Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 53

I've been sitting at my desk for the past ten minutes, waiting for Elle to pack up and go home. I'm hoping to stop her on the way out, and finally get a chance to talk to her. She's been distant these past few days and it's making me worried. We closed the case this morning and I've tried all day to get her alone.

I watch her work while I wait. Her head tilts down to the papers, her skin glowing in the golden light of the lamp. Every so often her hair will fall into her face and she'll brush it back with one hand. Her fingers tap her pencil against the desk when she pauses to think.

Finally, she closes the file and puts it on top of a large pile, setting the stack to the side. She grabs her leather jacket and purse, taking her keys out and heading for the door.

"Goodnight guys, I'll see you Monday," she calls as she walks past Morgan's desk. The boys say goodbye but I stand and follow her, my jacket already on.

"Elle, wait up." I jog up beside her. She stops at the elevator and presses the button once I reach her side.

"Hi," she greets me with a soft smile.

I return the grin. "Hey." I glance at the elevator, seeing it still has a few floors to go. "Can we talk?"

She looks at me cautiously before nodding. I wait for the elevator doors to slide open and follow her inside. She presses the button and as soon as it starts moving, I hit the emergency stop. There's a slight shudder in the box as the cables grind to a halt.

Elle smirks. "You couldn't have waited until the garage?"

"More private here," I shrug, smiling.

She turns so she's facing me. "What's up?"

"I was going to ask you that."

She casts her gaze down to the floor before taking a step closer, but she doesn't say anything.

I take her hands in mine, waiting for her to look up. "I know something's bothering you, Elle. Talk to me. Please." My voice is soft, my thumbs grazing the back of her palms.

She remains quiet. Elle doesn't open up easily. I know because I don't either. But we do for each other. That's how it always goes.

I wait patiently for her to say something. I keep her hands in mine, reminding her I'm here.

Finally, she opens her mouth to speak. "It's this whole thing with Hotch's brother."

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "That was a mistake, Elle. One that happened a long time ago."

"I know, I'm not mad that it happened. You didn't even know me then." She stops talking. She steps back, moving to pull her hands away.

I step into her, closing the distance as I put one hand on her waist, holding her there. With the other I reach towards her chin. I tip her head up so I can look into her eyes. Their beautiful deep brown brims with emotion.

"Elle," I whisper.

"I hate this, Carli. I hate hiding in elevators and bathrooms and locker rooms. And somehow everyone knows about some stupid one night stand before they know about us." Her voice turns bitter but is laced with defeat.

Understanding and sadness shows in my face. I want to help her, to take this pain away. But I don't know how. And it kills me.

I don't speak. Instead, I draw her into me, holding her close. My eyes shut tightly. I breathe her in as she sinks into my arms, dropping her weight onto me. Her arms wrap around my shoulders, squeezing hard.

We hold each other in the silence. It's all I can do for her.

Eventually, we force ourselves to step away. People will notice if the elevator doesn't move soon. My hands remain on her hips. "Spend the weekend with me," I offer. "We can talk, for real. We'll figure something out." I lean in close again. "I promise," I whisper against her lips.

She draws me in for a deep, passionate kiss. When she pulls away, every inch of me screams for more. Instead I step away and press the button, getting the elevator moving again. Her hand finds mine and I don't let go when the doors slide open.

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We lie in my bed, the sheets a mess around us. Her naked body rests on top of my own, our breathing still uneven. Her back is to my chest and we both face the ceiling. She crawled on top of me once we finished, relaxing into my embrace. One of my hands brushes across her stomach while the other rests on her naked breasts. My head is tucked beside hers and I kiss her neck gently every few minutes.

It's just after midnight on Saturday night. Part of me doesn't want to go to work on Monday. We really need a vacation.

Elle shifts on top of me and I wrap both my arms around her waist. She rests her hands on my forearms and her stomach rises and fall as she breathes.

"Carli," she mumbles.

"Mmm?" I murmur against her skin as my lips return to her neck.

"We should talk about work."

I kiss her for another moment before breaking away. "I know," I sigh.

We lie together quietly, both of us trying to come up with something. I think out loud, speaking softly in her ear. "We would need to tell Hotch first. Alone. We'd fill out all the forms, do whatever he says. And then Strauss would eventually put the pieces together."

"What if she tries to transfer one of us?" Elle grips my fingers tightly.

"Hotch won't let that happen."

"Are you sure?"

No, I'm not.

I correct myself. "The team won't let that happen. I know they won't."

She nods against my shoulder. "When?" she asks gently.

I return my lips to her neck and speak into her skin. "Whenever you want to."

She melts into my touch, her legs curling around mine. "Not yet."

"Then not yet, Baby," I whisper.

I would wait forever for you.

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a/n
stupid protocols just let them be happy 😡
let me be the first to say that Carli is completely whipped

and on a somewhat unrelated note: i stayed up wayyy too late last night making character aesthetics for Carli and Elle so if anyone's interested in seeing them let me know 😂😂

also 15000 reads!!!! holy crap tysm <3
that's all have a nice day
:)