Ineffable - S.REID

21

・゜゜・．FOUR MONTHS LATER .・゜゜・

Over the months, Clara had not been allowed back into the field until the therapist cleared her for action. Which she had but Hotch was still reluctant to let her back in, figuring that Clara still needed to go over some things. She helped with cases sometimes, through phone calls or random emails from various people (barring Hotch who was completely against her having any sort of influence.) The BAU loved having her, and her mind, back in the circle of things too much to not ask for help when they became stuck. Clara hated being on her own for so long that she'd often end up sitting with Garcia in her office all day, just for someone to talk to on the days in which she did not have to share feelings with a therapist. Garcia loved the company and the baked treats she always brought with her in the morning, the homemade cookies were her absolute favourite so naturally Clara made them more often.

On the days in which she had therapy, she often found herself hanging out with Garcia after work (sometimes JJ and Prentiss would join them if they weren't on a case.) She would spend time with Spencer on his lunch breaks, the two of them often heading out for walks to build up his leg muscles again or just simply out for coffee. Hotch could not protest her presence in the office but there were many arguments about her helping with cases, which she always denied had ever occurred.

On one of their after work trips, the two women had finally visited an art gallery as promised months ago. So when she managed to secure tickets to an opening event, Garcia was her first call since she had loved the last one. The event happened to be black tie too, giving them both a chance to dress up for once. Only when she asked, Garcia had to decline since she had pre planned an event with her current boyfriend. Clara obviously understood completely, meeting the parents wasn't something you could move without judgement.

"Why don't you ask Spencer," Garcia wondered aloud, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Clara did try to ignore what her response truly meant but the gnawing part of her brain that liked to decipher everything and figure out true meanings, just could not leave it alone.

She sighed softly, attention focused towards the computer screen ignorant of her and the various crime scene photos she had been looking through for the past hour and a half. "Your tone is not appreciated."

"What tone?" Penelope questioned, grin so clear and prominent that Clara didn't need to look to know of its existence.

She chuckled softly, the sarcasm within it rather noticeable, then shrugged as she zoomed into a particular picture. "I doubt he'd want to go after getting back from a case."

"He would do anything for you," she muttered under her breath without conscious thought to prevent her from doing so.

Clara frowned, fully turning towards her in her spinny chair as she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Penelope hesitated and glanced towards her screen, double checking that she had no phone calls coming through before getting into this discussion. She quickly decided to just come out with it. After seeing the two of them fixed in this back and forth of gestures that were far too personal to just be considered something best friends would do for each other. She witnessed the gazes, saw the blushing when they did not and most of all she had the words that Spencer had spoken to her before Clara returned floating around in her mind. She just wanted them to get to it, stop messing around and finally divulge the deeper thoughts to each other. She wanted to see her best friend happy most of all and he seemed to be a key part of that ideal. "Come on, don't act oblivious. You know he's in love with you."

Clara stammered, taken aback by her response and all the thoughts that slammed into her mind at the mere mention of such an emotion. "I- I mean, I don't exactly know it..."