’s amazing! It’s so nice to met you both,” Elle replied with tears in her eyes.

They were nearing the halfway point when Matt introduced himself to JJ and Spencer introduced himself to Kate. The entire group of nearly 300 American athletes delving into random conversations about their sports or what they happened to have for lunch that day. It was somehow small scale and the largest scale possible.

It didn’t matter whether or not it was their first games, their second or without a doubt their last, walking at the opening ceremony and competing as a whole left them all euphoric - pressure be damned.

@jamiemelyn @coveofmemories @iammostdefinitelyonfire26 @unstoppableangel8 @rmmalta @lukeassmanalvez @veroinnumera @lookwhatyoumademequeue @kalie-bee @remember-me-forever-silent-angel @beereadsthings @cherry-loves-fanfic @bitchinprentiss

[stunudo]

Mangia

A Criminal Minds Fan-fiction

Featuring: BAU Team     Setting: Season 13

Requested: @heyitskatrina                                                                   

 “just imagine these with the bau and the reader at rossi's ❝ and this is why i cook alone. ❞❝ so when do we get to drink the wine? ❞❝ don’t answer a question with a question! ❞ like as a platonic thingy (we need more tbh) bc pasta dad “

Prompt List

Your name: submit What is this?

The tingle in the back of his throat was starting to get ridiculous. It had been three days of discomfort and David Rossi didn’t get sick. The germs knew better than to try and mess with an Italian of his caliber. He took an Altoid out of his pocket and headed into the crime scene. The kid was already engaged with the crime scene techs, so Rossi did what he did best, consult with the lead detective.

By the second afternoon on the case, he was getting the chills left and right. What was this nonsense?! He added another layer beneath his dress shirt and blazer and continued to work the profile. By now, the team had finally caught on.

Emily had stayed behind at the precinct to approach him gently, “Rossi, you know, this being a local case, if you need a day to rest. You can take it, just say the word.”

Rossi side-eyed his chief, “Emily, I’m fine. Besides, if Gideon or I ever took a sick day this team wouldn’t be here.”

“Suit yourself,” Emily shook her head.

Dave Rossi sat silently in the passenger seat as Alvez drove them away from the arrest aftermath, in one of their standard SUVs. Luke sighed and Rossi rolled his eyes.

“Don’t kid.”

“What?” Alvez chuckled.

“Don’t offer to drive me home, I’m not your prom date.” Just then a deep chest cough took over Rossi’s body. After a minute longer than he liked to acknowledge, he gave Luke’s smug face a formidable glare.

“You need some water?”

“Drop me off here, I’ll walk.” Rossi muttered.

Eventually they pulled into the parking garage at headquarters, Rossi left Luke to sort through signing in the vehicle. The older agent walked calmly to his office, muffling a few more coughing fits before grabbing his briefcase and overcoat. He was done with all the patronizing glances, when did they all become such mother hens?

There was a gorgeous, yet massive Cadillac convertible was parked in his circular drive way when he pulled in. The team’s overstepping knew no bounds, apparently. Stepping into his grand foyer, David Rossi smelled something spices and heard excited voices from the kitchen.

Branding one of his many aprons, stood Penelope Garcia, hair back and sleeves rolled back as she stirred something comforting and faint on the range. “Penelope, why is Esther in my spot?” David chided, his voice hoarse.

“Rossi, how are you?” Penelope gushed as Hayden approached him, expertly feeling his forehead.

“Don’t answer a question with a question,” Rossi put up with the mothering from his ex-wife, but he didn’t need to be cooked for. That was what he did to relax. “Garcia, why are you here?”

“Because I called her, dear” Hayden cooed, her deep voice soothing his sore ears. “I have to head to the airport, and as I recall, you don’t know how to take care of yourself when you are sick.”

“Because I don’t get sick.” Rossi argued. “Do you need a ride? I had to park on the circle.”

“I have a car coming,” Hayden admitted, “Go get comfortable, David, let Penelope work.” She held his hand firmly as there came a knock at the door.  “Thanks again, Penelope!” Hayden called as Rossi showed her to the door. She kissed him gently on his flushed forehead, avoiding his obvious germs.

Rossi sauntered back to the kitchen, watching the blonde spin around his sacred space, suspiciously.

“Sir?” Penelope stated firmly, “Go shower, get the last case off you. The soup will be here when you get back.”

“Garcia, if you dull my knives or lose a ladle,” Rossi began.

“Hush, I will ask before I put anything back.” Garcia shook a wooden spoon at the older man. “Go, let me work.”

Rossi didn’t have the energy to forcibly remove the tech analyst from his home. A shower sounded perfect, it wasn’t the end of the world if he took her advice.

The steam from the shower helped calm his throat, he felt refreshed as he dressed in jeans and an old sweater. He slapped on his aftershave and ambled down his spiraling staircase. There were voices and laughter reverberating from the dinning room, a string of Italian curses muttered beneath his breath. Preparing for the worst, Rossi takes a deep breath and pushes through the heavy eight foot doors.

“Oh, there he is!” Simmons calls from his seat beside Lewis. Rossi takes in the entire BAU team gathered around his banquet sized table. The smiling faces, the easy banter, all enough to warm his extremely healthy ticker. At the head of the table was a large bowl of steaming broth, with a large glass of water beside a small glass of an amber liquid. A fresh loaf of bread lay on a cutting board beside his napkin, Garcia proudly held out his chair for him.

The moment he was seated Emily let out a long sigh, “So when do we get to drink the wine?”

Alvez whipped a hunk of bread crust at the Unit Chief, “Geez, Prentiss, antsy much?”

“Hey, I think we were all just waiting for the okay from our host.” Lewis shrugged.

“Oh you mean, me?” Rossi teased, slowly taking a long pull from his soup. “Because its not like any of you were invited tonight.”

“Uh, actually. I was following orders.” Garcia muttered, looking away from Emily.

“We were invited,” Spencer countered and quickly stopped with the look on Rossi’s face. “But that wouldn’t count, because...”

“I brought fruit salad, enough to last you a week of breakfasts!” Y/N offered, hoping to appease the grouchy senior agent.

“Hey, I brought my mother’s kimchi, that stuff’ll clear your sinuses right up.” Simmons added.

“And I brought my self,” Tara said into her glass of wine, that JJ had slyly began pouring.

“Salute, to Rossi’s health,” Alvez began, but stuttered when Rossi set his napkin down and stood.

“As you are all in my house, I get to make the toasts.” Rossi stuck his tongue in his cheek, forcing the agents to pause with apprehension.  “To the most loyal, pain-in-the-ass, generous team an old Marine could ask for.” He raised his glass, “Salute!”

The chorus of reciprocation broke the tension in the room followed by laughter and clinking glasses. The night continued on, quietly after ten, Rossi bowed out from the festivities and got to bed in order to get his genius-mandated rest. Slowly JJ and Simmons headed home to be with their spouses, leaving Garcia, Y/L/N, Alvez, Lewis, Prentiss and Reid to clean up. As Garcia cooked, she decided she should supervise. She hiked her feet on to one of the bar stools and polished off the collective eighth bottle of wine for the evening.

“I don’t know what half of these utensils even are!” Y/N explained as they carefully put each ladle and knife in its proper place. Somehow Garcia had talked Alvez into giving her and Emily massages, leaving Lewis and Reid to escort Y/N home, as they had a bottle and a half themselves.

At precisely 6:30 the next morning Rossi strolled downstairs for his daily cup of coffee, only to find Prentiss, Garcia and Alvez all asleep in the den, fully clothed and huddled beneath an old quilt.

“And this is why I cook alone.” Rossi muttered, adding another blanket to the snoring trio.

[ramblings-daily]

Nothing like Family

It was an intense tough week. The amount of focus and ordeal that the members had just went through seems a lot more tougher than usual. Ding! Emily Prentiss looked up from her shoes as the elevator doors opened. "I'll be in my office," she informed the team. "It's the weekend. Let's just relax and forget the case." Without another word, she cleared her throat and walked past the bullpen and straight into her office.

Spencer Reid glanced at his friends. "I'm going to read at my desk before I head out." Taking off his bag, he sat down while running a hand through his messy hair. He looked up just in time to see everybody else dispersed into their own little word. This is what happens to the team when they witness a hard case. Every single case they work on is most definitely harsh but this week, the one they just finished - it's just seems much more harder to swallow.

"My sweet - " Penelope Garcia stopped talking once she saw their expressions. She hates this. It upsets her when her friends are like this. They always bring the case home with them, it's always in their expressions. Feeling as if it's better to let them have their alone time, she stepped back slowly away from the bullpen and made her way to her own office. Her face hardens when she looks at the faces of the victims from the case. "Rest in Peace, sweet babies." Turning off her computers, she took a seat on her chair and exhaled deeply. She's only an analyst. Maybe she's considered as lucky, having to not face the harshness of what field work means as an agent.

Penelope knows what she stands as for the team. The woman with vivid burst of colors, the rainbow to make the others shine and smile. With all the sadness and cruel world that her friends faces everyday, she always tries to be there for them. Her eyes glances over to a photo frame of her and the team, it's an old picture they took five or six years ago. She wouldn't say that the environment was a lot happier back then, she would never think like that. It was a lot easier to take some time off for a group photo like that. Nowadays, the air is just so stuffy and overwhelming from the intense cases that most of the time, everyone just leaves afterwards.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Luke Alvez knocked on the door before walking in with a stack of folders in his hand. "I was wondering if it's a possibility that you could help me with this."

She narrowed her eyes between Luke and the folders. "What are those?"

"My computer crashed and I need to input these paperwork into my system." Luke awkwardly stood in the middle of the office. For the past months in being a part of the team, he has never stepped foot into the infamous office of Penelope Garcia's. As expected, it's an exact replica of her and he couldn't help but softly smile at it.

"How could your computer crash?" Penelope asked.

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "Logged into my system and it just did this buzzing sound."

"Aren't you tired?" Penelope questioned as she took the folders, setting it down next to one of the computers on the right side of the office. "Everybody else seem so out of it from the case. How are you still able to continue on working like this?"

"It helps me," Luke answered. "Keeps me busy enough to not let me overthink on certain cases. I noticed that I've been doing so since joining the BAU." He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he watched Penelope input the paperwork. A small smile cracked spread across his face, she must not trust him with her precious computers so she's just logging into his system on her own. "When I was in the Task Force, it kept me so busy with the rush that I didn't have enough time to actually think what I was working on. I went from one case to another in a span of two days." He paused as he blinked his eyes. "Here, you work on a case for days and even weeks. It's hard not to let it affect you." Luke exhaled deeply while clenching onto the back of his neck. "I don't know how they," he shook his head as he corrects himself. "...you guys do it."

Penelope closed the last folder. "I don't either." She handed them back over to Luke and shrugged her shoulders. "It gets easier in time, don't worry about it." Realizing that she was comforting him in a sort of kind way, she quickly stood up and cleared her throat. "Next time you want look at dirty stuff, use your own personal computer at home. Don't be crashing our computers, they'll take it out from our pay."

Luke lets out a chuckle once he saw what she was doing. Every single time if Penelope finds herself speaking to him in a friendly way or opening up a bit, she will immediately replace it with a snarky remark. "I wasn't looking at anything with the computer." He gives her one last smile before walking out. "Thanks."

. . .

Jennifer Jareau stared at the picture frame placed on her desk. A photo of her two kids, Will, Penelope and Spencer in a group photo from the last barbeque. Her eyes stayed glued on Henry, her precious little first born. The case they just worked on involved young kids. And when that does happen, she always can't help but think of her own kids. What would she do if she was on the victim's families position? How would she ever be able to cope with her life after such a loss?

"JJ," she looked up from the picture frame to see David Rossi standing nearby. "I'm going out for a couple drinks. Do you want to join?" Rossi could tell that a lot is going through JJ's mind. In fact, in everyone's mind. As the oldest in the bunch, he feels as if it's right for him to step up and reassure the other members that everything would be okay. "I could use a buddy."

"Actually, I rather go home and just," she smiled softly while getting up to take her car keys and jacket. "hug my kids and husband for the night."

Rossi nodded his head. "Of course," he pulled her in for a hug. "Give them an extra hug for me." He watched as JJ waved goodbye to Spencer and Luke before walking into the elevator. "Boys, I think I'll call it a night instead."

"No drinks?" Spencer asked with an eyebrow arched. He closed the book he was reading and stood up. "I would've thought you wanted a couple drinks in?"

"Seeing JJ like that, I rather go home and call up my daughter." Rossi saluted his friends goodbye before walking out of the bullpen himself.

Luke continuously pressed the space bar button on his computer. "Looks like it's just you and me," he glanced up just in time to see Spencer putting on his jacket. "You're leaving too?"

"My mom's waiting for me at home. Tonight is movie night for us," Spencer sighed. "I think being with our family for the night should be our priority."

"Right," Luke looked at his broken computer after Spencer left. "Family." Checking the time on his watch, it's already close to midnight. Seeing as everyone else around him is turning off their computers and calling it night, Luke figured that he should leave too. "Bye." He waved goodbye to fellow agents.

Penelope walked out of her office and stood in the middle of the bullpen. Her eyes wandered over to Emily's office, which was empty. "Did Prentiss leave?"

"Uh, yeah." Luke walked over with his jacket and keys in one hand. "She had a phone call from her boyfriend. I guess he did a surprise unexpectedly so she bounced." He stared at Penelope's expression. "What's wrong?"

"My car's in the workshop, it broke down on me this morning." Penelope groaned while taking out her phone from her purse. "Emily said she'll take me home tonight. I think she forgot because of how everything went this week. I'll just call up a taxi and - "

"I can take you." Luke offered. "I mean, I can drop you off home."

Penelope lets out a small laugh as if he was joking. "You're funny, newbie." Her smile faded once she saw his serious expression. "No, no, no, absolutely not."

Luke knit his eyebrows together. "Why not?" He crossed his arms across his chest, a little amused by her reaction over an offer to take her home.

"The last time I was in a car with you, I almost puked." Penelope shook her head vigorously as she walked out of the bullpen and pressed the button on the elevator. "I have no reason to be in the same car with you again." Making sure to look at him straight in the eyes. "Ever again."

"Alright," the elevator doors opened as Luke chuckled. "Close to midnight? I doubt any taxi is available at this time." He glanced at Penelope up and down before shrugging his shoulders. "I guess you'll be walking home in those intense heels you're wearing then." As soon as the elevator opened and they were on the ground floor, he walked out. "Good luck, Miss Garcia."

Penelope watched as Luke waved goodbye with his back facing towards her. Taking a look at the time from her phone and the aching blister on the back of her ankles due to the heels, she silently cursed to herself. "Freaking newbie."

The sound of rushing clicking sounds caused Luke to smile as he adjust the rearview mirror in his car. Throwing the duffel bag to the backseat, he turned the keys in the ignition. Just as he switched the car into gear, the passenger side door opened and Penelope Garcia sat down - breathing hard in and out while glaring at him. "What?"

"You knew I was coming but you were going to leave anyways?" Penelope questioned as she buckled the seatbelt in.

Luke laughed as he backed the car out of the underground garage. "I had no absolutely idea that you were coming. You seemed so persistent to take the taxi."

"Ha." She retorted while groaning in pain from the heels. "You don't mind if I take off my heels in your car, do you?"

"Go ahead." Luke answered. "So, what's your plans for the night?"

Penelope silently exhaled out of relief once those nasty heels were off. "Sleep." She glanced at Luke as his eyes focused on the road. "I mean, after I call up my boyfriend and have a nice long talk with him. Not that it's any of your business."

Luke lightly chuckled as he made a sharp turn into the highway. "Right, that boyfriend of yours."

"What was that?" Penelope questioned.

"What was what?" Luke laughed. He quickly glanced at her for a few seconds, catching that glare from her. "What?"

Penelope cleared her throat. "I totally still have a boyfriend that exists."

"Really?" Luke carefully changed lanes on the highway as he spoke. "So that totally wasn't a dating website that I saw on one of your computer earlier in the office?"

Completely thrown off by the dating website being mentioned, she started to clear her throat again. "I was looking into it for a friend. She wanted to make sure the website was legitimate. You know who I am, a tech analyst. It's my job to - " Penelope stopped talking and rolled her eyes. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No," he nodded his head while laughing. "No, you don't have to." Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just wondering why you feel the need to lie about having a boyfriend to me. Especially on the first day we met in the elevator." The silence after he spoke caught his attention. "Garcia?"

"I wasn't technically lying," she said slowly while looking out the window. The twinkling stars shining against the dark sky, the bright street lamps from across the highway - all things that would always distract her during this time of day. "I was seeing someone for a while." Penelope adverted her gaze away from the window and over to Luke. "We broke up two months ago." The car drove by a billboard with a picture of kids smiling together. "He broke it off."

Luke's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Penelope nodded her head. "It's okay." She took a look at the street signs ahead. "Just make a left turn and about a mile long, take another left turn. My house would be straight ahead."

"Alright." The silence between them the rest of the way suddenly made him feel a bit uneasy. Maybe he just hit a sore topic which he didn't mean to do at all. "Gar - "

"We're here." Penelope quickly interrupted him. She unbuckled the seat belt while taking a deep breath. "Thanks for the drive, newbie."

Before he had time to get a word out, she was already out of the car and walking through her front door. Luke tapped the steering wheel with his fingers. "Alvez, what did you just do?" He muttered to himself as he turned the keys in the ignition. Something glittery caught his attention from the passenger side. He arched an eyebrow as he leaned over to grab the glittery high heels. Did she really want to rush out of the car that she got out barefoot without noticing? Feeling obligated to give it back to her right away, he turned off the ignition and got out of the car. Taking a couple deep breaths, he knocked on the front door and stepped back.

Penelope opened the door and stood shock. "Uhm, hi?"

"You forgot these," handing the heels toward her, Luke smiled. "Surprised you missed out on such glittery heels."

"Thanks." She was just about to close the door when Luke stopped her. "Did I forget something else?"

Luke opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, hesitating on what he should say. "I apologize for being so nosy about your ex-boyfriend. I didn't mean to hit that topic if I knew it was sensitive. It was wrong of - "

"Stop." Penelope said immediately. "I wasn't upset or distracted because we talked about him. I got over him once the break up happened." She looked down at her feet. "The kids," she admitted softly. "I was thinking about the victims from the case earlier."

"Oh." Luke responded, not knowing how to exactly react. "Yeah, tough case."

Penelope looked at him. "Why aren't you with them?"

Confused, he knit his eyebrows together. "Excuse me?"

"Your family," Penelope said. "Everyone else in our team are with their family and loved ones right now. Considering how affected and sensitive the case was, it only made sense that they would want to be at home with their family." As the burst of colors for the team, it's also her job to observe her members. Watch how affected they are and what they choose to do afterwards once a case is done. What she has been noticing about Luke Alvez is the tendency of him trying to always keep himself busy. Something he even said so himself earlier in her office. It keeps things out of his mind. The only off putting thing is the fact that he is always wants to do it alone. "Does being alone soothes your mind better than being with your family?"

Luke lets out a small chuckle before he took a deep breath. "Wow. Miss Tech Analyst just turned into a Profiler."

"I just think it's best to spend time with your family after a hard case." Penelope continued on. "You're still new to the BAU even though it's been a few months. New recruits usually have a harder time with cases involving children because of - "

"I don't," he hesitated a bit. "I'm not on speaking terms with my family at the moment." Besides the BAU knowing that he has a dog named Roxy, they really don't know anything else about him. "When I was in Task Force and after what happened to my old partner, I got so distracted and lost my mind for a while. Didn't bother on contacting or doing anything with them because I was - "

"Scared." Penelope answered for him. "You were scared that they would also be affected by it." Luke Alvez is definitely a perfect with the BAU. Doing something that the team would do for others.

"What about you? You say that we should surround ourselves with people we love after a harsh case." Luke took a small peek inside her house, empty and cold. "You're alone like me."

Penelope sighed deeply. "I used to be with Morgan after every case. I would listen about how hard it was for him to be out in the field and see what he sees. And he would listen to me, talking about the most random things so he could be distracted. It was our thing, you know." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "But he has bigger things to worry about now. I don't want to take away any normality he recently found just because I can't be alone. And the other members, they should be alone with their immediate family. Being in the way," she paused. "There are limits to them."

"Well, I guess we'll have to get used to it. Future cases are always in our horizon and we're just bound to come across harsh ones like his one." Luke said.

"Newbie," Penelope said while opening the door wider. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

He arched an eyebrow. "You're inviting me in? The newbie?"

"Alright, I guess it's a goodbye then." She was about to close the door when Luke walked into her house. Penelope shook her head before she shut the door and made her way over to the kitchen to make tea.

Luke's eyes wandered from one corner to another, taking in all the most bright, vivid colors he has seen in his life. "Without the computers, this is just like your office."

"I like to carry my personality in everything I do." Penelope defended herself. "And it helps with all the stuff I see on a daily basis." She walked over and handed him a cup of tea. "Colors and sparkly things helps me." As she sipped her tea, she adverted her gaze over to Luke's phone, which had a picture of Roxy as his lock screen. "Roxy helps you, doesn't she?"

He smiled. "Yeah, a lot. I love her."

"And she loves you."

Luke laughed while drinking the tea. "I mean, I am kind of handsome and kind. Hard not to be loved."

A disgusted expression spread across her face while she rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious."

"Am I wrong?" Luke dared to ask. He watched quietly as Penelope took a while to answer. "Never mind. Of course, I'm not handsome or kind to you."

"I may be a little mean to you than I am with others but I will admit or agree to something when it's true." Putting down the empty cup on the table, she cleared her throat. "You are quite a looker. I'm only admitting to it because it'll obviously be a lie if I didn't."

Luke chuckled. "Thanks." He bit his lower lip as he looked at her. "And if we are going to admit something," he scratch the back of his neck out of nervousness. "You're quite beautiful yourself."

Penelope scoffed as if this was something she would believe. If it was coming from a different guy, someone who obviously doesn't look like Luke Alvez - she would believe. Derek Morgan calls her beautiful and all sort of nicknames that's shared between but she always consider that's only because he's her bestfriend. "Alright, newbie. Just because I am kind to you for more than five minutes, doesn't mean you can just comfortably lie - "

"Lie?" Luke placed the cup down and looked at her in confusion. "Wait a minute, you think calling you beautiful is just a lie?"

"Come on, look at you and then look at - "

"Whoa, stop there." Luke immediately interrupted her. "Usually, I let you go on with your little remarks or even side comments about me but this is unacceptable. There is nothing that is different from the way I look or the way you look. For me, you are beautiful. That confidence you speak with during cases makes you charming. The way you dress obviously indicates that you could hardly give a care what others think. If I may overstep my boundaries for a few seconds, you are beautiful. Most definitely beautiful inside and out, Penelope Garcia."

Penelope blinked her eyes a couple of times, not knowing how to exactly respond to what she just heard. "Obviously you are hyped up from - "

Luke sighed. "I'm not lying or hyped up on tea. Don't try to find any excuse on debunking my comment."

Seeing how serious he looked while he faced her, she decided to not try and argue back. "Well, I guess I'll say thank you." Penelope said. Feeling uncomfortable because of the conversation, she stood up and checked the time on her watch. "Wow. It's almost two in the morning now."

"I should get home then." Luke stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. As his hand twist the doorknob, he paused and turned back around. "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. It really helped with my mind."

Penelope nodded her head. "Yeah. See you on Monday."

Luke opened the door. "See you Monday." He quietly shut the door and halted his steps at the gate. He thought he was going to spend another night being alone, something he always seem to do after a case. But tonight - spending it with Penelope it was something he needed more than anything.

Carefully and quietly, Penelope made her way over to the windows. She watched as Luke got into his car and drove away. Turning back around to face her dark living room alone, her eyes landed to the two empty cups on the table. "Thank you for staying with me tonight, Luke." Penelope would've never believed that she needed that brief moment in life. The moment of spending time with Luke, to just have somebody else as a listening ear. To realize that it wasn't just her alone most of the time after cases, to just learn that maybe her and Luke aren't that different. "Thanks, Luke." She muttered to herself again before turning off all the nights and headed off to bed.

. . .

Spencer waved at his members walking into the bullpen with bright expressions written on their face. It was obvious that going home to spend time with your family helped each one of them a lot. "I got scolded by my mom last night."

Rossi laughed as he sipped his morning black coffee. "And why is that, kid?"

"My hair is supposedly starting to look like a mop." Spencer laughed along with them. "Maybe I should get a haircut."

Emily played with his hair for a few seconds. "But I like it."

JJ tilted her head a bit as she looked at it. "A trim wouldn't hurt." She crossed her arms as she sat on her desk. "When will Lewis and Walker get back from their training?"

"Could be a couple more days," Emily replied. "Hard to say since I don't have the skills to advanced their training up." Through the glass doors from across the bullpen, she smiled once Penelope walked through the elevators. "Hi, Miss Sunshine."

Penelope smiled brightly. "So, I have a favor to ask."

JJ looked at her friend with a suspicious look on her face. "Which is?"

"I know Lewis and Walker aren't here but we can totally do this again once they come back." Penelope took out a camera and smiled slyly as she looked at them. "It would mean a lot if we can have group photo again."

Rossi laughed. "Not a bad idea, Garcia." He fixed up his tie while standing up straight. "It's a good thing I chose to wear my good suit today."

"What's going on?" Luke asked once he saw them laughing.

"Garcia wants us to take a group photo." Spencer answered before putting down the book in his hand.

"Really?" Luke smiled. "Here, give me the camera. I'll take it for you."

Penelope looked at him. "Don't be silly, newbie." Handing the camera over to another agent, she pulled him over closer to them for the photo. "You're taking it with us."

Everyone including Luke all stood and stared at Penelope with stunned expressions. "Really?"

"Of course," Penelope answered. She smiled brightly at each one of them before landing her eyes on Luke. "We're taking a group family photo and you're family, aren't you?"

JJ smiled. "I couldn't agree more with Garcia."

Luke couldn't help but grin. "I don't know what to say."

"Just don't let it get to your little ego head." Penelope warned with a glare. Rossi chuckled. "And she's back."

"Okay, the picture's ready to be taken." The agent said as he stepped back with the camera.

"To family." Spencer said.

Everyone huddle together with bright smiles on their faces while staring into the camera. Despite the harsh and cruel cases they work on a daily basis, as long as they surround themselves with the right people - everything will always fall into the right places. It's heavy duty work but sometimes when they go home into the arms of their family, the brief pain and sadness will go away. It also helps when they also work with people that remind themselves, they don't go through the doubt and pain alone. These people that surrounds around them for the most part of their day, they're not just friends - they're family.

"To family." Everyone repeated.

a/n: this is my second fanfic criminal minds related and luke/penelope related. this fanfic is up on my ff, please also check it out there! thank you for reading! I do not own any characters of criminal minds or anything related.