Chapter Ten
The Forbidden Fruits Taste the Sweetest
"Spencer...Spencer...Spencer Reid! WAKE UP!"
Spencer flew out of the comfort of his bed and onto the wood floor of his home.
"You are one sound sleeper," Melanie commented.
"When I want to be," he mumbled, rubbing his neck. "Why are you in my house...how did you get in? You didn't want a key."
"I picked the lock," the blonde girl smiled, showing him the dusty hair pin in her hand. It was mangled from use and the rust had worn off onto it. She bended it into shape, wiped it off, and stuck back into her hair to help hold it into the stiff pony tail it was constantly kept in.
Spencer sighed, continuing to rub his neck and kept his eyes closed.
"Do I dare ask why you are here?" he said in his high pitched voice.
"Because," said a familiar voice from another room as the BAU's technical analyst stepped into view. "We need your bathroom."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because!" Melanie held out the word, taking his hands and yanking him to his feet. "We're going to a ball!"
********************************************************
As Spencer once again stuck his head in through the bathroom door, he could only see Melanie Wilkes face contort into a grimace.
"Are you sure we can't go back to the house and get a prettier dress? This isn't one of the best I've stitched," she pouted.
"No. You may want it, but you can't be noticed."
"I'd rather be a raven than a robin," Melanie humphed. "Penny, I just...I want this. This rebellion I'm going through. It's been building up in me...who cares if anyone finds out I went?"
"You'll get in trouble, I'll get in trouble, Hotch will, Emily will, Rossi will, Derek will-"
"They are strong people. I will take the blame for this. I swear."
"Reid will."
Melanie's eyes burned a hole in the mirror, staring at her reflection. "Alright, Penny...but please blend in this foundation! I'm not tan and this does no favors the rest of my pale body!" the pair laughed. Garcia came toward Melanie to do as her friend asked, not before slamming the door with her high-heel to close it shut from prying eyes.
**********************************************************
"Look at you!" Emily said as Melanie waltzed up, her face glowing from the warmth of the candle-lit room. The blonde girl dropped to a curtsy, pulling her skirt out to her side.
The dress was a pretty silken gown, which flowed down Melanie in a bronze river. ("It's brown," Melanie sighed,"why on Earth did I make a brown dress?" "It's bronze," Penelope argued. "It's brown!") a little cloak concealed Melanie's bare shoulders. It was the same fabric of the dress, and it buttoned in the front. It lead up to a high, rounded collar, but not so high that is bumped her chin when she chose to hide her face.
Her gold hair was piled on her head in a little wrap-in bun. It looked darker because of the lighting, but that only made her seem more beautiful in the dark dress.
"You look gorgeous," Morgan said, bowing dramatically at the girl. Melanie blushed and thanked him. (Reid had said the same thing to Melanie, she only punched his arm and told him not to lie to her face again. (He saw her smile and knew she didn't mean it.))
"I am a product of Penelope Garcia, Queen of many-if not all-talents," Melanie said, hugging her friend. Penelope laughed.
A song began to play, and the group dispersed, JJ and Prentiss toward the bar, Morgan to dance with Penelope, and Melanie and Reid stood by a banister of the grand stair case.
Melanie hummed and Spencer wanted to ask her to dance, but felt to frightened. Melanie looked at Reid several times, asking him how he thought the room looked, about the music, even venturing so far as to ask him whether or not she should leave the cloak on or off her body. Reid answered she should probably keep it on, or get cold. Melanie frowned at him, and turned away. She had never been good at flirting, and she knew men like Reid couldn't take a hint, but golly! Reid just couldn't catch on.
Spencer kept wanting to ask Melly to dance, but couldn't find any courage. Soon, even there conversation began to lack. Melly felt cheated out of a ball when there was no man willing to dance with her. She even felt angry at Reid for not asking her to dance. She hated that feeling, but couldn't help but think that even as a friend, Spencer didn't want to touch her. She loved Spencer dearly, as she loved all her friends at the BAU, she even loved Phillip and Charlie in their own ways, but no one ever could love Melanie back. Her heart felt like it was breaking.
"SSA Wilkes?" a short pale man asked, coming up to her.
"Yes-" Melanie sniffed, then saw the visitor.
"SSA POTTER! OH-ehm, SSA Potter, sir. What are you doing here?"
"To dance, and I believe this is honestly the first time we've met. Please to meet you, Miss Wilkes."
"Oh, no sir! The pleasure is all mine!" Melanie fervently shook the hand of the old, short hand. "Spencer!" Melanie hissed,"Do you know who this is?!"
"SSA Potter of the...BIA? Right?"
"Yes," said Mr. Potter to the young BAU agent. "And you?" he asked.
"This is Dr. Reid of the BAU," Melanie cut in, again with a beaming smile.
"Well, the BAU certainly has some young ones," said the SSA agent with a smile. "And I hear very pretty young women. I've met Miss Jareau before, and I've heard great things about Miss Prentiss, and now upon seeing Miss Wilkes, Doctor, you must be overwhelmed!"
Reid blushed. "Er, yes..."
"Well, I've heard you married a very beautiful woman years ago. You have a son, do you not?" Melanie said, smiling.
Morgan walked up silently, Penelope behind him, both faces glowing from the exercise of dancing.
"Yes, actually, I married a woman from a reservation I was sent to. Tay was as sweet as can be. We have a son just about younger than you, Miss Wilkes. Johnny Potter. Maybe you've heard-"
"Johnny Potter the baseball player?" Morgan asked.
"The same," Mr. Potter replied smiling for his son. "You've heard of him?" he asked Melly.
"Er, yes. On the news..."she said, her face twisting.
"I take it wasn't good news," frowned the BIA agent.
Melanie frowned.
"I-"
"Father!" A tall boy came behind Mr. Potter, wrapping his arms his father's neck. They both smiled.
Melanie cocked an eyebrow at the BIA agent, and Mr. Potter nodded to her. He accepted.
"Who are your friends?" the boy asked, looking at the agents.
"These are SA Morgan, Garcia (?), Dr. Reid, and Melanie Wilkes."
The boy called Johnny went with a smile, shaking every one's hands. He got to Melanie, and she challengingly held out her hand, palm down. She cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head. He took the hand, and bowed over it, letting his lips touch her skin. He returned to full height, sarcastically cocking his eyebrows. Melanie's eyes narrowed.
"Miss Wilkes, I presume?" he said.
"The very same," she smiled.
"You look like your brother," he said.
"You know Charlie?" she asked, her angry pretense dropping. He laughed.
"Everyone in my circle knows Charles," he replied.
"...Hmph..." Melanie whispered, eyebrows pushed together.
"My names Johnny," he said, holding out one hand for Melly to shake, using the other to slick back his dark brown hair. Melanie sighed.
"So I've been told..." she mumbled.
Johnny continued to vie for Melanie's attention as the night went on, shocked that any girl could say no to him. Melanie, however, was quite enjoying herself. Not many men-okay, like, four in her life time, ever tried to play this game with her. Melanie took pride in the fact she had a boy interested-and at the fact she was able to keep him at arm's length.
It was late in the night and most agents had left. Mr. Potter even bid his 19 year old son good night early in the evening. It was only 11 o'clock, but Melanie was not used to staying up so late, and she grew more fatigued by the minute. Johnny watched her from across the room, as he had been for the past two hours. He had gone up to her almost 9 or more times, and each time she refused to act interested in the boy. Melanie enjoyed being able to put his ego into check. He hated it.
Melanie just sat on the steps of the staircase, Dr. Reid leaning against the banister, often making a comment to her, which she would respond to with a one worded answer. Johnny was getting bored just watching their conversation, and couldn't imagine how terrible it must be to take part in it.
"Look," Johnny said, no smirk on his face, his hands in his pockets," your too pretty and too smart to be sitting here on the steps, not dancing. Dance with me."
Melanie snorted,"I'd rather-"
"Hey, cut it," he said, looking at her stern. He was tired. He was bored. He was going to be damned if he didn't get one dance with her.
Melanie rose to her feet. "Give me one good reason why I should dance with you," she growled.
"I don't see you dancing with anyone else," he said.
Melanie looked at her feet, and sighed. "Tell me something else...is it just to screw with my brother?"
"No," he answered, honestly.
"Then why?"
"'Cause your damn hot, and your proud, and your the only girl who didn't ask to get in my pants tonight! Look...your something else, Melanie Wilkes, I can just tell. Show me that."
Melanie looked at the man who was in her face, and slowly, a smirk formed. She grabbed his hand tight as she said, loudly enough for Reid to hear, and Morgan and Penelope to hear 7 feet away,"Call me Melly."
***************************************************************
"Look at you!" Emily said.
Melanie's red eyes opened wide and she jumped a foot.
"Oh," she yawned,"it's you." Then she smiled dumbly at the wall.
"How long have you been here after-"
"I just came here after. I had a change of clothes in my car. Took a shower, slept in my office. It was easy."
"How late were you out with him?" Emily asked, poking her friend in the ribs.
"...Two...maybe three...we never left the...you know. Place."
"Yeah. You gonna see him again?"
"...Not outside of the spying his father has set me up to do."
Garcia frowned and Reid turned to hide his smile. "Why not?" protested Garcia,"You two hit it off-"
"And I'm engaged to be married. Plus, he and I? What's a more laughable concept! He was mean, and course, and unrefined! I need a man who gives much more. Like Phillip..."
"Yeah, he's Prince Charming..." Emily mumbled.
"And Johnny was?" Melanie retorted. "...Whatever..." Melanie growled, returning to the file in her hands. "Just...whatever..."
****************************************************************
"Goodnight, Melanie," Strauss said as she left, and Melanie waved goodbye to her aunt.
"SSA Wilkes?"
"Yes, Anderson?" Melanie smiled at the Tech Agent who walked in, and he smiled at the sweet girl. "There's a boy here for you."
"Oh...is it the Comte Dufour?"
"No, it is a boy with a guitar. Dark hair? He'd said you'd remember him from...er...last night."
"Oh," Melanie humphed. "God, Anderson, I assure nothing untoward happened...Just...gah...send him in, please. Thank you, Anderson."
"What are you doing here?!" the blonde agent screamed at her uninvited guest after Anderson closed them in the room together.
"I-I had to see you again, Melly."
"SSA Melanie Wilkes. Didn't your father in the FBI teach you anything about how to address agents? Goodness..."
"You look tired," Johnny whispered concerned. "Maybe you should sit-"
"Don't invite me to sit in my own-..." Melanie trailed off with an odd sense of deja vu. Melanie slowly lowered herself into the chair next to him. "Do you play?" she whispered uninterested, not looking at him.
"Yeah, I came to play...for you..."
"Oh, how nice," Melanie said with a emotionless smile.
"God, you are tired, Melly. I was going to..."
"Yes?" Melanie asked, finally looking at him with awareness.
"...My friends and I are doing this...drag race tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to go. ...It's a lot of fun, Melanie."
"...Johnny, I'm in a relationship-"
"And that's totally great, Mel. I just want to take you as a friend. Please?" He took Melanie's hands in his, and he smiled when Melanie shivered, then blushed.
"This is an attempt to gain my affection, though, is it not? Or is this just something to screw with Charlie or some other dumb thing, because if it is, I swear to God-"
"No, no, Melanie, I swear, it's not."
"...I've been made a fool before. If you make one of me, I will make you pay, Master Potter."
"...Master?"
"Dear God..."
"Was that...Johnny that just left with Melanie?"
"What other tan, dark-haired boy with a guitar could it be, Emily?" Garcia said.
"...I am really happy for her," Emily whispered.
"What? I don't understand," Reid said.
"...She's falling in love."
"In her own standards."
"She doesn't love him," Spencer huffed.
"...She will," Emily said. Spencer palled.
"If she falls in love with him, it will be the greatest mistake of her life!" he yelled.
"That's what love is," Garcia said.
"God, she's just a girl!"
"This is how she grows."
"It's too dangerous, I can't let her-"
"You will," Prentiss growled, outstretching an arm to stop him.
"What is that based on Emily? Your happiness for her or the fact that you got knocked up and you just want her perfect life to have that same horrid out look? Huh?" Reid stopped. "God...Emily...I didn't-"
"I know, Reid. It's okay. But, don't go after her. She has to do this."
"...She's just a girl..."
*****************************************************************
"Whhhhhhoaaaaaaaaaa-Hoooooooo!" Melanie yelped from her place on the side of the alley.
"I told you you would have fun," Johnny whispered in her ear. It was cold, and he had let Melanie stay inside his over sized jacket-with him still in it. His scarf was wrapped around both their necks, and tied at chest level. Her head was ducked into his neck, and his arms were around her waist. He hummed in her ear, and Melanie leaned into him, closing her eyes.
Johnny's so called friends had turned out to be his gang, and a rival gang. Johnny's crew was a rag-tag bunch, not unlike the boys Melanie used to pal around with when she was young. She didn't spend much time with them, but still, she could call them her friends.
The last of the races began and Melanie screamed for the driver to hurry down the short-stretch of street. Johnny began to brush his lips against Melanie's ear, and she giggled a little. She didn't know whether she was doing this because SSA Potter had asked her, or because she liked being liked. Maybe it was both. She simply let it be considered as her being undercover. Melanie called out again when Johnny's gang won. She slipped out of his jacket, but kept his scarf so that Johnny could go and celebrate with his friends, jumping and screaming. He came over to Melanie, and tried to kiss her, but she pushed him away. He didn't get discouraged though.
A leader from the opposing gang, came up to Johnny. He wasn't happy by any means, but they were beat.
"Great game-" Johnny said, but stopped when he saw the gun come from out of the man's pocket. He pulled the trigger, and Melanie cried out, and crumpled to the ground. The man barely had time to laugh before Johnny pulled out a pistol of his own and fired, hitting the man in the forehead. He fell to the ground, dead.
No one moved, even Melanie stayed silent as she stared at what he had done.
"Melly..." Johnny whispered, he ran over to her, holding her fast to his chest.
"He just nicked my arm," Melanie said, pulling back from the dark-skinned boy she had been holding just a few moments earlier.
"L-Look!...Look what ya did, Johnny..." a boy whispered behind him. Johnny stared and Melanie thought he might cry.
"Murder-!" screamed a boy from the opposing gang, but Johnny pulled the gun out again.
"Any one of youse talks again, and I swear I'll kill ya. Now, I'm gonna take Melanie some where safe, and you all is gonna be quiet when I leave. Got it?"
Melanie yelped and winced as Johnny threw her over his shoulder, then set off at a jog. When they were out of view, it only took a few moments for the howls of "Murderer!" to erupt from behind them. Melanie stared to cry.
"What have you done?" she whispered.
"Is there anywhere we can go, Melanie? We need to get you help and we can't go to no hospital."
"...Yes..."
*****************************************************************
Johnny knocked urgently and softly on the apartment door.
"What are you doing-Melanie?" he whispered.
"Spencer...we need help..."
"You're bleeding..."
"Don't say anything else. Let us in."
"God, Melanie, what happened?" Reid said once he shut the door, helping Johnny lay her on the couch.
"You gotta get the bullet outta my arm, Spence, I'm gonna bleed out..." Melanie coughed. The scarf was wrapped around it, but it was already soaked in her blood. Johnny went and threw up in Reid's sink. He stared at the pair.
"I...I have to call someone," Reid said.
"No!" Johnny lunged for the phone. "No, authorities."
"Call her, Spencer...I need help, now...please..." Melanie blacked out from the blood loss.
"God, Prentiss?" Reid yelled. "Get over here. Now. It's Melly..."
"You'll get in trouble, I'll get in trouble, Hotch will, Emily will, Rossi will, Derek will-"
"They are strong people. I will take the blame for this. I swear."
"Reid will."
Melanie's eyes burned a hole in the mirror, staring at her reflection. "Alright, Penny...but please blend in this foundation! I'm not tan and this does no favors the rest of my pale body!" the pair laughed. Garcia came toward Melanie to do as her friend asked, not before slamming the door with her high-heel to close it shut from prying eyes.
**********************************************************
"Look at you!" Emily said as Melanie waltzed up, her face glowing from the warmth of the candle-lit room. The blonde girl dropped to a curtsy, pulling her skirt out to her side.
The dress was a pretty silken gown, which flowed down Melanie in a bronze river. ("It's brown," Melanie sighed,"why on Earth did I make a brown dress?" "It's bronze," Penelope argued. "It's brown!") a little cloak concealed Melanie's bare shoulders. It was the same fabric of the dress, and it buttoned in the front. It lead up to a high, rounded collar, but not so high that is bumped her chin when she chose to hide her face.
Her gold hair was piled on her head in a little wrap-in bun. It looked darker because of the lighting, but that only made her seem more beautiful in the dark dress.
"You look gorgeous," Morgan said, bowing dramatically at the girl. Melanie blushed and thanked him. (Reid had said the same thing to Melanie, she only punched his arm and told him not to lie to her face again. (He saw her smile and knew she didn't mean it.))
"I am a product of Penelope Garcia, Queen of many-if not all-talents," Melanie said, hugging her friend. Penelope laughed.
A song began to play, and the group dispersed, JJ and Prentiss toward the bar, Morgan to dance with Penelope, and Melanie and Reid stood by a banister of the grand stair case.
Melanie hummed and Spencer wanted to ask her to dance, but felt to frightened. Melanie looked at Reid several times, asking him how he thought the room looked, about the music, even venturing so far as to ask him whether or not she should leave the cloak on or off her body. Reid answered she should probably keep it on, or get cold. Melanie frowned at him, and turned away. She had never been good at flirting, and she knew men like Reid couldn't take a hint, but golly! Reid just couldn't catch on.
Spencer kept wanting to ask Melly to dance, but couldn't find any courage. Soon, even there conversation began to lack. Melly felt cheated out of a ball when there was no man willing to dance with her. She even felt angry at Reid for not asking her to dance. She hated that feeling, but couldn't help but think that even as a friend, Spencer didn't want to touch her. She loved Spencer dearly, as she loved all her friends at the BAU, she even loved Phillip and Charlie in their own ways, but no one ever could love Melanie back. Her heart felt like it was breaking.
"SSA Wilkes?" a short pale man asked, coming up to her.
"Yes-" Melanie sniffed, then saw the visitor.
"SSA POTTER! OH-ehm, SSA Potter, sir. What are you doing here?"
"To dance, and I believe this is honestly the first time we've met. Please to meet you, Miss Wilkes."
"Oh, no sir! The pleasure is all mine!" Melanie fervently shook the hand of the old, short hand. "Spencer!" Melanie hissed,"Do you know who this is?!"
"SSA Potter of the...BIA? Right?"
"Yes," said Mr. Potter to the young BAU agent. "And you?" he asked.
"This is Dr. Reid of the BAU," Melanie cut in, again with a beaming smile.
"Well, the BAU certainly has some young ones," said the SSA agent with a smile. "And I hear very pretty young women. I've met Miss Jareau before, and I've heard great things about Miss Prentiss, and now upon seeing Miss Wilkes, Doctor, you must be overwhelmed!"
Reid blushed. "Er, yes..."
"Well, I've heard you married a very beautiful woman years ago. You have a son, do you not?" Melanie said, smiling.
Morgan walked up silently, Penelope behind him, both faces glowing from the exercise of dancing.
"Yes, actually, I married a woman from a reservation I was sent to. Tay was as sweet as can be. We have a son just about younger than you, Miss Wilkes. Johnny Potter. Maybe you've heard-"
"Johnny Potter the baseball player?" Morgan asked.
"The same," Mr. Potter replied smiling for his son. "You've heard of him?" he asked Melly.
"Er, yes. On the news..."she said, her face twisting.
"I take it wasn't good news," frowned the BIA agent.
Melanie frowned.
"That's actually why I came to talk to you. He hasn't been...he's been involved with some...gang activity. It's only a hunch, but I am worried for him...Could you...keep tabs on him? Just enough. I'm not asking a full investigation-"
"I couldn't make that a BAU case if I wanted to, Mr. Potter. But I can make it a practice way. I will not lie, eavesdrop, or commit some unforgivable sin to keep tabs on him, though. Consider this a personal favor, Mr. Potter. I would be in some trouble if anyone found out, and I refuse to take a hit for this. I will go to no great lengths to do this for any acquaintance, even one as great as yourself. Do you agree to my terms?" "I-"
"Father!" A tall boy came behind Mr. Potter, wrapping his arms his father's neck. They both smiled.
Melanie cocked an eyebrow at the BIA agent, and Mr. Potter nodded to her. He accepted.
"Who are your friends?" the boy asked, looking at the agents.
"These are SA Morgan, Garcia (?), Dr. Reid, and Melanie Wilkes."
The boy called Johnny went with a smile, shaking every one's hands. He got to Melanie, and she challengingly held out her hand, palm down. She cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head. He took the hand, and bowed over it, letting his lips touch her skin. He returned to full height, sarcastically cocking his eyebrows. Melanie's eyes narrowed.
"Miss Wilkes, I presume?" he said.
"The very same," she smiled.
"You look like your brother," he said.
"You know Charlie?" she asked, her angry pretense dropping. He laughed.
"Everyone in my circle knows Charles," he replied.
"...Hmph..." Melanie whispered, eyebrows pushed together.
"My names Johnny," he said, holding out one hand for Melly to shake, using the other to slick back his dark brown hair. Melanie sighed.
"So I've been told..." she mumbled.
Johnny continued to vie for Melanie's attention as the night went on, shocked that any girl could say no to him. Melanie, however, was quite enjoying herself. Not many men-okay, like, four in her life time, ever tried to play this game with her. Melanie took pride in the fact she had a boy interested-and at the fact she was able to keep him at arm's length.
It was late in the night and most agents had left. Mr. Potter even bid his 19 year old son good night early in the evening. It was only 11 o'clock, but Melanie was not used to staying up so late, and she grew more fatigued by the minute. Johnny watched her from across the room, as he had been for the past two hours. He had gone up to her almost 9 or more times, and each time she refused to act interested in the boy. Melanie enjoyed being able to put his ego into check. He hated it.
Melanie just sat on the steps of the staircase, Dr. Reid leaning against the banister, often making a comment to her, which she would respond to with a one worded answer. Johnny was getting bored just watching their conversation, and couldn't imagine how terrible it must be to take part in it.
"Look," Johnny said, no smirk on his face, his hands in his pockets," your too pretty and too smart to be sitting here on the steps, not dancing. Dance with me."
Melanie snorted,"I'd rather-"
"Hey, cut it," he said, looking at her stern. He was tired. He was bored. He was going to be damned if he didn't get one dance with her.
Melanie rose to her feet. "Give me one good reason why I should dance with you," she growled.
"I don't see you dancing with anyone else," he said.
Melanie looked at her feet, and sighed. "Tell me something else...is it just to screw with my brother?"
"No," he answered, honestly.
"Then why?"
"'Cause your damn hot, and your proud, and your the only girl who didn't ask to get in my pants tonight! Look...your something else, Melanie Wilkes, I can just tell. Show me that."
Melanie looked at the man who was in her face, and slowly, a smirk formed. She grabbed his hand tight as she said, loudly enough for Reid to hear, and Morgan and Penelope to hear 7 feet away,"Call me Melly."
***************************************************************
"Look at you!" Emily said.
Melanie's red eyes opened wide and she jumped a foot.
"Oh," she yawned,"it's you." Then she smiled dumbly at the wall.
"How long have you been here after-"
"I just came here after. I had a change of clothes in my car. Took a shower, slept in my office. It was easy."
"How late were you out with him?" Emily asked, poking her friend in the ribs.
"...Two...maybe three...we never left the...you know. Place."
"Yeah. You gonna see him again?"
"...Not outside of the spying his father has set me up to do."
Garcia frowned and Reid turned to hide his smile. "Why not?" protested Garcia,"You two hit it off-"
"And I'm engaged to be married. Plus, he and I? What's a more laughable concept! He was mean, and course, and unrefined! I need a man who gives much more. Like Phillip..."
"Yeah, he's Prince Charming..." Emily mumbled.
"And Johnny was?" Melanie retorted. "...Whatever..." Melanie growled, returning to the file in her hands. "Just...whatever..."
****************************************************************
"Goodnight, Melanie," Strauss said as she left, and Melanie waved goodbye to her aunt.
"SSA Wilkes?"
"Yes, Anderson?" Melanie smiled at the Tech Agent who walked in, and he smiled at the sweet girl. "There's a boy here for you."
"Oh...is it the Comte Dufour?"
"No, it is a boy with a guitar. Dark hair? He'd said you'd remember him from...er...last night."
"Oh," Melanie humphed. "God, Anderson, I assure nothing untoward happened...Just...gah...send him in, please. Thank you, Anderson."
"What are you doing here?!" the blonde agent screamed at her uninvited guest after Anderson closed them in the room together.
"I-I had to see you again, Melly."
"SSA Melanie Wilkes. Didn't your father in the FBI teach you anything about how to address agents? Goodness..."
"You look tired," Johnny whispered concerned. "Maybe you should sit-"
"Don't invite me to sit in my own-..." Melanie trailed off with an odd sense of deja vu. Melanie slowly lowered herself into the chair next to him. "Do you play?" she whispered uninterested, not looking at him.
"Yeah, I came to play...for you..."
"Oh, how nice," Melanie said with a emotionless smile.
"God, you are tired, Melly. I was going to..."
"Yes?" Melanie asked, finally looking at him with awareness.
"...My friends and I are doing this...drag race tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to go. ...It's a lot of fun, Melanie."
"...Johnny, I'm in a relationship-"
"And that's totally great, Mel. I just want to take you as a friend. Please?" He took Melanie's hands in his, and he smiled when Melanie shivered, then blushed.
"This is an attempt to gain my affection, though, is it not? Or is this just something to screw with Charlie or some other dumb thing, because if it is, I swear to God-"
"No, no, Melanie, I swear, it's not."
"...I've been made a fool before. If you make one of me, I will make you pay, Master Potter."
"...Master?"
"Dear God..."
"Was that...Johnny that just left with Melanie?"
"What other tan, dark-haired boy with a guitar could it be, Emily?" Garcia said.
"...I am really happy for her," Emily whispered.
"What? I don't understand," Reid said.
"...She's falling in love."
"In her own standards."
"She doesn't love him," Spencer huffed.
"...She will," Emily said. Spencer palled.
"If she falls in love with him, it will be the greatest mistake of her life!" he yelled.
"That's what love is," Garcia said.
"God, she's just a girl!"
"This is how she grows."
"It's too dangerous, I can't let her-"
"You will," Prentiss growled, outstretching an arm to stop him.
"What is that based on Emily? Your happiness for her or the fact that you got knocked up and you just want her perfect life to have that same horrid out look? Huh?" Reid stopped. "God...Emily...I didn't-"
"I know, Reid. It's okay. But, don't go after her. She has to do this."
"...She's just a girl..."
*****************************************************************
"Whhhhhhoaaaaaaaaaa-Hoooooooo!" Melanie yelped from her place on the side of the alley.
"I told you you would have fun," Johnny whispered in her ear. It was cold, and he had let Melanie stay inside his over sized jacket-with him still in it. His scarf was wrapped around both their necks, and tied at chest level. Her head was ducked into his neck, and his arms were around her waist. He hummed in her ear, and Melanie leaned into him, closing her eyes.
Johnny's so called friends had turned out to be his gang, and a rival gang. Johnny's crew was a rag-tag bunch, not unlike the boys Melanie used to pal around with when she was young. She didn't spend much time with them, but still, she could call them her friends.
The last of the races began and Melanie screamed for the driver to hurry down the short-stretch of street. Johnny began to brush his lips against Melanie's ear, and she giggled a little. She didn't know whether she was doing this because SSA Potter had asked her, or because she liked being liked. Maybe it was both. She simply let it be considered as her being undercover. Melanie called out again when Johnny's gang won. She slipped out of his jacket, but kept his scarf so that Johnny could go and celebrate with his friends, jumping and screaming. He came over to Melanie, and tried to kiss her, but she pushed him away. He didn't get discouraged though.
A leader from the opposing gang, came up to Johnny. He wasn't happy by any means, but they were beat.
"Great game-" Johnny said, but stopped when he saw the gun come from out of the man's pocket. He pulled the trigger, and Melanie cried out, and crumpled to the ground. The man barely had time to laugh before Johnny pulled out a pistol of his own and fired, hitting the man in the forehead. He fell to the ground, dead.
No one moved, even Melanie stayed silent as she stared at what he had done.
"Melly..." Johnny whispered, he ran over to her, holding her fast to his chest.
"He just nicked my arm," Melanie said, pulling back from the dark-skinned boy she had been holding just a few moments earlier.
"L-Look!...Look what ya did, Johnny..." a boy whispered behind him. Johnny stared and Melanie thought he might cry.
"Murder-!" screamed a boy from the opposing gang, but Johnny pulled the gun out again.
"Any one of youse talks again, and I swear I'll kill ya. Now, I'm gonna take Melanie some where safe, and you all is gonna be quiet when I leave. Got it?"
Melanie yelped and winced as Johnny threw her over his shoulder, then set off at a jog. When they were out of view, it only took a few moments for the howls of "Murderer!" to erupt from behind them. Melanie stared to cry.
"What have you done?" she whispered.
"Is there anywhere we can go, Melanie? We need to get you help and we can't go to no hospital."
"...Yes..."
*****************************************************************
Johnny knocked urgently and softly on the apartment door.
"What are you doing-Melanie?" he whispered.
"Spencer...we need help..."
"You're bleeding..."
"Don't say anything else. Let us in."
"God, Melanie, what happened?" Reid said once he shut the door, helping Johnny lay her on the couch.
"You gotta get the bullet outta my arm, Spence, I'm gonna bleed out..." Melanie coughed. The scarf was wrapped around it, but it was already soaked in her blood. Johnny went and threw up in Reid's sink. He stared at the pair.
"I...I have to call someone," Reid said.
"No!" Johnny lunged for the phone. "No, authorities."
"Call her, Spencer...I need help, now...please..." Melanie blacked out from the blood loss.
"God, Prentiss?" Reid yelled. "Get over here. Now. It's Melly..."
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