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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 19

word count - 1.5k warnings - none. Summary: Things calm down for Lina for a minute or two…

Over the next few days, I take what feels like a million exams, taking the last one Friday morning. After a quick call to Hotch to let him know I'm available again if any new cases come in, I head over to the small coffee shop on campus to grab something to drink, try to decompress, and wait to find out my grades.

Sitting with my cup of hot chocolate, I find a booth and sit down. After a few moments, I lean back and close my eyes, sighing in relief that all the tests and studies are over. As I start to stretch my neck to loosen my muscles, I hear a "Lina?"

I open my eyes to find Spencer walking over, satchel in tow. "Spencer? Hey, what're-what brings you here?" I ask, surprised.

"Well, we got back last night, and I finished my report pretty quickly. Hotch let us know that you were done with your exams, so I, uh, I came to see if you wanted to have lunch," he says, a small, nervous smile on his face.

"Spencer Reid, are you playing hookey from work?!" I ask jokingly.

"Wha-no, no, Hotch said I could go, he actually said whenever any of us got done with our reports we could go, not just me," Spencer says seriously, his head tilted in slight confusion.

I chuckle and say, "Sorry, Doc, I was, um, I was joking. I kinda figured you wouldn't do that,"

"Oh." he says, silent for a moment, then asking, "So, did you want to get lunch?"

I grin and say, "Yeah, absolutely, Spence." garnering a larger smile from him.

"So, where did you want to go for food?" I ask him, motioning for him to come sit down.

"Oh, uh, I was going to leave it up to you, since you just got done with exams. Figured you should pick," he said, sliding into the seat across from me.

"Oh, um, I don't...I don't have anything particular in mind. Honestly, I'd probably just go for whatever is closest. I think there's a place where we can get some sandwiches if you're ok with that..." I say, taking a sip of my drink.

"Oh, yeah, I remember one or two nearby. Did you...did you just want to go to the closest, or..." Spencer starts, and I nod, to which he says, "OK then, do you know where it is? Because I can, uh, be a guide, if you need me to..."

"Yeah, I'm cool with you showing me the way, Doc," I say, giving him a small smile.

"OK, let me know when you're ready and we can go," he says, fidgeting with his bag.

I finish my hot chocolate, grab my bag, then stand up and stretch a little. "I'm ready now, Doc," I say, tossing the cup into the trashcan.

He stands up quickly and gives me a tight smile, and we start to head to our destination. The walk short, we head into the eatery and look over the menu. Spencer turns and asks me, "So, what are you thinking?"

"Thank God I'm done with that gauntlet of a final?" I say, turning and looking at Spencer.

He chuckles and says, "Wha-no, no, I meant for lunch!"

"Oh," I say with a small laugh. "I dunno, probably, like, a cheeseburger and fries. They have that here, right?" Spencer nods, and I ask, "What are you thinking of? For lunch?"

He gives me a wry smile and says, "The chicken sandwich sounds good."

When it's our turn, we place our orders, get our drinks, then go sit down at a table. After chatting for a bit, we get our food and start eating. "So, how was Florida?" I ask Spencer as I grab a fry.

"It was...interesting, to say the least. How's it been up here for you?" he asks, taking a sip of his drink.

"Oh, it's been ok. Can't say I've passed with flying colors, but I know I've at least passed, so that's something." I say, wiping my hand on a napkin.

He smiles and says, "Well, that's good to hear. Anything planned for celebrating?"

I shake my head and say, "Other than 'not studying anymore', can't say I have any plans."

As we finish up our lunch, our phones ring. Spencer and I look at each other and then answer our respective phones. "Hello?" I say into mine.

"Lina! Hey, sorry to have to call you in so soon, but we've got a case. How fast can you get here?" Penny says hurriedly.

"Um, I'll have to check the bus and metro schedules, so, uh, anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half-" I start to tell her.

"Hey, how would you feel if Morgan came and got you? He's had to be called back in, too, I'm sure he wouldn't mind swinging by to get you." Penny suggests.

"I-uh, if it's ok with him. Otherwise, Spencer and I will-" I begin again.

"OH! Boy Genius is with you, huh? Yeah, I'll make sure Morgan comes get you guys. Penny G out!" Penelope says, a grin evident in her voice.

I end the call and look over at Spencer, who has just put his phone away in his pocket. "Um, good news, bad news. I think someone's gonna be coming to get us!" I say brightly.

"And the bad news?" Spencer asks cautiously.

"Um, Penny's going to have Derek come get us, so, uh, be prepared for whatever shenanigans that might come our way, I guess..." I say with a shrug while blushing.

Spencer nods and starts to say something when his phone rings again. Looking at the ID, he sighs and answers. "Yeah, Morgan? Yeah. Yes, both of us. Lunch. Oh, uh, near the university. Yeah, the deli. No, the closer one. Yeah, that's it. We'll be waiting. OK, thanks, see you soon."

As we clean up the table, grab our bags, and leave, I raise an eyebrow and say, "That didn't sound too bad..." I say encouragingly.

Spencer flushes and opens the door, ushering me out first, then saying, "Yeah, but you didn't hear the tone of voice he used..."

I grimace and quietly say, "Sorry, Doc..." He just gives me a shrug and we walk to the nearest bench and sit down.

"So, um, what do you know about the case so far? All Penny said was that it was local." I ask him as we wait.

"Not too much, I'm afraid. Hotch said we'd learn the details when we got in." Spencer says, putting his hands in his pockets.

After a moment, I ask, "Um, are your hands cold? Because I have an extra pair of gloves if you want them..."

Spencer's head snaps up and he looks at me, then stammers out, "N-no, that's ok. I-I'll be fine, we shouldn't be out here too long."

I grin, pull out the extra pair of gloves I have, and hold them out to Spencer. "Still, isn't preventing heat loss a good thing?"

He eyes me warily, and I say, "They should fit, I accidentally grabbed a pair of men's gloves when I bought them, and I've been kind of...hanging onto them in case I came across anyone who would need them."

He slowly, gingerly takes them from me, putting them on and saying, "Thank you. How did you end up grabbing these instead of what you needed?"

I giggle and say, "Well, I was in a rush when I was getting them, and I thought I was buying a women's pair, but these must've been put in there by someone who wasn't paying attention. My roommate teased me for a good month, saying the next time I get my eyes checked, I should get bifocals."

He smiles and says, "The fact that Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals is well known, but did you know there's speculation that he invented them 50 years earlier than previously thought?"

"No, I didn't know that last part Spence. Guess you learn something new every day, huh? At least, I do when I talk to you!" I say with a smile.

He flushes and gives me a tight-lipped smile, and we're both startled when a car pulls up and honks its horn. The passenger window rolls down, and Derek leans over and says with a smirk, "Hey, you two. Need a ride?"

Spencer and I stand up, and I head into the back while Spencer climbs into the front. After we're both buckled in, Derek heads off towards the BAU offices.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 18

word count - 2.5k warnings - none. Summary: Lina and Spencer hang out, take 2…

After 2 blissfully boring workdays, I awaken to a bright, cool morning on Saturday. As I go about my morning routine, I put some music on and sing along. After a shower, getting dressed, doing my hair, and a little bit of makeup, I grab something for breakfast.

Checking the time, I let out a happy hum, seeing it was only about 8:45. I finished eating breakfast and quickly brushed my teeth after, making sure not to drop anything on myself all the while. Then I head out and grab my shoes, looking over my outfit in the mirror.

Satisfied with how I look, I grab my purse and coat and start heading out. As I slowly walk down to the sidewalk outside, I pull my phone out to give Spencer a quick text.

Hey, Doc. I'm going to start heading out. Venti black coffee, right?

I had just gotten past the door of my apartment when I got a text back.

Yeah, but just in case I get there before you, a grande mocha is what you usually get, correct?

Eyebrows raising, I type out a reply and start heading to where we're going to meet.

Yeah. How close are you, Doc?

I start walking a little faster, just in case he's already waiting. As I start striding to Starbucks, I get another text.

I'm still on the Metro, so probably not as close as you are.

Grinning, I slow down a little, trying to think of what to text him, when I get another text.

Sorry, I guess I'm just really excited about going book shopping. Especially with a friend. :-)

Smiling down at my phone, I have to quickly side-step walking into a pole. I then send him a reply.

That is absolutely ok with me, Doc, no need to be sorry. :-)

Still grinning, I jog the rest of the way. As I see the door to the coffee shop, I hear a, "Hey, Lina." from behind me. Turning around, I see Spencer walking towards me, a tight smile on his face and hand up in a small wave.

Grinning, I say, "Hey, Doc. Guess you were closer than you thought, huh?"

Breaking into a genuine smile, Spencer chuckles lightly and says, "Yeah, I suppose so. After you." gesturing with his hand to go ahead of him.

Heading into the Starbucks, we get in line to place our orders. Looking at the students that are there studying, I sigh and say, "Oh, thank multiple deities that after next week, I don't have to do that anymore..."

Spencer hums and looks around, then back at me and asks, "Hmm, what, study?"

I nod and say, "Yeah. Well, unless I wanted to, at least." I stop and think, then continue, "And unless I needed to update my license, I suppose..."

Spencer is quiet for a moment, then says, "W-well, I could always help you with that. I-if you want..."

I giggle and say, "Y'know, I may take you up on that offer when the time comes, Doc,"

He smiles at me shily, then steps to the counter and orders. When he steps aside, I tell the cashier my order, and as I go to pay, Spencer says, "Wait a minute, you don't have to-"

"I got this, Spence, don't worry about it," I say with a grin, swiping my card.

The barista behind the counter says, "Man, I wish my girlfriend would do that every once in a while!"

Momentarily stunned, I look over at Spencer, who is also left speechless, then back at the cashier and quickly say, "Oh, no, no, we're just friends."

Spencer nods and says, "Y-yeah, we're friends, we're no-not together. Well, I guess we are together, as in our order, but not, um, not as in, like, romantically."

The barista, whose nametag says 'Jim', says, "Oh, really? Sorry, dude and dudette..."

When we walk over to wait for our drinks, I look over at Spencer and let out a giggle. "What?" he says, eyebrows furrowed.

I take a breath and say, "It's just...I can't recall the last time I've ever been called 'dudette',"

Forehead smoothing over, he lets out a chuckle and says, "Oh, yeah, that's...I can't say I've really ever been called 'dude' before, either."

We're still laughing a little as our names are called. We get our drinks and I wait while Spencer puts sugar in his coffee. "So, did we want to start, or should we sit down?" I ask as he puts a fifth packet in and stirs.

"Oh, uh, we-we can start, I'm ok with that," he says with a small smile.

As we walk out, Spencer and I stroll side by side, and I ask, "So, um, where are we going first?"

"Um, the first one we're going to is really close, it's called 'Storybound'. It's right down the street." he says.

"Oh, cool! Have you visited it before?" I ask, sipping my coffee.

He nods and says, "Yeah, I've checked it out once or twice. Can't say I've been able to get to it very often, but it's a nice shop."

"Here we are," he says while opening the door, and we head in. We see a display of books, and on the other side of the building, a little restaurant is bustling with people.

Looking over the book selection, I murmur, "I have a feeling the books we're looking for won't be here, these look more contemporary..."

Spencer hums and nods, eyes scanning the book covers. I look over the shelves, letting out a quiet, "Huh," when I see that Stephen King is releasing a new book soon. 

"You find anything you like, Lina?" Spencer asks, walking over to me.

"Um, not so much, just noticing that King is releasing another novel soon," I say, getting a slightly confused look. "Stephen King," I say, and he nods.

"Oh, right! That makes sense," he says, gesturing at the poster, and giving me a tight smile.

I giggle, and we start walking out. "W-what?" he asks hesitantly.

I shake my head and say, "Nothing bad. I guess I tend to forget that most of what you read, there's no way the authors would be coming out with anything new."

As we head to our second stop, he says, "Hey, I read some contemporary books. Besides, there's a chance some of them might write something new, Bradbury and Vonnegut are still alive."

I chuckle and say, "My apologies, I stand corrected."

After a few moments, I ask, "So, this next place?"

He breaks out into a wide smile, saying, "Ah, now here, we'll probably find something. We're going to Second Story Books. It's a second-hand bookstore, so there's more of a chance we might find some of the books you're looking for."

I squeal excitedly, then say, "Sorry, I love old bookstores. I always feel a bit like an archeologist, like I might dig up some lost treasure of a book..."

He smiles and drinks his coffee, then says, "I know exactly what you mean. I-uh, I didn't really think I'd meet someone who felt the same way. About books, I mean."

I giggle and sip at my coffee, following Spencer to our next destination. Right before we cross the street to get there, we throw away our empty coffee cups. Then we head into the store, and there are books everywhere. 

Feeling like a kid in a candy store, I dart from one bookshelf to another, just looking at what there is. After a few minutes, Spencer walks over, biting his lip to keep from chuckling, but failing. "I can show you where the genres you're looking for would be," he softly says with a smile.

"Yeah, OK! Lead on!" I whisper loudly, following closely behind him.

As we scour the shelves, I manage to find a paperback version of 'Picture of Dorian Gray'. I quickly show Spencer, and he smiles and says, "See? I knew you'd find something here."

I continue to search the shelves, running my fingers down the spines as I silently read the titles. I go through several shelves, and bump into Spencer again, who's carefully holding a book as he reads it.

"Oh, sorry. I, uh, I found something. Well, technically, I found two somethings, one for you and one for me. Uh, here, this was one of the ones you were searching for, I believe." he says, closing the book he was reading, keeping a finger in between the pages he was on as a bookmark.

He hands me a book entitled 'The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories', and I grin and thank him. As I put it with the other book I found, I asked him, "What'd you find, Doc?"

"Oh, um, a rare printing of War and Peace in the original Russian," he says, showing me the book's cover.

"Wait, you know Russian?" I say, then stop and continue. "I mean, I don't know why that would surprise me, it shouldn't..."

He gives me a small smile, then asks, "Oh, uh, are you ready to check out?"

I chew on my lip and tilt my head, thinking before I say anything. "I-I am, but I'm having a lot of fun, and I kinda don't want to head home just yet..."

He gives me a bigger smile, one that reaches his eyes, and says, "Well, it doesn't have to end just yet if you don't want it to. There's always more bookstores we can check out."

He flushes, looks away, and rubs the back of his neck while saying, "Or-or some other stores. Maybe grab lunch or something?"

Grinning back at him, I reply, "I'd like that a lot, Doc. Do you know of any other nearby bookstores we could go to?"

"I, uh, I believe so, unless stores have changed since the last time I looked at a map of D.C...." he says as we head to the register.

"Oh, uh, I'm afraid I can't help with that. But, we could still check, if you wanted?" I say timidly.

"I'm ok with a little exploring," he says as he pays for his book.

"I'm cool with that, I can't say I've explored the city a whole lot, so it should be an experience," I say, handing over my books to the cashier and paying for them.

Thanking them as they hand me the bag with my books, Spencer says, "I'm pretty sure there was one just a few places down..."

Following him, we walk a block down and find a place called 'Fantom Books', and head inside. As we look over the shelves, we find a bunch of different newer books and a lot of graphic novels.

I walk over to a display sign that says, "The Classics: Updated!" and start looking through the graphic novels there. I turn and say, "Spence, come check this out!"

He strolls over, looks at the sign, then starts looking through the books. Eyebrows scrunched together, he says, "I'm...not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, anything that gets people to read is amazing. But on the other..."

"It kinda wrecks it for you, huh?" I say, looking over at a few there.

"I wouldn't say wrecks it, but it's...not as straightforward a process as I'm used to," he says, then turns and gives me a small smile. "But like I said, if it gets people into reading, how could I complain?" he finishes.

I snort, and then a novel catches my eye. "Oh, no way, I didn't even know this was a thing!" I say excitedly, grabbing the book. "What is it?" Spencer asks, turning to look.

"It's Franz Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'. It, uh, when I was younger, my dad would have me do book reports when I got bored during the summer. I hated the writing part, but I loved the chance to read new books I normally wouldn't have. The last one I wrote before I went off to college was this one..." I say, trailing off, looking at the book and smiling.

I look up, and Spencer smiles, and I say, "It...holds a special place in my heart. It was kinda...the last 'kid' book report I had, I guess." I chuckle, then tuck it under my arm, and look through the other books there.

"Edgar Allen Poe...The Odyssey...The Illiad and The Odyssey...Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...huh, Murder on the Orient Express." I mumble, holding the last one up to show Spencer, which causes him to grin, and I set it back down.

As I head up to buy the book, Spencer asks, "Hey, it's about lunchtime. Are you getting a little hungry?"

I chuckle and say, "Yeah, a little bit. What'd you have in mind?"

"I'm not really sure, but I know there are a few places close to here, did you want to continue exploring?" he asks with a small grin.

"Sound good, Doc. Lead the way!" I say, following him out.

We pass a few pizza places, a Thai place, and we come to a Chinese place, and I suggest, "Hey, what about there?"

He nods and says, "Sure, let's go."

We head in and order lunch, talking and laughing like we usually do when we have lunch. After we finish eating, we start walking, heading vaguely in the direction of where we started. About halfway there, Spencer asks, "You live close by that Starbucks, right?"

I nod, and he continues, saying, "Well, why don't I just walk you home then? Unless there was somewhere else you were going to go..."

I shake my head. "Nope, just going to do laundry. Luckily, I don't have to leave my building for that!" I say with a giggle. "So, yeah, I'm ok with heading home instead," I say.

Spencer smiles and softly says, "OK, then."

Grinning, I walk along with him. Making our way to my apartment, we continue talking, joking, and laughing. When we reach the front of the building, Spencer smiles and says, "I'm really glad we did this, I think I like just hanging out with you. Um, see you next week?"

I nod and say, "Yeah, I'm sure I'll see you at some point next week. Sorry again about missing out on this interview in Florida. But like I told Penny, after this week, and, well, I guess graduation day, I'm completely done. So, there's that to look forward to."

"Yeah. Good luck on your exams! If you need any help with studying..." he starts, and I laugh.

"I should be good. I'm usually good with tests, so it won't be a problem. See you next week, Doc," I say, bumping my shoulder into his with a grin.

He grins back, saying, "I'll see you next week, Lina,"

I wave as he starts walking away, then turn around and head up to my apartment.

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 17

word count - 2.4k warnings - Just some typical Morgan and Garcia flirting. Summary: Lina; Writing reports and making plans for Saturday…again.

The next morning, I wake up and go about my normal routine, trying to be quiet in case Val's still sleeping. Walking out of my apartment, I get the idea to grab a few doughnuts with coffee this morning, walking instead to a local bakery before going for coffee. Walking into the building, I look over the menu quickly, trying to think of what to get. 

When it's my turn, I asked the cashier if I could get a Boston creme donut, a chocolate glazed with sprinkles, and a cinnamon roll. After grabbing the bags she hands me, I pay and walk out to get coffee, trying to get there quickly so I can make the Metro.

After picking up the coffee, I rush to my stop, getting there just as it's pulling up and other people are getting on. I slow down to pay, then head on, looking for Spencer. Finding him in his typical spot, I sit down near him and ask, "Hey, how was your flight back?"

He looks over at me and smiles, saying, "Oh, not too bad. How do you feel, after having your first case?"

"Oh, I'm ok. That was...pretty intense, though. Kinda glad for paperwork today." I say, handing him his coffee.

Still grinning, he remarks, "See? Didn't I tell you?" gladly taking it.

I nod and say, "Yeah, you did...hey, did you want one of the donuts I got? I figured it'd be a bit of a pick-me-up after...y'know, the case and everything."

He frowns slightly and asks, "I...are you sure?", his eyebrows creasing.

I chuckle and say, "Well, yeah. I've got a Boston Creme, a chocolate glazed with sprinkles, and a cinnamon roll. Which would you like?"

Seeing his eyes light up slightly at the mention of the chocolate glazed one, as he stammers, I hand him the bag containing said donut. He opens it, and smiles, closing it back up and shyly saying, "Thanks, Lina. These are my favorite, actually..."

I grin and say, "Oh, yeah? Guess it's pretty fortuitous that was one of the ones I got, huh?"

He nods as he signals for our stop. As we walk off and towards work, we talk a little bit about what we expect the day to bring us, walking into the building and the elevators. 

As we get close to where we must part ways, I smile and say a little jokingly, "See you at lunch, Doc. Hopefully, Derek doesn't get too jealous of the donut and coffee this morning."

Spencer just chuckles and says, "No promises he won't. I'll see you at lunch, Lina."

Walking into the Command Center, I see Penny already there, typing away. She spins around as I set my things down, pulling out the two bags with the pastries in them. "Before you ask, Pen, I made sure to get something for you, too. Now, Boston Creme or cinnamon roll?" I ask, a bag in each hand.

"Ooh, I'll take the cinnamon roll! And if this is an attempt to butter me up with treats, I fully accept," she says with a giggle, taking the bag as I hand her the one with the roll.

Sitting down and having my coffee and donut, Penny and I work on filling out our reports, going back and forth, making sure we've filled them out thoroughly. Between the two of us, we managed to get them both done rather quickly.

"So, what do we do in the meantime? Do we go get the ones from the others and start putting them in, or do we go through the backlogs and put those in, or..." I ask, spinning to talk to Penny.

"I mean, either one would work. Personally, I'm fine with just...chillin' here until lunch..." she says, leaning back in her chair.

As she does that, there's a knock on the half-open door, and Hotch comes in with a few folders, saying, "Garcia, here's a few that are done, whenever you get the chance to put them in."

She scrambles to sit back up as she takes them from him, saying, "Sir. Yes, Sir." and hands me one of the folders.

He stops, looks at me, and nods, saying, "And Aschebrooke. Whenever you both have the time."

Giving him a small smile, I say, "Yes, Sir," and start looking over the folder to start inputting it.

It takes us a few hours to type them up, and I marvel at how much more information they have to write down, being out in the field, dealing with the unsub up close and personal. A little before lunch, JJ comes in with a light knock, bringing another 2 and saying, "Hey, guys. Here's a few more for you..."

"We'll get right on them, my lovely," Penny says, taking them from her and handing me one.

Working on the new folder, it isn't too long before there's another knock at the door, and looking up, I see Spencer there. Grinning, I say, "Oh, you've got some for us, too?"

"Uh, n-not yet, we are still going for lunch though, right?" he says sheepishly.

"Go ahead, my young apprentice. It'll still be here when you get back." Penny says, still typing away.

Grinning, I grab my bag, saying a quick, "Thanks, Pen," over my shoulder, and walk with Spencer to grab something to eat. After getting our food, we sit down, and Spencer asks, "So, what books were you looking to get Saturday?"

"Oh, uh, it's some of the ones from the list you gave me," I say with a small smile, reaching into my purse for the pieces of paper in there, the list Spencer wrote for me, and the few books I wrote down to find.

"You...you kept the list?" he asks, incredulously.

"Well, yeah, Spence. I meant it when I said I appreciated you doing that for me. Why wouldn't I keep it?" I ask, smoothing out the papers and showing him the books I wrote down.

Flushing and with a small smile on his face, Spencer looks over the small list I've made. "Oh, these are good ones, Lina," he says, looking over the titles.

"Yeah?" I ask, grinning as I look at him.

"Yeah. They're all very interesting, and cover a wide variety of topics, too," he says, sliding the piece of paper back over to me.

"I was afraid I was all over the place on the books' subjects, but these just kinda struck me as interesting, plus the stuff I've heard about them made me want to read them," I said, putting the papers back in my bag.

"That's all that matters, that you want to read them. I can absolutely help you look for those on Saturday," he says.

As we begin to eat our meals, I nod, then ask, "Is there anything you were gonna be looking for when we go, Doc?"

Spencer shakes his head, then says, "No, not really. Probably just look for something that catches my eye."

I nod again, and we continue eating lunch and making small talk. After we clean up, we start slowly walking back to finish the reports. As I turn to walk back to Penny, I say to Spencer, "See you for the ride home, Doc."

"See you then, Lina," he says, heading to his desk.

Making my way back into the room, I sit in my seat and get back to work. After maybe 10 minutes or so, Penny walks in, scurrying to her chair. "Hey, how was your lunch?" she asks, getting settled.

"Oh, it was nice. Yours?" I reply, turning to look at her momentarily.

"Mine was good as well, sweets. Well, back to it, I suppose..." she says, sighing and starting to type.

We continue like that for a good hour or so, when there's another knock at the door. Derek leans in, saying, "Hey, Baby Girl, got my and Reid's reports, if you're ready for them."

Penny spins around in her chair and smiles coyly at him, saying, "For you, Hot Stuff, I'm ready for anything you wanna give me."

I snort at the exchange and continue typing. Derek comes over to me and says, "What's wrong, Songbird? You gettin' jealous? I can always get Pretty Boy in here so you can flirt, too."

I scoff while blushing and say, "We-we don't flirt, Derek. We're friends."

"So the coffees and the donuts and the nicknames aren't flirting, got it. My bad..." he says, a sly smile on his face as he starts to back out of the room.

"Hey..." I start, pouting a little.

"Oh, I'm just teasing, Songbird. You two are just fun to watch, is all." Derek says, turning and leaving.

Penny scooches her chair over and hands me a folder, then rolls back over to her computer. I finish putting in the last of Elle's report, then open up the folder Penny gave me, familiar handwriting greeting me.

I chuckle and say, "You gave me this one on purpose, didn't you?" while turning to look at her.

She turns and gives me a playful smile, saying, "I have no idea what you're talking about..."

I tilt my head and give her a look, and she bursts into giggles. I grin at her and turn back around, quickly getting to work on typing in the last report of the day.

After a few more hours, it's finally time to head home. As we file out, Hotch calls everyone over to tell us that next week we'll be heading to Florida to interview a serial killer couple before they're sent to the electric chair, and we'll be given more details tomorrow.

After most of the agents head towards the elevator, I rush over to talk to Hotch.

"Um, Sir, I, uh, I have my finals next week. Is-is that going to count against me, or..." I start to stammer out.

He gives me a look as I trail off, then tells me, "No, Aschebrooke, that's fine. Garcia will be able to handle this solo. Good luck on your finals," then gives me a slight smile.

I breathe a quick sigh of relief and say, "Thank you, Sir," then turn and rush to the elevator.

"You ok there, hon? One second you were there, and the next you weren't." Penny asks me, standing there with Derek and Spencer.

Flushing, I say, "Oh, uh, yeah, I just had to tell Hotch that I have my finals next week, so I won't be going with you guys." We all step into the elevator as the doors open.

Penny pouts slightly, then says, "Aw, you're gonna miss Florida..."

I chuckle and say, "That's ok, Pen. After next week, I'll be done with school, and won't miss any other work excursions."

"Hey, yeah, when is graduation then, Songbird?" Derek asks.

"Oh, uh, the usual time, May," I say.

"May what?" Penny says, a smile creeping onto her face.

"O-oh, um, May 20th?" I reply.

Penelope hums and looks over at the two men, then back to me and smiles. The elevator dings open, and we step out.  "See you guys tomorrow!" I say as Spencer and I start our walk to the Metro.

We're a little bit down the sidewalk when Spencer says, "She's going to try to plan something for your graduation, you know. Garcia loves to throw a party."

I look at him, then say, "Really? That's not necessary, I'd be happy to just have people to hang out with after."

Spencer chuckles, then says, "Well, you can tell her that, but there's no guarantee she won't try to do something for it."

Strolling towards the station, I'm quiet in thought for a moment, then say, "Honestly? I'd just like to have someone there to see me at my graduation. I don't even think my parents will be able to come..."

I look at Spencer, who's looking at me thoughtfully. I continue.

"I mean, between them needing to take time off work and having to deal with big city traffic...I just don't think it'd be doable." I say softly.

He nods, but I can practically see the next question bubbling up in his mind.

"Val will be there, just, she's also graduating, so..." I trail off, looking at my feet as we walk.

Sitting on a bench as we wait for the Metro, Spencer clears his throat and says, "Lina, you know, we, um, we can be there when you get your degree, if you-if you'd want..."

I look at him and smile, then quietly say, "I'd love that, Spencer. If-if you guys aren't busy, I mean."

Smiling at me, he says, "Yeah, I think we'll be able to do that. As long as..."

I quickly hold up my hands to stop him, saying with a giggle, "I know, I know, don't say it though! I've learned my lesson with that!"

As the Metro pulls up, Spencer and I head to our seats, and he asks, "So, um, for Saturday,"

"Yeah?" I say, tilting my head slightly to look at him.

"D-did you want to do th-the same time? Try for 10?" he asks, fidgeting with the sleeve of his cardigan.

I grin and say, "Yeah, but if we wind up meeting a little earlier like last time, I won't mind either."

A quick, nervous smile flickers over his face before he says, "A-and we'll be starting at the same place, right?"

"If you want to, we could start elsewhere if you'd like," I say.

"N-no, it's perfect, actually. There are two different bookstores near there, so we wouldn't have to do much traveling. If-if that was ok with you." Spencer says shyly.

Grinning broadly, I reply, "Yeah, that sounds awesome, Doc. I can't wait!"

Taking a breath and returning my smile, he softly says, "Yeah, I can't either..."

Eyeing my stop, I signal to get off, turning to Spencer and saying with a smile, "See you tomorrow, Doc."

Before I head off, I see him give me a small wave and a half-smile.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 16

word count - 1.5k

warnings - none

Summary: Lina gets grilled by Penelope.

"That was insane, Penny! Just how many of the cases are like this?!" I ask, taking off my headset and setting it down.

Penny just grins and says, "A few too many, I'm afraid. Thankfully, we got it taken care of before a lot of people got hurt..." Taking off her headset, she stands up and collects her purse, saying, "C'mon, I'll drive you home..."

"Shouldn't we get started on the paperwork?" I ask, an unsure look on my face.

"Nah, we can come in tomorrow to get started on that. The agents will be doing most of that, anyway, since they were the ones going out and tracking the unsubs down," she says, digging her keys out as she hands me my purse.

"Oh, ok," I say, taking my purse and standing up.

As Penny and I walk towards the elevators, she says, "Now that the case has been dealt with..." and then smiles devilishly at me.

My head pulling back a little, I apprehensively ask, "What...what's that look for, Pen?"

"Told you I was gonna ask about it later...so how'd your little...coffee meet-up with Reid go?" she asks, ushering me into the elevator when it dings open.

"Oh, uh, ok, I guess? We didn't really get to hang out a whole lot, maybe, like, 5 minutes before we got the calls..." I say, leaning against the elevator walls. Penelope hums, and I ask, "What? What's that 'Hmm' for?" 

"Oh, nothing..." she says with a sweet smile.

"Pen, I know I'm still new, and I don't know everyone's 'tells'," I start, walking out of the elevator after the doors open again. "But yours might as well be on a billboard. Now tell me, what are your thoughts?" I ask, trying to catch up to her as she walks to the parking garage.

"Just...what do you think you and Boy Genius will do as a 'make-up hang out'?" she says, still smirking.

Flushing, I say, "I-I don't know, I guess I'm gonna have to ask him when I see him next..."

Unlocking her car doors, Penny asks, "Ah, ok, so, tomorrow, then?" I give her a questioning look, and she continues. "They're on the jet coming home now, they'll be back in for tomorrow morning." 

I nod, giving an, "Oh." in understanding. I climb in and secure my seat belt as Penny starts the car, lowering the volume on the radio before it can blast out whatever station she had on this morning.

I lean my head back and sigh as Penny drives, softly saying, "I am exhausted, and I was here in a chair. I can only imagine how tired the rest of them must be..." Penny nods in agreement. I look out the window, watching the city lights flicker on as we pass. We're almost to my apartment when I get a text message.

Probably Val, asking if I'm gonna have another late night at work, better let her know I'm on my way...

As I read the message, I quickly realized it was not my roommate who texted me, but Spencer. 

Hey, Lina. Hope I'm not interrupting you, but I wanted to ask if we're good for that raincheck on hanging out? Maybe we can try Saturday again?

I try to hide the goofy grin that crosses my face, but Penny notices. "Must be an awfully funny text there, chica..." she says with a smirk.

Flushing, I squeak out, "It-it isn't funny, Pen. Just...unexpected."

Nodding slightly, she hums out an, "Uh-huh...so what's the Mighty Professor gotta say?"

I whip my head to face her, and say, "How-how do you know it's Spencer, huh? Why couldn't it be, I dunno, someone sending me a cat picture or something?"

She snorts and laughs, saying, "My tells may be as big as a billboard, but yours might as well be in skywriting..." The light turns green, letting us continue on our way.

My lips bunched to one side, I sighed as I said, "Yeah, ok, it's Spencer. I have got to work on keeping my facial expressions to myself..."

At a stoplight, she turns to me and says, "Well? What did he say? Are you gonna answer him?"

"Oh!" I exclaim, typing out on my phone a reply. "Ye-yeah, I'm gonna answer him, gimmie a moment..."

Yeah, that'd be awesome, Doc. Did you want to try to do the same thing, or something else on Saturday? Are you home already?

After sending the text, I feel the car stop. I look up and see I'm home. I look over to Penny, and she says, "Well, hon, you're home. I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun texting tonight..." 

I snort, letting myself out and waving to her as I head up the steps to my apartment. As I make my way upstairs and unlock my apartment door, I feel my phone buzz again. Heading inside, I call out, "Val? I'm home, the case was resolved." I pull out my phone again as I close the door and take off my shoes and coat.

"Be right there!" she yells back from her room.

As I put down my purse and hung up my coat, I read the text Spencer sent.

No, I'm just getting off the jet, I should be home in a bit. I mean, we can get coffee again, but I was thinking we could maybe check out a bookstore or two? If that's ok, I know you mentioned that as a suggestion before?

Grinning, I answer him as I sit down on the couch.

That sounds amazing, Spence. Yes, absolutely! I've been meaning to get a few more books, too. 

Val pads into the living room, eyebrow raised. "Glad you're home at a more decent hour, there's some leftovers in the fridge." She sits down next to me and asks, "So, who ya texting?"

Clutching the phone to my chest, I look her up and down quickly, then say, "...Spencer."

She looks at me and says, "Mmm-hmm. Isn't he in Jersey right now?"

I smile and slide the phone back into my pocket, getting up to check the fridge. "Yeah, well, he said he just got back in Virginia, so he'll be home pretty soon." I look through the shelves, trying to find something. I pick up something in aluminum foil and turn to look at Val, raising my eyebrows as if to ask 'What even is this?' She just gives me a shrug, and I put it back in, figuring I'll deal with it later.

Val stretches out on the couch as I continue my search. She then asks, "So, uh, what's he asking you?"

"Oh, um, he...wanted to see if we wanted to try to hang out again this Saturday, since the first time we got called into a case," I say, finally deciding on some leftover pasta dish.

She hums in acknowledgment as I dump the food onto a plate and put it in the microwave. After setting the time, I turn to her and ask, "What?"

She shrugs and shakes her head, then says, "Nothing. I'm gonna head to bed early, g'night."

"Night, Vallie," I say, getting my food after the machine beeps. As I sit down on the couch again to eat, my phone chimes again.

Smiling, I check it and read the message.

Oh, really? Any in particular you were looking for?

Thinking for a moment, I quickly type out a reply and send it, a grin on my face as I finish eating dinner.

Kind of, I was hoping maybe you could help me look for some of the ones you suggested? If you don't mind, of course.

I take my empty dishes over to the sink, humming as I wash them. Drying off my hands, my phone goes off once more.

I don't mind at all! I look forward to Saturday.

Heading to my room, I sit on my bed and type out one more message.

It's been a while since I've gone on a good bookstore search, and I don't think I've ever been on one with someone. I can't wait!

  I change into some pjs and start getting ready for bed. As I brush my teeth, I get another text.

You know, I don't think I've ever done that either? Definitely something I eagerly await. Well, I better let you get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, Lina. Goodnight. :-)

I grin and set my toothbrush down, sending one last text.

You should try to sleep, too. Goodnight, Spence. :-)

I finish brushing my teeth and head back into my room, slipping into bed, and drifting off to sleep.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 15

word count - 1.8k

warnings - Canon-typical violence, some Google translate. The only word not translated is cariño, which is Spanish for sweetie. Again, as far as Google says!

Summary: Lina gets coffee and then to work on her first case.

I wake up to my alarm, stretching as I quickly turn it off. I shuffle into the bathroom and get ready for the day. As I prepare, I can't help but feel both excited and nervous. It's not a date or anything, just chill, girl... I think as I try to calm myself. After doing my hair and makeup, I finish by putting on a mostly casual outfit.

As I go to put on my shoes, I check the time, and see that it's quarter after 9. Chewing my lip, I debate with myself about whether I should give Spencer a text or not, when my phone chimes.

Hey Lina, I know it's earlier than the time we talked about, but I figured I'd head out now to get to where we said we'd meet. I hope I didn't disturb you.

Half-smile on my face, I text Spencer back.

Nah, you're ok, Doc. I was debating on texting you, as a matter of fact. I try to err on the side of 'early' rather than 'late'. So, I guess I'll see you as soon as the Metro gets there? Oh, also, did you want me to order you some coffee so it's there as soon as you get there?

Sliding my phone back in my pocket, I grab my coat and purse and head out the door, making sure it's locked. I start walking down the stairs to the sidewalk outside when I feel my phone go off again. Trying to suppress a smile, I check it.

Yeah, that sounds great, actually. See you soon, Lina. :-)

Grinning at seeing he's gotten into the emoticons, I text him back once more.

Did you want the same thing as last time, a venti black coffee?

Strolling down the sidewalk to my destination, I'm pleased to see that it's not as busy as I thought it'd be for a Saturday. Stepping into line, I feel my phone go off once more and check it.

Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you.

Putting the phone back into my pocket, I hitch up my purse higher onto my shoulder and wait. As I look around at the shop, I see a bunch of college students loading up on caffeine, probably in preparation to study. Sighing, I feel glad that in 2 weeks I won't have to worry about any more exams.

Slowly, the line winds down and it's my turn to order. I step up to the register and say, "Hi, could I please get a grande mocha and a venti black coffee? Name's Lina, L-I-N-A." The cashier nods and starts marking the cups, and I swipe my card to pay. After my order is in, I walk over and grab a handful of sugar packets and a stirrer, as well as some napkins.

I walk back and wait for my name to be called, and after a few minutes, I hear a call of, "Lina?" and see 2 drinks being slid forward. 

Grabbing them, I say, "Thank you!" and try to find an available table. Finding one close to the door, I settle in and set Spencer's coffee in front of the seat next to me and place a few napkins down, with the stirrer on top, and the pile of sugar packets next to it.

Pulling my book out of my purse, I start reading to pass the time as I wait. After about half a page, I hear my name being called. "Hey, Lina. Hope you weren't waiting too long." Spencer says as he walks up to the table. 

Grinning, I tell him, "Nope, only been sitting for a few minutes. Your coffee's right here, Doc," motioning next to me. 

He sits down, a small smile on his face as he starts putting sugar into his cup. "So, uh, how was-how was your morning?" he asks me, carefully stirring his coffee and taking a sip. 

I stir my coffee and say, "Oh, it's been ok. Quieter than during the week. I'm guessing I should relish that?"

He laughs and says, "Yeah, quiet can be pretty nice. Sometimes, it feels like those times are few and far between..." Taking a sip of my coffee, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Eyebrows furrowing, I pull it out and see it's Penelope. Looking over, I see Spencer take his buzzing phone out as well, looking at it with a sigh.

"Like I was saying..." he says, before answering his phone with a "Yeah, Hotch?" 

I answer my phone, tentatively saying, "Hello?" 

"Hey there, my young Padawan. Work calls, and therefore, so do I. We've got a case." Penelope tells me. 

"O-oh, ok, um, I guess I'll be in as soon as I can, then," I say.

"Sorry for cutting your Saturday short, see you when you get in." Penelope apologizes, then hangs up. 

I look over at Spencer as I put my phone back in my pocket, and as he does the same, he says, "Well, duty calls, right?" I nod, and we walk out to the Metro, waiting for the next one into work.

As we sit on the bench, he looks a little melancholic, and says, "I'm sorry, Lina. I was afraid this would happen." 

I look at him a little quizzically, and ask, "Why are you sorry? We were called into work, it's not like you blew me off or something. I'm guessing this is the price you pay when you save lives."

"I, yeah, when you put it that way..." he says thoughtfully. 

"Besides," I say with a small laugh, "You did say we could hang out when we get back," 

"Well...yeah, yeah, I did. Sounds good..." he says, mood seeming to lift slightly. We sit there, making small talk as we wait for the vehicle.

When the Metro gets there, we board and sit together, still talking. When we get to the office, we're greeted by Elle and Derek, who give each other looks, raising their eyebrows, then turning to us.

"Reid, does any blood run through your veins, or is it all coffee by now?" Derek teases, pressing the button for the elevator. 

As we wait, Spencer thinks about it for a second, then turns to Derek with a creased brow and slight grimace, and says, "Morgan, you know very well that's a physical impossibility."

Raising his hand fruitlessly, then gesturing for us to board the elevator when it opens, Derek sighs and says, "It...it's a joke, Reid...never mind...anyway, how're your mornings' going?" 

I take a sip of my coffee, waiting for someone to respond, and when no one does, I remark, "Not bad. Far more active than usual for me, though."

"Yeah, that's for sure," Elle says with a nod. "Hopefully, you'll get used to it quickly enough, it's nice to have more mujer on the team." she continues, smiling at me. I bite my lip and nod, and I must have a confused look on my face, because she then says with a slight chuckle, "Women, cariño, it's nice to have more women on the team."

"Oh, ok. Sorry, I took Italian in high school, I, uh, I thought it would come in handy far more than it actually has..." I say, awkwardly shuffling my feet and looking down. 

"Hey, Songbird's multilingual. How about hittin' us with a little of that Romance language?" Derek says, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows a little.

I laugh and then stop for a moment to think, then say, "Ricordo solo un po' di italiano." After a moment, I say it again in English. "I can only remember a little Italian." 

With a chuckle, Derek says, "Hey, that's more than I know. Do you know any others?" 

"I, um, I know a few words of German," I say, shifting from one foot to another.

With a ding, the elevator opens, and as we walk out, Spencer softly asks me, "Wie viel Deutsch kannst du?" (How much German do you know?) 

His breath tickling my ear and sending shivers through me from the closeness, I manage a stuttery, "Ein bisschen." (A little bit.) 

He nods his head in acknowledgment, then smiles and says, "Danke für den Kaffee," (Thank you for the coffee.) before starting to walk off. 

Grinning, I call out, "Gern geschehen, Doktor!" (You're welcome, Doc!) and slowly walk in behind everyone, looking for Penny.

After everyone has walked into the room, I poke my head in, seeing Penny already at the table. Quickly making my way over, I sit in the empty seat next to her, turning to the screen. After we watch, Hotch pauses and says, "This happened in Beechwood, New Jersey. Mr. Fisher had ingested LSD one afternoon and didn't come down until 18 hours later."

JJ jumps in, "The hospital reported 6 other patients who ingested LSD in the last 24 hours. The hospital called the CDC, the CDC called us." 

Derek asks, "So, a bunch of people got spiked. What makes it a BAU case?" 

Hotch answers, "They each received 10 to 20 times the normal dose."

"It's enough to kill a small child." Spencer muses. 

Elle adds, "Or cause a grown man to kill him with a tire iron." 

JJ continues, "Of the seven victims, there was one death and one coma. This is from the hospital's security footage the same night Fisher lost it." She then changes files and unpauses the recording, showing a waiting room in chaos.

After a few seconds, Gideon says, "These people didn't get spiked. These people were poisoned." 

As that sinks in, Hotch looks around the table at us and says, "Wheels up in 20." 

We all get up from the table, and Penny says, "Here we go, your first case. I'll fill you in on what to do as we go, ok?"

As I follow her, Spencer jogs up to me with a duffle bag in his hand and says, "I'll, um, see you when I get back? Raincheck for, uh, hanging out?" 

Smiling at him, I nod and tell him, "Yeah, absolutely. Hope Jersey's good to you all, Doc." He jogs off, giving me a shy smile and a small wave. 

I turn to Penny, and she's looking at me with her eyebrows raised, open mouth turning into a devilish smile. When we get to the room she tells me she's dubbed the 'Command Center', she sits in her chair and puts her headset on. As I do the same, she tells me, "You know I'm gonna ask about it later, right?"

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 14

word count - 1.3k

warnings - maybe some flirting?

Summary: Lina gets a ride home and relates to Spencer a bit.

After a glass of water and another duet with Penny, she calls "Shotgun!" as soon as we step outside of the bar. 

"I guess we're in the back, Doc," I say to Spencer as Penny makes a beeline to Derek's vehicle. He gives me a tight-lipped smile and nods, and I follow him to the car.

After we put on our seatbelts, Derek looks in the rearview mirror and says to Spencer and me, "Hey, I'm gonna drop Garcia off first and make sure she's good, alright?" 

I nod, and Spencer says, "Sure, Morgan. You're gonna leave water and some pain reliever for in the morning for her, right?" 

Derek looks back over at Penny, who's trying to find something on the radio and complaining that she can't find anything 'good'. He looks back at us and nods, then turns back around and starts the car, directing it through traffic.

Penny finally stops on a pop song with an upbeat tempo, then sits back and bops along with it, singing along softly. I clear my throat and ask Derek, "Um, do you want me to give you my address after you get Penny in?" 

As he drives, he says, "Yeah, that's fine." 

As we drive along, Derek asks, "So, Songbird, you were a natural up there. You do that often?"

  I flush a little and laugh lightly, before saying, "Uh, yeah. I did a lot of karaoke in college. I'm pretty sure that was my only way of socializing when I got my first degree."

Derek chuckles as he says, "That's right, you're a brain just like Pretty Boy." 

I let out a breathless laugh and said, "Ah, no, no, I'm not nearly that smart, I'm only gonna have 2 degrees, I think. But thank you!" ending with a small nervous giggle.

I catch it out of the corner of my eye, but I can see Spencer flushing and frowning slightly when Derek calls him a 'brain', but his expression changes to a nervous smile when I look at him. Derek keeps driving as he continues. "You don't strike me as a 'party girl' though, Lina." 

I flush and say, "Ye-yeah, I'm not. I'm much more comfortable at home, reading or watching something than I am at a club or anything. I just really like music, I guess," laughing anxiously again.

Derek chuckles as he turns into a parking lot, finding a spot, and turning the engine off. He nudges Penny, who fell asleep a little on the drive to her place, and quietly says, "C'mon, Baby Girl, let's get you inside." She nods as she opens her car door, unbuckling herself and slowly climbing out.

"Did you need any help, Morgan?" Spencer asks, unbuckling himself as well. 

Derek shakes his head and says, "Nah, I got it. Socialize, Reid, get to know Lina here." He flushes and his lips form a tight line, and gives a nod, acquiescing. He instead picks up the satchel at his feet, and puts the strap around himself, holding the rest of it in his lap.

After the car door closes, I watch as Derek assists Penny into the building, quietly saying, "You don't like being called a 'brain', huh?" 

Spencer whips his head towards me, and shakily says, "Wh-what?" 

I turn to face him and say, "When Derek said to me, 'You're a brain just like Pretty Boy', you frowned. You don't like being thought of as just a brain, huh?"

Spencer looks a little sheepish when I repeat Derek's nickname for him, but at the end of my thought, he says, "I-I-yeah, the way people talk, it gets tiring being reduced to a 'brain'. 

I nod and say, "Yeah, I get it. I swear, half the time in middle school, I expected to see, like, just...a floating brain or something when I looked in the mirror. It's frustrating." 

Spencer's expression softens as he agrees. "Yeah, it is..." 

I softly say, "Well, if it's any consolation, I can see you're way more than just a brain, Spencer." 

He looks at me for a moment, a blush rising on his neck as he licks his lips quickly, then says a little breathlessly, "Th-thank you. I-I think of you as more than just a brain, too, Lina."

I feel heat rising onto my cheeks as I smile shyly and say gently, "Thank you, Spencer. I, um, I guess it helps to hear it said out loud from time to time, huh?" I smile and tilt my head, looking away for a moment before turning back to look at Spencer.

When I look at him again, he's leaned forward a bit, enough that some of his hair has fallen in front of his face. A smile ghosts over my lips as I lean towards him, arm raised as I ask, "Um, I can get that for you if you want?" He gives me the barest of nods, and I unclick my belt and lean closer to him.

As I lean in, I place my hand on the space between us to keep from falling on my face, and I can feel the heat radiating from him as he leans towards me. I slowly, gently, tuck the stray lock back behind his ear, and I'm close enough to feel him breathing quickly as I do so.

His eyes flick down, taking in how near I am to him, then back up to my face, flushing quickly as he does so. I give him a soft smile and bite my lip, slowly leaning back into my seat. I've just finished putting my seatbelt back on when the driver's door opens, Derek getting back in the car.

He turns around to look at us, asking, "Hope you guys found something to talk about while I was in there, sorry it took so long...Reid, you ok? Do I have the heat on too high or something?" 

Spencer stammers out, "N-nope...well, maybe a little high..."

Derek turns back around, starting the car back up and turning down the heat. Derek turns around and says, "Alright, Songbird, where am I taking you to?" 

I grin and ask, "Um, do you know where the Dupont Apartments are?"  He nods and says, "Yeah, gotcha."

Spencer quickly puts his seatbelt back on and clutches his satchel as the car starts moving. In what feels like no time at all, Derek pulls up in front of my apartment building. As I take off my seatbelt and go to open the door, I say, "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later! Derek, see you Monday. Spencer, see you tomorrow, hopefully."

I wave to them as they pull away, and walk up to my apartment, already mentally falling into bed.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 13

word count - 3.4k

warnings - alcohol, some innuendo (light, typical between Morgan and Garcia)

Summary: Lina's co-workers get to know her.

Penny and I exit the car, quickly making our way to the doors. As we walk inside, we can see JJ waving us over to a table, where she, Elle, and Gideon are sitting. As we sit down, Penny says to me, "You stay here, I'll go get us some drinks." 

After Penny walks off, Elle asks me, "So, Lina, what made you decide on this for an internship?" 

"Oh, um, well, I've always been good with computers, so I knew I'd probably want to do something with them as a job since I was a kid," I said, putting my purse down on the floor.

"You're almost done getting your BA in psychology, right? You graduate this year?" Gideon asks, a hand on his drink. 

I nod and say, "Yes, sir." 

He gives me a kind smile and says, "You don't have to call me 'sir', Jason is fine." I just nod again.

"What made you interested in psychology?" JJ asks, taking a sip of her drink. 

I flash a nervous smile and say, "Well, I've known from a young age how much someone's mental health can impact things, and I've always wanted to help others and be a psychologist."  

Penelope came back then with two glasses, setting one down and handing me one with a reddish liquid in it. "Don't worry, it's just cranberry juice." 

I smile, looking at her briefly before she walks away and I say, "Thanks, Penny." I clear my throat and continue. 

"I've also really been enamored with technology. It's taken me...a lot of research, but I've found a way to be able to use what I know to make a difference around me. It's...still in its infancy, but I plan on eventually treating patients over the computer, helping those that, for whatever reason, can't leave their home to see a psychologist." I finish while taking a drink.

Penelope slides into her seat next to me, giant binder in hand. "So, I know they aren't always super up-to-date on things, but they still have a decent selection of songs," she says, pushing the book towards me. I give her a grin and start looking through.

Elle leans back in her seat and says, "Oh no, don't tell me you're going to try and have us all do a song tonight, Garcia. I don't think there's enough alcohol in the place for me to do that again..."

Feigning a hurt look, Penelope looks at her and says, "No, Lina will be my partner-in-crime tonight, you're all off the hook this time." JJ breathes a sigh of relief, and she and Elle exchange a look and break into laughter. Gideon gives a slight smile, looking around and taking a drink from his bottle of beer.

"Looks like you've managed to convince Spencer to come out for once, Garcia..." he says, nodding in the direction of Derek and Spencer, who were standing near the door. 

"Nooo, that would be thanks to our newest addition. That's all Lina." Penny said, giving my shoulders a small hug.

Elle snickers and says, "You might not be the only one with a crush there, Lina." 

I wave to the two men, and say quietly, "That would be nice, but I don't have that kind of luck, Elle." As Penny and I look over the songbook and fill out a few slips, Derek and Spencer make their way over.

I look up with a smile and say, "Hey, Doc. Glad you made it." Spencer flushes and gives me a small smile. 

Derek claps him on the shoulder and says, "I'm gonna get us something to drink, you go get settled, ok?" as he sets his coat on the chair next to Gideon.

"Oh, uh, Sprite, please," Spencer tells him quickly.

He's met with a hand wave and Derek saying, "Yeah, yeah, I got it, man." Pulling up the only unoccupied chair left, Spencer sits down next to me, looking a little uncomfortable. 

As Derek comes back with drinks for him and Spencer, I turn to Spencer. He looks over at me nervously, and I hold up my glass in a toast and say, "Hey, Stone-cold Sober Squad?" He clinks his glass with me and nods, seeming to relax slightly.

"Now that we're all here, let's get to know our new colleague a little better, hmm?" Penny says with a smile, looking around the table. 

Spencer smirks and leans over to quietly tell me, "Told you." 

I snort and reply, "Yup, you called it, Doc."

"How old are you, Lina? Safe to assume since we're here, you're at least 21, but you don't look much older than that." Derek says, swirling the liquid in his drink. 

I give a nervous smile and say, "Uh, yeah, I'm 22."

"You already have a degree, if I'm not mistaken. A Bachelor's of Computer Science, correct?" Gideon asks. I nod, and he continues. "Were you able to pursue that while you were still in high school?" 

I flush and say, "Um, not exactly. I managed to graduate early, so I was able to devote my full attention and get my BA."

"How early did you graduate, Lina?" Penny asks, taking a sip from her straw. 

"Oh, uh, I was 14," I say quietly, fidgeting with the straw in my drink. I don't miss the look she gives Spencer, though I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to mean.

"What do you do for fun?" Elle asks, after taking a drink from her glass. 

"Um, well, I like to do the usual stuff, I guess. Read, watch movies and TV, listen to music. Probably not surprising, since I'm working with Penelope here, but I'm also into computers, both playing and making games on them."

"Where are you from?" JJ asks. 

I turn to her and say, "Oh, uh, a small town somewhat near Pittsburgh." 

Her eyes light up and she says, "I'm from East Allegheny! How close to Pittsburgh were you?" 

I grin and lean forward, saying, "No way?! Greensburg, so like, 30, 35 miles?" She nods and leans back, taking a sip from her drink.

"Were there any others you wanted to write out, my lovely?" Penny asks me, grabbing the filled-out slips of paper to go drop them off at the musician's booth. 

"Ah, not at the moment. Maybe we can go over the book again later for duets?" I say, sipping from my straw. 

She flashes me a dazzling smile and says, "You bet!"

"Oh, she roped you into that, huh?" Derek says with a smirk, taking a drink from his glass. 

"Nah, I willingly volunteered. Just hope I don't wreck your ears too much while I'm up there." I joke.

"So, no one else is gonna sing?" I ask, taking a sip and swirling my straw in my glass. 

Elle looks over at Gideon and asks, "Are you going up tonight?" 

He gives a jovial smile and says, "Eh, I don't know, maybe."

I turn to look at him and ask, "Oh, you sing?" 

Still smiling, he says, "Sometimes. I don't usually, haven't in a while." 

He stands up, finishing his beer and saying, "I'll be back. Anyone need anything?" After receiving a smattering of 'No's and head shakes in reply, he heads off in the direction of the bartender.

Penelope comes back and sits down, taking a sip of her drink and looking mischievous. "Anyone been having any luck in the dating department? Been a while since I've heard anyone's exploits." 

Elle and JJ shake their heads and chuckle, with Elle telling her, "No, I think it's been a while since any of us has had the time for a date. This past week was nice, calm, and boring, but I don't expect next week to be the same."

Penny turns to Derek and says, "C'mon, you gotta have something for me, Hot Chocolate." 

With a twinkle in his eye, Derek replies, "Oh, I have something for you, Little Mama..." and they both break out in laughter, with Elle and JJ laughing and shaking their heads.

"Well then, what about you two? Reid? Any romantic escapades to share?" Penelope says, a devious look on her face. 

Spencer splutters, "N-n-no, Garcia. I-I don't have anything I could tell you..." he says, taking a large drink of his Sprite. 

Smirk on her face, Penny sighs and says, "Lina? Do you have a boyfriend? Or dating anyone?"

I flush and shake my head, looking down at my drink. Thankfully, at that moment, two things happen. Gideon comes back with another drink, and over the loud-speaker, we hear, "Alright folks, let's welcome Lina to the stage. She's feeling a little Criminal..."

I get up and make my way on stage, faintly hearing Penny squeal. I take a few deep breaths to shake the embarrassment from whatever the hell Penny was trying to do with those questions and grab the microphone in preparation. 

I let the first few notes of the song wash over me, and get ready. I close my eyes and start singing, glad that I'm managing to hit the notes. After the first line, I open my eyes and search for the table everyone's at.

I find it and focus on Penny to keep from getting too nervous. By the second verse, I'm more relaxed and getting into it, really having fun with the song. I hear a few random whoops and whistles, and I smile and continue.

When I finish with the bridge, Penelope is clapping and whooping with the others I can hear. By the end of the song, I leave the stage to applause, mostly from the table filled with my new coworkers.

As I sit back down, Penny's gushing, "Oh my God, Lina, you nailed it!" I just grin while blushing. 

Elle and JJ smile at me, and Elle says, "That was pretty good." 

JJ says with a laugh, "Now I see why you agreed to karaoke with Garcia."

Gideon gives me an affable smile and says, "Seems we've got a little songbird with us now." 

I blush and grin, and Derek says, "Oh, you like 'Songbird', huh? That's a nickname you'd want?" I laugh and nod. 

I look over at Spencer, who looks slightly flustered, and stammers out, "T-that didn't sound bad. At all. You said you sounded like an asthmatic pterodactyl..." 

I snort and say, "No, I said I might sound like an asthmatic pterodactyl." Everyone else at the table starts laughing at that.

"That's...quite a description. I'm almost afraid to ask what that could sound like..." Elle says, taking another drink from her glass. 

I grin and say, "Spencer imagined it possibly sounding like a wheezing screech, and I've gotta agree, that sounds the most likely."

Spencer grins as he takes a drink, flushing and looking at me, then back down. I finish my drink and go to stand up to get another, when Derek says, "Relax, I can get you another. What is it?" 

I tell him, "Oh, um, it's cranberry juice. Thanks, Derek." 

He smiles and takes my glass, and as he walks away he says, "No problem, Songbird..." I giggle at that, my nose scrunching up. 

Spencer gives a slight smile and leans over, saying, "I think he's a bit too happy to find a nickname you like."

I laugh lightly and shrug, saying, "It's definitely one of the nicer nicknames I've been given." 

Just then, we hear the DJ saying, "Please put your hands together for Penelope. She Just Wants To Have Fun..." 

I whoop and cheer her on, saying, "Go, Penny!"

Flashing me a quick smile, she bounds up onto the stage and starts her song. Grinning, I cheer Penny on like she did for me. Derek comes back with fresh drinks, handing me the one with red liquid. He waves a hand and says, "Just cranberry juice. I got you, Songbird." I give him a half-smile, raising my glass and thanking him again. 

As we watch Penny belt out Cyndi Lauper, Spencer leans over a little, clearing his throat and nervously saying, "S-so, um, I didn't get a chance to say it before but, um, you look r-really nice, Lina." 

I turn and smile softly at him and say, "Thank you, Spencer. So do you." He gives me a small grin and looks away again, playing with the straw in his drink.

I tilt my head and ask Spencer, "So, Doc, do you ever go up there? Sing something every once in a while?" and sip my drink through the straw. 

He chuckles and grimaces, saying, "Oh, absolutely not! The only way I let them drag me up there is if it's a group song, and it's been a while since the last time we did that..."

I giggle around my straw and say, "Aw, it's not that bad doing karaoke, is it, Spence?" He flushes and takes another drink. We clap as Penny finishes her song, and she strides back over to the table and sits down.

The others at the table compliment her, then walk off, whether to get more to drink or talk to someone they see. As Penny starts sipping her drink, I say to her, "That was awesome, Pen!" 

She smiles and leans on her arm while saying, "Thank you. So, what have you two been talking about?" 

Spencer looks from me to Penny and back, but says nothing and shrugs, so I say, "Oh, I was just asking Spencer if he ever went up there, and he said only when you guys have a group song..." 

With a gasp and a smile, Penny cuts in with, "OhmiGod! Yes, that's a great idea! We should have a group song tonight..." 

As Penny continues, I notice Spencer cringing and shrinking in his seat, and I quickly interrupt her train of thought with a, "Hey, what about those duets we were gonna do? Did you wanna go get the book to go through and see what you and I could sing, Pen? Let the others have the night off and see how it's done?"

Stopping momentarily, Penny starts back up, saying, "I...yeah! Duets! Yes! Let me go get the book, I'll be right back!" 

As she rushes off for the songbook and slips of paper, Spencer breathes a sigh of relief and quietly says, "Thank you for that, Lina. I don't think I could've come up with a decent excuse."

I grimace and say, "Ah, well, it's the least I could do. I'm just sorry I mentioned it in the first place, I didn't mean to suggest a group song in any way..." 

Spencer shakes his head with a small grin, saying, "I know you didn't, but it was impressive to see you think so quickly on your feet, so to speak. I can't wait to see more of that."

He starts sipping his drink, then sees that I'm blushing from what he said, then starts coughing and spluttering, choking out with, "At work! In the field, I mean! I'm sorry, I wasn't insinuating anything..." 

I start to giggle and hand him a napkin, saying, "It's ok, Doc. I figured as much. I'm just not used to positive feedback from anyone other than teachers. You ok?" Still coughing a bit, he nods. 

Penny pops up and sits down, gesturing towards Spencer with her chin and asking, "Hey, is Boy Wonder ok?"

"Ah, yeah, just, uh, went down the wrong pipe?" I say questioningly, gently patting Spencer on the back. Spencer nods again as he manages to get his breathing back under control, and Penny taps me on the arm for my attention.

"OK, so, what kind of song were you thinking of for us to sing, Lina?" she asks, a large smile on her face. 

I bite my lip and ask, "Uh, how do you feel about singing something Spice Girls?" 

"I can do Spice Girls. You wanna just...alternate lines?" Penny says, sipping her drink. 

I nod and say, "Yeah, sounds good. Um, any song in particular, or..." I start.

"Nah, you go ahead and choose. Even if I don't know the song, that's the beauty of karaoke! They give you the words!" Penny says, waving her hands and giggling. I laugh and look through the book, finding a song for us to sing.

Writing it down on a slip of paper, I ask, "How many did you want to do? Would 2 be ok?" Penny nods emphatically, sipping her drink. "OK, lemme find another one, then..." I say quietly. "How does Pat Benatar sound?" I ask, turning to her for her reaction. 

"Yeah! Ooh, can we do 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot'?" she says gleefully.

I chuckle and nod as I start writing it down on a slip of paper, handing it and the book to her when I'm done. Drink in hand, she says, "I'll be right back!" then takes off. I raise my glass and take a sip through the straw, then wave when I see Elle and JJ walking back to the table.

"Hey! Where'd you guys go?" I ask them, taking another sip. 

"Oh, we went to get more to drink, but the wait was so long because the poor bartender kept getting hit on. I swear by the end of it, I think they were more focused on trying to one-up each other than they were trying to get with her." Elle says with a smirk.

"Honestly, it was getting kind of embarrassing," JJ says with a chuckle, sliding back into her seat. 

Elle nods and sits down as well. "Yeah, 'I can power-lift 250 pounds' 'Oh, yeah? Well, I can bench press 300 pounds!' Just..." she says with a chuckle, throwing her hands up in disbelief.

Before anything else is said, though, the DJ says, "Let's welcome Penelope and Lina to the stage, they want you to Say You'll Be There..."

I get up from my seat and start walking up, searching for Penny. I manage to catch her on my right as she starts speeding towards the stage. I step up and grab a microphone, handing it to her as she gets on with me, then grin and grab one for myself.

Over the next 4 minutes, we have fun singing back and forth, even throwing in a few dance moves, which garners us a few whistles and a fair bit of clapping. After we finish, she grabs my arm and raises our hands together, then pulls me to run off stage together, causing me to laugh as we make our way back to the table.

Sitting back down, Penny takes a long sip of her drink, then says to everyone else at the table, "Consider the rest of you off the hook for karaoke until further notice!" 

I laugh as JJ says, "Well, on that note, I think we owe you another drink, Lina."

Elle gets up and says, "Cranberry juice, right?" I nod and she continues, "And I think it might be time for some water for Garcia here." 

Penny lightly boos and says, "Aw, you guys are no fun, I've only had 3...or was it 4?" 

We all exchange looks, and JJ says, "Yeah, I think it's time to cut you off, Garcia." Gideon and Derek walk back to the table, talking as they sit back down at the table. 

"Hey! Hey, Hot Stuff, didja hear us?" Penny says, loudly tapping her hand on the table to get Derek's attention.

He smiles and says, "Yes I did, Baby Girl, you two were fantastic." He then turns to JJ and Spencer and asks softly, "She's getting water from here on out, right?" Both nod and he turns back to her and says, "Hey, sweetheart, how about I give you a ride home? We can come back in the morning to get your car, ok?"

He then looks at me and says, "I can give you a lift home too, Songbird." He then turns to Spencer and lightly claps him on the shoulder and says, "Reid, you won't mind having company on the ride home, will you?"

"Uh, n-no, that's fine," Spencer says, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and looking down. 

"Great! In that case, we should probably get going soon, right?" Derek says with a grin.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 12

word count - 1.9k

warnings - discussion of alcohol

Summary: Lina and Penelope get ready for their night out!

Walking in and grabbing another folder, I sit down and spin to face Penny while saying, "Heya, Pen! How're you doing?" 

Giving me a grin, Penelope spins to face me and says, "I'm doing well. So, uh, what happened at lunch to make you extra cheerful there, Lina?"

I flush and say, "I-I dunno. Just...talking with Spencer, and hammering out details about tomorrow," trailing off with a small smile growing on my face, while adding, "He also showed me a few magic tricks." 

"Ah, Spencer's sleight of hand work, huh? Yeah, the Good Doctor likes to show off new tricks he's learned every once in a while. I'm guessing he'll have a more captivated audience now..." she teases.

"I-wh-what, magic tricks are fun, I don't know about you, but I've enjoyed them since I was a kid." I sputter out. 

Penny just raises her eyebrows and hums out an "Mmm-hmm, sure..." She adds, "It probably doesn't hurt that you find the magician so dashing, huh?"

I start waving my hands and shushing her to not say that so loud, looking at the door, but it's devoid of anyone. After seeing that no one else is there to hear, I fidget with my hands and quietly say, "Well, yeah. There's that, too..."

Giving me a smirk and laughing lightly, she turns around and gets back to typing. Face beet red, I spin around and prepare to start on my work, starting my music and beginning to type. We work diligently for the next few hours, swapping old folders for new ones when necessary.

Finally, it's quarter til 5, and Penny and I are finishing up the files we're currently working on. Placing my finished folder into the box, Penny looks up with a sigh, a smile on her face. She closes up her folder and places it in the box with mine, standing up and stretching.

"Alright, Lina, you ready to go? I'm gonna swing by my place so I can pick up what I need to change into." Penny says to me, picking up her purse. 

Gathering up my things and putting them into my bag, I nod and say, "OK, sounds good. I can show you what I was thinking of wearing when we get to my place!"

Walking to the elevator, she smiles and raises her eyebrows, saying, "Oh, you're not looking forward to this at all, are you?" 

With as straight a face as I can muster, I say, "Nope!" then break out laughing. As we wait for the doors to open, Spencer and Derek walk towards us.

"Are you ready to bust loose tonight, my lovelies?" Penny says to them, wiggling her eyebrows. 

"Oh, you know it, Mama. How about you two?" Derek says smoothly. 

I grin and say, "Eh, I doubt I'll get too wild, but it'll be fun. How about you, Doc?" 

"Oh, um, yeah, I-I guess?" Spencer says.

Stepping into the elevator, Penny starts suggesting the kind of shoes that would be best for our time out. Spencer looks over at me and asks, "How are you going to have time to get ready? The Metro isn't that fast..." 

"Oh, Penny said she was going drive us to my place to get ready," I explain.

"Oh..." Spencer says softly. 

I laugh lightly and say, "C'mon, Spence, a girl needs time to get pretty." Spencer flushes, then looks down at his feet and mumbles something. 

Derek smirks and lightly taps Spencer's arm with the back of his hand and says, "Alright, you're comin' with me, Reid."

Getting off the elevator, we part and Penny leads me to her car, unlocking it so we can get in. Sliding in and buckling up, Penny turns on the car, then the radio. "I hope you're ok with some tunes on the way there," she says, adjusting her mirrors before pulling out of the spot. 

I grin and say, "As long as you're ok with me singing along if they put on something good."

She nods and smiles, saying, "Well, isn't that the point? Ya gotta sing along!" The previous song ends and then the first notes of 'Dirty Little Secret' start playing. I bop my head along to the beat, then start singing along. 

When it gets to the chorus, Penny joins in, and we sing along for the rest of the song. When it ends, she laughs and says, "'Make an idiot of yourself'. Right!" 

I grin and shrug, saying, "Eh, it got him to come, didn't it?'"

"That remains to be seen. OOH! You gotta sing something with me!" Penny says, pulling in front of her apartment building. 

As she gets out of the car, I say, "Yeah, absolutely!" She hustles into her place and comes back out in about 5 minutes. 

"OK, good to go!" she tells me as she straps herself back in. She puts the car back into motion, and we make our way to my apartment.

After a short drive, she parks her car and we exit, heading into my place. Unlocking my door, I let Penny go first, closing the door behind me. "You want anything to drink?" I ask, heading to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. 

"Yes, water's good, thank you," she says, taking the bottle I hand her and sitting down on the couch.

After taking a drink, I walk over to the clothes laid out on my bed. "I was thinking of these jeans," I say, placing them and the peasant shirt against me. "And this top. What do you think?" 

Penelope hums and taps her chin, narrowing her eyes and saying, "The pants are great, but how does the top look on you?" 

I bite my lip and shrug, saying, "Um, I think it looked ok when I tried it on, but I'm not sure, it...shows off more than I usually like to..."

Penny raises her eyebrows and smiles while saying, "Well, go ahead then. Let's see it!" I grin nervously and grab the top and the bra I'd need with it, walking into the bathroom to freshen up before putting them on.

I walk out, adjusting the top and looking down, trying to keep the bustline from dipping too low. Penelope stands up and walks over to me, raising her hand and asking, "If I could?" I nod, and she proceeds to adjust the sleeves so they're off my shoulders, and doing so makes the bustline lie flat.

"Um, it's-it's not too much, is it?" I stammer out, glad that I don't have to fight with it anymore. 

She gives a half-shrug, saying, "You are literally buttoned-up at work, I think that'll be ok. Besides, I thought you were trying to get a certain someone's attention?" 

I flush and start, "Well, yeah, but..." 

Penny cuts in, saying, "Trust me, this will grab his attention!" giving me a warm but amused smile. I give her a nervous smile back, taking a drink of water.

"Um, did-did we want to grab something to eat before heading out, or..." I start slowly, looking at Penny as I fidget with my water bottle. 

She hums and nods, saying, "Yeah, that might be a good idea. O'Keefe's doesn't have too much in the way of food."

She checks her phone, jolting slightly and saying, "Oh, we should finish getting ready, it's just about 6, and we were going to meet up by 7. OK if I steal your bathroom for a few minutes?" I nod, leading her there.

While she gets herself ready, I start searching for something to put my hair up. Finding a black velvet scrunchie, I stand in front of my vanity mirror, trying to put my hair into a decent ponytail and keep my hair off my neck.

Touching up my eyeliner and adding some dark red lipstick, I give myself a final once-over, just as Penny walks out of the bathroom. Turning around, I ask her, "Well, what do you think?" 

She gives a nod of her head and says, "Lookin' good, Lina."

I smile and tell her, "You look amazing too, Penny. But you probably already know that!" 

She gives me a small grin and says, "Doesn't hurt to hear it from others every once in a while, though." 

Going through my purse and inspecting what I have in there, I ask Penny, "So, what should we get? Oh, I remember that having greasy stuff is good for when you drink, right? Supposed to, like, make the alcohol absorb slower or something?"

She laughs lightly and says, "Yeah, something with fat and also carbs and protein helps." 

"So, we wanna get, what, some burgers and fries?" I ask her as I put on a pair of short black combat boots with chunky soles.

"Ooh, yeah, that sounds good! I know a great place with veggie burgers, too!" Penelope says as she checks over her hair and makeup in the mirror. 

Grinning, I make sure I have everything I need in my purse, then ask Penelope, "Anything you need me to grab before we head out?"

Switching into the shoes she brought, she shakes her head, saying, "Nope, I have it all here. Just gotta put my coat on and we can split." As she shrugs her coat back on and grabs her work things, I get my coat on as well, waiting for her by the door.

Heading out, I lock my door and follow her back down to her car. After buckling ourselves in, Penelope starts driving towards the nearest burger place, maneuvering into the drive-through. 

After placing our orders and getting our food, it's not long before we're back out on the road, off to our intended destination, O'Keefe's. As we sit in the parking lot and eat, Penny turns the radio back on, loud enough to hear but still carry a conversation.

As we eat, Penelope and I talk, mostly about the past week. "So, it isn't usually that calm?" I ask, wiping my hands on a napkin. 

She hums as she takes a drink from the soda she got, then says, "Well, it's probably like that about half the time. It just feels like it's hectic more often, though."

"Do you ever go with them?" I ask, taking a bite of my burger. 

Grabbing a fry, she shakes her head and says, "No, not usually. I think it's because half the time, the places they end up in have little to no internet access, and that's pretty vital for my end." I hum and nod in understanding.

As we finish eating, she starts gathering all the garbage in the plastic bag, motioning for me to hand her mine. "Gotta keep my Esther lookin' good." She says, patting the dashboard lovingly.  

"That said, you ready to rock?" Penelope says to me, checking her makeup one last time. 

I take a breath and say, "I'm ready when you are Pen." 

She gives me one last smile and says, "Let's go have some fun, then!"

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 11

word count - 1.2k

warnings - none

Summary: Lina gets nervous…and a little enchanted.

"G'mornin', Penny," I say with a smile as I walk into the room and put my bag down. 

"And a good morning to you! Another coffee run?" Penny says, gesturing to my coffee cup with her chin.

  "I, uh, yeah. Spencer got it for me." I say, sitting down.

Penny hums in acknowledgment, turning back to her screen. I clear my throat and ask her, "So, um, what's the likelihood of us not getting called in by, oh, tomorrow night?" She slowly spins back around to face me, chin resting in her hand.

Wicked grin on her face she replies, "Why do you ask, Lina? You have some plans for tomorrow?" 

Flushing, I smile a little and say, "Uh, y-yeah. Spencer and I were gonna hang out and get some coffee tomorrow. Hopefully. As long as a case doesn't come in."

She looks at me and starts squealing excitedly. "I'm so happy for you, Lina!" 

She reaches over and hugs me, and I laugh and tell her, "Whoa, whoa, it's-it's not like a date or anything. It's hanging out as friends."

She lets go and rolls her chair back, saying, "That's how it starts, though!" 

I laugh lightly and say, "Well, I'm not gonna lie, I'd love for it to happen that way. But I'm not gonna get my hopes up, and just plan on enjoying whatever happens."

Penny gives me a smirk and an "Mmm-hmm..." then turns around and gets back to work on the case file she's typing up. I grin while pulling out my headphones and MP3 player and get to work as well.

After several hours of typing up files, I look up at the clock and see it's about 10 til 12. Finishing the file I'm on, I place the folder in the case box and take my headphones off, pausing my music and stretching.

A minute or two later, there's a knock on the door jamb, and I see Spencer standing there. "Hey, Spence, be there in a moment," I say with a smile as I pick up my purse. I turn and say to Penny, "See you in a bit!"

"See you two later!" she says. 

As we walk, I say to Spencer, "I'm kinda nervous about tonight, now." 

He looks at me quizzically and asks, "How come? I thought you we excited about tonight?" 

I sigh and say, "I mean, I am still excited, but I'm also getting more nervous the closer it gets. What if I say something idiotic?" 

Spencer shrugs and replies, "Well, you haven't said anything idiotic yet, so, statistically, you should be in the clear," giving me a small smile. 

I snort and say, "Okay, thank you for trying to make me feel better, but by that logic, I'm bound to say something stupid soon. Law of averages and all." 

He smirks and says, "Ah, but that could also fall under the Gambler's Fallacy, which is a particular misutilization of the law of averages in which the person believes that a particular outcome is more likely because it has not happened recently. Or, inversely, that because a particular outcome has recently occurred, it will be less likely in the immediate future."

I look at him in amazement for a moment, before breaking into laughter, saying, "I should know better than to argue statistics with you, huh?" 

Spencer just smiles sheepishly and says, "Look, I manage to stick my foot in my mouth relatively often with people, and the rest of the team doesn't tease me...well, too much. You'll be fine tonight, Lina."

Beaming, I look at him for a moment, then look down and say, "Thank you, Spencer. That...that really does make me feel better. I'd hug you, but I know you aren't really into that." 

He flushes quickly, and stammers out, "W-well, I don't know about a hug, but, um, I'm-I'm sure you could think of something to convey how you feel..." 

I snort and lightly knock my shoulder into his. "Would that suffice?" I ask, smiling slyly at him. 

Face going a deeper red, he squeaks out an, "Uh, y-yeah, that-that's fine..." 

Getting our lunches, we sit down and start eating. After a few minutes, I asked Spencer, "So, just in case we can hang out tomorrow, where do you want to go?" 

He thinks for a moment, then says, "I, uh, I liked what you proposed. If that's still good for you."

Grinning, I nod and say, "Y-yeah, I'm cool with that. Um, wh-what time did you want to meet up? Like, late morning or something? Say, 10 or 11?" 

Giving me a small smile, Spencer says, "Yeah, that-that sounds good."

Still smiling broadly, I say, "Okay, cool, cool...it's a...that's the plan, then..." flushing slightly at how quickly I devolve into dorkiness. Going back to our lunches, Spencer and I finish eating in silence.

As I go to grab Spencer's tray, he grabs it first, along with mine, and stands up. I look up at him and am about to protest when he says, "I've got it today. And before you say anything, I don't have a book to read, so I can take them." Then he walks away with a small half-smile.

When he comes back, he sits down and asks me if I want to see something. I nod as I ask, "Yeah, sure, what'dya want to show me?" 

Grinning slightly, he says, "I figure I could show you some magic tricks since you seemed interested yesterday."

My eyes widen and I grin as I say, "Yeah, go for it, Doc!" He rolls up his sleeves and grabs at the air, opening his hand to show a coin. He then quickly flips it between his fingers, making it disappear, showing his empty hands.

"So, where'd it go?" I muse quietly. A smirk flashes on Spencer's face for a moment, then he narrows his eyes as if spotting something, then reaches behind my ear and pulls out the coin, showing it to me.

A giggle escapes me, and I grin as I say, "That was awesome, Spencer, I loved it! Maybe you can show me how to do that sometime." 

He gives me a small smile and stammers out, "Uh, yeah, m-maybe..."

I look up at the clock and groan, seeing that it's time for us to get back to work. As we slowly start making our way to the offices, we talk more about various magic tricks, while Spencer explains some of his favorites.

As we go to part, Spencer asks, "So, um, I-I'll see you before we head out tonight, right?" 

Giving a smile, I nod and say, "Yeah, Spence, I'll probably see you a bit before then."

  He gives me a shy smile back, saying, "Oh, g-good. I-I'll see you, then."

Gently knocking my shoulder into his, I say, "See you then, Doc," turning and walking back to Penny.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 10

word count - 866

warnings - none

Summary: Lina's made it to the end of her first week of work.

Friday morning arrives, overcast and a little cold. Stretching, I turn off my alarm and get out of bed. Yawning, I take my shower and get ready for work, thankful that I've figured out a quicker way of doing my hair. Leaving Val a note telling her to have fun this weekend, I finish getting dressed.

In what feels like no time at all, I'm walking briskly down the sidewalk to get to the station quickly. Making it with several minutes to spare until the Metro is due to arrive, I sit back and take a deep breath, then reach into my purse to grab my book.

After reading about a chapter, the Metro pulls in, and I put my book away and stand up, waiting till the vehicle comes to a stop. Stepping on, I scan the nearby rows, looking for Spencer.

Finding where he is, I make my way over, sitting in a seat near him. "Hey, Doc. How're you this morning?" I ask, turning sideways to face him. 

He gives me a shy smile, saying, "Oh, I'm good. Here's your coffee." and hands me a medium-sized cup. 

"Ah, so nice and warm, thank you, Spence," I say, giving him a soft smile. 

I take a sip, and remembering our plans for tomorrow, I give a small hum and ask him, "Oh, um, where would you want to go tomorrow? We could go to a Starbucks. I know there's, like, a million of them, but there's one right across the street from my stop, so we wouldn't have to go too far."

"I'm only suggesting that one because I know we both know where my stop is, but if you wanted to go to a Starbucks closer to you, or a different one altogether, we could," I say quickly. I look at Spencer as he takes a drink of his coffee, a slightly amused look on his face. 

I start to babble again. "Or-or we could go to a different coffee shop if you want. I don't really have a preference. If-if you still wanted to, that is.." 

His eyes widen and he rushes to say, "Y-yeah! I still want to. I'm just...I don't want to make any plans too solid, you know?" 

Feeling a bit crestfallen, I just murmur an, "Oh, okay..." while nodding dumbly and looking down. Noticing my demeanor, he quickly continues. 

"N-no, it's just that we could get called in for a case at any time. It's happened before. On my last birthday, we got called in, just as we were about to have the cake. So, um, th-that's why. B-but, if we do get called in, we can always h-hang out after we get back. If-if you'd like." he finishes, blushing slightly.

I look at him, a small smile blooming on my face and I nod in understanding. "Yeah. Yeah, I would like that, Spencer." I say quietly, taking a small sip of my coffee. He gives me a shy smile and looks out the window, then signals for the Metro to stop for us to make our exit.

As we walk and sip our coffees, we talk and laugh about what we expect to happen tonight. "So, what questions should I be expecting from our colleagues tonight, Doc?" I ask Spencer. 

He groans and replies with, "Oh, if you can think of it, they'll probably ask."

He gives me an apologetic look and continues. "I, uh, hope you don't mind your personal life being put under a microscope." 

I snort and say, "They're gonna be inspecting a blank slide." 

He raises his eyebrows and asks, "Oh? How so?" 

I chuckle lightly and say, "Before starting on Monday, the only people I would spend time with on even a semi-regular basis were my classmates, my professors, my roommate, and her boyfriend. I'm...kinda hoping working here gives me more people to be friends with. Like, actual friends, not just, like, co-worker friends, you know?"

He nods slowly, and I continue. "I mean, I've got hope. Everyone's been really nice, and I get along ridiculously well with you and Penny. I haven't interacted much with anyone else yet, but I'm sure that'll change as time goes on."

Spencer chuckles and says, "Well, you've got Morgan wracking his brain for a nickname you'll like, so that's a good sign. The only other people he's given nicknames to are me and Garcia, so take what you will from that."

Walking into the building, we take the elevator up to the offices. As we head into the bullpen, we're greeted by Derek, who says, "Hey, you two. Another coffee run, huh?" 

"Before you start," Spencer says, digging into his satchel and pulling a bag out, tossing it to Derek. "I got you something, so I don't want to hear it today, got it, Morgan?" he finishes with a smile. 

Derek catches it and looks inside, then breaks out into a million-watt grin and says, "Thanks, man!"

Spencer smiles, then turns to me and asks, "I'll see you for lunch, right?" 

I smile and reply with, "Yeah, of course. I'll see you then, Spence." Then turn and make my way to Penny and the computers.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 9

word count - 2.2k

warnings - cursing

Summary: Lina makes plans with Spencer, vetoes another nickname from Derek, and picks an outfit for Friday night.

"And how was your lunch, my lovely?" Penny says as I walk in. 

I grin and say to her, "Pretty good, how about yours?" 

She smiles at me and says, "Oh, not so bad. You ready to knock a few more of these out?" I sit down and get situated, giving her a nod.

After a few more hours of writing reports, it's finally time to go home for the day. Heaving a sigh, Penny hoists her purse onto her shoulder and tells me, "Hopefully, we can have one more day like today, and then have our night out tomorrow."

Holding a hand up and crossing the first two fingers on my hand, I grin and say, "Here's hoping!" We walk to the elevators, talking and laughing as the doors open and we step in. 

As we step out of the elevator and stand to the side, Penny asks, "So, what are you planning for tonight?"

"Oh, I plan on going through my clothes and having my roommate help me pick out an outfit for tomorrow. It's been a while since I've gone out, gotta look cute!" I say with a grin. 

"Aww, that shouldn't be too difficult for you, Dewdrop!" comes Derek's voice from the elevator, as he and Spencer walk out.

"I...'Dewdrop'?!" I splutter out, snorting and laughing. 

Derek sighs, saying, "OK, not 'Dewdrop'...", then looks over at Spencer, who grins, shakes his head, and claps Derek on the shoulder while saying, "Nope, not 'Dewdrop'," then strolling towards the door.

Still laughing, I start walking over to Spencer, while behind me I hear Penny say to Derek, "Sorry, Hot Chocolate. Guess you're gonna have to keep trying." 

I take a deep breath to stop laughing, turn to Derek and Penny and say, "See you guys tomorrow!", then look over at Spencer and ask, "Ready to go, Doc?"

Flushing slightly while still grinning, he nods, and we start to head to the station. "So, what do you do when you don't have work, Doc?" I ask Spencer as we make our way down the sidewalk.

"O-oh, um, the usual, I suppose. Catch up on housework, read, try to relax..." he says, hands in his pockets. "W-why, what do you do on your days off, Lina?" he asks cautiously. 

"The same, I guess. Honestly, I'm wondering because the only person I've really hung out with for the past 3 years has been my roommate Val, and I'm starting to think she's getting sick of me." I say jokingly with a chuckle.

He just looks at me as if trying to calculate a response, so I say, "You know, maybe we could hang out sometime? Outside of work? For fun?" 

He's silent for a few moments, then asks, "What would we do?"

I take a breath and blow it out, saying, "I dunno, go to the library or a book store, or to a coffee shop, just...hang out, talk, whatever...you know?" 

He looks at me for a few seconds, then back down and quietly says, "Yeah, I'd-I'd like that."

I look over at him and smile, then say, "Really? Awesome. Maybe if we don't get a case, did you wanna, I dunno, get some coffee or something on Saturday?" 

He looks at me with a small half-smile and says, "Y-yeah, sounds good."

As we stroll into the station, I notice we still have a few minutes until the Metro is supposed to come in, so I motion to Spencer for us to sit down on a nearby bench. I let my hair out of its ponytail and massage my head while asking Spencer, "Did you want me to get us coffee again tomorrow for the ride in?"

"Y-you don't have to do that, you know." he starts. 

I shrug and say, "I know. But it made the day go a little smoother, right? The work went by a little faster?" 

He gives me a small smirk, then says, "Alright. But I can get it this time, and I'll pay, OK?" I open my mouth to protest but he cuts me off, saying, "You can get Saturday if you really want."

I sigh and remark, "I'm not gonna win this one, huh, Doc?" Spencer laughs lightly and shakes his head. I give a short chuckle and say, "Fine. You drive a hard bargain there, Spence." He gives me a large grin while the Metro pulls up, and we head on and find seats.

I send a quick text to Val, asking for her help in picking out an outfit for tomorrow night, then put my phone away and look over at Spencer. "So, what do you like to do, Doc? Other than read, play chess, and drink coffee?" I say with a small half-smile.

"Oh, well, I enjoy playing cards, especially poker; learning different languages, trying out new magic tricks..." he starts. 

"Oh my God, no way, you can do magic?!" I say excitedly. 

He stops for a moment, then smiles and says, "I-yeah, I can do magic. You like magic?"

Big smile on my face, I say, "Well, yeah! Who wouldn't? Magic tricks are fun! Do you think you could show me what you know sometime?" 

Still smiling, he nods and quietly says, "Yeah."

Grinning, I say, "Also, poker, huh? Is that the Vegas in you?" 

Spencer laughs and replies, "Ah, maybe. I'm...kind of banned from a few casinos back in Nevada, though." 

I raise my eyebrows and say, "Oh, you're that good, hmm?" 

He laughs again and says, "Something like that."

"Maybe next time, I could join in, I have a fair bit of luck in that and blackjack," I say with a sly smile. 

Spencer raises his eyebrows at me and says, "Oh, really? Yeah, next time we play, I'll let you know."

I laugh lightly and nod as I signal for my stop. I turn and say, "I'll see you tomorrow, Spence." 

He raises his hand in a wave and replies, "See you tomorrow, Lina." Still grinning, I step off the Metro and start on my way home.   *************

As I enter my apartment, I call out, "Val? You home?" 

I faintly hear her voice from my room. "I started looking for clothes for you!" Her voice gets louder. "Get in here and try these on!" Grinning, I drop my bag on the floor and hang up my coat, kicking my shoes off.

Walking into my room, I see her rooting around in my closet, muttering to herself, with several different clothes on hangers strewn about my bed. "Ah, you are gonna help me put these back, right?" I ask her.

She pops her head out of the closet and says, "What?! Oh, yeah, yeah, just...try those jeans I pulled out, will ya?" while pointing at a pair of dark blue flares on my bed. 

"Uh, yeah, just lemme freshen up first, 'kay?" I say, walking into the bathroom.

After I'm done, I head back in to step out of my work pants and put the jeans on. "OK, now what?" I ask, walking towards the closet. 

"Here, try this on with it." Val's muffled voice says from within the closet, her hand thrusting a red tank top in my direction.

"Ehhh, I dunno, I know it'll be hot in there, but I don't think a tank top..." I start with a whine. 

"Just...try the damned thing on first!" Val retorts, walking out to see how it looks on me. Putting it on it looks nice, a little bow in the middle, the top part of the bust ruched.

"Kinda short, though..." I grumble, trying to pull it down over my stomach. Val sighs, motioning with her hand to give it to her. I take off the top and hand it to her, and she puts it on a hanger and puts it back in the closet.

While she digs around in my closet some more, I head out to where my bag is and put away the books Spencer read today on my bookcase. "Where the hell did you go?!" Val calls out. 

I meander back in, saying, "What? I was putting something away while you were searching."

She sniffs and hands me a hanger with a white peasant top on it. "Oh, this is cute..." I start, as I put it on over my head. I quickly realized that this one is not only too short in the torso but also has a large slit that goes halfway down the shirt, with ribbons that can be tied in the middle.

"Whoa, uh, no. Little too much cleavage there, Val." I say, quickly taking the shirt back off. 

She hums and agrees. "Yeah, but it'll be great if you ever need to breastfeed..." she snarks with a smirk, putting it back on the hanger and burying it in the back of my closet.

While she hunts for another shirt for me to try on, I feel my phone vibrate. A small, dopey grin spreads on my face when I see it's from Spencer.

Hello, Lina. I figured I'd ask you now, what coffee do you want for the morning?

Still grinning, I type my reply:

Heya, Spence. Just a medium hot mocha, nothing fancy. Thank you, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Hitting 'send' and putting my phone away, I'm met with a black shirt shoved under my nose. I look up, and I see Val with a smug smile on her face. "Found something, I think you'll really like it," she says in a sing-song voice.

Taking the hanger from her, I take a look at the shirt. It's another peasant top, only in black. It has a ruffle collar, but it goes straight across. As I pull it down over me, I can see the bottom of it is well past my stomach. And with an edge that's longer in the back, it falls nicely over my hips.

"Oh, nice..." I say quietly, turning around to look at the back in the mirror. 

"Wait, you've got some tags there, lemme get that for ya..." Val says, quickly grabbing a pair of scissors to cut the tags off. 

"Thanks, Vallie..." I say, still examining myself in the mirror.

"Well? Whaddya think?" she says, leaning back on her arms as she sits on the bed. 

I turn to her and say, "I like it! This is mine?!" She nods and stands up, adjusting the collar so it's more off my shoulders.

"There, that should do it..." she says, smoothing out the fabric. 

I turn to look in the mirror, then turn back and ask, "Um, isn't that a little...low? Shouldn't I have it up more?" 

She shakes her head, explaining, "Nah, it lies flat easier this way. As for the cleavage, sorry, girlie, but you could have that in a turtleneck."

"As long as a nip doesn't slip out, you should be golden." she finishes and she starts rummaging in my dresser. 

"Ah, whatcha lookin' for?" I ask. 

I hear a quiet, "Aha!", and Val puts a bra in my hands. "G'head, put that on, see how it looks," she says.

"I-OK..." I say quietly, turning around and taking the shirt and my bra off. 

As I fumble with the bra she handed me, Val snorts and comments, "Y'know, it's not like I haven't seen a pair of 'em before..." 

After adjusting myself into the bra, I put the shirt back on and retort, "Yeah, well, habit, I guess..." I turn around, and Val fusses with the straps of the bra. 

"See, these are clear and matte, so you can have your support without the straps being seen...well, unless someone is all up on you, I guess."

"And, that should hold you in place decently. Go look in the mirror, Lina." she finishes. I look at myself one last time, and the straps work well, I can barely see them. All in all, it's a damn cute outfit.

Smiling, I hug Val and say, "Thank you, Vallie! I better get out of these and prep them for tomorrow, Penelope is gonna drive us and we'll get ready here before heading out. Are you still heading out with Joe for the weekend?"

Val nods, taking the clothes from me and putting them back on hangers, then hanging them over my bedroom door. Putting a tank top on, and slipping into pajama pants and an old t-shirt, I go and grab some Febreeze.

"What are you..." she starts, as I start lightly spraying the clothes. 

"Well, for one, I know I was a little sweaty, so I wanna get rid of that. Also, God only knows how long that's been in my closet." She shrugs and nods.

"Now that that's all settled," I say as I turn to her and set the bottle down on a nearby table. "What're we getting for dinner?" I finish with a smirk.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 8

word count - 2.7k warnings - discussion of ADHD, spoilers for The Dresden Files, cursing Summary: Lina gets lost…and a few statistics.

"Good morning, Penny!" I say cheerfully, sitting in a chair and setting my stuff down. 

Giving me a brilliant smile, she replies, "Well, good morning to you, too! Better night?" I nod as I set my bag down. 

"Much better. The guys' car got egged to oblivion, and had a note left saying that nobody wanted his 'rust-bucket'. But there was no lasting damage, other than to his ego, I guess. So, no more alarm, I'm betting!" I say, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Hey, you went to Starbucks and didn't tell me? And here, I thought we were friends..." Penny says with a fake pout. 

Taking another quick sip and smiling, I say, "I'll tell you like I told Derek. You can always take public transportation and get Starbucks to make up for it."

She has a look on her face like she's weighing her options, then after a second says, "Nope, I can just make a coffee run later if I want Starbucks that badly. Sorry, guess you and Reid are gonna have to brave the Metro together..." giving me a mischievous smile.

I grab a file and sit down while saying, "Oh no, whatever shall I do?" then snorting and laughing when I can't fake the dramatic seriousness any longer. Pulling out my headphones and MP3 player, I continue.

"OK, but for real, it's been...really nice having someone to talk to while riding public transportation. Haven't had that since I was back home." I say, looking at Penny, who just gives me a smile and a nod. Turning back around, I put my headphones on, start my music, and get to work.

After finishing the file, I quickly grab another, transcribing it as well. After that's done as well, I go to grab another, and my hand hits the empty box. Taking off a headphone, I look over at Penny and ask, "Did we go through them all already?"

Looking over at the table and then at me, she says, "Looks like it. You remember where the boxes are?" 

I nod, saying, "I think so. I know it's in the file storage room. I should be able to find it easily enough."

I pause my music and take off my headphones as Penny says over her shoulder, "OK, see you in a bit then, Lina!" I straighten my back as I head off in search of the file room. As I make my way out, I go down a hallway, searching the doors.

Still searching, I start going down another hallway. Just as I get to a part that I think is familiar, I come upon the next hallway and realize I'm going the wrong way. "Shit," I mutter under my breath. "Leave it to me to get lost..." I start walking back and am about to turn up a different hallway when I hear a voice behind me.

"H-hey, you need help finding something?" I hear Spencer say as I whirl around to look at him, folder in his hand. 

Flushing with embarrassment, I say, "I, um, yeah. Penny and I need more files to work on, and I said I'd go to the file room to get them, but I, uh, seem to have gotten turned around..." 

"Oh, um, I-I can take you there, if you want..." he says, gesturing down the hallway I first came down. 

Giving him a sheepish grin, I splutter out, "Oh my God, could you?! Thank you, Spence!" 

As we walk down a hallway, he says, "Um, yo-you're welcome. I was on my way to file this, I just got done with it." 

I notice that as we walk, it's near the room Penny and I are in, so I start to mutter under my breath to emblazon it into my memory. "OK, so, out..."

Then we turn up into the hallway that goes past the office. "Out, then right..." I mumble. Spencer looks at me, and I flush again, flustered, and explain, "Just...trying to make sure I remember this time." He nods, and we continue.

As we get to the end of the hallway, we make another right and he opens the first door on the right, and I can see the boxes of files. "So, out, right, right, first door on the right. Well, now I sure feel stupid..." I say to myself.

I turn to Spencer and say, "Thanks, Doc. I feel like an idiot that it was that easy to get to, but I should be able to remember it now." I walk in and grab a box, and he puts his folder in a box labeled '2006'. 

"Oh, uh, you're welcome. To be honest, my first few weeks, I kept getting mixed up til I saw a blueprint of the office, so, um, I don't-I don't think you're stupid for getting lost your first week." Spencer stammers out, flushing slightly.

Looking down with a small grin, I say softly, "Well, still. Thank you, Spencer. I appreciate you showing me the way. It might not be a bad idea to bring a small notepad, so I can write things down that I need to remember..."

I shrug and say with a chuckle, "Well, I guess that's just what I've got to deal with. My CPU's pretty great, but my RAM leaves something to be desired!" I stop laughing and look at Spencer, who is just giving me a bit of a blank look.

"Hmm, ok, so, essentially, I can think pretty fast, but I can't remember stuff unless I make a decent effort," I explain. "Does that...did I explain it ok?" I say, looking at Spencer nervously as we walk back slowly. 

He flushes and nods, quietly saying, "You have...difficulty remembering things?" 

I take a deep breath and say, "Not...exactly."

"I...more have difficulty paying attention. I...I have ADHD, Spencer. I'm good with it most of the time, but stress and new things kinda...exacerbate things..." I say softly, looking down. 

"Oh," Spencer says. Then he smiles and continues.

"Oh! I've read about that! There's inattentive, hyperactive, and combined. I'm guessing that because you said 'ADHD' instead of 'ADD', you have either hyperactive or combined type, correct?" 

I grin and say, "Oh, um, I have the combined type, you're right. It's...kind of nice to meet someone I'm not related to that's heard of it..."

He takes a breath, then stops himself, flushing and saying, "I'm-I'm guessing you don't want to hear about the statistics about ADHD then..." 

I chuckle and say, "Ah, in this instance, no, I think I know a good bit. Way more boys are diagnosed with it than girls are."

He nods and blurts out, "13 percent vs 4.2 percent." He flushes again, then says quietly, "Sorry..." 

I giggle. "That's ok, Spence. It's cu-...I mean, um, it's-it's nice to know other people enjoy learning about different things as well." I say, quickly re-wording things so I don't make a total fool of myself.

He gives me a shy smile, then looks up and says, "I think this is where I leave you for now. I'll, um, still see you for lunch?" 

Giving him a giant smile, I say, "You bet, Doc! See you for lunch!" He starts to walk away, still giving me a small smile and holding his hand up in a wave.

Penny turns to me when I put the box down on the table, raising her eyebrows and saying, "That...took a bit longer than expected." 

I grimace and say, "Yeah, sorry. I-I got a little lost. I guess I wasn't paying attention the first time you showed me, sorry Pen."

"Well, you seem to have found your way, so, no harm, no foul, I say..." she continues, putting the file she just finished into the previous box and putting the lid on it. 

I bite my lip and say, "I-yeah, kinda. Spencer helped me, actually..." 

She slides her chair to me and leans her elbows on the table, putting her face in her hands while saying, "OK, spill."

I giggle, saying, "I-there's...not much to say. I got lost, he helped me, we started talking, and boom, I'm back..." 

She raises her eyebrows and says, "'Boom', huh?" 

I snort and say, "Yeah, 'boom'. Not much to it, Pen. Honest."

"Mmmm-hmmm, sure..." she hums, standing up and picking up the box she just closed.

I take the lid off the box I just brought, grab a folder, and say, "What, you taking that one back?"

She nods and says teasingly, "Yeah, I'll put it away, then 'boom', I'll be back..." 

I scrunch my nose and smile, then say, "Uh-huh, yeah, 'boom', I got it, Penny." Then she and I both laugh, her heading out, still laughing a bit.

After sitting down and setting the folder down on the desk I'm using, I readjust my headphones while I hit 'play' on my mp3 player, and begin to type away.

After about 5 minutes, Penny walks back in, grabs a folder, sits down, and starts to type.

We work for another hour or so, til I look up at the clock and notice it's close to lunchtime. I finish up the report I'm on, then stop my music and take off my headphones, putting the devices on the table.

Penny looks up at me as I stand up, asking, "Lunch with the good doctor?" I nod, placing the folder I finished up into the 'done' pile. 

"He's gonna be finishing the series I've been re-reading, so I guess we'll be on the same page then, so to speak," I say.

"Usually, the way to a man's heart is with food, but I guess every man is different," Penny says, smirking. 

Grinning, I agree, "Yeah, for some, books and coffee work. Well, here's hoping it will, at least." I finish with a chuckle, crossing my fingers for luck.

Penny's eyes flick to behind me, and I turn around to see Spencer at the door. He gives me a tight, nervous smile, and says, "Uh, h-hi. You ready?" I nod and grab my purse, turning to Penny and waving.

"See you when you get back, Lina," she says, spinning back around and getting back to the folder she's working on. 

Walking with Spencer, I ask him, "So, did Derek give you any more grief on having gotten coffee before work?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, he flushed and answered, "Er, well, n-not about that, no. Well, not much, at least. He kept teasing me about the nickname you gave me, though..." I grimace and apologize.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that Spence..." I start, but he holds up his hand and shakes his head while laughing. 

"Don't be. He stopped after I said that maybe he was just jealous that you were better at coming up with nicknames than he was," causing a smile to bloom on my face.

He winces and says, "Um, that said, I'm sorry in advance for his, ah, added fervor at trying to find one for you." 

I snorted and said, "It's ok, Doc. I think I can handle it." 

His mouth twitches into a half-smile, and he says, "Well, I figured I'd warn you. He...doesn't give up easily."

As we get our lunch and sit down, we both get our books out. After I give Spencer a quick look and a smile, I start on my book, and he starts on his. After a chapter or two of reading mine, he closes the book and slides it over to me.

As I go to grab it to put it into my bag, my fingers brush Spencer's. I look up and see Spencer flushed, and he quickly pulls his hand away, and I joke, "I swear, I've washed my hands recently..." 

"O-oh, um, he-here's your book..." he stammers out, bright red. He ducks his head down and starts on his lunch. 

"Sorry about that, Spence. You ok?" I say. 

I can barely hear him as he babbles out, "I, uh, I've been trying to get more used to physical contact, so you're fine, Lina. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable at all..."

A small smile unfurls on my face, and I softly say, "You didn't make me uncomfortable, Spence. If there's any way I can help you, though, please let me know, ok?" He just slowly smiles and nods at me, looking back down to finish his lunch.

After we've finished, I gather up the trash and stack our trays together. Spencer looks up at me and says, "I'm guessing I can't convince you to let me take it this time?" 

I shake my head and smile at him while saying, "Nope! Besides, you've got one last book to read, Doc."

After taking the trays to the trash can, I head back to the table, and upon sitting down, dig out my hand sanitizer and pour a healthy amount in my hand. Spencer looks up with a small smirk and says, "Using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content is best, second only to soap and water."

I look at the bottle, and say, "'70%' Yup, we're good!" I start rubbing my hands together thoroughly while muttering to myself, "How many cuts do I have on my hands? I guess I'm about to find out..."

Spencer starts laughing after I say that, causing me to grin at him. After waving my hands to dry them faster, I pick my book back up and read more. After another 2 or 3 chapters, Spencer closes the book and hands it to me.

Quirking an eyebrow, I ask him, "Well?" 

He clears his throat, looks at me, and says, "So, that...did not go the way I was expecting." 

I smile and say, "Oh, what, that Dresden has a half-brother?" He nods, and I continue.

"Yeah, I don't know if you have any siblings, but I'm an only child, and after reading that, I couldn't help but wonder what'd it be like to find out you have a sibling out there..." I trail off and look at him.

"I, uh, it...hasn't been common, but I've had those thoughts too. I'm, um, I'm also an only child," he says. 

I smile and crinkle my nose. "No way?! What are the odds of that?" I say. 

"About 1 in 5, give or take. The average percentage of only children in families across the world is approximately 20%, but this varies greatly by region, culture, and economic factors." Spencer says, giving me a tight smile.

I can't help but start giggling, saying incredulously, "Well, damn, Doc. Is there anything that you don't know about?" 

He gives me a sheepish grin and shrugs. He then looks up at the clock and says, "We-we should get back."

Walking back, I ask Spencer, "OK, so, we've gone over books, movies, and tv. What kind of music do you listen to?" 

He answers with, "O-oh, I, um, mostly listen to classical music." I nod and he asks, "What about you?"

"Oh, if it's got any kind of a beat, I'll probably listen to it. But I guess my most listened-to genres would be rock, pop, and electronica, in that order." I say with a small laugh. "I probably listen to too much music." I joke.

"Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. So, it's highly doubtful that you listen to it 'too much'." Spencer says with a small half-smile.

As we get to the point where we go our separate ways, I smile and ask, "Maybe. Oh, um, see you after work? For the ride home? I promise I won't run off ahead this time." 

His smile blooming into a full one, Spencer says, "Yeah, I'll see you then, Lina." 

Giving him a small wave, I head off back to Penny.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed masterlist

The story of a young tech who starts an internship at the BAU, the perks and perils she experiences, and the people she gets to know and love along the way.

Starts after Season 1 Episode 12 "What Fresh Hell" and goes from there.

Warnings - Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Cursing. More warnings as the story progresses.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 7

word count - 2.4k warnings - cursing, discussion of poor self-esteem

Summary: Lina gets a pep talk from her roommate, a coffee for Spencer, and (unsuccessfully) a new nickname from Derek.

After a full night's rest, I woke up on Thursday in a good mood. As I get ready for work, I hear Val pound on the door. "What?!" I say from the shower.

She barrels in, and says, "Sorry Lina, I gotta go!"

I scoff and say, "Fine...just...don't take too long, 'kay?"

"Yeah, yeah..." she says dismissively.

"Hey, how'd you sleep by the way?" I ask her.

"Oh, I slept great last night." she says, and I can practically hear her smirking.

"What'd you do? Did you find out whose car that was going off?" I asked, rinsing my hair.

"Oh, yeah. Along with the rest of the street. I don't think we're gonna have to worry about that happening again anytime soon..." she answers, finishing up and washing her hands.

"OK, no, but seriously, what did you do, Val?!" I ask, leaning my head out to look at her.

Still smirking, she says, "Me? I did nothing. I was about to bitch out whoever had the car, but I figured he had more to worry about, what with it having been egged, and a note on the hood that said, 'If someone wanted your rust bucket, it would be gone. NO ONE WANTS IT.'"

I start snorting at that, and she joins in cackling. Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around myself, I say, "Well, guess we don't have to worry about that alarm going off again..."

Noticing I'm alone and the door is left open, I stick my head out of the bathroom and yell, "Val, what the hell?!"

I hear her voice floating from the living room, saying, "What? You were getting out! Besides, it'll help get rid of the steam faster, so you can get all dolled up for your doctor friend."

Dammit, Val... Exiting the bathroom, I start picking out my clothes, and I tell her as nonchalantly as I can, "Oh, by the way, I got his number..." I hear a thump, and suddenly Val is next to me in my room, an ardent smile on her face.

"You're shittin' me," she says.

I shake my head and say, "Nope. Got it yesterday before we got on the Metro home."

Folding her arms and leaning against the door jamb, she asks, "So, didja text him yet?"

"Ah, no, not yet." I falter.

"So whatcha waiting for?" she continues, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"Well...I mean...I don't wanna...wake him...if he's not up yet..." I sputter out.

She hums and nods, then says, "So text him before you leave for work. You take the same train, right?" I nod, and she replies, "So, safe to say you'd be on a similar schedule?"

"I...yeah, probably?" I squeak.

She turns and walks closer, looking at the clothes I picked out.

"So, text him then. He'll be awake," she says.

Getting dressed, I say, "But...what...what do I say?!"

She scoffs and tells me, "Oh, come on, you're a smart woman, I'm sure you can think of something..." looking at me and wiggling her eyebrows.

Chewing my lip, I head into the bathroom to start on my hair. After gathering what I need, I turn around to see Val sitting on my bed, seemingly waiting for me to say something. "Shit, Val, am I being timed?" I spit out, pulling a smirk from her.

She feigns an innocent look and shakes her head. Sighing, I suggest, "I can see if he wants a coffee or something. Think that would work?"

"There're those brains kickin' into high gear!" she says cheerfully, bounding over to sit on the toilet while I do my hair and makeup.

I give her a sour look and start the hair dryer, earning another faux-innocent smile from her. As I work on my hair, she waits, looking at the various products I have gathered on the sink. Hair finally dry enough to run a straightener through, she asks, "How much shit do you need for your hair?"

I sigh carefully to keep from burning myself and say, "To have it the way I want it? A lot. There's stuff to tame the frizz, extra moisture because the heat can fry it, the serum to help it be straight, the spray to help keep it straight..."

"Doesn't it start to turn curly anyway by the end of the day? Why bother with all this shit to change it?" she says, setting a bottle back. Finishing with the straightener, I turn it off and unplug it, setting it aside to cool.

"Because I look better with straight hair," I say quietly, putting on eyeshadow.

"No, you think you look better with straight hair because that's what everyone else has. I've been telling you since, what, high school, that you shouldn't give a shit about what other people think?"

Steadying my hands, I put on my eyeliner. "That's easy for you to say, Vallie. You weren't the one who got picked on for being 'weird'." I say coolly.

She snorts and says, "No, but I do know that you aren't worthless, like those jackasses made you think."

"You should like yourself more. And that's all any more I'm gonna say about it because this is turning into a fuckin' after-school special. Embrace who you are, Lina!" she finishes with a bizarre wave of her hands. Closing up the eyeliner, I snort and look at her.

"I'll...I'll try, Vallie. Ooh, time?!" I say.

Looking at my phone, she says, "6:27. You still good? Know what you're gonna text, what was his name, oh, Spencer?"

Putting on mascara, I say through an open mouth, "Uh-huh. Gonna let him know I'm stopping to get coffee, would he like any."

Val gives a half-shrug and a head nod, saying, "Open-ended enough of a question. Yeah, that should work."

Finishing off with a tinted lip balm, I turn to her and ask, "How do I look?"

She gives me an 'ok' hand sign and says, "Not bad, not bad..."

Cleaning up my things from the counter, I say drily, "Gee, I don't know if I can handle such high praise, there, Val..."

Snorting, she swats me and says, "Alright, alright, get going. You've got to go to work."

I groan and walk out to get my shoes on. "Yeah...though it's not really that bad. Well, not yet, at least. I hope I can keep up when they get busy..." I say.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to see, huh?" Val says from the bathroom.

"Yeah, I guess so...hey, close the door, dammit!" I tell her playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. Have a good day at work, Lina," she says, then hearing the sound of her closing the door.

Smiling, I say to the door, "Thanks, Vallie. You too."

Putting on my coat, grabbing my purse, and shoving the last 2 books into it, I take a deep breath and pull my cell phone out. After a few minutes of walking and thinking, I type out a message to Spencer.

Hey, Doc. I'm stopping at Starbucks for some coffee, did you want any?

After reading and re-reading to be sure there are no typos, I then send it and start heading that way. I'm close enough that I can see the store when I feel my phone go off. I walk to the side and I check the message.

Good Morning, Lina. You don't have to get me coffee.

Frowning slightly, I quickly type back:

I know I don't have to, but I figured you might want some coffee that wasn't from work to start your day.

I debate on adding a winky face but decide against it. Don't know if he knows the meaning behind the emoticons, don't want him to think I'm making fun or anything... Going over it again, I then send it and continue walking towards Starbucks.

Walking inside and getting in line, I feel my phone go off again. Reading it, I can't help but smile this time.

Well, when you put it that way...I'll make sure to pay you back. I like my coffee pretty sweet, and I usually just get black coffee and add sugar to it. Thank you!

Snorting, I quickly send him another text.

Don't worry about paying me back. About how many sugar packs do you take in your coffee?

As the line moves forward, there's only one ahead of me when I feel my phone go off once again.

I don't usually measure, but I put a fair bit in, so maybe six?

Sending him a text letting him know what I'll get him, the barista asks me what I want. I tell him my order; one grande mocha, one venti black coffee. I give him my name, then stand to the side while they make the drinks.

Checking that I still have enough time to get to the metro, I tap my foot anxiously and take a deep breath, grabbing a handful of sugar packets and a stirrer. My name is called, and I rush to grab the drinks, saying a quick, "Thank you!" as I take off for the train.

Jogging to make it in time, I only stop when I make it to a bench, sitting down to catch my breath. About a minute later, the metro wheels up, stopping to let people on and off. I start searching for Spencer, finding him as I walk on.

I slide close to him, quietly saying, "Hey, Spencer. Good morning." He looks up, first at me and then at the coffee I hand him, slightly surprised.

He lets out an, "Oh, hang on..." and goes to reach into his satchel.

"Nope. Don't worry about it, Doc. Hopefully, I got you enough sugar." I say, carefully handing him the larger of the two cups, along with the handful of sugar packets and the stirrer.

"But..." he says, and I gently cut him off.

"I've seen how much coffee you drink at work, Spencer. Trust me, this one's for you." I say as he starts tapping the sugar into his coffee and stirring. As he slowly starts drinking it, I continue, "Though, it's probably a good idea if you eventually try to get more sleep. All that caffeine can't be good for you..." I tease slightly.

Flushing, he says, "Thank you. You didn't have to..."

I shrug and say, "Yeah, I know I didn't have to. It's just something I do for my friends." I take a drink of my coffee and smile at him. He smiles back shily, taking another drink.

"Alright! Are you ready for the last two books in this series til May?" I ask with a grin. He chuckles and nods, and I hand him the books, which he then puts in his satchel. As we sip our coffee and talk some more, I notice we're nearing our stop and signal that we want to exit.

"So, you're still in college, right?" Spencer asks me as we walk towards the work building.

"I...yeah, how'd you know?" I asked, slightly surprised.

He just gives me a tight grin and says, "Oh, I, uh, I overheard Garcia talking about it."

Raising my eyebrows and looking at him, I say, "Oh, yeah? What all did she say?"

He says, "Oh, I didn't hear much, other than you're in college working on your Ph. D. in psychology." I hum in acknowledgment.

"I'm actually just finishing up. I have my final exams the week after next. As long as I pass them, I'll be considered a graduate. I'll have to wait to get my physical diploma with everyone else, but for all intents and purposes, I'll be done." I tell him.

"Do you know what you'll do after that?" he asks.

I take a breath in and let it out, saying, "Honestly? Probably just work for a while, and get some experience working with people psychologically. I, um, already have a Ph. D. in Computer Science, that's how I was able to intern here."

"You already have a Ph. D.? How old are you, Lina?" he asks, as we enter the elevator.

"I'm 22...I'll be 23 in the summer, though. Hey, what about you, Doc? Aren't you, like, my age? I heard you have a bunch of degrees." I say.

"Oh, um, I'm-I'm 24, and I have Ph. D.s in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering, and B.A.s in Psychology and Sociology." he stammers.

Looking at him and raising my eyebrows, I reply jokingly, "Well, damn, now I know why you don't sleep..."

"I mean, that's not the only reason but..." he starts.

"I know, I'm joking, Spencer. Sorry. Just...wow, y'know? That's very, very impressive." I say quickly. The elevator doors open, and we walk onto our floor.

"You think so?" he asks sincerely, a small smile growing on his face.

I look at him incredulously and start to say, "Yes, Spencer, really. Hasn't anyone..." when our conversation is interrupted by Derek saying teasingly, "Oh, I see how it is. You make a Starbucks run without telling the rest of us."

Grinning, I tell him, "Well, I like to consider it consolation for enduring the hell that is public transportation. You wanna come ride the Metro with us, you can get Starbucks, too, Derek, how about that?"

Smiling and laughing as he walks over, he replies, "Ah, that's ok. I like my car too much for that, Cupcake." I stop and laugh, crinkling my nose and shaking my head.

"Not Cupcake either, gotcha," Derek says, as he turns to ask Spencer something.

"Oh, the Deleware one? Yeah, I'm almost done with mine...hey, Lina?" Spencer says, and I turn around when he calls my name.

"Yeah, Spence?" I ask, and he continues. "We, um, we still on for lunch today?"

Breaking out into a huge smile I say, "Yeah, still on for lunch. See you then, Doc."

As I turn back around and start to walk to Penelope's office, I hear Derek say, "'Doc', huh?"

"Shut up, Morgan..." I can hear Spencer grumble.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 6

word count - 3.3k warnings - slight bit of innuendo between Morgan and Garcia

Summary: Lina gets struck by (another) one of Cupid's arrows, and experiences the repartee between Morgan and Garcia.

Sitting back down, we work on more files, keeping busy til there's a knock outside the door. Penny spins around and says, "Junior G-man, how goes it?"

"Oh, um, hi Garcia. Is Lina..." Spencer starts.

"Oh, heya Spencer. I'm guessing it's lunchtime?" I say, pulling off my headphones.

He nods and says, "Yeah, if you still want to go."

I smile at him and look over at Penny, who shoos me away while saying, "Go, you two. I'll see you after, Lina?"

As I pick up my purse and stand, I say, "Yup. That you will, Penny." I turn to Spencer and say, "I'm ready when you are." As we walk, I ask him, "So, what exactly should I expect going out for the night with everyone?"

He gives me a tight smile and says, "Well, first time out? A lot of questions. I mean, a lot of questions."

I laugh lightly and say, "Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. I'm a relatively open book, and I can't say I'm too terribly interesting."

Spencer nods and says, "That's what most people think about themselves, but I've found that to not be true. I have yet to find someone who wasn't interesting in one way or another."

I look over at him, squinting my eyes as if to determine whether he's just saying that or if it's true, and saying, "Really?"

He gives me a soft smile and says, "Really." I hum in acknowledgment, and we make our way to the cafeteria.

After going through the line, getting our lunches, and finding a place to sit down, we both get situated and pull out our respective books. Reading and eating my lunch, I slowly make my way through the first several pages of Frankenstein.

Attention wavering, I can't help but look up every once in a while to steal a few glances at Spencer. After about the third time, his eyes flick up from the book and he asks, "You ok there?"

Startled and a little embarrassed at getting caught, I stammer out, "I-uh, y-yeah, sorry. I always have a little difficulty first getting into the older books. I eventually wind up getting hooked, there's just...I guess an adjustment period? On getting used to how it's written, I guess I let my mind wander a bit..."

He gives a wry smile as he looks over the book at me. "Yeah, the more modern ones try to make sure you're hooked within the first chapter or so." I nod in agreement, sighing. He sets the book down and starts his lunch.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your focus, too..." I start.

Spencer shakes his head. "You didn't, I'm done with that one," he says, sliding the book back to me.

I chuckle lightly, saying, "Yeah, still not used to that..." while smiling at him.

Giving me a very small smile in return, he asks, "What are you stuck on?" I put a bookmark in place, and continue my lunch.

"Oh, the letters. Got stuck with the beginning of Dracula, too. Didn't get stuck with Call of Cthulhu, though. I guess detailing a terrifying elder being gives the beginning part some 'oomph'." I say with a small laugh.

Spencer nods and says, "That's possible. There's also a substantial amount of time between when Frankenstein and Call of Cthulhu were written."

I raise my eyebrows and ask, "Oh, yeah? What, 19th century vs early 20th century?"

He nods and continues. "Frankenstein was first published in 1818, while Call of Cthulhu came out in 1928."

I shift forward in my seat and say, "Huh, I guess writing styles can really change in 110 years."

"Well, that, and the fact that both Frankenstein and Dracula are written in a genre known as epistolary could make it more difficult for some to get into the story," he says, continuing after he sees my confused look. "Epistolary stories are written as a series of letters or other ways of documented correspondence between the characters."

I nod and ask, "Oh. Was that, like, a really popular style of writing in the 19th century?"

"Actually, it was more popular in the 20th century, with more books published in that style than all the other books printed similarly in the previous years combined," he says, ending with a small frown. "S-sorry, you probably didn't want to know all that..." he says sheepishly, looking down at his tray.

"Um, but...I asked. I just didn't realize you knew so much about it. How do you know so much, Spencer?" I say, smiling at him when he looks up.

"I, um, I read. A lot," he says with a nervous smile.

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to realize just how much a lot is," I say with a small laugh. He starts laughing too, letting the mirth reach his eyes, with them crinkling as he laughs.

Oh my GOD, he really is adorable... I think to myself, quickly flushing at the thought. Co-worker, Lina, CO-WORKER! I mentally chastise myself. Spencer looks at me expectedly, waiting for...something.

"I'm so sorry, Spence, did you ask me something? I, ah, I got distracted, um, remembering something Penny said to me." I said quickly.

He raises his eyebrows and asks, "Oh, what did she say?"

I force a laugh and say, "Oh, you know just...some girl stuff..." praying he'll believe me.

"Oh, ok. Well, I asked you what other books you were thinking of sharing since you said there's only two more after this one in the series," he says, holding up 'Summer Knight'.

"Oh! Um, yeah, there are two other series I really enjoy. One's about a witch, named Rachel Morgan, and the other is about a guy who's known as Repairman Jack, only he fixes situations, not things. Those are also urban fantasy." I tell him, trying to temper my excitement.

"I, ah, I take it that's one of your favorite genres, hmm?" he says, a small smile on his face.

I blush and nod, adding, "Yeah...that obvious, huh?"

He smiles wider and says, "You know what you like, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I guess not..." I say quietly to myself, as we finish our lunches in relative silence. Setting aside his tray, Spencer pulls out the next book and starts reading. As I finish up, I slide his tray towards me, putting everything on one and placing the empty tray underneath the full one.

As I stand up and go to take the trays, Spencer quickly looks up, brows furrowed. "W-wait, what are you..." he starts.

I wave my hand at him and say, "I got this, relax, Doc." Leaving him there sputtering slightly, I throw our refuse away and put the trays in the spot for them to be taken back.

Sitting back down, Spencer looks at me and says, "You didn't have to do that, you know."

I smile and say, "I know. Habit, I guess."

"Well, thank you, just the same," he says quietly.

Pulling my book to me, I say softly, "You're welcome, Spencer."

The rest of our lunch break is spent reading our respective books, changing only when Spencer closes his and slides it back to me. Looking at the clock, I remark, "I guess it's about time for us to get back, huh?"

Standing up and nodding, Spencer says, "I'm afraid so."

Putting both books in my bag, I stand up as Spencer asks, "Ready?" I nod, and we make our way back to our respective work areas. "Oh, were you going to need any more coffee? I can check to make sure there's still some left..." Spencer starts.

I chuckle and say, "Nah, I'm pretty sure I have enough caffeine in my system to make it til I can get home. But, thank you." He gives me a tight smile, then goes quiet. In the hallway where we part, I turn to him and say, "So, see you for the ride home?"

"I, uh, y-yeah, I'll-I'll see you for the ride home," he says, snapping out of his thoughts.

I raise my eyebrows and ask him, "You ok there?"

"Oh, uh, y-yeah, I'm ok. I'll, uh, I'll see you later, Lina," he says, giving me another quick, tight smile.

"See you, Spence..." I say, watching him start to walk to his desk. I open the door and set my stuff back down. Confused, I sit down with a huff and spin to face Penny. "Hey, Pen, can I ask you something?"

She turns to me and says, "Speak and be heard, sweet cheeks. What's up?"

I take a breath and say, "OK, so. I've been having lunches with Spencer, right? And we've been riding the same train home, so we've been sitting and talking then." Penny nods at me, a grin forming on her face, and I continue. "So, sometimes, it's really, really easy to talk to him, we'll be joking and stuff. But then, sometimes, he just...closes off? Like...like I did or said something wrong?"

Penny hums and says, "Ah, yeah. He does that sometimes. It's not a 'you' thing, don't worry."

I chew my lip and say, "OK, so, what do I do?"

Penny shrugs, an apologetic look on her face, and says, "Just be gentle and patient with him, sweets. That's all you really can do." I look at her, and she continues. "He's still a little stuck in his shell, he's breakin' out of it, though. Trust me." I sigh and pull my stuff from my bag, putting it on the desk.

"I can understand that. Sorry, I guess I just...over-think things..."

She grins and says, "Yeah, well, working here, that'll help 'ya sometimes."

I snort and quip, "Great, who knew anxiety could make you an employee of the month somewhere?" Penny laughs, and I grab another folder, put on my headphones, and get to work.

After working through that and another folder after it, Penny got up and tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey, you need any more coffee? I'm gonna take a quick break, wanna come with?" Checking the time, I pause my music and take off my headphones.

"Yeah, I could use a quick stretch of the legs. Thanks, Pen." I say, rolling my shoulders. We walk to the kitchen area, talking while I keep moving around to release tension in my limbs. While in the kitchen, Penny makes a beeline to the cabinet, grabbing a cup and rummaging for a tea bag.

"Huh, there's tea, too. Cool." I say, mostly to myself.

Penny turns with a smile and says, "Yup! You want a cup?"

Smiling, I shake my head and say, "Nah, I'm good. But it's nice to know there's more than just coffee, though."

As Penny goes around the kitchen, making her tea, I lean against the wall and bend forward to stretch my back. Just then, Derek walks in, with Spencer following not far behind. "Keepin' limber there, little mama?" he says, starting another pot of coffee.

Flipping my hair away from my face so I can see, I say, "Yeah, I can only sit in the same position for so long before I gotta move." He chuckles and nods in agreement.

As I stand back up, Spencer says, "It's beneficial to get up and stretch while in the workplace. Staying in the same position all day not only creates muscle tension, but can also contribute to long-term health issues, such as neck, shoulder, and lower back pain, stress, and carpal tunnel syndrome."

Derek glances over at Penelope, who sips her tea and looks back at him, then they both stare at Spencer as he continues. "Ideally, it's recommended that a person has a break for 5-10 minutes for every hour spent at a workstation."

I raise my eyebrows and say, "Huh, I wonder how often anyone actually follows that?"

"Um, statistically, only about 11% of people do some form of stretching exercises, so..." Spencer says, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He looks over at Derek and Penelope, who are still staring. "What?" he asks, and Derek shakes his head, while Penny just shrugs and continues sipping her tea.

"So, how've you been doing, Baby Girl?" Derek says, turning to ask Penelope. "Haven't been able to see you much this week. You been avoiding me?" he teases.

Penelope smirks. "Of course not, Sugar. Just been showing Lina the ropes. She's a quick one, though, so unless you all get called to save the day somewhere, I think she's got the hang of it. Which means you, my big, handsome man, can stop by any time you'd like." Penelope says coyly, a big smile on her face.

I lean towards Spencer, and ask quietly, "So, are they dating, or...?"

"Not that I know of, that's just...Morgan and Garcia. That's their 'dynamic'." he says with a shrug, taking a sip of coffee.

Looking at him, I sigh and ask, "How do you get to sleep at night, Doc? Do you sleep?" Spencer looks from his coffee to me, sheepish half-grin, and shrugs.

"I...kinda? I don't really sleep much, so it doesn't bother me..."

I raise my eyebrows and ask, "Oh, you part of the Insomnia Brigade, too?"

He grins and says, "There's a name?"

I giggle and say, "Well, no, that's just what I call it. I've had trouble getting to sleep since I was a kid. I can never seem to turn off my brain."

"Really? Do you happen to know the cause?" he asks, taking another drink of his coffee.

"Ah, yeah, but, it's...kind of a long explanation, and I doubt you'd want to know that much about me..." I say, nervously chuckling.

"Um, maybe another time..." he says, as his eyes follow Penelope as she walks up to me.

"Ready to head back, Lina?" she says, then turns to Spencer. "Sorry, Boy Genius, gotta take her with me. I'm sure you guys can talk more later." Penelope tells him playfully as she starts making her way back.

Slowly following her, I say, "See you, Spence!", receiving a tight-lipped smile from him.

As I catch up with Penelope, she smirks at me, causing me to ask, "What?"

"Oh, nothing. You two looked like you were having an interesting conversation..." she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

I laugh and say, "Really? We were talking about insomnia, though."

Looking only slightly deflated, Penelope just gives an, "Oh. Well, looked like more than that from where I was sitting..."

I snort and tell her, "I suppose, but it wasn't that ground-breaking or anything..."

Settling back into our seats, we continue typing up reports until it's time to head home. Packing up our things, we make our way to the elevators, riding down and chatting. As we step out, we stand to the side as Penelope searches for the keys in her purse. As she pulls them out, the elevator opens again, and Derek walks out. "Where's Spencer?" I ask him.

"I think he already left, sorry, Pretty Girl," he says, laughing when he sees me scrunching up my face and frowning. "What, don't like that nickname?" he asks. I shake my head, and he sighs and says, "Alright, not that one. I will find one you'll like, though."

I laugh and say, "Yeah, sure. Just not that one, please." Then I head out to see if I can catch up with Spencer. I make it out of the building and am halfway down the sidewalk when I hear someone calling my name. I turn around to see Spencer running towards me, and I slow to a stop. When he makes his way to me, I say, "Derek said you already left, I was gonna try and catch up with you."

He shakes his head, saying, "I had to go back for this." holding up his satchel.

"Oh," I say feebly. "You like walking with me that much, huh?" I say teasingly. As he flushes, I quickly stammer out, "S-sorry, bad joke, I guess..."

He gets redder and blurts out, "No, no, I do. It's not often I can find someone who lets me finish a thought." I smile at him, and we start walking again. "So, um, I was hoping that, in that case, you'd wait for me, if that happened again?" he asks slowly. I look at him as he quickly adds, "And-and I'd wait for you. I-if that's ok, I mean."

Expression softening, I nod and say, "Yeah, that sounds good, Doc." A thought occurs, and in an unexpectedly bold move, I say to him, "Y'know, if you'd like to talk to me outside of work, I can give you my number, and we can text." Looking at him again, I add, "Or talk on the phone, if you'd really want to. But I'm gonna warn you now, I'm very bad at talking on the phone. Guess it's the computer nerd in me."

In what's quite possibly the longest 5 seconds of my life, I finally hear a quiet, "I'd like that..." from Spencer.

As we get to the station, we sit down, and I hand Spencer my phone. He looks up at me, and I say, "So you can put your number in. Then I can text you, and then you'll have my number." He nods, his fingers going over the buttons methodically. Handing me back my phone, I quickly add his name, then send him a text.

Hi, Spencer. It's me, Lina.

He jumps slightly after a few seconds, then pulls his phone out of his pocket and flips it open. "I take it you don't get many texts..." I say, chewing my lip.

He shakes his head and says, "No, can't say I do..."

I take a quick breath and say, "Well, um, as long as you're cool with it, I can text you now..." he just looks at me and nods. As the train pulls up, we find seats close together. While we wait for the rest of the passengers to board, I ask, "So, you like foreign films and horror movies. Anything else you like to watch?"

He nods again, saying, "I like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who, both the new and the old."

Eyebrows raising and a smile growing on my face, I say, "Oh, yeah? I like those, too. Are you excited for the new series of Doctor Who? I can't wait to see more of Ten and Rose, I wonder what kind of things they'll come across."

Spencer's eyes light up, and asks me, "Oh? Do you have a favorite Doctor?"

"I mean, other than the Christmas special, everything I've watched has been from the first series of New Who, so, until I see more from Ten, I guess Nine could count as my favorite?" I say with a half-shrug. Spencer nods and I ask, "Do you have a favorite?"

He gives me a small smile and says, "Um, yeah. The Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker."

I smile and say, "I hear he was fun, I hope I can eventually get the chance to watch some of the old stuff."

Spencer says, "I know some of his episodes are on DVD now. I don't have any, but if you know where to buy the discs, I think you'd like them."

I hum and say, "I might do that, thanks, Spence." I look out the window and pull for my stop. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Later, Doc." I say to Spencer as the train slows down.

"I-I'll see you, Lina!" he says, giving me a small wave as I step off the train. Giving him one back, I head home.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 5

word count - 2.1k warnings - cursing

Summary: Lina deals with car alarms and caffeine.

I'm jolted awake by a car horn blaring. I blearily check the time, noting it's 3:23 am. I jam my pillow over my head to block out the sound, which thankfully stops after a minute. I'm just about ready to snuggle in for more sleep when it starts up again. God dammit, these alarms are a pain in the ass. Where the hell is the car owner?! Just as I'm about to get up and see which car is going off, it stops again. It's blessedly silent for about 5 minutes when it starts up again. "Oh, fuck this, I'm going to Joe's!" I hear Val hiss outside my bedroom door.

"Lina, you want to come with me? It should be quiet, and I'm sure you can crash on Joe's couch until this asshole turns his car alarm off." Val says, poking her head into my room. I turn my lamp on and wave her away.

"No, you go ahead, I don't think I'll be able to get to sleep, even if it is quiet. Tell Joe I say 'hi'." I tell her, rubbing my eyes.

She shrugs and says, "Suit yourself. See you later." After a minute or two of hearing her rummage for her car keys, I hear the apartment door close, Val bitching about the alarm the whole time.

Horn still shrieking outside, I sigh and get out of bed, grabbing my glasses as I go. Might as well start on some coffee before I start getting ready for work. After setting up the coffee maker, I grab the next book in the series and put it in my purse. After a moment, I get a post-it note to put on my bookmark, writing the page number I'm on. As I wait for the coffee to finish brewing, I look through my other books, picking out the few classics I have that I know I want to read and placing one in my purse. I also grabbed the next two books in The Dresden Files and set it on my desk for tomorrow. Finally hearing the sound of the coffee finishing its percolating, I turn off the machine and grab myself a cup, pouring it in. After prepping it to drink, I take a sip and realize the alarm is silent.

Of fucking course, after I get coffee...jackass car owner... Grumbling to myself, I sit on my couch and flip through channels. As I sip my coffee, I check the time every once in a while. Once I'm done with my first cup, I make one more and start getting ready. Since I have more than enough time to get ready, I take a thorough shower. Once I get out and sip at my coffee, I blow-dry and straighten my hair, remarking at how much easier it stays straight. Huh, gonna have to remember that for later... Finishing my coffee, I figure I might as well eat breakfast at home for a change, making something decent instead of quick.

Halfway through eating, my phone alarm goes off. I sourly trudge back into the bathroom to turn it off and take it with me as I go back to finish breakfast. Cleaning up, I head into the bathroom to brush my teeth, before heading into my closet to find today's outfit. Quickly finding something cute and professional, I head back into the bathroom to put in my contacts and do my makeup. After making sure I don't look as sleep-deprived as I am, I slowly walk around and finish getting ready.

Checking the time again, I see I'm only about half an hour ahead of schedule now, so I head out and get the biggest cup of coffee Starbucks has to offer. Sipping a heavily sweetened Venti, I walk instead of running to the Metro for a change, taking in the scenery on the way. Sitting on an empty bench, I start on the book that I've brought, Frankenstein. After reading the first few pages, the train rolls up, and I board. I see Spencer sitting, reading his book. I tiredly say, "Hey, Doc-Spencer. Sorry."

He looks up and asks, "Hi, and sorry for what?"

I sigh and say, "I keep going to call you 'doctor', but every time I start to, I remember you'd rather be called by your name, instead of your title."

He gives me a small smile and says, "I don't mind. I mean, I've had worse nicknames. Besides, it's...different, but not...not a bad different."

I smile back and say, "Well, still. Oh, here, the next two books." and hand them to him.

"Oh, thanks..." he says, putting them in his bag. "Wait, aren't you reading the one currently?" he asks.

I hold up Frankenstein and tell him, "Got that covered for the time being."

"Oh! Speaking of," he starts, pulling a folded piece of paper from his bag and handing it to me. "I, uh, I-I made a list of some books. I-I remember you saying you wanted to read Frankenstein," as he gestures to the book in my hands. "And just...went from there. I tried to list books that would be in the same vein..."

Opening the paper, I look over the list. Holy shit, this guy does not half-ass things, does he? "I, uh, I-I also made sure to list the author, e-even for the-the obvious ones, just to, um, stay consistent..." he stammers out.

I grin and say, "This is...intensely thorough. I love it, thank you, Spencer."

He flushes and hesitantly says, "O-oh, um, y-you're welcome, Lina." Slipping both the paper and my book in my bag, I take a long drink from my coffee.

"Hey, uh, there's coffee at work, right?" I ask Spencer.

"Um, yeah. Why, didn't sleep?" he says, putting away the book he was reading.

"Not really. A car alarm kept going off, it was so bad, my roommate went to her boyfriend's to get more sleep..." I explained.

Spencer winces and nods. "Yeah, there's coffee. I can't say it's the best, but it has caffeine, so it does what it's supposed to..." he jokes. He signals for the train to stop and says, "Well, this is us." After the train stops, we exit and walk to the building, making small talk along the way.

After entering the building and stepping into the elevator, I take a drink of my coffee and turn to ask Spencer, "So, how was your night?"

"O-oh, um, q-quiet," he responds.

"That's good. Quiet evenings are the best, just...chill and do whatever. Read, watch something, just...exist." I say with a small smile. The doors ding open, and we walk together til we have to go our respective ways. "Hey, um, did you want to have lunch again? Maybe continue talking about books?" I ask Spencer, slightly nervous.

"I-y-yeah, see you at lunch!" he says, a little flustered. Grinning, I walk into Penelope's office and set my stuff down.

"You're sure in a good mood today. Did you have a nice night?" Penelope says, turning her chair around.

"Nope!" I say with a smile. "I'm going to be running on caffeine and spite today, buuuut I'm gonna be having lunch with Spencer again, so, uh, I'd say it's worth it." I finish with a long sip of my coffee.

She grins and says, "Making it a regular thing, huh? Nice work, Lina!"

I flush and sit down, saying, "Yeah, well, what can I say, I like talking to him. I guess he likes discussing books with me."

She gives a grin and turns back, quietly saying, "Yeah. Sure. Books..."

Grabbing a folder, my MP3 player, and headphones, I turn to her and ask, "Oh, um, is it ok, if after, like, one or two of these, I go get more coffee? I have a feeling I'm gonna need it..."

Penelope nods and says, "Yeah, sure. Let me know, and we can go get some together, 'kay?"

I smile at her and say, "Okay. Thanks, Penny!" and we get started on transcribing. As I make my way through the first case file, I finish my coffee, throwing the empty cup away.

Between the caffeine rushing through me and the music flowing into my ears, I make quick work of the task, finishing two folders by about 10 am. Pausing my music and standing up to do some stretching, Penny turns her head and says, "I'll be right there, give me, like, 5 minutes." I smile and nod, continuing to loosen my muscles and get the blood flowing again. Penelope stands up and says, "Ready?"

"Yup!" I chirp out, following her to the little kitchen area. Elle and JJ are there, and they greet us as we walk over.

"How are you doing, my lovelies?" Penny says, grabbing some coffee and leaning against the counter as I try to get my coffee. I fill a styrofoam cup and grab a few packs of sugar and a spoon. I start opening the packs and dumping them into the cup while stirring. I turn and stand over by Penny as I take a sip, making a face as I realize it's still too bitter. I head back to grab another packet or two of sugar and turn around to all three of them looking at me.

"What?" I say as I add the packets into my cup.

Elle asks, "Rough night?" I nod, and Penny pipes up, "Yeah, you mentioned that earlier. What happened?"

I shrug and explain, "Just...some asshole's car alarm kept going off at, like, 3:30 in the morning. I couldn't get back to sleep, hence, all the coffee..." They all nod in understanding. Derek comes over then, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I don't know what made him change his mind, but Reid asked me for a ride when we go to O'Keefe's this weekend," Derek said, drinking his coffee.

Penny lightly squealed, "Really?! How..." Then she looks over at me, a small dorky smile on my face, and she smiles and says, "I should have known. How'd you manage that, Lina?"

"M-me?! I didn't...ok, I may have said I'd probably make an idiot of myself while singing, and did he really want to miss something that ridiculous..." I said, face flushing.

"Ah-ah, I think someone's a little sweet on the doctor..." Elle says with a smile.

Freezing momentarily, I quickly shift my face to look as neutral as I can and say, "Well, if we're going to a place to socialize, why wouldn't I want to get to know as many co-workers at once while I can?"

Elle and JJ walk away, quietly laughing, and Derek says, "Nice try, Pretty Girl. You almost pulled it off."

I make a face and say, "I can't help if I'm that emotive, I have a horrible poker face..." I stop for a moment and a panicked look washes over me. "Um, y-you aren't gonna...say anything, are you?" I squeak out.

Derek gives me a gentle smile and says, "Nah. Doubt he'd believe me if I told him, anyway. Your secret's safe."

I give him a weak smile and say, "Thanks, Derek."

"You're welcome. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I better get back to work and also convince Reid to not bring a book with him when we go out this weekend..." Derek says, throwing his styrofoam cup away.

"Wait, what's wrong with bringing a book just in case?" I ask, semi-joking. Derek and Penny just look at each other and share a small laugh, then Derek walks back to his desk.

"And on that note, my dear," Penny says, throwing her cup away. "I believe that's our cue to head back as well."

I nod, finishing my coffee. I throw my cup away and spin around to walk back with Penny, and I nearly collide with Spencer. "Sorry!" I squeak, as he blurts out an "Excuse me!" I briefly glance at Penny, and she's trying to stifle a laugh.

"S-sorry about that." Spencer stammers out.

"I-yeah, sorry, Spence. Um, still see you at lunch?" I ask, slowly walking away.

"Y-yeah. I'll-I'll see you at lunch," he says, flushing slightly. I smile at him and rush to catch up with Penny.

"Oh my God, you two are adorable!" she lightly squeals. I blush and duck my head down, trying to keep up with Penny on the way back to the office.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 4

word count - 3.4k

warnings - cursing, discussion of alcohol, a few spoilers for The Dresden Files series of books

Summary: Lina learns more about Spencer and tries to convince him to join the team for a night out.

"...And that's how you fill out the reports. Do you have any questions, Lina?" Penelope finishes.

I open my mouth, stop and close it, then start. "Erm, not about the work, no."

With a wry smile on her face, Penelope hands me a few of the folders and says, "Ask and ye shall receive, my dear."

I clear my throat and shyly ask, "Um, I-I get the feeling there's more to Doctor Reid than what can be seen on the surface. What's his story? He doesn't look much older than me, how..."

Penelope nods and says, "I know what you're asking. What all did you want to know about him?"

I chew my lip nervously and say, "I-I dunno, just, like, the basic stuff? Stuff you guys already know? I get the feeling he doesn't really like to talk about himself, so, like, that stuff? Like, am I allowed to ask, or..."

"Ah, our dear Doctor Reid. Well, he's 24, he graduated from Las Vegas High School at the age of 12, and he holds Ph. D.s in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering, and B.A.s in Psychology and Sociology."

My jaw drops open, and I sputter out, "He did all of that in 12 years?! How did he find time to sleep? Actually, now I can believe he can read as fast as he says because there's no way he could do all of that in 12 years otherwise..."

Penelope smiles at me and says, "Yep, our boy's a certified genius. And he's really sweet, and I'm sure if you're patient and gentle with him, you'll be able to get to know him well."

I smile back and say, "I hope so. I think we could get along really well."

As I go and sit down to start transcribing the folders she gave me into the database, I say, "Oh, also, it's ok that I have lunch with him, right? Like, there's no time issues? When he first told me how fast he reads, I didn't believe him and asked if I would be able to see if he could actually read as fast as he said he could. So, I offered to buy him lunch in exchange for seeing this feat of intellect."

She raises her eyebrows and says, "Yeah, that's doable, but you're probably going to be bored watching."

I laugh and say, "Y'know, that's what he said? But I'm also going to ask him questions about the plot of the books I brought, to see if he really does remember everything he reads. For science, I said."

She smiles and says, "Yeah, that sounds like something he'd agree to, then. That'll be fine, I'm sure we'll be able to knock a few of these cases out before then."

I hold up my hand and cross my fingers while saying, "Here's hoping. Hey, is it ok if I listen to some music while I do that? It helps me focus, and I have headphones. I promise not to have it too loud, as well..."

Penelope waves her hand at me and says, "Go for it, if I need you, I'll tap on your shoulder, ok?"

Smiling, I pull out my MP3 player and headphones and say, "Thanks, Penny. I should be able to do this a little faster, then."

Once I finished with the folders she had given me, I turned to Penelope to ask if there were any more for me to do. "You weren't kidding when you said it helps you. Here, take these 2, I'll let you know when you can take your lunch and conduct your 'experiments'." She says with a smile that I return. I'm halfway through the second one when I feel a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, go take your lunch. And stretch a little, you've been hunched over for hours. Gotta get rid of that 'shrimp' look." Penny says playfully.

"Huh? Oh, right, all curled up, I gotcha." I reply with a laugh. Saving what I have filled out, then turning off my music and placing it and my headphones on the desk, I stretch to work out the kink I've developed in my neck. Grabbing my purse, I see it's about 5 til 12, and I slowly make my way to Spencer's desk. "Hey, Doc- Spencer. Did you still want to go to lunch, or..." I say timidly. He turns and looks at me, grabbing his bag as he stands up.

"Y-yeah, if you still wanted to..." he stammers slightly as we start walking to the cafeteria.

I chirp out "Yup! Are the books in your bag?"

He nods and starts, "You know, y-you don't have to buy me lunch, Lina..."

"I don't mind. To be honest, I was kind of afraid I wouldn't be able to make any friends when I came here. I mean, I get along with a lot of people, but they don't really seem to like to spend any more time than they have to with me." I say.

Spencer furrows his eyebrows and asks, "Well, why not? You seem to be nice, you're friendly."

I shrug and say, "Yeah, but I don't really follow the same stuff other people do. I 'don't go out enough', I 'read too much' and I'm 'interested in too much nerd' um, stuff, as my roommate says."

He gives a tight-lipped smile and says, "Oh, I know how that is. Morgan and Garcia are constantly trying to get me to go with them when the team goes out for drinks. I'd rather just stay at home and read or watch movies."

I chuckle and say, "Yeah. And the times when I do head out, Val is constantly trying to get me to drink. 'How can you have any fun if you don't loosen up and drink?'" He gives me a momentary blank look before I explain, "My roommate's name is Val." Spencer hums in acknowledgment.

As we get our lunches, I ask, "What kind of movies do you like to watch?"

"Um, mostly foreign films, but I also like horror movies," he replies. I pay for our food, and we go sit down at an empty table. "What about you?" he asks, setting his bag down to get the books out and placing them on the table.

"I'll watch pretty much anything, really, but I seem to gravitate towards sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy. I haven't seen any of the newer horror movies, but I have seen all of the old Universal ones. You know, Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein." I say.

I gesture to the books and say, "You can go ahead and read, I'll stop talking now." His hand hovers over the first book and he looks at me, unsure. "Seriously. Besides, we can talk about the books after you're done, I've been dying to talk to someone about them." He gives me a small smile and opens the first book. I eat my lunch as I watch him read, his fingers running down the pages, turning them every few seconds. Holy shit, dude wasn't lying, I think to myself. I glance up at his face as he reads, an intense look on it. He even looks cute while reading. Hmm, can't say that's a thought that I would have had before today...

I'm a little over halfway through my lunch when he closes the first book, sets it aside, and starts eating his lunch. I clear my throat and ask him, "OK if I ask you a few questions before you start the next one?" He nods as slowly takes a bite from his sandwich. "What is the main character's full name?" I ask.

He smirks and says, "Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden."

Grinning, I continue. "What is the significance of the skull?"

"It houses a spirit of intellect that goes by the name of Bob."

"And who does Dresden help with the case?" I ask.

"Karrin Murphy, who is an officer for the Chicago Police Department. She works in a division called Special Investigations, or SI, which handles cases if something unexplainable or supernatural is involved." he finishes.

Giving him a big smile, I say, "Holy hell, you were right. That is seriously impressive!" He smiles back at me as he slides the first book back to me. As we finish eating, I put the first book into my purse and grab the one I'm on to start reading, as he starts reading the second.

After I read another 3 chapters, he closes the book he's reading and slides it back to me, waiting for more questions. I put my bookmark in place, put the books in my purse, and ask, "OK, what being or beings is this one mostly about?"

He chuckles and says, "Werewolves, but I mean, with a title like 'Fool Moon', what else would it be?"

I laugh and say, "OK, I'll give you that one. What types of werewolves are mentioned?"

"Classic werewolves, lycanthropes, loup-garou, and hexenwolves," he replies.

"OK, final question: Who or what is Mister?" I ask.

"That's his cat." he finishes.

"So, what did you think of them?" I ask.

"A little slow to start, but it picked up in the second. I like it so far." Spencer says.

Gathering our trays, I say to him, "You know what this means, right?"

Puzzled, Spencer says, "N-no, what?"

Giant grin on my face, I tell him, "That means I've got more books for you to read!"

He laughs at this, then says, "I'm up for it if you are."

"Oh, absolutely! I haven't been able to talk to people about books since I lived with my parents! Well, not in person, at least. The internet's great, but sometimes, you just can't beat an in-person conversation, you know?" I tell him.

"I-y-yeah, I can understand that..." he says softly. We walk back towards the offices slowly, talking about other hobbies and interests we have. I'm psyched to find out he also likes Halloween, and he's thrilled that I enjoy chess.

"Hey, I guess I'll catch you after work?" I say to Spencer as we walk back to his desk, and I look at the clock.

"Uh, y-yeah, I'll see you later," he replies. I smile at him and head back to Penelope's office.

"Hey, there she is! So, how was your lunch?" Penny says as I walk in.

I smile and say, "Pretty good. I have a book buddy now. Haven't had an irl one since I lived at home with my parents."

She smiles at me and says, "Good! I don't know if you've guessed, but Reid could use more people to talk to." I nod and sit back down, about to start back on my work, when I turn and ask Penelope for a few more folders. She nods, handing me 4, and says, "At this rate, I'll have to go grab more for us before the end of the day!" I just smile and put my headphones back on, getting to typing.

After finishing the one from before lunch and breezing through the four that Penelope gave me, I pause my music and take off my headphones to stand up and stretch for a moment. Penelope looks up at me and says, "You're done? Give me a minute and I can show you where we get them, ok?" I nod, still stretching my limbs to get the blood flow back to normal. Once I'm done, she stands up and motions for me to follow her. As we walk to the storage room, Penelope says, "So, I know it's been two days and slow, but what do you think of the BAU so far?"

"I like it! Everyone's nice, and the job is something I can easily do. I just hope I can keep up when there's a case." I tell her.

"Well, fingers crossed that we don't get one til next week, I'm excited about the get-together at O'Keefe's this weekend," she says, doing so with her right hand.

"Oh, right. Who all will be there?" I ask.

"Well, I know Hotch won't be there, because he and his wife had a baby not long ago. I've asked Gideon, Elle, and JJ, and we talked about it with Morgan and Reid. Out of everyone asked, the only one that I don't know if they're going for sure is Reid." she explains.

I nod, trying to keep my face neutral, but something must have shown, because the next thing Penelope said was, "Hey, don't worry, I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve."

Surprised, I start, "But I didn't..."

Penelope rushes in with, "Oh, I know, but I also know that look. Gonna have to practice your poker face a little better if you work around profilers all day!"

I give a small laugh and say, "I-yeah, I suppose so, huh?" After getting another box of case files, we head back to the office, setting the box on a rare spot on the table not covered by tech.

Sitting back down, we get to work, inputting the information into the BAU's database. While I'm aided by music, we make it through half the box by the end of the day. Closing the last folder I've transcripted, I put it back in the box to be put back when we're done. I put my headphones and MP3 player back in my purse and start to stretch again as Penelope closes her folder and places it back in the box. "Ready to leave, hon?" she asks me, turning and grabbing her purse. I grab my own and nod.

Walking to the elevators, we're joined by Elle and JJ, who are in a conversation as they make their way to us. "Hey, Lina! Happy to be heading home?" JJ says with a smile.

I smile back and say, "A little. How about you?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Elle says with a laugh.

Penelope chimes in with, "I'll be really happy when we can go out this weekend!" All three of them laugh and agree, just as Derek and Spencer show up. "Isn't that right, Hot Stuff?" Penny says as she spots the men coming near us.

"What's that, Baby Girl?" Derek says, as the elevator doors open and we all enter.

Penelope smirks and says, "That going out this weekend will be really fun! Oh! And Lina, karaoke will be this weekend since you were wondering."

"Oh, cool, yeah, I'll be there, then. Um, I might need directions, though..." I start.

"Oh! I can give you a ride, did you want my number, and you can text me your address?" Penelope interjects.

"Oh, uh, yeah, here..." I say, handing her my phone.

As Penelope adds herself to my contacts list, JJ asks, "So, the usual time, right?"

Handing me back my phone, Penelope nods and says, "Yup! Does anyone else need a ride?"

JJ pipes up with, "No, Elle and I will head there together, and I think Gideon said he'll take his car."

"That just leaves you two. So?" Penelope says, looking between Derek and Spencer. As the elevator opens up, we exit and walk away slightly, keeping the path to the elevator clear for anyone else.

"Well, you know I'm up for it. How about you, Pretty Boy? You gonna come out with us for a change?" Derek says, turning to Spencer.

"I-I d-don't know..." Spencer starts, with JJ adding, "Aww, c'mon, Spence, it'll be fun!"

Turning to him, I smile and join in. "Yeah! It'll be fun!"

"Oooh, look out, Boy Genius! They're gangin' up on ya!" Penelope says with a laugh.

Spencer flushes and stammers out "M-maybe, I-I'll see you guys tomorrow..." and walks off.

I quickly text Penelope so she has my number and address, and then I check the clock and say, "Oh man, yeah, I gotta go, too. I'll text you as soon as I can, Penny! See you guys!" and I rush off in the same direction that Spencer went.

I make it about halfway to the station when I finally see Spencer, slowing from a run to a speed walk. As I catch up to him, he looks over at me, then back ahead and says, "I didn't take you for a runner, Lina."

Grinning, I say, "I'm not, really. I only started trying to get a little faster starting last year. It's helped increase my walking speed, too. Which comes in handy, since I have to take twice as many steps to keep up with 95% of the people I walk with, as I'm so short I might as well be labeled a Hobbit."

My last comment pulling a small smile to his face, I say to him, "Hey, um, I'm sorry about back there. I guess I couldn't resist the thought of having someone else on the 'non-drinking team' while out at a bar."

He goes silent for a minute, then says, "You really think it'd be fun?"

I nod and say, "I really do. Besides," I continue with a smile. "I'm someone who'll willingly go up onstage and make an idiot of themselves."

He looks at me and says, "I doubt you'd make an idiot of yourself."

"Hey, you don't know that for sure. I might sound like a...an asthmatic pterodactyl when I try to sing." I say jokingly, which gets a laugh from him. We walk into the station and sit on a bench, waiting for the train.

"What could that possibly even sound like, though? A...wheezing screech?" he says, still laughing.

I smile and say, "That'd be my bet. So come on, what do you say? Want to witness a ridiculous spectacle like that?"

He shakes his head a little and sighs, saying, "I-Alright, I'll-I'll come. I suppose I'll ask Morgan for a ride..." Quickly hiding that I'm grinning like an idiot, I dig in my purse for my fare.

As the Metro pulls in, I ask, "So, did you want me to bring the next two books in tomorrow?"

"I-yes, I would like that, if-if that's ok..." Spencer says, standing up and waiting for me so we can head onto the train.

"Awesome! Hopefully, I can remember to make a note of what page I left off on...though it probably doesn't matter, since it's a reread, after all..." I say, mostly to myself.

Standing up and following Spencer, we sit down and he asks, "So, have you read many of the classics, or do you mainly stick with contemporary books?"

"Um, I haven't read very many classics, I'm afraid. I haven't even read Frankenstein yet, which is a shame...um, that said I have read a few." I start counting them off on my fingers. "Let's see, there's Little Women, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Hobbit, Handmaid's Tale...there's a bunch I bought, but I just...haven't gotten around to reading them...I probably should, huh?"

Spencer gives a small smile and says, "'Should' isn't something that denotes enjoyment, I think. You 'should' only read what you want. However, depending on the themes you enjoy, and you want to read some of the classics that fall into those categories, I can suggest some...i-if you want..."

I give him a shy smile back, and say, "I'd like that, honestly. Knowing that there are so many that are considered 'classics' can be...kind of overwhelming. Well, I like science fiction and fantasy. And I know I like Edgar Allen Poe, even though I don't normally read any other poets."

"I can work with that. I can give you a list now if you want," he suggests.

I shake my head, telling him, "Ah, is there any way you can write it down? I, uh, it's...easier to have the info stick in my head if I can read it."

He nods and says, "I-I can do that, I'll have a list for you tomorrow."

I pull the signal for my stop and smile at him, saying, "Thank you, Spencer. I appreciate it. Well, see you tomorrow?" He nods and takes out a large book out of his bag. As the train slows down, I quip, "Ah, a bit of light reading for the rest of your ride?"

He chuckles and flushes slightly, then says, "Something like that. I'll see you tomorrow, Lina."

Still smiling, I disembark from the train and start walking home.

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