TWO. TRIVIA NIGHT, PART ONE

"COME ON, RHEA, YOU PROMISED YOU'D COME TO THIS ONE," Daisy Alvarez complained on the other end of the phone. Rhea chuckled, swaying back and forth on her desk chair. She was marking the current events homework, and she still had another twelve to go. Katie was lying on the floor reading, not having gone home yet. "I told everyone they'd finally get to see you again."

"I doubt a bunch of FBI agents are excited about hanging out with an elementary school teacher," Rhea's phone was pressed between her ear and her shoulder. She would have put the call on speaker, but Daisy had an unpredictable mouth and would likely end up cursing far too loudly.

"Please," Daisy was practically begging. Rhea already knew the answer she was going to give, but it was fun teasing her friend. How long had it been since they'd been together? A month, probably. Working for the FBI was a demanding job, and Rhea wasn't free that often with the extra work she'd been picking up at school. "We've been in Kansas all week and I need a break from all this murder shit."

"Fine," Rhea sighed as if it were an issue, but both she and Daisy knew it wasn't. "Can I bring Sam and Louisa?"

"The more the merrier!" Daisy chirped, quite happy to accommodate. "Okay, I gotta go. I'll text you the plans, alright? Love you!"

"Love you too," Rhea replied softly before hanging up. Putting her phone down, she turned her attention to Katie. "What time is Mark home tonight?"

Katie shrugged, not taking her eyes off the page. She had never really liked her foster father, so she never reacted when his name was mentioned. "What does...sil-who-etty mean?"

"Silhouette?" Rhea inquired, and Katie narrowed her eyes as she stared at the word, before nodding. "It's a dark shape in front of a bright light. Like this picture over here, see?"

She pushed herself on her chair and pointed at one of the inspirational quotes by the whiteboard. It was a silhouette of a young girl on the beach with a bright orange sunset behind her. Katie glanced over and nodded in understanding. "Ohhh, okay. Silhouette."

Rhea watched her for a moment. It wasn't uncommon for the girl to stay back so late - she felt more comfortable at school than she did at home. It was understandable; her foster parents weren't exactly the kindest, and they didn't appreciate her quirky personality. It was something Rhea knew all too well, but in reality there wasn't a whole lot she could do. "Katie, do you want a lift home?"

"It's okay, I can walk," Katie said, turning the page.

"It's getting too dark for that, kiddo," she said, looking outside and seeing dark clouds forming as the sun prepared to disappear for the day. She crossed her arms, growing a little more concerned as the minutes ticked by. "Katie, you don't usually stay this late. Is something going on at home?"

Katie shook her head a little too quickly. "No, everything's okay. I'll go home now if you want."

"Only if someone is picking you up," Rhea quirked an eyebrow knowingly. There was no fooling the woman - she was best friends with an FBI profiler. Katie faltered a little as she realised she wasn't going to get away with her lie. So, with an exhale, Rhea began packing up her things. "I'll drop you home, yeah? Have you got everything?"

"Yeah, it's all in my bag," Katie nodded. "Are you sure it's fine?"

"I don't mind," Rhea assured her. She'd given the kid a lift more than once on account of her not being picked up, and since she lived slightly out of zone, there wasn't a bus that went by her house. At the sight of Katie's unsure expression, Rhea paused. "What is it?"

"Do I annoy you, Miss Reeves?" her voice was so quiet that Rhea had to strain to hear her.

"Of course not," she insisted, twisting her chair. She held her arms out, offering an embrace. "Why would you think that?"

Katie rushed forward and buried her face in Rhea's shoulder, her tears wetting the fabric of her shirt. She didn't get hugs at home, and considering how her teacher was the closest thing to a maternal figure she had, she desperately needed the contact. "I don't know."

Rhea knew that was another lie. But, she also knew when to stop asking questions. "Katie, listen. You're not a burden, at all. You're one of the kindest and brightest students I've ever had. You could never annoy me, okay?"

Katie sniffled. "Okay."

Rhea grabbed a few tissues and handed them to the girl, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Let's get you home."

★☆

"I can't believe you made me come to this," Samuel muttered, adjusting his shirt as Rhea pulled him into the bar. The place was full of life considering it was only eight o'clock, and it took a little while to find Daisy and her coworkers in the sea of people. "Why doesn't Louisa have to be here?"

"Louisa's excuse was that she's old and wouldn't be able to hear the questions," Rhea had a firm grip on his arm, not wanting to let him wander off on his own. "Besides, her class didn't lose to a 'bunch of seven-year-olds' in capture the flag today."

"Touché," he hummed, before he spotted Daisy at the corner table. "There she is!"

Daisy was chatting away to the man beside her - Rhea recognised him as Aaron Hotchner. They'd been together for a few years now, through some of the hardest of times. At first Rhea was weary of the man who had wooed her best friend, though as time passed, she could see that he truly loved her, and she loved him back. "Daisy!"

Daisy whipped around at the sound of her name, and she gasped when she saw her best friend walking over. She jumped up and rushed towards Rhea, bringing her into a tight embrace. She also hugged Samuel despite not knowing him too well, though he wasn't complaining. As she stepped back, her hands rested around her swollen stomach. "I thought Louisa was coming?"

"She couldn't make it," Rhea replied with a smile as Daisy ushered them over.

"Rhea Reeves!" Derek Morgan wrapped his arms around the teacher, happy to see her again. "How're you doing, sweetheart?"

"Better now that I've seen you, hot stuff," Rhea grinned, patting his chiselled cheeks. It had been a long time since they'd last seen each other, but it felt like a moment hadn't passed. Their first few encounters had been interesting, to say the least. The first was the death of Daisy's younger sister, Beanie. The second; she had been drunk, he had been stroppy, and she told him he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. He thought it was funny, and they left early to see the newest Twilight film at the cinema down the road.

Derek laughed, before he moved onto Samuel (who had always been very intimidated by the man). The curly haired, bearded boy put on his most mature voice, yet Rhea could practically hear his heart thumping over the music and chatter in the bar.

Walking around the table and greeting Daisy's coworkers, Rhea dropped into the seat beside Penelope Garcia, who yanked her into a bear hug. The tech analyst smelled like peaches and dressed like a carnival, and it was almost humorous to think someone who shone as bright as her helped solved murders for a living. "God, I missed you. We bombed in the last trivia night, and that was because our two shining stars were too 'busy' to come."

Spencer Reid perked up from beside Samuel. "Hey, I had a cold!"

"And I had to save up for classroom decorations," Rhea shrugged, before she leaned over Samuel and grinned at Spencer. "Don't worry, Doc. We'll get 'em this time."

The Doctor smiled brightly at her words. He wasn't as close to the woman as Daisy, Derek or Penelope (all of whom made an effort to keep in contact with her), but he had always enjoyed her company. She, like him, was filled to the brim with insignificant facts and figures (which was the informal definition of trivia), and on the rare occasion when they had both been drinking, they would shoot silly pieces of information that left the rest of their friends wondering how they had any space left for their degrees.

"So, catch me up on your life, girl!" Penelope tugged at Rhea's arm while Samuel waved over a waiter for drinks. He ordered Rhea her favourite and himself a Fanta, as he was the designated driver that night. "What's new? Are you still with Hunter?"

Behind her, Samuel pulled a face of disgust at the mention of the evil ex-boyfriend. Rhea didn't have to look back to see his expression, and she didn't blame him. So, she just shook her head. "No, we broke up a few months ago."

"Aw, really?" Penelope tilted her head, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Why?"

Rhea faltered a little at the question, so Samuel leaned forward. Despite his lean build and average height, he was incredibly protective over his friend. "He didn't treat her right. She deserves a Prince Charming, and he was more of....a piece of shit that can go fuck himself into eternity."

Penelope's eyes widened in surprise at his filthy words, as did Spencer's, as he had been listening in. Rhea sent the agents a sheepish smile and sat back in her chair as the drinks Samuel ordered were placed in front of them. She watched as Samuel picked up his Fanta and took a long sip. "Did you know that the Nazis invented Fanta as a substitute for Coca-Cola?"

"It was because of the trade embargo that the United States established against Germany," Spencer piped up, immediately picking up on her discomfort. She looked over at him with a grateful smile. "It made the exporting of Coca-Cola ingredients difficult, so they used beet sugar, whey and fruit pomace instead."

Derek laughed from the other end of the table, catching their attention. He gestured to the two across from him. "And this is why we're gonna win tonight!"

★☆

sitting in the pizza hut parking lot updating this cause i prewrote chapters 1-3 and i want them OUT idc about making y'all wait let's GOOOO