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secrets
Aya spent the next week on eggshells around the team, avoiding all requests from Penelope for a girls' night and stopped going to Spencer's to check on him, but no one dared ask why she was so desperate to steer clear of Spencer Reid.
Aya was sitting in her office, at her desk, iced coffee in one hand as she stared at the picture of her and Sophia framed on her desk. Aya's eyes flicked to a picture of her and Dan, as she got lost in her thoughts.
"How do you know that?"
"I have an eidetic memory and your family is in the news all the time," Spencer replied. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm not allowed. Strauss has given very explicit instruction that no one is to know about the --" Aya trailed off.
Spencer gave a half-frown. "You could have told me."
"Actually, Spence. I would have lost my job and Dan would -- or I guess, will -- need to debrief you."
"Dan?"
Aya looked up at Spencer. "Can we pretend this never happened, Spence? Please?"
"What are you talking about? No!"
"You realize if we don't, I have to tell Strauss. Hotchner. My grandmother."
"And?"
"Spencer, I could be transferred out of the BAU."
"They wouldn't do that."
"You can't know that!"
Aya jumped at Emily's gentle knock on her door.
"You okay, kid?"
Aya sat up quickly and nodded. "Just thinking."
Emily moved to sit in the chair in front of Aya's desk. "What's wrong? You've stopped going Reid's and you've distanced yourself completely from the team. And I know Sophia moved out, so you can't say you're spending time with her."
Aya gave a half-smile. "Honestly, I'm fine. Just overwhelmed. New city, no friends that don't work for the government."
"What about the guy you text all the time? Ben?"
"Dan," Aya corrected. "He works for the government, just in a different capacity."
Emily waited for her to go on, but Aya didn't continue.
"Aya, come out to the bar with Penelope, JJ, and I tonight. Will is watching Henry. You have no excuse."
Aya fiddled with her thumbs. "Can Dan come?"
"Are you sure you aren't dating?" Emily teased.
Aya rolled her eyes. "He's definitely not into me."
"I wouldn't be so sure. You guys spend a lot of time together. Even rivaling that of you and Spencer."
Aya laughed, ignoring the jolt of pain to her heart at Spencer's name. "I promise. I'm not Dan's type. I'm lacking some... parts."
Emily's mouth was shaped in an "o" as Aya's subtle hints were understood.
JJ came and knocked on the door. "What are you ladies talking about?"
"Dan and Aya are coming out with us tonight!" Emily exclaimed.
A cheer was heard from JJ's other side, where Penelope was standing.
Aya grinned. "Wait till Dan hears about this."
Emily, JJ, and Penelope stayed in Aya's office to finalize when and where the five of them would be meeting before they left the forensic scientist to do her work.
Aya immediately dialed Dan's number.
"Your most royal highness," Dan's voice teased in a posh voice.
"Dan, I'm pretty sure that's treason and you could be decapitated for that," Aya said seriously, her smile trying not to break through her tone.
Dan laughed. "Like you'd let anyone hurt me."
"Yeah, yeah," the crown Princess replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, we're going out with the girls from work."
"Are they going to try to insinuate we're dating the entire time again? Or have you finally told them you lack the equipment to be my type?"
Aya laughed, loudly, drawing eyes from the bullpen. "I told them. Will you pick me up after work?"
"Yes, my liege."
"Oh, and Dan --?"
"Yes, I will pick up another iced coffee for you. Do you want one now too?"
Aya smiled. "Yes, please."
"Be there in fifteen minutes."
There were a few beeps and Aya focused on finalizing her analysis of the pig feces from Canada, finishing a few touches on the report, before printing it. She was glad to finally be done with the human-eating pigs. As Aya picked the report off her printer and stapled it, she saw Dan walk through the doors of the BAU with an iced coffee in hand.
Aya quickly moved from her office to Hotchner's and dropped it on his desk. He was still out of office recovering from Foyet's attack but still expected all paperwork to be done. Which meant Aya had a lot of analysis reports to send to him to be forwarded to the respective local courts.
Dan met her in her office. "Here you go, my princess."
Aya smiled and took a sip. "Heavenly. Thank you."
"Your grandmother would be furious if she knew how much ice coffee you consume."
Aya stuck her tongue out at her friend. "At least it's not iced tea."
They both laughed. It was no secret that the Otharian queen found that American "iced tea" was an atrocity. She had tried it once on a trip to the States and had decided to never order it ever again.
"Imagine if she knew about sweet tea."
Morgan knocked on Aya's office door. "What are you guys laughing about?"
Derek gave an awkward nod. "Let me know if you do."
Dan chose this moment to stand. "I'll pick you up at five, principessa." He kissed Aya on the cheek and ducked out of her office, Derek right behind him.
So she sat down and got to work, mentally preparing for a night of Spencer related questions.
