Broken Open
Bitter Sweet
Belle shuffled to her desk tiredly. As she had predicted, there was a mountain of work on her desk. She groaned comically and sat down, not even knowing where to begin. Belle jumped when a cup of coffee was placed on her desk with enough force to make a dull clacking sound. She looked up to see Derek’s smiling face, and couldn’t help but return it. “Good morning.”
“Coffee?” he pushed the cup toward her, but she made a disgusted face and kept it pushed away. “So how was your ‘vacation’?”
Belle smiled warmly, and started on her work. “Jesse’s doing well; he’s gotten taller.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone to show the video she and Jesse had taken a few days before.
Derek chuckled at the squabble over the phone. “He definitely acts like his sister.” He pressed a button and made a gushy face at the screen. “Now this is my favorite part, right here.” He showed the still image of her and her brother in mid speech—making them look like they were miss-figured –to her.
Belle gasped and delivered a punch to the Special Agent. “Go on, go do your own work, jerk.” She smiled only after he left, laughing, to his own desk. Sighing happily she sat back in her chair and spun around. “Okay, okay. Now to do work,” she turned back around and groaned at the stack of files.
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Belle made her way carefully up the stairs and kicked the door to her uncle’s office. It opened after a minute, revealing a slightly baffled—yet stern-faced—man. Belle smiled at him. “Okay, Uncle Hotch, I got my work done!”
Special Agent Hotchner tried to hide a smile at the young and optimistic girl. He took the top file and flipped through it casually. “Done like your homework, or actually done?”
Belle feigned hurt and pushed her way into his office, dropping the files off on his desk as she did so. “Uncle, you hurt me. I did my homework to the satisfaction of my teachers.”
“When pushed to, yes.” His voice grew a little impatient, and Belle inwardly groaned as she realized that they would have to be done again. “Belladonna, I can’t even read what this says. And a one word response is not ‘to my satisfaction’.”
The young woman whined quietly. “I’m a field agent, Hotch, not a bookworm.”
“Yes, and even field agents need to do their part of paperwork.” His voice hardened, as did his features. “Do I need to write you up like a child?”
Belle snorted and crossed her arms childishly. “No.”
“Then please stop being difficult and do them right.” He handed the file back, but she only took that one with her out of the room. She left the rest with her still frustrated boss. The scuffle was quickly forgotten as Belle passed JJ’s office. The blonde woman was just getting off the phone and holding the bridge of her nose tiredly. Belle knocked softly and let herself in.
JJ looked up, almost surprised to see her. “Oh, Arch. Could you, um, could you get everyone in the meeting room? We’ve got a serious case on our hands, but I need to run something by Hotch real quick.”
Belle smiled optimistically and held a thumbs-up sign to her. “Consider it done.” She turned to leave, but held back for a moment longer. “Oh, and be careful, Uncle Hotch’s in a crabby mood.” JJ gave a tired smile and nodded.
When Belle got down by her desk, she waved her hands wildly, trying to get Morgan’s attention; but he was immersed in his Ipod. She was determined to not get any closer, so she kept waving her arms around. She successfully gained the attention of Elle and Reid, but Morgan remained oblivious. Eventually she walked over and hit him in the head with her folder. “Hello? Your brain cell still workin’ okay?”
Derek took out his ear buds and looked at her, thoroughly puzzled. Elle chuckled and patted his shoulder as she passed to get to the debriefing room. Spencer stood there kind of awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. Belle grabbed both his and Morgan’s wrists and led them to the debriefing room. “Cripes, did you all get amnesia while I was gone?”
Derek Morgan snickered. “No, but we finally got some free time. You know, you can be as bad as Hotch sometimes.”
She smiled sweetly to him and cast a glance at Spencer. “It runs in the family.”
“Coffee?” he pushed the cup toward her, but she made a disgusted face and kept it pushed away. “So how was your ‘vacation’?”
Belle smiled warmly, and started on her work. “Jesse’s doing well; he’s gotten taller.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone to show the video she and Jesse had taken a few days before.
Derek chuckled at the squabble over the phone. “He definitely acts like his sister.” He pressed a button and made a gushy face at the screen. “Now this is my favorite part, right here.” He showed the still image of her and her brother in mid speech—making them look like they were miss-figured –to her.
Belle gasped and delivered a punch to the Special Agent. “Go on, go do your own work, jerk.” She smiled only after he left, laughing, to his own desk. Sighing happily she sat back in her chair and spun around. “Okay, okay. Now to do work,” she turned back around and groaned at the stack of files.
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Belle made her way carefully up the stairs and kicked the door to her uncle’s office. It opened after a minute, revealing a slightly baffled—yet stern-faced—man. Belle smiled at him. “Okay, Uncle Hotch, I got my work done!”
Special Agent Hotchner tried to hide a smile at the young and optimistic girl. He took the top file and flipped through it casually. “Done like your homework, or actually done?”
Belle feigned hurt and pushed her way into his office, dropping the files off on his desk as she did so. “Uncle, you hurt me. I did my homework to the satisfaction of my teachers.”
“When pushed to, yes.” His voice grew a little impatient, and Belle inwardly groaned as she realized that they would have to be done again. “Belladonna, I can’t even read what this says. And a one word response is not ‘to my satisfaction’.”
The young woman whined quietly. “I’m a field agent, Hotch, not a bookworm.”
“Yes, and even field agents need to do their part of paperwork.” His voice hardened, as did his features. “Do I need to write you up like a child?”
Belle snorted and crossed her arms childishly. “No.”
“Then please stop being difficult and do them right.” He handed the file back, but she only took that one with her out of the room. She left the rest with her still frustrated boss. The scuffle was quickly forgotten as Belle passed JJ’s office. The blonde woman was just getting off the phone and holding the bridge of her nose tiredly. Belle knocked softly and let herself in.
JJ looked up, almost surprised to see her. “Oh, Arch. Could you, um, could you get everyone in the meeting room? We’ve got a serious case on our hands, but I need to run something by Hotch real quick.”
Belle smiled optimistically and held a thumbs-up sign to her. “Consider it done.” She turned to leave, but held back for a moment longer. “Oh, and be careful, Uncle Hotch’s in a crabby mood.” JJ gave a tired smile and nodded.
When Belle got down by her desk, she waved her hands wildly, trying to get Morgan’s attention; but he was immersed in his Ipod. She was determined to not get any closer, so she kept waving her arms around. She successfully gained the attention of Elle and Reid, but Morgan remained oblivious. Eventually she walked over and hit him in the head with her folder. “Hello? Your brain cell still workin’ okay?”
Derek took out his ear buds and looked at her, thoroughly puzzled. Elle chuckled and patted his shoulder as she passed to get to the debriefing room. Spencer stood there kind of awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. Belle grabbed both his and Morgan’s wrists and led them to the debriefing room. “Cripes, did you all get amnesia while I was gone?”
Derek Morgan snickered. “No, but we finally got some free time. You know, you can be as bad as Hotch sometimes.”
She smiled sweetly to him and cast a glance at Spencer. “It runs in the family.”
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Hi! I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything in months on this!If you have been reading along (should've been easy to catch up) I promised last chapter to have the BAU in this chapter, and I do! I know it's at a bit of a cliff hanger at the moment, but next chapter my story REALLY starts to get into the 'swing of things', so to speak.
Like always, I ask that you leave comments to better my writing, and if you have any ideas, feel free to put them out there!
(And just so you know, Yes, there is a connection between Reid and Arch, but it'll take a bit to actually get into, so remember, patience is a virtue.) XD