Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 43

TW: mention of violence/stabbing

Before we went to bed last night I shut off the alarm on my clock and left one of the shades open downstairs. Waking up to the sunlight is much nicer than a shrieking alarm. But waking up in her arms is the best.

We're facing each other, our foreheads touching and our legs tangled. Her arms cross my back while I hold one at her waist and the other around the back of her neck. The sunlight streaks through the single shade, casting the rays across the side of her face. She sleeps peacefully, her arms wrapped around me protectively. Her freckles stand out on her skin in the light and the arch of her cheekbone is prominent.

I smile to myself, remembering when I met her working that case in Seattle. The shipyard, her body pressed against mine in the dark, her red leather jacket cold against my skin.

When I met her, I had no idea what she would mean to me.

I brush her hair back with one hand and tilt her chin up, bringing my lips to hers. I kiss her softly and wait for her to respond. She shifts beneath me, her arms wrapping tighter as her lips move against mine.

We part and she tilts her head, a slight smile on her lips and her eyes still closed.

"Hi," she whispers.

"Hey."

"No alarm?" She flickers her eyes open and draws me closer to her, if that's even possible.

"I thought you might like this more." I smile against her lips.

She sits up, sitting in my lap and lacing her hands through my hair. She kisses my lips before trailing kisses across my cheek, my neck, and to my collarbone. My hands caress her ribs as I tilt my head back against the pillow.

"Elle..."

"Don't say it," she leans back, a playfully annoyed expression on her face.

"Work."

She rolls her eyes and kisses me one last time before climbing out of bed. I follow her to the kitchen. She wears my Patriots hoodie over a pair of underwear, my eyes drawn to her bare legs. I stand in red and black flannel pants and a black bra.

She turns from the coffee pot and her eyes travel across my curves. "What, too cold for shorts?" 

I laugh and come to stand beside her, taking eggs and bacon from the fridge.

We eat breakfast in the dining room, a case file spread before me. 

"Over breakfast? Really, C?" she complains as she approaches.

"I was hoping you could help me."

She sighs and takes the seat beside me. "You're lucky you're cute," she mumbles with a smile.

I relay the case details to her and explain I'm stuck on the MO. The unsub stabbed them, but typically stabbing is used for sexual release and often overkill. This guy only stabbed them once, always in a vital place where they bleed out in minutes, if not seconds.

"If he wanted to kill them quickly, why didn't he use a gun?" I frown, taking a sip of coffee.

"It could be about precision. Or a fetish. He need to use a knife for a release," she offers.

"When he stabbed the first victim he knew they would bleed out in seconds–"

"Did he know?" Elle questions.

"What do you mean?" I tilt my head to the side.

"People don't normally know exactly how long it takes to kill someone with one stab to a specific artery, Carli. Except you," she points out with a smirk.

"Or extensive knowledge of anatomy..." I trail off as my eyes move back to the file.

Elle leans closer, looking with me. "They were clearly stabbed, but what if it wasn't just a knife..."

"A scalpel. The cuts were smaller than the average knife." I glance over at her.

"I think you've got a profile." She breaks into a smile.

I close the file and drag her towards me by the collar of her sweatshirt, kissing her quickly. "You're amazing," I tell her as I stand and clear the dishes. She follows me to the kitchen and when I turn she's right behind me, her hands on my hips.

I search her brown eyes. "Can I take you out?"

"Does the past week not count?" She teases with a smile.

I roll my eyes playfully. "I mean on a date. A real date. Fancy dinner, nice dress..." I trail off as my hands graze across her back beneath the sweatshirt. "Saturday. I'll pick you up at 6:00."

She doesn't say anything but kisses me deeply.

I smile once we separate. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

────

Saturday night comes quickly and I drive up to her apartment, butterflies alive with excitement. I knock on the door and hear her voice telling me to come in. I open the door and close it softly behind me, waiting for her to come out from the bathroom.

She does a few minutes later and my heart skips a beat when I see her. She wears a form-fitting, dark red dress with black heels and a black leather jacket. Her hair sits in a braided bun, smaller pieces falling into her eyes. She wears light makeup, mascara and eyeliner making her eyes sparkle.

"Wow," I breathe. Smooth, C.

She smiles and walks over to me, putting her hands around my neck. I kiss her softly, tasting her lip gloss.

"You look amazing," I tell her once we pull away.

"You do too." She smiles and steps back to take me in. I'm wearing a tight black dress with long sleeves, the neckline swooping low and exposing a fraction of my cleavage. My black boots have larger heels than her shoes and we match in height. My hair falls loose around my shoulders as usual, the layers curling down my back.

Her eyes pass across my body slowly, stopping at my chest. She leans forward and presses her lips to my collarbone. 

"I like this," she mumbles into my skin as she kisses me.

I laugh and feel her smile. Slowly, she steps away.

"Come on, I don't want to miss the reservation." She smiles as I take her hand and pull her towards the door.

---

Multiple times during dinner she caught me simply staring at her. I couldn't help it; the way those smaller pieces of hair frame her face, her lips shining, her eyes highlighted so perfectly. She's beautiful.

I took her to a steakhouse and the food was amazing. For dessert, we shared a slice of chocolate cake. She loves chocolate; ate almost the entire thing. I didn't mind though.

Now we're walking through one of the parks of D.C. and her hand is in mine. The wind is sharp through the sleeves of my dress so I pull her closer to me, our shoulders pressing against each other. We find a park bench and take a seat. I wrap one arm around her as she leans into my side.

"Can I ask you something?" I say quietly.

She looks up at me, expectantly.

"What are we, Elle? Because I know it's complicated, with work, we haven't told anyone, but I–"

She cuts me off as she pushes my head down and presses her lips to mine. I love it when she does that, even if she is interrupting me. I don't speak for another few minutes as her lips mesh against mine and we play tag with our tongues. Eventually, she breaks away and leans against my shoulder again, but she doesn't answer.

"So...?" I prompt her.

She looks up at me again with a smile. "That didn't answer your question?"

"Maybe you need to answer it again."

She smiles and kisses me again, much quicker. She keeps her lips close, brushing against mine. 

"You're my girlfriend, Carli. You're mine, and I'm yours."