Butterfly Kisses

“Just. One. More. Box.” Kenna huffed as dropped the large object onto the hardwood floor of her apartment.

“Bambi Girl, Hotch and Reid are on their way with another truck load,” Kenna’s best friend Derek Morgan reminded her, using his nickname for her that he came up with after seeing her prance like the fawn from the Disney movie.

“I’ve known you for, what, a month, and you’re already trying to piss me off?” Kenna joked with the large man as she rested on the couch.

Derek flopped down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You’ll get used to it.”

A horn honked from outside, signally Kenna and Derek to make the journey down the stairs again.

Kenna sighed heavily. “Why do I have so much junk?”

Derek laughed and pulled her to her feet. “Because you’re a girl, and girls have a lot of junk.”

~~

Kenna’s alarm sang early the next morning, reminding her that it was the first day of the rest of her life; the first day working at the BAU. Forcing a groggy smile on her face, she managed to make her way to the shower.

Dressing in a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a white button-up shirt, Kenna fixed her long red hair into a half-up bun. She pulled on her favorite pair of tan ankle booties and shoved her workout outfit into a drawstring bag. Her uncle told her there was a gym for free use in the BAU building. She needed to get back into shape.

A knocked erupted throughout Kenna’s small apartment. She quickly threw the drawstring bag into her backpack, opening the door.

“Hey,” she smiled at her colleague who lived just a few doors down from her.

“H-Hey,” Spencer shyly smiled back. “Ready?”

“I am,” Kenna told him, scooching out of her locked apartment. “Can you believe I’m finally starting today?”

“Yeah,” Spencer replied. “Are you excited?”

“Extremely!” Kenna bounced and Spencer chuckled lightly to himself. She pulled open the door to Spencer’s car and climbed inside, tossing her backpack into the back seat.

Spencer placed his messenger bag neatly on the backseat and climbed into the driver’s seat, careful not to spill his coffee. He set the travel mug in the cup holder before starting the car. As he drove, he sipped his hot beverage.

Kenna made a face at the odor. She was not a fan of coffee. She only liked it when it was mixed with ice cream or added as a flavoring. She preferred hot chocolate to warm her up, but it was still early September.

Ever since Kenna had moved to Virginia, she and Spencer had grown apart. It was sad, to say the least. Kenna had begun spending more time with Derek than she did Spencer. She had more in common with Derek than she imagined; her love for sports was immediately brought to the foreground. They spent a lot of their time together watching different sports games as they moved Kenna into her apartment. Besides the girls, Derek became Kenna’s best friend.

Kenna sighed lightly, thinking about when she first met the young doctor back in Pennsylvania. She had thought he was quite attractive and found his confidence in the club inviting. However, as Kenna became closer with Derek, Spencer slowly shrank away. Kenna and Spencer’s differences had dug a wedge in their friendship for the time being.

“You okay?” Spencer asked as he pulled into the parking lot of the BAU building.

“Just my nerves finally hitting,” Kenna smiled as Spencer parked.

Spencer nodded before swinging his long legs out of the car. “Don’t be,” he said, retrieving his bag from the back seat. “Did you know if you worry about the little things, you can actually make yourself sick and depressed?”

“Um, yeah, I did,” Kenna shyly replied.

Spencer looked taken aback. “Oh, um, okay.”

The two rode the elevator in silence. When the doors opened, Kenna felt herself release a breath she had not realized she was holding in. Spencer led the way over to the bullpen, sitting at his desk.

“Bambi’s here!” Derek exclaimed as Kenna reached the bullpen. He instantly pulled her into a bear hug.

“Can’t. Breath.” Kenna managed.

“Oh, sorry,” Derek laughed, letting her go.

Kenna giggled before getting tackled by another hug from Penny. “I’m so happy to finally see you in the bullpen!”

“Kenna Leighton,” boomed Hotch’s deep voice from his office. The team looked up as Hotch motioned for Kenna to make the journey into his office.

“Worried?” Derek smiled, raising an eyebrow at her.

Kenna scoffed. “He doesn’t scare me.”

Kenna turned on her heal and started up the stairs. Swallowing hard, she put on a brave face. Truth be told, Hotch didn’t scare Kenna nearly as much as the thought of failing him did. Kenna was in her uncle’s world now, and that frightened her.

“How are your nerves?” Hotch asked her after gently shutting the door behind them.

“Shot,” Kenna chuckled as she and Hotch sat down.

He smiled at her lightly. “Don’t worry, it will be an easy day. I called all the serial killers and informed them it was your first day.”

Kenna rolled her eyes at her uncle’s attempt at a joke. “Hilarious, Aaron.”

Hotch grimaced at her, hating the sound of his first name rolling off her lips. “We just came back from a case so everyone will have a bit of paper work to complete. Any plans for after work?”

“The gym,” Kenna groaned.

“Not by yourself, right?” her uncle questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m a grown woman!” Kenna’s voice squeaked.

Hotch ignored her, grabbing his phone. He begun texting, telling her Derek would be accompanying her.

“I’m not a baby.”

“No,” Hotch answered, “but you are my niece. I want someone I trust to be with you whenever you are in a public facility. I don’t trust people as well as you, Kenna.”

Kenna sighed, knowing this conversation would be useless if it were to continue. “I know.”

~~

“Meet you in 15 minutes on the mats, Bambi,” Derek smiled as he passed Kenna’s desk on his way to the gym. She smiled at him, saying that she will be there as soon as she finished filling out a paper.

“What, are you wrestling with Derek?” JJ raised an eyebrow. All eyes turned toward Kenna.

“Y’all are gross,” Kenna giggled as she continued on with her work.

“You two do spend a lot of time together, Ken,” Emily piped in, eyeing up the new profiler.

Kenna rolled her eyes, noticing Spencer was deep into the book he was reading. She mentally sighed, wishing they were more like her and Derek. “He’s just a great friend, and Hotch doesn’t want me going to the gym alone.”

“Why don’t you take Garcia?” JJ asked her as she made her way to Kenna’s desk.

“She’s still going, but now Derek is acting as a ‘body guard’ under Hotch’s orders.”

“That’s so cute,” JJ gushed. “It’s amazing to know that Hotch has a heart after all these years.” The girls laughed lightly, not wanting to disrupt Spencer.

“Ready, funny bunny?” Penelope asked as she hopped into the bullpen.

“Hell yeah!” Kenna exclaimed, grabbing her bags and heading to the gym. Spencer poked his head out from behind his book as he watched her leave.

“Curious, Reid?” Emily questioned him as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Hmm?” Spencer hummed, trying to cover up his wondering eyes.

JJ and Emily laughed. “You were checking Kenna out, weren’t you?” JJ asked knowingly.

“I-I wasn’t,” Spencer stuttered.

“Oh, don’t be ashamed, Spence,” Emily reassured him, giving his right shoulder a rub. “The girl has a nice ass. The skinny jeans add to the illusion of what’s underneath them.”

The girls snickered as heat rose to Spencer’s face, turning it red.

“Aw, Spence,” JJ cooed, “do you like Kenna?”

“I barely know her,” Spencer mumbled, picking his book back up.

“What happened to you two anyway?” Emily asked. “I mean, I have never seen you danced, but you gladly danced with Kenna that night in Pennsylvania.”

“I-I don’t know, to be honest,” Spencer shrugged. “It’s like our friendship was meant to stay in Pennsylvania.”

“I highly doubt that,” JJ smiled. “Kenna and you could be the best of friends if you just hang out for a few hours.”

“Speaking of hanging out for a few hours,” Rossi spoke up as he strolled through the bullpen on his way to Hotch’s office, “welcome party for Kenna Friday night. Seven at my place. Don’t be late.”

“Perfect!” the girls chirped, whipping out their phones and texting Kenna.