Something New

Chapter Eight

Derek walks into the FBI field office, looking like he just walked through a hurricane, but a content smile permanently on his features. An unusual sight. He quickly makes his way through the station and enters the back rooms that his team had taken over. Everyone was there except for Vanessa, and they all look up at him when he walks in.

Derek stands, embarrassment about his appearance creeping upon him. When he finally risks eye contact with his team members, Ryan just shakes his head and goes back to the file he was reading. Maggie blushes a bit and looks away. Olivia is staring him down, a knowing smirk on her face. And Jake, he has the biggest grin on his face, as if he was trying to contain laughter and he wiggles his eyebrows at his boss. 

He clears his throat and everyone snaps back to what they were doing. Running a hand through his hair a few times and straightening out his clothes he joins his team at the table where enough papers to make up a forest of trees are sprawled out.

"Where's Lohan?" He asks, noticing her computer station has been abandoned.

"She wasn't kidding when she said we had been pulling all-nighters. I walked in this morning and she was asleep on her keyboard, so I sent her off to get some much needed and well-deserved rest." Olivia immediately responds. She may be sarcastic and at some points annoying, but Agent Prenton is loyal to a fault. She will jump to the defense of anyone she cares about without a second of hesitation. This, while being a very great tool, has also landed her in some trouble in years past. 

"But now before she got us all of this," Ryan cuts in, gesturing towards the papers across the tables.

"What am I looking at?" Derek asks, unable to focus on just one file.

"Friends, family, acquaintances of every one of our victims. She was going to cross-check for us but fell asleep, so we're doing it," Maggie says.

"So far we've got zip," Jake growls.

The files have been somewhat sorted, piles made based on each victim, and anything they find suspicious they make notes of. Any people's names they record. The few hours they are without their technical analyst, and they're going a little bit crazy. Before they know it, it's noon and Jake leaves to go get them all food. 

"We really need to tell Vanessa we appreciate her more," Olivia sighs. 

Even if she's rarely out in the field, the stockier, firey, redhead was an incredible asset to the team. Quite the character too. If she wasn't so damn good at what she does she probably would have lost her job long ago. They're lost without her, just like they would be if anyone else left. That's what makes a team a team. 

Years of training and practicing, looking out for and getting to know each other made Derek's team better than many other FBI teams out there. These people spent more time together than with anyone else, they had become family. Tight-knit and strong. You take on one of them, you take on all of them. 

When Jake returns with the food, Vanessa is with him. She looks a lot brighter and more refreshed than she had before catching up on her sleep. 

"Miss me?" She asks in her usual manner as she takes a seat in her rolling chair with her food.

"You have no idea," Derek says, getting a few chuckles from the people around him. After eating, they decide to get back to work

A week later, Meredith sits next to Derek on one of the couches in the FBI corner of the police station. It's nighttime after her shift ended. His arm is protectively around her, and every member of his team is in the room as well. All of the agents took a quick liking to the blonde, a sense of warmth and almost protectiveness lit the room when she was there. Meredith had been appearing here more often after their date last Monday.