12.) Take Care

I winced at the pain that was radiating from my body, as I stepped off of the elevator. I had literally just finished training academy for the day, when Chief Strauss basically summoned me to the office. I swear, I'm here more than I was before asking to take a break, which literally makes no damn sense.

"Dang, you look terrible!" Morgan said, as soon as I stepped into the bullpen.

"Do you say that to all the women or just me?" I asked, being sarcastic. "Training whooped my ass today and before I could even go home and soak my sore body, Chief Strauss summoned me."

"She did? Why?" Spencer questioned.

"I don't know, but I guess I'm bout to find out." I groaned, walking up the stairs, before knocking on Hotch's door.

"Come in." Hotch called out. I opened the door, seeing the chief, Hotch, and Rossi sitting in the office.

"Am I in some sort of trouble? Because I can assure you, I didn't do anything. To my knowledge anyways." I said, slowly taking a seat. Gah, my body hurts!

"It seems as if Chief Strauss has a problem with you wanting to take a step back from helping us with cases." Rossi said.

"I don't have a problem with it, but I am curious at why you all of a sudden want to take a step back. You've been given a once in a lifetime opportunity, joining the BAU, and you haven't even finished training yet." She said.

"Yeah, and that's the problem."

"Excuse me?"

"With all due respect, Chief Strauss, I have a full plate right now. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the opportunity, but between school, training, and cases? I'm exhausted. And what good would I be to the team if I were constantly tired?" I said.

"A liability." Rossi said.

"Though I appreciate you being smart about this, the team needs you." She said.

"The team is doing just fine." Hotch said. "And Melanie is on call if and when we need her, which she always comes through."

"Exactly. Besides, I don't even get paid to be here, so technically...I'm doing you a favor." I told her, crossing my arms. I wasn't trying to be rude, arrogant, or cocky, but it was the truth. Technically, I'm just an intern, so I don't get paid for all the time and energy I put into the cases.

"You're absolutely right." She began, opening up a file and pulling out an envelope, sliding it towards me. "I've heard what a great asset you've become to the team and you deserve all the perks that come with it." I furrowed my eyebrows, grabbing the envelope, and opening it up.

"Holy shit!" Whoops. Word vomit. "Excuse my language, but...holy shit!" There was a huge check, written out to me, and I literally never seen so many zeros on something next to my name.

"That should be the right amount for all the time you've been putting in."

"Thank you for this, but...I hope you know it doesn't change anything. I still want to finish training, before fully committing to this job." I said.

"I understand completely, but after talking to your drill sergeant...he seems to have some...concerns. Which is another reason why I called you here today." She began, making me furrow my eyebrows.

"So I am in trouble? Well...we should've started with that first."

"If I may, chief." Rossi said, standing up. "You aren't in any trouble, but your drill sergeant made a comment about your shooting. He says that it was the most advanced shooting he's ever seen."

"Uh...correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a good thing, isn't it?" I asked.

"In most cases yes, but there isn't a record of you having a gun license which is why we're a bit concerned." Strauss said.

"I don't have a gun license, but I do know my way around a gun. When I was eighteen, I lived on a survivalist compound, and learning how to shoot was a requirement. You know...just in case of a zombie apocalypse or something. I learned a lot more than that, but the shooting thing was something I was really good at. Plus, we never used actual bullets. Sometimes we'd use bebes and other times we'd use paint. I preferred the paint though."

"I see. You never listed any of your known skills when you applied. It would've been nice for us to know."

"I also didn't list any of my allergies. Is that something you'd need to know too?" I questioned.

"Melanie." Hotch said, in his warning tone.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be snappy, but I'm tired and my body hurts."

"Well I won't keep you, but I do have one more question." She said, intertwining her fingers together, and gently placing them on the desk. "There's been some rumors about you and Dr. Reid." My heart started pounding.

"Rumors?" I questioned.

"Yes. Apparently you two are dating? And I'm sure I don't have to explain why that would be bad for the team, not to mention the parties involved."

"So technically it's not a rule, it's just frowned upon?"

"Technically, yes. If you two are dating, now would be a good time to speak up, otherwise things might get complicated in the future." She said. What the hell did she mean? Am I missing something? I looked back at Rossi and Hotch, who sat there quietly, awaiting my answer.

"Reid and I are just friends." I told her. I mean technically it wasn't a lie, because we haven't made things official between us. Sure, we hang out a lot and have sex, but does that really mean we're in a relationship? I don't think so. "I can understand why people would think we're dating though, because we hang out a lot, but I also live with Rossi. Does that mean we're dating? Of course not."

"So there is absolutely nothing going on between you two?"

"Just two coworkers, who enjoy each other's company." I was avoiding answering yes or no, because I didn't even know myself. Sure, there was definitely something between us, but since we weren't official...I was being somewhat honest about everything.

"Alright then. Thank you for your time." She said. I nodded and stood up, letting out a long sigh, as soon as I was out of that office.

"So what happened? It looked intense in there." Emily said.

"It was nothing. Just Strauss wanting to know why I made the decision to take a break from solving cases, amongst other things." I said, shaking my head.

"She can be really annoying sometimes. I know she means well, but I can't stand her!" Morgan said.

"Yeah, she's pretty intense, but her intentions are good." JJ voiced.

"Yeah, sometimes." I laughed a little, saying my goodbyes to everyone, before heading towards the elevator.

"Hey Melanie, wait up!" I heard Spencer call out. "Is that all that happened in there?"

"No, there was a lot more that was said, including what's going on between us." I told him.

"Wait, she asked about us? And what did you tell her?"

"I told her that we were just close friends." He seemed relieved by my answer, which made me wonder. Did he not want anyone knowing about us?

"Okay good. That was the right call." He said.

"Was it though? Cause it didn't feel right. What are we exactly, Spencer?" I asked him. He looked around, making sure no one else was around, or that no one was coming.

"You know how I feel about you, but a relationship between coworkers is frowned upon here."

"Yeah, I've heard, but newsflash...I don't officially work here yet!"

"Though that is true, you will be soon, and that'll just make things a lot more complicated." He said.

"Complicated how?" I questioned. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Morgan.

"Yo kid, we got a new case!" He said.

"I'll be right there." He waited until Morgan was out of sight, before facing me once again. "Look...maybe we should just end this here and now, before someone gets hurt." It's a little too late for that. I thought to myself, but I can't act as if I didn't see this coming.

"Is that what you want?"

"It's not about what I want, it's about what's best for us and the team." He said. I nodded my head.

"Okay then." I said. I pressed the elevator button, thanking God that I didn't have to wait for it. "Take care, Spencer." That was the last thing I said, before the elevator doors closed.