THERE SHE GOES . . . ━︎ criminal minds

seven . . .

NO EPISODE, original chapter!

Grace chuckled dryly and shook her head as she put her empty mug into the kitchen sink, "I don't care if he's your brother, Teddy, I don't want him at the party!"

Grace had held a Halloween party every single year since her freshman year of college, when she was sixteen, and this year was no different. The only thing different about this year is that her and Teddy were arguing over whether Mike should be invited to the party or not. Teddy wanted to invite him because he was his brother and he always came to the parties, but Grace didn't agree.

Grace had broken up with Mike countless times over the last two months, after returning from L.A, but not once did he seem to get the hint. He kept coming back, calling her his girlfriend, sleeping in her bed. But Grace was over him always being right around the corner, just waiting to pounce. He wasn't a nice guy.

Teddy scoffed, "Come on, Grace, he's always here! It'll be weird if he's not." It was at this moment that Jeannie hurried into the kitchen, excitedly jumping around, "Guys, guys, guys! I just had the greatest idea! Instead of having the Halloween party here at the house, like we always do, why don't we have it at the bar?!"

Jeannie owned a bar in Washington, and it was kind of like a designated hangout spot whenever the three of them (plus some of the team) wanted to hang out and drink. It was cheaper for them because Jeannie never charged them for their drinks, so Grace definitely took advantage of that. Jeannie had said that she wanted to always let them get their drinks for free because Grace had bought the bar when she was just 19 - five years ago - as a gift for Jeannie after they finished college.

Grace gasped, excitement crossing her features, "That's a great idea! Why have we never done that before?! And now, 'cause Teddy wants to so badly, I guess we can invite Mike." Teddy smiled gratefully at his friend, giving her a look of thankfulness. If Grace had continued to refuse to invite Mike, then Teddy wouldn't have invited him, but Grace never wanted her friends to be unhappy, so that's why she did it.

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Grace had been making the rounds at work - every time she pretended to go to the toilet or get a coffee - asking everyone on their floor of the office if they wanted to go to the party. Teddy worked two floors below her, and she knew he would be doing the same thing down there.

So far, Anderson, JJ and Penelope had excitedly agreed to go - this was their second time going to one of Grace's Halloween parties, and last year was extremely fun, so this year would probably be even better, because they were much closer friends. After reassuring Elle that she would be able to drink at the party, Elle had agreed to go. To be kind (and by lying, telling them that it would be a classy establishment with nobody getting drunk), Grace had invited Hotch and Gideon. The former had politely declined, explaining that he needed to be with Haley, and Gideon had just bluntly said 'no'.

All Grace had to do was walk over to Morgan for him to agree to go to the party - Morgan never turned down a night at the bar with Grace, the pair of them could probably single-handedly drink the entire lot of party-goers under the table (which is, undeniably, not a good trait to have, but they were each other's drinking buddy, they went to the bar together weekly!)

Last year, Grace had tried to invite Spencer to the party, because she was told that he loved Halloween just as much as she did, but he had turned her down - parties weren't exactly his 'scene'. Still, she wanted to ask again. Just like she did every single time the team (plus Jeannie and Teddy) hung out at the bar, she asked him if he wanted to go. Grace hovered awkwardly beside Spencer's desk, hoping he would look up from his paperwork.