CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT: NEVER EVER EVER EVER DRINKING AGAIN !

7x16

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EMILY, CASEY AND GARCIA HAD WALKED INTO THE ROUNDTABLE ROOM TO FIND JJ, DOWNING ONE OF THOSE FIVE HOUR SHOTS. "Oh, you're not playing around." Emily commented to the woman and Casey chuckled right along with her, "Yeah, save that for the rest of us." She joked.

"Mm," JJ starts. "Will's away all week, so I am pulling double duty with Henry." She explained and Casey grimaces. As much as she loved that little boy, she definitely couldn't imagine looking after him by herself. Usually, she did that with Reid.

As Emily and Casey take their seats, Garcia looks at JJ in desperation. "Please tell me we are still on for Saturday night, because I have had it circled on my calendar for the last 23 1/2 days, which apparently, from the look of you, you did not." Both Emily and Casey's eyes widen at JJ's stiff movements at the fact that she definitely didn't remember the fact that they all agreed to have a girls' night soon since they were in need of one.

"Garcia paid good money for those salsa lessons." Emily said as the men of the team walked into the room. "And it's my only weekend where Sawyer and I won't be hanging out." Casey added. Emily turns to the girl, "Why is that?" She wondered.

"He's going fishing with his dad. Figured I could give him a break for a weekend." Casey shrugged. "Point is JJ, we all need a break. You especially."

The attention then turned back on JJ and the woman nods, "I'll get a sitter."

"Let's get started." Hotch tells the team and Casey settles in her seat as the focus then goes into the new case they just got. "Okay. Atlanta Field Office has a serial on their hands. Two prostitutes stabbed and staged in the last two weeks." She explained.

"Atlanta's crime rate has skyrocketed over the past few years. Especially the proliferation of solicited sex and drug use in the downtown district." Reid explained.

"Maybe this guy thinks he's cleaning up the city." Emily said. "It's rare for an unsub who targets prostitutes to pose the bodies." JJ adds. "Means of disposal usually reflects how the person feels towards them."

"Well, from the looks of it, it looks like he didn't think too poorly of his victims." Casey started as Rossi nods in agreement. "Even kept them dressed."

"He could be filled with remorse. The arms are folded, the bodies are laid to rest in a quiet park outside the city. Maybe he knew them." Morgan suggested.

         "It could be personal," Emily interjected. "There's a lot of rage in these kills. Multiple stab wounds." Rossi turns over towards Hotch. "What about sexual violations?" He wonders.

         "No," Hotch said. "The ME's report says there's no evidence of sexual activity before death." He explained. "So what's he doing with them." Garcia asks. "That's what we need to find out." Hotch tells.

         And with that, the team heads down to Atlanta to solve their case.

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         After the case was solved, the team had flown back on the jet, on the way home. Emily, JJ and Reid sat with one another. Reid was beside Emily, reading a book and Casey had gone to grab some coffee from the machine.

         As she walks back over, JJ sighs as she ends another call in stress. "Still no sitter?" Casey asks. "My sitter is not available," JJ answers. "Apparently I have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a sitter on a Saturday night." She stated.

        "What's going on tonight?" Reid asks, not looking up from his book. "Oh, it was ladies night, but--" Emily says, motioning towards JJ and JJ finishes for her, "I forgot to book a sitter."

"Guess we gotta break the news to Garcia." Casey says sadly, knowing Garcia spent a lot of good money on tango lessons.

"No need, I'll do it." Reid offered to JJ, causing all of the women to look at him in shock. Emily scoffs and JJ narrows her eyes at him in amusement. "Spence."

"What? I've seen an episode of Mr. Belvedere." Spencer spoke, defending his own case. "You've never babysat by yourself before." JJ says. And this was true, most of the time when Spencer babysat Henry, Casey or Garcia had always been with him.

"Well, he's actually better with Henry than I am if I'm being completely honest. And I babysat for ten years. He could do a couple of hours." Casey vouches for him, of course, speaking from experience with babysitting Henry with him.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Spencer asks and Casey looks over at a hesitant JJ and assures. "He's got this."

Girl's night was officially on.

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"To girl's night!" Garcia cheered as she clinked her glass with Casey's, Emily's and JJ's drinks. "Girl's night!" They chimed in as they took their shots, their faces sour from the alcohol.

"Oh, my God. That is strong." Emily comments as JJ coughs and Casey makes a face. "Definitely clears your sinuses." Casey nods in agreement.

"So, Casey, what is going on with that steamboat of a dream, Deputy Sawyer?" Garcia decided to ask in curiousness. "Well, if you must know, we're taking things a bit further in our relationship. He's been great." Casey told.

Emily and JJ look at one another. "You know, I seriously thought something was gonna happen between you and Reid after you guys went undercover together a few weeks back." JJ explained.

Casey furrowed her brows. "Why would you think that?" She chuckles. Emily shrugs, "Well, for starters, you guys have always been friends. We all just kinda assumed that eventually something would spark up between you guys."

"Well, nothing has!" Casey said. "Me and Reid are just friends, nothing more."
"Really?" Garcia asks. "You're telling me you didn't feel anything when you guys were holding hands, pretending to be married?" She wonders.

Casey thought about it. Of course, she had. It was all she could think about. But she wasn't about to let her co-workers know about that. Not when she was already in this relationship with Sawyer and things were going somewhere. Only younger Casey could've wished for something like that. But things were different now and she was older. Her and Reid were friends, nothing more.

"I think we lost her." Emily joked and JJ waved a hand in her face, making Casey lose her train of thought. "To answer your question, Pen, no. I didn't feel anything. You know, why don't we talk about someone else's relationship. Like yours, Pen. What's going on with you and Kevin?"

           But before Garcia could even go into the heavy duty details, a song started playing over the speakers, causing Garcia to cheer, "Guys, let's dance!" With that, Emily grabbed her drink onto the dance floor with her as JJ downs hers.

           "Hey, wait for me!" Casey calls as she downs her shot and goes to follow them out on the dance floor.

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          Unfortunately for the girls, Hotch had the FBI triathlon that he'd been working hard for the past few months over the very next morning, meaning they had to wake up early from their hangovers to go and support him like they promised they would.

           As the men cheered, the woman stayed slugged against the railing, sunglasses on their faces and vacant, sickly expressions on their faces. Reid seemed to be having the time of his life as he cheered in Casey's face. "A couple hours. A couple hours. You guys didn't come home till sunrise." He stated.

        "Why are you yelling?" JJ questioned seriously.
        "Make him stop." Emily added.
        "Reid, you got any Tylenol?" Casey asks as she groans and leans her head on his shoulder.

         "Ok, hey, Jack, Jack. Earmuffs for a minute." Morgan advises the seven year-old on his shoulders. He looks over at Garcia on his side. "What did you guys drink last night?" He interrogates.

        "The Green Fairy." Garcia tells.

         Casey gulps as she shakes her head. "Even the name makes me wanna hurl." She says as Reid hands her two Tylenol tablets that he uses for his headaches from his bag and even goes as far as giving her the rest of his water bottle.

          "You're a saint." Casey praises as she takes two of the Tylenol in her hand.

          Garcia looks up at Morgan. "You're in the FBI. Could you get the entire crowd to stop cheering?"

         "By my estimates, Hotch will be finishing any minute." Reid spoke as he checked his watch.

         "Do you see him, Uncle Dave?" Jack asks. "I think I do, kiddo. Right there!" Rossi points as Hotch is coming up. "There he is!"

         The group cheers as Hotch makes his way over quickly. Hotch smiles as he sees the team cheering him on and encouraging him to finish the race. And he does so and the group disperses as Morgan leads Jack to go and see his dad.

        The women follow behind sluggishly as they go and see Hotch. Jack runs over to his dad and cheers, "You did it!" Hotch nods down at his son. "I did, buddy, I did. Can you believe it?"

       "Did you see my sign?" Jack asks, holding the big construction paper up. "I did. That's for you, buddy." Hotch tells, putting his medal around Jack's neck. "Your sign's fantastic."

        "Look at you. How do you feel?" Rossi asks. "I think I'm gonna live." Hotch nods with a smile on his face, something Casey found to be rare. It was a good look on him.

         "That's pretty impressive. I had money on the swim killing you." Emily joked and Hotch chuckles, "I practiced."

         "And it paid off. Good job." Morgan compliments. "Yeah, gotta say, Hotch. Good look on you. You're not wearing a suit for once." Casey adds. "Thank you." Hotch nods as he pants.

        "Hey, you guys want something to eat?" Reid asks, looking around at the group. "Oh, yeah." Emily nods. "Yeah, something greasy." JJ agrees. "I could do go for a juicy burger right now." Casey nods in agreement.

       "Hotchner!" The group turns around and they spot a woman calling for Hotch. Hotch's eyes light up and he smiles, "Beth! Jack, there's someone I want you to meet. Come here."

         Hotch leads Jack over to the woman and Casey and her colleagues watch as he goes over and gives her a hug.

         The team watches in amusement and they all decide to leave Hotch and Jack alone with the woman for a moment. Casey stays behind for a moment and Reid watches and stays behind with her as she does so.

         This would be the first time she's seen Hotch with someone after everything happened with her mother. Casey had tried hard to envision that ever being her mother and what could've been. She furrows her brows, watching them through her sunglasses and that's when Reid finally speaks up.

          "Hey, you okay?" Reid decides to ask and Casey sees that she's gotten his attention and nods, "Yeah, yeah. It's just... I guess there's somebody for everybody, you know?"

          "Right," He nods.

           As Casey watches Hotch, Reid watches Casey and understands what she's saying and all he wants to say is that her somebody is standing right in front of her, not over in Philadelphia. But he holds back. He knows he has to hold back. He just wishes Casey could see what's right in front of her.

          "Do you wanna ride together?" Reid offers, knowing she came with Emily, JJ and Penelope in JJ's car. "Sure," Casey nods. "I definitely need something in my system."

         Casey wraps her arm around his, tiredly as she rests her head on his shoulder and for a moment, Reid pretends that they're together. That they're boyfriend and girlfriend. That there's something between them. But he bites his lip and knows that there's definitely nothing between them. And he was just going to have to live with that.

( added after book completion! )
hey lovelies!
so i decided to add this chapter in the book because i always felt bad i missed this iconic episode
and i finally had time to add it in bc i miss my babies so much <3
but thank you for reading this
i love you all so much and i'll see y'all for the next chapter which will contain soooo much drama
mkay bye
-mya <333