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I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY part one, chapter twelve. under the streetlight —
NOVEMBER 21, 2005 - QUANTICO, VA
Sore was the word that came closest to what Molly was feeling. Physically and emotionally, she was so exhausted. Her stitches were slowly healing and the mental wounds were slowly beginning to scab over. She knew she wouldn't heal from what happened overnight. But that wouldn't stop her from trying her best to move on and pretend it didn't happen.
Nobody was surprised to see her in the office the Monday after Hotch told her she could come back. They all knew it would be a while before he wanted her back out in the field, but sitting at her desk had been a massive improvement than remaining in her apartment.
It had not been entirely terrible, though. She had gotten a handful of names out of Rachel, gone out to dinner with her family when they came to visit her, and rearranged the entirety of her kitchen... then spent the entire night changing it back to how it was because she couldn't stomach the change. And an extremely appreciated bonus was her extra time with Spencer.
At first, things between them had been quite awkward. Several apologies for the kiss they shared in the hotel room was only followed by another kiss... and another. Slowly, over the past month, they had grown quite comfortable in their relationship. While the discussion hadn't happened, it was clear their visions were the same.
Firstly, they did not want the team to know - about the kiss, the relationship, or anything. After work, Spencer lied about going to the library when he was truly going to Molly's house, where she often had dinner prepared - or takeout ordered. They'd sit, watch a movie, and talk until the sun set and Spencer was forced to drive home so he could get some sleep.
Other nights, Spencer would drive them to a park where they would sit beneath the stars eating ham & cheese sandwiches. Spencer would point out what constellations were what, and Molly would listen intently, despite already knowing them. She'd pull the singular woven blanket tighter around them, and he would try to hide the pink that had slid across his face.
Though time off had its extreme benefits, Molly was more than excited to get back to work.
Molly's presence in the BAU when she was cleared to go back into the field was not unnoticed. Hiding things from individuals who dedicated their life to studying human behavior probably wasn't the smartest idea. As Spencer would happily tell anyone who would listen, it is extremely difficult for people to mask their micro expressions, their mannerisms, the things they naturally felt. So it shouldn't have been a surprise that all eyes were on them, observing every exchange. Molly shouldn't have been surprised that they noticed every quiet giggle, every cheek turning red.
