[✓] 𝐶𝐼𝑁𝐷𝐸𝑅 | 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝟑𝟐 | 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐒

— 𝒞 —

𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐗𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 concept that had become difficult to remember ever since Charlie joined the BAU. Yes, Violent Crimes had a stressful schedule, but all that seemed like a walk in the park compared to the constant hustle and bustle that the BAU gave her.

Her day had already been busy enough, despite it being a Saturday and, for once, not working on a case ten hours away from home. With May came good weather, and for that, she had a shitload of shopping to do. For summer clothes, nice plants to place on her windowsill, and a new set of everything to put in her go-bag. As easy as it sounded, she had gone to the mall for about six hours, and her feet were sorer than the time she did a timed mile run during her Academy days.

So, when Emily had texted her asking if she wanted to come over with the other girls, there was absolutely no way she could refuse. She deserved good wine and a little time off.

"Oh my God, did you hear about that agent on that third floor?" Emily snapped her fingers, tilting her head back and squeezing her eyes shut. "Ugh, what was his name again? Um . . . Zimmerman!"

"Oh, the cute one, with the Brad Pitt eyes?" Garcia asked, perking up and nearly spilling her wine on Emily's beige couch—brand new, no less. "What about him?"

"Well . . ." Emily scrunched her face. "I heard he slept with another agent, and not only was he cheating on his fiancée, but he also got chlamydia."

"Deserved it, then," Garcia scoffed, "nasty little cheater."

"How do you know this?" questioned Charlie, leaning back on the couch. She never got gossip first-hand, it was always through one of the others—though it was really her fault for not mingling with the other agents.

"I'm friends with his fiancée's sister," explained Emily as she swished her dark drink around in its glass. "Well . . . ex-fiancée."

"Glad she got out while she could," remarked JJ. "I heard that guy's a real piece of work, too."

"Do you know who he cheated with?" asked Garcia curiously.

Emily shrugged. "I don't know."

"Ugh, good men are so difficult to find!" JJ complained. She nodded toward Charlie and Garcia. "How'd you two manage?"

Garcia, who had recently made it official with another technical analyst in the FBI, shrugged. "Found a cute nerd who thinks of me as a goddess."

Emily nodded. "Speaking of Kevin, how's that going?"

"Amazing." She sighed happily. "We just duo'd a hackathon—and won, obviously. In record time, no less."

"And have you talked to Rossi?" asked JJ, her eyebrows raised. "About the fraternization stuff?"

"It's all good. I mean, Charlie and Reid kind of set the standard for that." Garcia grinned over at Charlie, who chuckled in return. "Thank God he was okay with it, especially after seeing . . . that."

"What?" Emily questioned, and Charlie's confused face mimicked hers. She had no clue what 'that' could pertain to. "Seeing what?"

"Yeah," added Charlie. "What are you talking about?"

JJ laughed. "Oh, Penelope never told you how Rossi found out about her and Kevin?"

"It's embarrassing," interjected Garcia, in an unusually quiet voice. Her suddenly red face and lowered head backed up her statement. "You don't wanna hear."

Emily sat back and grinned. "My ears are open."

Garcia sighed. It took a little more prying and promising not to tell anyone else, but she finally gave in: