Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 56

"He profiled as a sadist and an organized killer, but when we went to arrest him his apartment was trashed. We changed our tactics..." Gideon is telling a story about a past case as the seven of us sit around the circular table.

To my right sits Morgan, then Elle, Hotch, Gideon, JJ, and Reid directly to my left. I wanted to sit next to Elle but Morgan squeezed in between us. I smirk as Spencer struggles to eat his food, the noodles sliding between his chopsticks. He glares at me as I try to suppress a laugh.

A waitress walks by and I reach out to her, tapping her elbow. "Excuse me? Could we get some silverware for the kid?"

"Hey," Reid frowns beside me.

The waitress smiles and nods. "Of course. Anything else I can get you?"

I look back to my friends. "No, we're all set, thanks."

"Sure. Let me know if you need anything," she says with another smile before walking away.

I return my attention to my food as Gideon continues telling his story. A few minutes later the waitress comes back. "Here you go."

I smile up at her. "Thanks!"

She grins, a light color in her cheeks. I turn back to the table but sense her still standing behind me. I glance over my shoulder, confused.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I– Bye." She hurries off, flustered.

I shake my head slightly, the corner of my mouth tugging up. I tune back into the conversation as I take another bite. Glancing sideways, I see Morgan eyeing me.

"What?"

Morgan laughs. "Can't you go five minutes without someone drooling over you?"

My eyebrows knit in confusion. "What are you talking about?" The others have stopped talking now, listening to our conversation.

Morgan rolls his eyes. "Oblivious."

I glance over at Elle and see her trying to suppress a laugh. Slight color rises in my cheeks as I realize everyone is looking at me. "All I did was ask for some silverware because Kid Genius over here is seriously struggling."

That gets the others laughing. "I don't understand how an entire culture can stay nourished with these things," Reid complains.

The conversation shifts and the others seem to forget about Morgan's accusation. I catch Elle's eye and she smiles. I glance away, trying to hide my own grin.

A few minutes later Gideon is talking again. "There were four victims, stabbed–"

"You guys!" Elle interrupts. "We're here in New York and even when we're not talking about our case, we end up talking about another profiler."

I smirk into my glass as I take a sip of water.

"You're right," Hotch agrees. He pauses before turning to her. "So, Elle, are you seeing anyone?"

I suddenly choke on my water, struggling to swallow. Coughing, I grab my napkin and try not to draw attention.

"You okay, C?" Morgan asks beside me.

"Wrong pipe," I choke out. Slowly, I take another sip. I glance up at Elle to find her smirking. Leaning forward onto my elbows, I tilt my head towards her. "So?"

Her mouth hangs open in a smile. We hold eye contact for a moment before she turns to Gideon. "Go ahead," she gives up. Smiling, Gideon continues his story.

I glance sideways to find Morgan watching me once again. I roll my eyes. "What now?"

He just shakes his head, a small smile on his lips. "Nothing." He looks back down to his food and takes another bite.

But I notice his eyes flicker to Elle.

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a/n
this one's kinda a filler but i thought it'd be fun to include 🙃
and thank you for 800 votes!!! <3<3<3
:)