LIKE A GIRL ｡ CRIMINAL MINDS

TEN

unedited and yes i was unsupervised writing this as well sns

TEN. THE ROAD TRIP, PART TWO

"WHAT ABOUT HER?" Daisy pointed at an older woman standing alone by the bar. She was tall and had long reddish hair with flecks of gray. Hotch followed where she directed him, curious to see the newest contestant. Before he could comment, the woman turned around and call over her grandson. Daisy's bright-eyes never faded at the sight. She was more immersed in her self-appointed task than the food in front of her. It wasn't much of a meal, just some curly fries that had long gone cold, but she'd replaced whatever was missing with alcohol. "Still an option."

"She's twice my age," Hotch was four beers deep, yet his voice was still blank and void of emotion. Despite the constant bickering, they'd managed to brush over the former awkward silences. Hotch had learned quite quickly that his new colleague didn't mind the quiet, but she could fill it if she wanted. She'd talked about movies and music, but was yet to talk about herself.

"I don't see a ring," she shrugged, watching the lady carefully. She smiled when they made eye contact, and, lifting her hand in a wave, Daisy beckoned her over.

Hotch's eyes widened, and he knocked his knee against hers. She didn't react. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Getting you laid," she replied without hesitation. Hotch grabbed her arm and pulled it down to the table as fast as he could, though the old woman had already made it over. Daisy greeted her graciously, despite being more than tipsy. "Evening, ma'am."

"Hello, you two," her smile was crooked, yet still filled with a timeless beauty. Daisy thought it was utterly entrancing. She'd always wondered what she'd look like when she got older; she'd always secretly hoped she'd look scary, like a witch. "Out on a date, are we?"

"Actually-" Daisy began, quite prepared to lay out her plan. However, Hotch beat her to it.

"Yes, we are," he muttered, lacing his hand with Daisy's. "I'm sorry about her, she has a tendency to make new friends wherever we go."

"Well, isn't that sweet," the woman chuckled softly. Daisy was mesmerised - it sounded like a tinkling of bells. "How long have you been together?"

Hotch looked at Daisy, squeezing her hand to elicit a response. Daisy blinked a couple of times, before she leaned towards the woman with a smile. "Too long, if you know what I mean."

The two women laughed, and Hotch tried his best to resist the urge to roll his eyes. The older one looked over at him once more. "He's a good looking one, though."

Daisy glanced over at Hotch. He stared back, tilting his head as if encouraging a response. There was the tiniest of smirks playing at his lips, and she could've sworn someone had turned the heating on inside the bar. She swallowed and straightened her shoulders, before reaching out and lightly slapping his cheek with her free hand. "Absolutely gorgeous. I guess I won in that department, huh?"