𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄- 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐒. Similar to the last few nights, she'd woken up beside Rhiannon. For the first time in years, she felt a sense of closure after everything. She knew that the world was still full of monsters, however, she knew that the ones who had ruined her life could no longer hurt her. She was determined to do her best to track down more monsters and help her team put them away. 

"I have to go," Mallory grumbled, pushing Rhiannon's head away. The girl beside her groaned and tossed her leg over Mallory's hips to immobilize her. Although her offer was tempting, Mallory had a job and responsibilities. Hotch hated people who were late more than anything. Even if Mallory was in his good graces, he'd still give her a talking to if she wasn't there on time this morning. "I have a meeting with Hotch."

"Cancel it," Rhiannon sighed, pressing kisses to the side of her neck. Mallory let out a quiet groan, considering giving in for a moment. She let herself enjoy the feeling of Rhiannon being pressed up against her for about ten more seconds before she pulled away. "Tell him you're not feeling well."

"I can't," Mallory groaned, pulling away from Rhiannon. She felt a sudden coldness that wasn't there before, and she wanted nothing more than to get back in bed. "He said he had to speak with me, and that it was urgent."

"Urgent?" Rhiannon questioned, eyes wide open now. Mallory nodded, trying not to worry too much about it. She knew that Spencer or Derek wouldn't have said anything to him about what she'd done to Miles, but there was a part of her that wondered if Hotch had found out. She felt like she was in middle school again, being paged to the principals office. Hotch was an unpredictable man, and she didn't know what to expect when it came to him. "What's it about?"

"I don't know," Mallory retorted. "But I'm hoping to find out." She walked over to the corner of her bedroom and began setting down a change of clothes on the bed. She settled for a pair of black dress pants and a maroon blouse. Mallory grumbled something incoherent as she looked through her closet for the patent leather stilettos she liked to wear. She swore she'd seen them in here a few days ago, but her apartment was a mess and it was impossible to find anything. 

"What are you looking for?" Rhiannon questioned, sitting up in bed, covering her lower half with the bed sheet. 

"My black heels," Mallory sighed. She couldn't remember where she'd left them. 

"Didn't you leave them by the front door?" Rhiannon questioned. Mallory paused her frantic searching and tried to remember. Had she left them by the front door? She rose from the floor and walked toward the entrance to her apartment, sighing in relief when she caught the familiar sight of her favourite shoes. Mallory wasn't used to having very nice things, and these shoes were one of the first things she'd splurged on for herself once she was considered financially stable. 

"You're my hero!" Mallory shouted as she carried the shoes back into her bedroom. She'd slept in a little bit today, and her window of time for getting ready was limited thanks to Rhiannon's distractions this morning. She brushed her teeth and leaned over the counter, grimacing at the sight of her hair. She fluffed up her bangs and tried her hardest to make them look presentable, and pulled the rest of her hair back away from her face. "What are your plans for today?" She asked Rhiannon as she started to dress herself. 

"I have a meeting at two for a commission piece," she explained. "Alana wants me to meet her at eleven for a run," Rhiannon informed her. Mallory Hale snorted at the idea of Rhiannon running a marathon. She complained every time she had to climb the three flights of stairs to get to Mallory's apartment. 

"Are you sure you can keep up with her?" Mallory questioned, buttoning up her blouse. 

"Probably not," Rhiannon admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Spencer's forbidden from running with her anymore. Which means that she's been bothering me every day now."