𝙰𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝙾𝚍𝚍𝚜 | 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚎𝚒𝚍

What to Offer

"Morning Sprinkles," Aitana heard just as she was crossing the bullpen. Because it wasn't Penelope greeting her with that senseless nickname but instead Morgan, Aitana came to a halt.

"I heard you and Penelope are like this—" Aitana raised her hand with her index finger and middle finger overlapping one another, "—but do you really have to use the same nickname with me now?"

Morgan smiled ever-so-innocently from Emily's desk. They'd been conversing when Aitana walked in. "What can I say? If I hear a good one, I'm going to use it. It makes sense, though, considering the uh..." He waved his pen over his face, referencing Aitana's freckles.

Aitana rolled her eyes. "Of course. I'm going to come up with a nickname for you, then."

"I'm excited to hear it!"

"Don't mind him," Emily shook her head. "Any new cases so far?"

Aitana raised a finger to look back and see if Penelope was in sight yet. "Not yet but Penelope and I are going over some potential ones right now."

"You settling in better now?" asked Morgan. "We heard that your office got a 'Garcia makeover'," he waved his hands in the air.

Aitana chuckled. "Yeah, nothing too over the top but...more personal. She's got style."

"That she does," Emily had to agree.

"I like it. It's helping." Aitana was touched when Penelope presented her with a box full of small adornments she didn't use for her own office. Aitana admitted many things weren't her style but she did grab a few fake succulents to sprinkle around the office. Her name plaques had also come in and were proudly hung that same day. She'd moved what was left of JJ's things to the corner of the office and filled the shelves with what Aitana would need for the day-to-day basis. She may have added a few little toys here and there from Penelope's box — a kitty may have made it through.

"We're glad that you're finding your place," Morgan said to her.

"Thanks," Aitana nodded.

"Morning Sprinkles!" she then heard Penelope's cheery greeting from behind.

With a smile, Aitana turned to meet the woman only to find Spencer beside her. "Morning..." she greeted curtly. The sudden change in her behavior was naturally noted by Morgan and Emily. "Penelope, whenever you're ready, I'll be in my office," Aitana said then looked at the pair of Agents with her, "See you."

"Okay, yeah..." Penelope's eyebrows knitted together as she, and the others, watched Aitana quickly make her way into her office. "Did I...did I say something?"

"No," Spencer mumbled and went to his desk. It was, admittedly, getting difficult to be around Aitana when the tension between them only got worse each day. A week had gone by and he hadn't been able to come up with a plausible story as to how he knew things about her without incriminating Penelope in the process. It was actually frustrating but more so towards the end of the day when he realized that yet another workday had gone by and he hadn't fixed anything.

"I've noticed the sudden switches for a few days now," Emily admitted and suddenly Morgan was realizing the same.

"Yeah, but she hasn't done that with me..." He waited for Emily to either agree or not in regards to herself.

"Oh! No, not with me!"

"Not with me either," Penelope said with a touch of a huff in her tone. She hadn't offended anyone! At least not on purpose.

"Guys, I don't think it really matters," Spencer said, hoping to ward them off. The last thing he needed was for them to stick their noses into a problem he was going to fix...because he was going to fix it. He just...needed a bit more time.