LIKE A GIRL ｡ CRIMINAL MINDS

FORTY TWO

unedited and ~unsupervised~!

FORTY TWO. THE 'CONVERSATION', THE RAIN, AND THE HOSPITALITY WORKER

DAISY SLAMMED THE LIST OF NAMES ON THE TABLE AS SOON AS SHE ESCAPED FROM THE INTERROGATION ROOM. She wasn't crying - she didn't have any tears left. Instead, there was an anger none of the team had ever seen in her before. Her entire body was shaking and her eyes were almost crazed. She said nothing as she pushed through the group, wanting nothing more than to get the night over with and pretend it had never happened in the first place.

"Daisy," she heard someone calling after her as she stormed through the hallway of the police department. She barely registered it, as her head was buzzing and her ears were ringing. She couldn't breathe, though that seemed to be the least of her problems. "Daisy, stop!"

Weaving through the officers and new arrivals in the station, Daisy pushed through the front doors and was welcomed by a dark morning sky and heavy rain. She reached for her phone, only to realise she'd left it with Spencer after she'd called Penelope. She didn't have a choice, she would have to go back inside. But she needed a minute, or more.

She turned and starting walking, seeing cafes beginning to open along the main road. The minimum wage workers were going to be serving coffee and small cakes no matter the weather, and Daisy knew it was likely to be a long day ahead for them. She still had a few dollars that Rossi had given her for a snack from the vending machine, so she wandered into the first establishment she saw and ordered a hot chocolate.

"FBI, huh?" the young server asked, ignoring how Daisy's shoes created wet footprints on the tile floor. She wrote Daisy's order down on a slip of paper and tried her best not to look too worried, as she didn't exactly want the good seats to get so damp so early into her shift. "I didn't know you guys worked this time of day."

"Only sometimes," Daisy managed a polite smile, depositing the rest of the cash she had on her into the tip jar and wandering over to the wooden stools by the window. She knew what the barista's expression meant, and she wasn't planning to be a painful customer. So, she lifted herself up onto the stool and stared out the large front window, watching the rain aggressively hit the pavement outside.

Moments later, her steaming drink was brought over, and the server's curiosity got the best of her. She slid over a warm plate with a chocolate croissant sitting on it, as well as a knife and fork. The kind gesture made Daisy want to cry. "Rough night?"

"I guess you could say that," Daisy took a sip from her hot chocolate and relished in the taste. "God, this is so good. Thank you."

"You're my first customer," she shrugged, fiddling with the blinds. "And in this weather, you're probably the only one I'll be having for a little while."

Daisy chuckled softly, nodding to the empty stool next to her. The woman took a seat, leaning on her elbows and watching the rain with a solemn expression. "What time did your shift start?"