an: takes place in the december before the hankel episodes in s2

•
• •
•

Jace Bryant sat in the booth at Temple Heat Bar in Virginia with his little sisters and two strangers they'd met an hour prior.

He was having his monthly night out with all of his friends and his sisters. With their chaotic schedules as surgeons, and a firefighter, they found it hard to have one night where they could all be together, hence the monthly arrangement.

Marlene Mason and Cecelia Valentine, a pediatric surgeon and an OB/GYN, were off making out somewhere in a corner, most definitely high from the joint they'd shared on the walk to the bar. Olivia Bellerose, Jace's best friend and one of the best neurosurgeons in her field, was somewhere in the bar dancing or getting drunk.

Her sister, Delilah Bellerose, was somewhere in the club with her coworkers, the FBI BAU team. Jace, Marlene, Cecelia, Inessa and Inaya had met Delilah's teammates for the first time tonight, the two sisters bringing their friends together for a big night out.

Jace's little sisters, Inessa and Inaya, were sat talking to Dr. Spencer Reid and Penelope Garcia in the booth with Jace. Inessa, a cardio surgeon, and Inaya, a firefighter, were eagerly explaining their jobs to Spencer and Penelope, respectively.

"So, yeah. I just thought running into burning buildings for a living would be way more fun than hacking people open like a legal psychopath," Inaya said to Penelope.

"A legal psychopath?" Spencer said, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. They can cut people open and steal their organs-" Inaya said.

"We don't steal organs-" Inessa started.

"Or steal their blood-"

"We don't steal blood-"

Jace finished his beer, standing up.

"Another round?" Jace said.

"I'll come with you," Penelope smiled, sliding out of the booth and getting everybody's orders quickly.

Jace and Penelope walked over to the bar, Jace pulling out his card and tapping it on the bar as he waited, his free hand drumming along to the tapping on his leg.

"So, what kind of surgeon are you, again?" Penelope asked Jace.

"Plastic surgeon," Jace said.

"So, like, butt lifts and breast enhancements?" Penelope said.

"Sometimes," Jace said. "I rebuilt a kid's face after it got melted in a fire almost two years ago. We had to wait for the bones to be reconstructed and he's got metal plates holding everything together, but Liv actually managed to rebuild his skull-" Jace cut himself off, shaking his head. "Sorry. I'm rambling."

"Why are you sorry?" Penelope asked. "I'm interested, now. How did she rebuild his skull?"

"She kept the pieces of skull we removed when his brain started swelling and then put it back in when his brain had stopped swelling and it was time for us to begin reconstructing. We just finished doing the skin grafts and we even managed to give him lips again," Jace said.

"Lips?" Penelope asked. "How did you do that?"

"What can I get you?" the bartender walked over.

Penelope listed off everybody's orders, Jace adding his beer and holding his card out. Penelope eyed the black card, looking at Jace with a small smile.

"Plastics pays really well," she said.

"It's... Yeah. Let's go with that," Jace said.

"So, these lips?" Penelope asked.

"It's a long story. What about you? You're in the BAU team?" Jace asked curiously, tapping his fingers on the bar top as he turned to face her.

"I'm their tech analysist," Penelope smiled. "They do all the gory and gross stuff. I just sit in my cave and type away with coffee and computers and find records for them."

Jace considered it.

"Y'know," Jace started, "Surgeons can only be the surgeons they are because of the nurses doing everything else. The behind the scenes work is just as important. You help that team a lot more than you think you do."

Penelope stared at him for a few seconds, a sweet smile spreading across her lips as she blushed, looking away from him for another few seconds before meeting his eyes again.

"I am a bit of a genius when it comes to computers," Penelope said.

"I don't doubt that," Jace smiled.

Penelope stared at him for a few seconds.

"You have really pretty eyes," she said.

"You said that before," Jace smiled. "You have pretty eyes. The dress you're wearing really brings out the blue," he said.

"That's what I was going for!" Penelope gasped. "And you know fashion!"

She frowned slightly.

"You're secretly a serial killer, right? There's no way you're this," Penelope motioned up and down, "Perfect without having a few skeletons in your closet."

"I'm not a serial killer," Jace laughed. "I'm dumb, but I'm not dumb enough to be friends with a surgeon who's sister is an FBI agent. Especially not when that sister is Delilah. That girl is scary for five foot four," Jace said.

"Here we go," the bartender brought their drinks over, handing Jace his black card back.

"Thank you," Jace said, grabbing ten bucks out of his pocket and holding it out to the bartender. "Have a drink on me. Or food. Food is good," Jace said.

"Thanks, man," the bartender smiled, taking the money and moving to serve another customer.

"So, plastic surgeon with a very expensive watch, very expensive trainers, a black card and he tips," Penelope said, grabbing half the drinks to take back to the booth. "You're rich," Penelope laughed.

"I'm-" Jace cut himself off with a small frown. "My parents are rich."

They walked over to the booth, seeing Inessa had disappeared and Spencer and Inaya were now sat next to each other, talking quietly with matching smiles on their faces. They put the drinks down and sat down beside each other on the opposite side of Spencer and Inaya.

"What made you pick surgery, then?" Penelope asked.

"Nepotism," Jace said.

"What?" Penelope asked.

"My dad is a general surgeon, chief at our hospital. My mom was a cardio surgeon, head of the department. I grew up thinking it was just what our family did, didn't even consider another option. I wanted to be just like my mom and dad. Ness is head of cardio, now, and I'm head of plastics. Nepotism," Jace said.

"Nepotism is for the weak," Inaya interjected. "That's why I went into firefighting."

"That's also what our birthday cards said growing up," Inessa said.

"Oh, yes, because running head first towards fire is so much worse than nepotism where I save lives every day," Jace said.

"You blow up tits and asses. I risk my life for my community," Inaya said.

"I do other things! I-"

"What, like nose jobs?" Inaya laughed.

"Oh, hey, do you remember that time you were working and fell through those broken floorboards and got really bad burns, burns so bad that a plastic surgeon made skin grafts for you so you didn't look like Freddy Kruger?" Jace said, sipping on his beer as Inaya scowled at him.

"You look like Michael Myers," Inaya said.

"You literally look like the girl off the Polar Express," Jace said, Penelope stifling her laugh into her arm.

"You look like a bitch," Inaya said.

Jace's phone vibrated against his hip and he pulled it out, frowning when he saw his dad calling him.

"Who is it?" Inaya said, peering over at the phone. "You better take that."

"I'm going to take it," Jace stuck his tongue out at Inaya, standing up. "Excuse me. It's my dad," Jace said.

"Your dad?" Penelope chuckled.

"He's Jace's boss, remember? Nepotism," Inaya said.

Jace rolled his eyes, leaving the bar and stepping outside, answering the call and putting the phone to his ear.

"Hey, dad. Is everything okay?" Jace asked.

"Everything's okay, son," Julian Bryant said. "Little lady woke up and wanted to talk to her dad."

"Dad, it's after midnight. She should be asleep," Jace said.

"She misses her dad," Julian said. "Go on, little lady. He's there."

"Daddy?"

Jace's face lit up with a smile automatically, his daughter's tired voice coming through the phone and making his stomach feel warm. Zara had turned him into a soppy emotional mess since the moment she was born six years ago. She was his happiness and his biggest fan, and he was hers.

"Hi, baby," Jace said softly. "Are you doing okay?"

"Miss you," Zara said quietly. "Are you havin' fun with Ness 'n Naya?"

"I miss you, more. I am having fun with Ness and Naya. Are you having fun with grandpa?" Jace asked.

"He read me so many stories and told me all about grandma," Zara yawned. "She looks like Naya."

"She does look like Naya, huh?" Jace chuckled. "Why don't you go back to sleep, baby? I'll be there when you wake up and we have the whole day together to do whatever you want."

"I want a cat," Zara said. "That's what I want to do tomorrow."

"You know we can't have a cat, Zara. We don't have enough time for me to look after you and a cat," Jace said.

"It would be fun, though. Maybe when I'm seven, we can get a cat for my birthday," Zara said.

"We'll talk about it, okay? Now, get all tucked in and close those pretty eyes of yours. It's time for sleep," Jace said.

"I am, dad," Zara yawned again.

"Good. I love you, baby," Jace said.

"I love you, more. Ten cats much," Zara said.

"Oh, that is so many cats! I love you eleven cats much," Jace laughed.

"That's so many more cats. Wow. You love me lots," Zara said.

"I love you lots and lots," Jace said. "Give the phone to grandpa, okay? I'll be there when you wake up."

"Night," Zara said.

"Hey, son," Julian said after a few seconds. "I'll let you go back to the drinks. See you bright and early."

"Thanks, dad. See you tomorrow," Jace said.

"I love you, son. Ten cats worth," Julian said.

"I love you, more, dad," Jace laughed, ending the call.

He headed back into the bar, seeing Penelope was waiting by the bartenders to get another round. Jace walked over, pulling out his card and holding it out to her.

"Might as well get the idiots another round, too," he said. "Idiots being my sisters."

"Spencer's talking Inaya's ear off about profiling," Penelope said.

"Ah," Jace said.

He leaned against the bar, tapping his fingers against the sticky bar top with a frown.

"So, I'm drunk," Penelope said. "Are you single?"

"I am," Jace said.

"How?" Penelope frowned. "Seriously, what is wrong with you? Something is going on."

Jace pulled his phone out, turning the screen on and showing her his lockscreen.

It was a photograph of Zara from a week ago at her school Christmas nativity where she played the angel, wearing a pretty white dress with feathers on her back and a halo.

"I'm a single dad," Jace said.

"That's not it," Penelope said. "She's adorable, though! Tell me about her."

"Her name is Zara and she's six. She's my whole world. She's with my dad tonight," Jace said.

"Things with you and her mom didn't work out?" Penelope said gently.

"To say the least. I've had full custody since she was two weeks old. It's hard, y'know?" he said.

The bartender came over, Penelope giving their orders and handing Jace's card over, turning back to him as soon as the bartender disappeared.

"Doing it alone? I can imagine," Penelope said.

"She makes everything worth it, though," Jace said.

"Have you dated since?" Penelope asked.

"It's kind of hard to date when you've got a kid and work full time as a surgeon," Jace said. "Besides, most women don't want to take on kids that aren't theirs and I don't want to completely ruin Zara's life by bringing some woman in, just for shit to go wrong again and for another mother to abandon her. I can't put my kid through that, so, I don't date."

Penelope stared at him for a few seconds before smiling, grabbing his hand where it was still tapping on the bar top and squeezing his hand.

"You're a good father," Penelope said. "I can tell."

"Thanks," Jace said, squeezing her hand back with a smile. "What about you? Are you single?"

"Yeah," Penelope said.

"Dude, seriously?" Jace raised an eyebrow. "You're beautiful! You've got this whole fashion thing going on with the dress bringing out your eyes, and you work for the FBI so you're a tech genius, and you're funny. Seriously, how are you single?"

"Not a lot of people want to date me," Penelope said.

Jace stared at her for a few seconds.

"People want to date you," Jace said. "Maybe it takes a while, but you'll find someone. I'm sure it's pretty hard not to fall in love with Penelope Garcia," he said.

"I could say the same for you," Penelope said.

"Eh," Jace said. "So, you're the dating kind of girl."

"Yeah," Penelope said. "And you're not the dating kind of guy," Penelope said.

"I'm afraid not," Jace said. "It's a shame, though."

"Yeah," Penelope sighed. "Well, if you change your mind, all you have to do is tell Liv. She's got my number."

The bartender walked over with drinks and the card, the two of them grabbing them with thank yous.

"I'll keep that in mind," Jace smiled.

•
• •
•