Plausible Deniability

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    "Well, lookie what we got here," Derek grinned as she walked through the glass doors.
    "Yeah, I must look like I just came from vacation. All well rested and shit."
    "And you still couldn't brush your hair?" I came in on the conversation with a raised brow, knowing damn well that her hair was still a mess from last night. The team laughed at her expense and she threw me a glare. "It's nice to have you back, Evan."
    "Thanks -"
    "Hate to break up the celebration...hello, Evan. Welcome back to work," JJ walked though the doors with a handful of files and that look on her face. It was bad.
    Evan threw her head back, "Don't I at least get like, a cake or something first?"
    "Garcia has donuts." Reid jumped in as he headed for the stairs.
    "That's good enough."

    "This one is a doozy," Garcia came into the room with the box of donuts from earlier. "As we all know there's been a big hullabaloo about the construction on the J Edgar Hoover building in D.C."
    "You mean that they're finally fixing up the place?" Dave chimed in.
    "That and how they're trying to make a skyway that connects the FBI building to the Justice building across the street. Now before you ask me, 'Garcia, why do we care about construction?', there is this."
    She pressed a button on the remote and the screen lit up.
    "Holy shit," Evan chewed with her mouth open.
    "The FBI receives bomb threats regularly, why should we assume that this is different?" Reid asked, reaching for the box of donuts. "They have protocols for things like this."
    "That's what I said. Like, don't they have people who deal with this stuff?"
    "Garcia," I mumbled to move her along.
    "Right," she pushed another button. "This letter was found in their mail yesterday. There was no postage, no return address, they didn't even find a fingerprint."
    "What do you mean 'found'?"
    "It was found mixed in with all of the other mail in the mailroom. Since it was a blank envelope, they did all of the FBI thingys to make sure it wasn't bugged or whatever. When they opened it and read they called us."
    "No one is safe. This will end. And we will end it." Reid read off the letter and looked around the room confused.
    "Couldn't someone have just dropped it in their mail or something?"
    "That's the thing that's weird. I mean it's all weird but the weirder thing is that it was right on top of all the other mail. Like, delicately placed so someone would see it. They would have had to have access to the mail or have someone on the inside sneak it in." She clicked again and another image came up of the envelope and the text on the paper.
    "So they think this is someone on the inside of the FBI?"
    "At least someone who has access. That could be a number of people."
    "Approximately, there are 35,000 employees at any given time but that number varies year to year."
    "So what, we have to sift through 35,000 people?"
    "I have no idea but I've called everyone I know in D.C. and I've been in contact with their gorgeous hacker man so that should help. I hope." Garcia checked her phone as it buzzed and sighed. "Okay, Romero just messaged me saying that he sent me email to give me access to their database. I should be able to get in there now and get whatever you need."
    "Good," I took a deep breath and knew this was going to be an extended trip. Everyone was going to be watching our every move and every decision was going to fall back on me and immediately felt my hands start to sweat. "We'll call you from the plane. Wheels up as soon as everyone is ready."
    We all scrambled to grab our things and head out. JJ immediately dialed Will and made her way out. Reid grabbed another donut and shoved it in his mouth while handled all the files and read them on the way. Garcia's heels clicked out the side door and Dave added another sugar to his coffee.
    "Evan, can I talk to you for a second?" I called after her before she got too far. She nodded with a slight eye roll and lead the way to my office.
    "Yes, sir?" She smirked and took a seat.
    I closed the door behind me, "How are you feeling?" I turned and headed for my desk.
    "Didn't you ask me that question when we woke up this morning?"
    "That was before you were actually here and before we had a case," tried to make a point. She wasn't buying it.
    "We'll I'm still fine, Aaron. I passed my psych eval, I been cleared to fly and everything. I just want to get back to work."
    "I know. You've been telling me every day for two weeks," I reminded her of her annoyance.
    "Then you should know that I'm fine and you should stop asking me." She narrowed her eyes and reminded me of mine.
    I watched her watching me, remembering the first time we were in my office behind closed doors. It was crazy to think that six months ago she wasn't a part of my life and now she's everything to me. After I lost Haley, I had only casually dated maybe two other women before I decided to just give up. But then Evan walked through the door and pissed me off in the most perfect way and I couldn't resist.
    "I love you, Evan."
    "I love you, Aaron."
    "This case is going to be difficult," I quickly changed the subject before I turned into a romantic pile of mush at work. She grinned as I stirred in my chair and flipped through the file. "It's going to take everything we've got to get this."
    "...did someone just walk through the door or did I miss something?" She turned around confused. Usually I had only changed subjects that quickly when someone walked up on us and we suddenly had to be casual.
    "I'm just saying, that if you need a break or need-"
    "Aaron, I swear to God just stop. I'm fine!" She jumped from her chair and pulled the lip balm from her pocket.
    "Then what's the other thing bothering you?" I had come to learn that the application of that cinnamon I loved so much was part of a nervous tick.
    "Stop profiling me, for starters. It makes me feel naked," she rubbed her lips together and sighed. "I'm just afraid that...really messed up this time."
    "What do you mean?" I questioned. I know the whole situation with her first being shot then being beat up a few weeks later was a headache for everyone but it's not like it's never happened before. "What did you do?"
    "Hey, you guys!" Morgan busted through the door, "Sorry, but we've really gotta go. We got the team waiting for us."
    "We'll be right there," I reassured him and grabbed for my things, standing from my desk.
    "You okay, Evan?" he asked and I could see the flames in her eyes as yet another person asked her that damned question.
    "I'm fine, Derek," she managed to say without screaming, "I'm just being harassed about the assurance of my mental state."
    "Eh, we all been there at least once," he grinned. "Just think of this way, every one of us has some type of scar from the job. Think of it as a sign that you're officially part of the team." He smiled and gave her a very soft pat on her injured arm.
    "My own badge of honor. How'd I get so lucky?" She grinned back at me as she squeezed past Morgan and headed down the steps.
    "She okay?" He asked as soon as she was out of ear-shot.
    "I think so," I mumbled and started for the door when Morgan stopped me.
    "Hotch, wait," he sighed. "Look I know it's none of my business and you don't have to tell me anything but I have to know," he paused and I felt my heart skip a beat. Shit. "Is something going on with you two? I've asked before and you acted like you had no idea what I was talking about but really. You work with a group of profilers. We notice some things."
    "Yeah?," I stopped him, more upset than embarrassed. "What do you think you notice?"
    "Just small things here and there, like the fact that she's in this office almost every day with the doors closed, you guys talking about something."
    "You work with her. How many rules do you think she breaks a day, that I end up having to clean up?"
    "That's not what I meant and you don't have to get so defensive." His chest did that puff up thing that happens when he gets agitated. "I'm not judging, Aaron. I just want to know. We're all a part of this team and we all depend on each other to be focused and present so we can work a case and having the person you love just return to work from being beat to a pulp is a distraction."
    I was petrified. He served me damn well and for the first time I didn't have a come back. All I could do was give him that stare that told him he had crossed the line.
    "How long?" He finally asked after a moment of silence.
    "Six months." I gave up. They all would find out eventually if they all didn't already know.
    "She's only been here for six months!" He took a step back, surprised. "Damn, you don't waste any time, do you?" He laughed and playfully punched my shoulder.
    "You can't tell anyone. Dave knows but I don't want this to get out to everyone." I sighed and squeezed past him for the stairs. "I mean it, Derek!" I called back as I heard him clap and laugh to himself.
    "What is all that?" Reid caught up to me at the elevators with a smile. "Something good?"
    "We'll see."