#but children?? my darlings that man is never retiring much less having a life-work balance

[flowerflamestars]

Robin fic snippet

“Skin contact,” he said, reaching out. Elle passed him the baby, hands briefly overlapping on her little skull, “No one was holding her.”   The difference came by degrees- tired wail fading into sad grizzling, rubbing her wet little face beneath Jason’s collarbone before rapidly seeming to collapse into exhaustion.   Careful, Jason leaned against the edge of the desk he never actually used. After a beat, Elle followed, moving with assured quiet to pull herself up on top of the wide oak slab, high enough to lean her cheek on his shoulder.   “Started screaming the second she was done eating,” Elle whispered. Sighed, turning her head to press a brief kiss to Jason’s skin. “God.” She reached out, hesitantly touching one little hand, bunched even in rest, “She’s so small.”   For a while, they just watched the baby sleep.   “Does she have name?”   Elle smiled. “Elodie, I think. Feels like an Elodie.”   Another Elle. Ellie. Jason barely wrestled silence into his laugh, rocking the baby as she stirred. “Sounds good.”   He wanted to know what shade her eyes would be when they settled past baby blue. The color of her hair. The sound of her little laugh. A tiny, tiny magical person- Elle was right, of course. They’d never let her get hurt, ever again.   “Philippe’ll be here in the morning,” Elle told him, quietly.   Jason told himself not to be a fucking idiot. Not to be disappointed-   He also knew perfectly well what he sounded like, when he whispered back, “We’re not keeping her?”

[lafourmii20]

That prompt list is so hard to choose from! Lots of good stuff on there!

Couldn’t go past #54 though for ironfroststrange! (Please and thank you 😊)

Thank you for the ask @knightryder24 🥰 I had a lot of fun writing for this prompt. It's probably not what you had in mind, but I hope you like it!

Sorry it took me so much time to answer. I hope that the fact it is 2k long (which is way more than my other answers to the intimacy prompts) will make up for it.

~~~

frostironstrange, tony stark, stephen strange, loki, morgan stark, fluff and awkwardness, chaste kissing, getting together

~~~

Date night was awkward. Well, what was he expecting, really? He invited Loki and Stephen to have dinner with him. The God of Mischief and the Sorcerer Supreme, together, in the same room with mere mortal Tony? Yeah, it was a sure recipe for trouble.

“More dessert?” he asked with not a small amount of unease.

“Oh, I would love to take your dessert, darling,” Loki purred suggestively, with glinting eyes and smirking lips, and there was no way he was talking about the chocolate cake offered to him.

Tony gulped.

“Thank you, Tony,” Stephen replied softly, taking a piece for himself and another for Loki, thankfully cutting through Loki’s aggressive flirting.

Tony lost himself for a second in Stephen’s mesmerizing blue-green eyes, took a little strength from the wizard’s calm demeanor, then shook his head. No, this was still a terrible idea. What was he thinking inviting them in his house?

Well, truth be told, it wasn’t his idea. Stephen suggested it, and Loki approved. So really, if anyone was to blame for the poor night they were all having, it wasn’t Tony.

But maybe it wasn’t such a bad evening. Sure, there were awkward silences, uneasy glances and shy blushes. But there were also good wine and great Asgardian ale. They talked about magic and science and technology, Asgardian customs that should be abandoned forever, and others that would do great to Earth societies. They discussed life, love, family and relationships.

They talked about their relationship.

Their weird relationship wasn’t exactly a new thing. They’d been dancing around each other for months now. Since Thanos, they had been getting closer and closer together. Tony just had to meet the Sorcerer who orchestrated everything and helped them to win. After screaming at him with all the strength of his lungs for not telling him what the plan was, Tony understood and tried to get to know the man better. They got along far better than he ever dared to imagine.

Tony met Loki in totally different circumstances. With a whole ass alien nation now settling on Earth, Tony got involved in the smooth integration of New Asgard. That was where he got to know Loki, and the mischievous God carved a place into his heart scarily quickly, if he were honest.

What he discovered with these two men was beautiful, just as broken as Tony was, but glorious (as Loki would love to say). It was a deep friendship that slowly evolved into something else, into something more.

Tony would never forget the day he held Stephen’s hand for the first time, carefully cradling his trembling fingers between his own. The trust in Stephen’s eyes took his breath away.

The strong hug he shared with Loki one afternoon, was also etched into his memory, a fond time and a show of vulnerability like no other. It was truly glorious.

Tony also knew Loki and Stephen exchanged a chaste kiss at the Sanctum, even though he didn’t know the details. He just found it infinitely endearing. But it brought some difficult questions to his mind.

“Why would I have to choose only one of you, when I adore you both?” Loki had asked incredulously one day, when Tony broached the subject of their weird three-way relationship. Then, the Asgardian seemed to remember. “Oh, I see. Your Midgardian’s customs limit your view on the matter. In Asgard, a relationship is only what the people involved want it to be. Be it between a man and a woman, or two men, or two women, or more than two people and all the combination you could ever imagine.”

“So what do you want?” Tony had asked.

Loki only answered with a broad devilish smile.

Stephen suggested the dinner date the next day, and Loki approved immediately. And there they were. In this awkward situation, navigating the troubled water of a brand new relationship. Tony was about to embark on a relationship with not only one, but two magical men, and his head was spinning. In anticipation. In fear. Elation. Love too.

Double the love, who would have thought, uh?

“How about we move this to a more comfortable location?” Loki asked, bringing Tony back to the present. “The couch, maybe?” He arched his eyebrows suggestively again, and Tony lost his words (again) turning bright red. The God of Mischief was really good at making Tony blush these days. Damn. Tony was losing all his smooth flirting when he was with them.

“Sure,” he said. Jeez, that was so lame. He definitely was losing his cool with them. “You go there,” he gestured toward the living room, “I’ll make coffee and tea for Stephen. Our good doctor can’t end an evening without his chamomile tea, the fiend. I’ll take care of it.”

Stephen rolled his eyes, but simply smiled at Tony’s antics, and he left the table with Loki, guiding him through the house with a gentle hand on the small of his back.

The gesture was overwhelmingly delicate and tender, and fondness surged through Tony’s heart.

Too much, it was too much.

Finally alone after all the awkwardness and tension, Tony breathed out, paused for one second, before getting in motion again. He couldn’t stay still and let his brain do his overthinking thing. Except, he couldn’t stop thinking as he made the drinks on autopilot, too focused on his own thoughts (and the two Sorcerers casually sitting on his couch) to care about what his hands were doing.

What the hell was he doing? After all the hardship in his life, he couldn’t settle for a simple retirement plan in his cabin by the lake, with Morgan, and Pepper? Well, Pepper wasn’t exactly here anymore. They couldn’t make it work together and that was sad, but it was life, right? Life sucked. But they had found a balance, between her new job in New York and his simple life by the lake, and their amazing daughter to raise. It wasn’t ideal, but it seemed to work for them.

And now, Tony wanted to complicate all this delicate balance with this new and weird relationship?

What was he thinking?

“Hey.” Stephen’s gentle voice interrupted Tony’s spiraling thoughts, and a shaking hand landed on his shoulder.

Tony turned to face the other man. The hand, still on his shoulder, calmed him a little, silenced his thoughts.

“Hi,” Tony whispered.

Stephen’s lips curled into a tender smile that warmed Tony’s heart. Red tinted his sharp cheekbones, from the wine and the Asgardian ale they shared earlier. His eyes glinted, maybe because he kissed Loki again on the couch while waiting for Tony. Oh, how he would love to join them and shut the voices in his head telling him this was a bad idea.

“Are you okay?” Stephen asked in his deep voice. “Is it too much, for you? We can leave if you want to. We would understand.”

“No!” Tony immediately blurted out. His hand came up to hold on to Stephen’s wrist. He was careful not to grip the fine bones too tight, and to avoid the delicate scarred fingers, but he couldn’t let go, couldn’t let Stephen (and Loki) leave him. He wanted them here, with him. Forever.

“Stay, please,” he finally said. “It’s just… It’s a lot. But I want you here.”

Tony’s heart fluttered at Stephen’s answering smile, the softest and loveliest curl of his lips. And his eyes shone so bright with affection. Maybe love?

Tony gripped Stephen’s wrist in his hand, drew him closer while getting on his tiptoes. There, he left a gentle kiss on Stephen’s cheek. A surprised yet pleased sound escaped Stephen’s lips and Tony couldn’t wait to hear all the beautiful noises he could get from this man. Loki would probably be impossible to shake, but maybe he might help Tony to fluster Stephen? That would be lovely. Tony couldn’t wait to have both men with him, in his bed, and suddenly he wasn’t so afraid of this whole situation anymore.

“Let’s go find Loki, before he burns my house to the ground,” he said.

“Absolutely,” Stephen laughed before putting his arm around Tony’s waist, and making his way to the living room.

Which was empty when they arrived.

“Lokes?”

Tony’s heart dropped. Did Loki leave? Did he already get tired of them and just left?

But then, Tony heard a high-pitched giggle and a low voice from the bedrooms. He frowned, then hurried upstairs, Stephen on his heels. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Loki. But he wasn’t sure how the God of Mischief would handle his daughter, and Tony wasn’t ready to take any risks with his sweet little Morgan.

But when he peeked through her bedroom door, Tony’s heart melted. Morgan was in her bed, carefully tucked under the covers. Loki sat on the floor beside her bed, a book on his lap, his soft voice lulling her to sleep with a story. Except, every few sentences, he stopped, made a comment about the improbability of the tale, or how his own adventures were far more interesting, and Morgan giggled with him. It seemed like she was getting less and less sleepy, completely defeating the purpose of the bedtime story in the first place.

Tony melted.

“What are you doing up, little miss? It’s past your bedtime, you should be sleeping.”

“Loki is reading me a story.”

He could see that. The great God of Mischief felt utterly out of place on the floor of the little room painted in all sorts of bubblegum-pink shades Morgan loved so much.

“The little munchkin wanted a bedtime story. I thought it would amuse her greatly to hear the story of how I defeated the great enemies of Asgard, but she wanted me to read this book instead.” He showed them the title and Tony repressed a giggle of his own—it was just too hilarious to imagine Loki reading a children’s book.

“This little red riding hood story is particularly gruesome. I love it,” Loki commented with a wide and devilish smile.

“It’s great,” Morgan commented from the bed. “But he’s not doing the voices.”

Loki pouted and this time, Tony truly laughed.

“Come on, darling,” Stephen said joining Loki on the floor. “You have to do the voices. I’ll be the wolf, you’ll be the grandma.”

Loki looked disgusted.

“Tony can be the grandma.”

“Sure, I’ll be the grandma. I have a mug that says ‘Best Grandma in the world’ in the kitchen’s cabinet, anyway.”

“Come here, Grandma,” Stephen gestured to him laughing.

Tony joined them on the floor. They were truly ridiculous, three grown men sitting on a pink carpet, with a children’s book between them. But Morgan was smiling with all her missing tooth and Tony was feeling all fuzzy inside. Like he was at the right place.

Finally.

Maybe the three of them together wasn’t such a bad idea.

Reading a fairytale with three opinionated men was a disaster. They were all reading atop of each other, commenting on the other voices — ‘The grandma isn’t that weak, Tony.’ ‘Yes she is, that’s why she gets eaten.’ ‘Spoiler alert!’ ‘Oh come on doc, you don’t have to make your voice so deep.’ ‘Show off.’ ‘Lokes, you’re cheating.’ ‘I’m not.’ ‘Using magic is cheating.’ ‘It sets the atmosphere.’ ‘Show off.’ ’Shut up, wizard.’

And yet, Morgan was smiling, Tony too, and when his daughter eventually fell asleep—by some miracle even his genius brain couldn’t explain—he was smiling even wider.

Maybe—definitely—this relationship wasn’t such a bad idea. So instead of ushering Loki and Stephen and their awkwardness from the beginning out the door, Tony led them to his bedroom. And what they did behind the closed door was only the beginning of their relationship.

~~~

Inspired by this intimacy prompt list (my ask box is still open for prompts (or anything else), just know that it might take me some time to answer prompts because I have other projects I need to focus on right now)

Prompts filled: 3. touching foreheads (ironstrangefrost) 7. kissing scars (ironstrange) 23. wearing someone’s clothing (ironstrange) 29. kissing while mad (ironstrange) 30. being protective (drpepperony) 47. cuddling under blankets (ironstrangefrost) 54. reading a book together (ironstrangefrost) 59. height difference (ironstrange)

Currently working on:

[olivia-lovecraft]

Tea with Barnaby Pt. 1

[The following is an rp scene between Olivia and @draenei-barnaby. They spend the afternoon catching up until an infamous black envelope interrupts.]

Olivia was starting to spend a lot of time thinking on the subjects of love, family, and friends since the beginning of the year, and in doing so, she found herself thinking of friends with whom she had grown distant. It was never her intention to drift away from people, but life always seemed tumultuous so very suddenly, and things like social commitments fell through the cracks.

Tea with Barnaby, the man who had once saved her from bandits, was Olivia’s best attempt to make amends for the time that passed between them.

With respect to the Draenei’s enormous presence, Olivia spent the entire morning moving all unnecessary furniture out of her parlor. A few end tables, two chairs, and a pair of crates filled with research were all stashed in her spare room in preparation. Moving the sofa back a couple of feet, to give her guest more room to sit comfortably, took all the strength Olivia possessed, as well as more than a few attempts. In the end, though, the living room looked spacious enough to accommodate the man and his tail.

With an hour to spare, Olivia quickly freshened up, doing her hair and makeup before slipping into a casual green and ivory gown with an empress waist. She wore house shoes instead of her typical heeled footwear and whispered around the house to get everything out and just so. With a half hour before his intended arrival, Olivia put on a kettle and prepped the tea pot, choosing the pot meant to serve a large crowd, as she assumed Barnaby would drink more than a single small cup.

Finally, when there were no preparations left, Olivia retired to the sitting room to put on music and resume reading a book about the customs of ancient Troll tribes.

Barnaby was delighted at being invited to take tea at Olivia’s home in Stormwind. He rode his stocky horse, Dumpling, from his cabin in Redridge, through Elwynn Forest and into the bustling human city. Although Draenei were an uncommon sight, enough time had passed since they’d arrived on Azeroth that most of the city-going folk were acclimated to their presence. Still, the small children that pointed and gawked at his unusual appearance pleased him, his tail curling in pride.

When he knocked at Olivia’s door, she found him wearing a red flannel shirt and trousers and carrying a basket of covered food on one arm. He looked pleased to be there, his face radiating happiness. “Ah, Olivia! How good it is to see you again, you’re looking beautiful as ever!”

The draenei squeezed himself through the doorway and managed to get himself situated at Olivia’s table with a minimum of bumping into furniture. He set the large basket on the tabletop and uncovered it, taking out a savory-looking homemade meat pie and a loaf of flavorful homemade seed bread. “I thought I’d bring a few things for us to share over lunch.”

“I am so glad you could make it darling,” Olivia greeted with an equally radiant smile.

As Barnaby entered and made himself at home, the small woman went back to the icebox to take out a spring salad with small edible blooms sprinkled in it for color. With her free hand she took out a rustic looking plain cheesecake and balanced it on the top of the salad bowl so she could grab a bowl of mixed berries as well.

“I did not make the cheesecake, so it is not burnt in the slightest,” she assured her guest as she brought the cool items to the table. “I did make the salad and arranged the cheese board.”

Once those items were arranged, she went to see to the teapot.

“How are you? I hope the winter treated you well.”

With the addition of the spring salad, cheesecake, and berries, between them Olivia and Barny had assembled quite a delicious spread of food on the table. Barnaby started cutting the hot meat pie into sections.

He reflected on the past winter. “We had one or two large snowfalls... I had to do some repair work on the shed, and remove a couple trees that were felled by a windstorm. That’s nothing too unusual, though. The biggest news, was that I had a houseguest for a time.”

The draenei fell quiet for a moment. “It was an unusual case. A woman, the likes of which I’d never seen before. Calling herself a ‘roegadyn’... She said she’d gotten lost, and I had to help her find her way home, after a fashion.”

Barnaby looked as if he was daydreaming fondly for a moment, then shook his head and began to slice the loaf of bread. “Thankfully, it all worked out in the end. And yourself? I imagine snowfall is quite picturesque in the city.”

With her back turned to Barnaby, he wouldn’t see her furrowed brow nor her silent attempt at saying the word ‘roegadyn’. There was no way she could know what the woman was, but she also believed it would be rude to pry, so instead the word was stored away with minimal context.

“Oh, the city is lovely with fresh snow. It quickly turns grey with the traffic and smoke, but it is lovely while it falls,” Olivia replied wistfully as she returned to the table with the tray of tea, cream, and sugar. “However, I spent this past winter in Drustvar. It is equally beautiful in the snow, more so, perhaps, because there are these great ribbons of light in the sky at night. It was a breathtaking sight, as I wasn’t exactly enjoying a vacation. I was conscripted by the military to help with research into the witches there. It turned into quite the eventful winter and I am relieved to be back in Stormwind.”

Olivia poured tea for them both and smiled at the large man. He was a lovely, comforting presence and she hadn’t realized how much she missed having purely social engagements with kind souls.

“That pie smells amazing. Is it game or livestock?” She transitioned upon realizing she was starting to stare.

Barnaby looked up at the mention of Drustvar. “The Kul Tiran island, then?” He listened to the rest of Olivia’s story with interest. He’d heard of the island, but never gone to see it himself. He recognized her description of the aurora, but only because he’d seen them before in Northrend. That had been a nightmarish place. He wondered if Olivia’s experience with these Kul Tiran “witches” had been similarly haunting… and dangerous.

The thought of Olivia being in even the remotest danger caused his brows to furrow. He chose that moment to take tea, reminding himself that Olivia had surely taken adequate precautions.

“Were they hospitable to you - The Kul Tirans, I mean?” he asked, curiously. At the question about his pie, Barnaby sat back in his seat and smiled with pride. He hadn’t been certain Olivia would like meat pie. “It’s venison, I hunted it.”

“Yes, actually. The people I met were generally very friendly. They have their prejudices against mainlanders, but it surfaces more as a sort of superiority rather than blatant hostility,” Olivia replied, smiling with odd fondness. “I met a few rude individuals, but you’ll have that anywhere, I imagine.”

She put a few things on her plate after accepting a piece of the meat pie and settled in with her napkin on her lap.

“Venison is my favorite. I wanted to be a huntsman when I was little so that I could eat as much venison as I wanted. I just always liked it,” she commented with a grin.

Olivia cut a bit from the pie and chewed thoughtfully. The hum of approval was immediate, and she nodded as she finished chewing and swallowing the bite.

“This is delicious, darling. Truly. It reminds me of meals I had when I was younger.”

She reached out and grasped at the air subtly, as if she were reaching for a stemmed glass rather than her teacup. The gesture was corrected, hopefully before he noticed, and she took a sip of tea wishing it was wine.

If Barnaby noticed Olivia making a curious hand gesture as she grasped for a wine glass that wasn’t there, he didn’t show it. Rather, he only seemed to grow more pleased at being praised for his cooking. His grin became smug, his sideburns fluffed out extra fluffily, and he made a pleased sound low in his throat. “You are too kind, Miss Olivia. I’ll remember to make it more often, now that I know you enjoy it.”

His smile took on a decidedly roguish bent when Olivia answered that she’d met a few rude Kul Tirans, despite an overall pleasant experience. “Perhaps I should accompany you next time. Then they will think twice about being anything less than perfect gentlemen.”

A peal of delighted laughter overtook Olivia, and she quickly nodded along with his suggestion.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you would inspire manners in your very wake," she beamed.

However, the expression wavered and was replace with something a bit more pensive. She considered the makeup of the Alliance military and those travelers she saw. There were so few Draenei in Boralus, but there were Lightforged Bulwarks outside of Arom’s Stand, erected to hold back the attacks from the Horde.

“You know, my cousin, a native Kul Tiran, he still hasn’t met a Draenei. There were some of the Lightforged in Arom’s Stand, so he has seen your kind, but has never met you. I do not know what reception your people received in Kul Tiras, but I do hope they remembered their manners. Isolationism can warp the way people see outsiders of any kind.”

It was a somber thought, and one she wouldn’t dwell upon. She would let Barnaby have his say before renewing her smile and moving onto something lighter.

“But, if you like seafood, I have found no other place with such variety as Boralus city.”

Barnaby paused his enjoyment of their delicious lunch to listen to what Olivia was saying. A cousin! This was the first time he could recall her mentioning her family, and as such, he paid close attention. “You have a cousin who is Kul Tiran? I take it you met him when you journeyed there with the army?” He took a big bite of the buttered bread. “...How did it go?” It was possible she had never met him in person before, or if she had, it could have been a long time ago.

At the mention of Boralus’s variety of seafood, his smile became huge. “It’s settled, I’ll have to make a trip out.”

"It was a little tenuous, at first,” Olivia admitted. “Only because I was raised to believe my mother’s side of the family suffered great losses in a conflict. That my mother had only a sister, my Aunt Marian. However, by fate, I discovered some of my mother’s siblings survived the conflict and went on to marry into a strong family that kept them safe. So, I have met a few cousins actually. Some of them are twice removed, but no matter the case, it is a strange thing to have family when I thought I had none.”

She dipped a piece of the bread into some of the gravy that was escaping the meat pie and ate quietly a moment, smiling at the thought of her found family.

“I highly recommend it. The people of Kul Tiras are larger folk, on average, so their accommodations will likely be more comfortable than a human or elven inn,” she grinned. “I know my own room, the one I rent there while visiting family and friends, has a bed that at last five more of me could sleep in.”

Barnaby listened to Olivia’s story about her family as he ate. He found he could imagine the way she was feeling. He’d lost his own family during the tumults on Draenor, when he had been a boy. He’d been young enough that he didn’t remember much of his parents - only flitting visions that came to him during moments of subconscious, such as in dreams. Now and again, he found himself wondering if any of his biological family had survived. How would he, now an adult, connect with possible siblings, or other family members, he might not have seen since he was a child?

“It’s a blessing, I think... Even if we cannot immediately see it as such,” he murmured. “To learn of family we didn’t know about.”

Barnaby blinked in surprise to learn that the Kul Tirans were “larger” folk. That was something that had escaped his notice until now. He wondered how tall they were. Were they draenei-sized? The thought both unsettled and intrigued him. Would that mean he wouldn’t automatically be able to intimidate a Kil Tiran? He’d gotten rather used to being the tallest man in his circle of acquaintances and friends. “Are they, now. How… interesting.”

“They are indeed,” Olivia nodded with a soft giggle. “Of course, I am not the greatest judge of height when almost everyone short of gnomes are taller than me. I can’t imagine they are as tall as you, but perhaps their furniture and doorways will be more comfortable.”

She shrugged a bit and laughed, still amused at her own realization. Everyone was larger than her.

“If you visit, let me know. I could act as your guide, and perhaps we could just get lost together. Oh! Actually, you’d be a brilliant help with the hedge maze, I imagine. You could probably see right over the hedges. There is a tavern at the end of the maze that I have yet to find.”

Barnaby seemed somewhat settled by Olivia’s reassurance that the Kul Tirans were not, in fact, likely to be taller than he was, but the doorways and chairs would be more comfortable for him. He nodded and returned to the important business of putting meat pie and salad into his mouth.

He looked delighted at the idea of visiting Kul Tiras casually with Olivia. At least, until she mentioned the tavern at the end of a hedge maze. “Who would be so cruel as to put a tavern at the end of a hedge maze?” he questioned, brows furrowed. He apparently thought this a serious question. “But yes, I think I would enjoy visiting Kul Tiras with you sometime, Olivia.”

"It is rather cruel, isn't it?" Olivia tittered. "Especially if one were to imbibe too heavily and find themselves lost in the maze. I imagine--"

Her sentence was interrupted when the mail slot opened, and a black envelope dropped into the catch basket.

[ To be continued...here. ]

[stargleeksil-blog]

Criminal Minds s05e10 “The Slave of Duty” review - or more aptly named, Jack Hotchner is the cutest kid in the world, and baby girl is back. WHOO!

Episode 10 – The Slave of Duty

So I’m still reeling from last episode, I mean – WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO THEY THINK THEY ARE DOING WITH MY EMOTIONS?

But let’s see what happens.

Oh god. My heart.

Double oh my god.

W.S. Gilbert: “It’s love that makes the world go round.”

I wish.

I can’t handle funerals.

I can’t handle funerals on TV.

I can’t handle pretty people crying.

And I most definitely can’t handle grieving children who don’t get what’s going on.

“Oh, dry the glistening tear that dews that martial cheek. Thy loving children hear, in them thy comfort seek. With sympathetic care their arms around thee creep, for, oh, they cannot bear to see their father weep.”

Oh god.

“Blow mommy a kiss.”

Are they trying to kill me right now?

Fuck.

“I think you could use some air.”

Definitely.

“There���s nothing we can do.”

Nope. You have to let him mourn. Fuck.

“He’ll come back. I just don’t know what he’s gonna look like when he does.”

True. Because despite his badass façade, he’s an emotional mess.

“I may have the tools to do this job, but I don’t know if I have the tools to help my son.”

Oh honey, you’ll be amazing.

“They can’t be calling us in, not tonight.”

Oh god.

“We can’t go.”

Nope.

“We have to.”

Yup.

“Talk to Strauss, tell her to send another team.”

“There’s no other team available.”

Of course there isn’t.

Damn.

“Take care of your son.”

My baby.

Oliver Wendell Holmes: “Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”

So beautiful.

Wait. So they were seen leaving offices on a Friday and never showed up to work and they’re only being called in on a Thursday? What the fuck is going on?

“Second body was only found yesterday.”

Damn.

“Two brunettes with similar features in high-powered professions? That’s not a coincidence.”

Nope.

Fuck.

“Start working up a paper trail, Garcia.”

“Like a genie in a bottle – poof!”

Oh honey, I missed you.

“We have less than a day before this unsub will strike again.”

Let’s hope not.

“The mayor’s on my ass.”

Are they allowed to say that? LOL

“Better to stress hypervigilance and shut down his victim pool completely, don’t you think?”

My lovely cupcake.

“She had all the precautions to avoid home invasion, she just didn’t use them properly.”

Oh dear.

So he hit them, so they wouldn’t escape, made them a dinner, and killed them. Yikes.

Creepy.

Frack. This is so wrong.

“Home is where you’re supposed to feel safe.”

Dang.

Oh my baby is watching home movies of mommy. I love you so much!

“Can I watch one more time? I’m waiting for mommy.”

Oh god, my heart is breaking here.

“There’s no hits on the prints at all, but I did what Sir Derek there asked and I created a paper trail.”

Good girl.

“He’s romancing them where they want it or not.”

Ew.

“Check, check, and checkers. Back in a smidge.”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

“He’s either got a key or he can move through walls.”

Yeesh.

“We’re gonna have to pick this up again in the morning.”

“We’re giving up?”

Why so defeatist?

“No. we’re gonna take a break.”

“We have to give the profile at morning roll and none of us has slept since the funeral. Once Garcia can get us a paper trail, then we can expand our canvass.”

Smart darling.

God, this unsub makes me squirm.

Ew.

So cute!!!!!

Oh dear lord. Oh my god. This woman doesn’t give up, someone needs to kick her out.

Why is she offering him retirement right after the funeral?

FUCK YOU LADY!

He’s taking time to grieve. Fuck you. Leave him alone.

I’m sorry, I just really hate Strauss.

Oh this woman is good, she actually went through with everything just so he won’t kill her. She’s good.

Oh jeez. A dude walked in. Poor thing.

Clever puppy.

She may not have used her credit cards, but they can use the victims’ cars to find out where they’ve been and how they met this psycho.

“Oh, man, pancakes for dinner. Is there anything better?”

Nope.

It’s so cute how Haley’s sister is gearing up to help.

So cute!

“No one beats Daddy.” XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I’m so in love with this boy.

“I forgot, what do we do before we eat?”

“Wash our hands.”

Such a good boy.

Wait. She’s offering to stay with Jack when he has to go? So amazing of her.

“I’m a girl genius, ‘cause this is what I did. I took the travel logs from the GPS systems, overlaid their routines against the geographical profile to reveal what the paper trail could not.”

Someone kiss this girl on the mouth.

“She did spend a couple of hours at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens on Tuesday.”

“Did either of the other victims go to the park?” “No.”

“I don’t know if that’s relevant, then.”

“It is when her navigation system reads in a straight line. To work, back home, to work, back home. I don’t think she ever left her house.”

“What was she doing on Tuesday?”

And she is a girl genius. 

Wait. So he’s willing to step down to give Aaron back his job? You perfect puppy, you.

I’m really hating Strauss.

I am so sorry guys, I can’t even appreciate the loveliness of Derek Morgan as a character, I’m too focused on those lovely hands of Shemar’s and I’m so distracted right now.

But what I can appreciate, is Derek changing tactics and calling Rossi in for his opinion, showing him he can do the job as a leader. LOVE YOU!

Wait. So now he thinks that maybe the unsub was born into privilege, but didn’t have financial independence to keep up his social status? That’s the reason I fell so hard for this man.

“Who else might go unnoticed in a privileged society?”

Um, anyone with a serving job?

“Dealerships program your home address to the navigation system before your car even leaves the lot.”

Oh dear. Another reason not to get a car.

“All right, baby girl, talk to me.”

We’re back? AWESOME!

“Oh, sug, check your email. I hit your inbox sixty seconds ago.”

“Thanks, Penelope.”

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Joe Belser.

Fuck you.

“No such luck, boy wonder.”

Why disappoint my poodle?

Universal garage door opener. Fuck. This show sure does teach hypervigilance.

“Garcia, we need you.”

“Whatcha got?”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

“We got him.”

YES.

“FBI!”

YES.

“Is that what you did to them?”

Oh I love emotional Emily.

“Scars remind us where we’ve been. They don’t have to dictate where we’re going.”

Amazing.

So he’s definitely coming back? Good.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

DAMN.

 So, I actually welled up at this one, mainly because Jack Hotchner is the cutest kid on TV right now, and I realize this was back in 2010, but I don’t give a fuck. I love this episode, it had the right amount of everything. And I’m so happy Hotch managed to find a balance in his life and we’re going back to BAU (business as usual ;) ) starting next episode.

See you guys, mwah! <3