Fic: Painted Logic (1/1 Criminal Minds)
Title: Painted Logic
Series: Of Innocence and Empathy (maybe?)
Author: Frogg
Beta: raphael0877 (cause I'm an impatient bitch and Taddpole won't let me start on something else in the meantime.)
Rating: FRT-13 for fluffy angst, or angsty fluff and possible schmoopiness.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Damnit.
Author's Note: Sequel to Logical Lines.
"Do not," and Derek paused to catch his breath, the whites of his eyes still showing a little, "tell me you've been awake this whole time."
"No, I've been dozing on and off since before you started. Now, are you done with me or not?"
"Yeah, yeah, you can get up." He sounded nervous again. "Why didn't you tell me you were awake?"
Aaron lurched to his feet, his coordination shot from lying still all afternoon. One foot caught in the towel, digging it into the sand. "Because you would have stopped." There was so much more he wanted, needed to say.
"Oh my god," Penelope murmured, shocked. "No, no, turn back around."
"Why didn't you tell anyone you could draw?" JJ asked, approaching warily to get a closer look.
Derek snorted. "I can't."
"I beg to differ," Emily said.
"Penelope?" Aaron put in before the conversation could degenerate further.
"Yeah?" she managed through her distraction.
"Take pictures."
"Oh! Of course."
Aaron could only be thankful that she hadn't added a 'sir' to that. "Someone want to tell me what I have on my back now?" he asked dryly.
"It's gorgeous, is what it is," JJ said.
"I'll try," Emily offered, getting closer, but trying to stay out of Penelope's way.
Silence descended.
"On the right side, Lady Justice stands atop a cliff, depicted as an angel with her wings spread behind her. Her sword is sheathed at her waist, scales at her feet with the chain hanging over the edge. Her blindfold rests in her hands as she gazes into the distance, off to the left," Emily started, low and even. Her hand reached out, not quite touching Aaron's back. "Below her, an eagle?" She glanced over at Derek and continued at his nod. "Sits on a nest.
"The left side shows a sunset, or sunrise, I'm not sure which, at sea. The moon is a huge crescent high on the left shoulder, and there's a gentleman sitting in the curve with a pair of binoculars, watching another eagle catch a fish. In between," she paused again, taking a deep breath. "The sun's half hidden behind the cliff, surrounded by wispy clouds."
"It's a sunrise," Derek muttered quietly, embarrassed.
"Hmm. That makes sense." Emily swallowed. "Penelope, move." She drew closer, all but squinting at the detail. "There's writing in here," she added, one finger just shy of tracing lines only she could see.
"What's it say?" Jason asked.
"Hang on." Emily took gentle hold of Aaron's arm, turning him so his back was toward the sun. "Damn, you write small."
Derek mumbled something under his breath.
"Here. 'It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive,'" she quoted, running her finger up the outside edge of one of Lady Justice's wings.
"Earl Warren," Spencer said.
"There's more?" Haley stood, coming to peer over Emily's shoulder.
Emily huffed a laugh. "There's a lot of stuff in here. It's like playing Where's Waldo, only you're looking for the whole football team. Next one: 'Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength.'"
Everyone looked over at Spencer.
"What?"
"You aren't going to tell us who said that?" JJ asked, smiling.
Spencer ducked, scratching his head. "That's St. Francois de Sale. I thought it was uh. Kind of well known?" That got a chuckle.
"I play?" Jack asked hopefully, then stuck his soggy thumb back in his mouth.
Emily turned. "You want to find a quote in here? No, wait, I got it," she said, stopping Aaron as he started to kneel. "C'mere, Jack." She held out her arms, scooping him up and resting him on her hip. "We're looking for itty bitty letters, like the ones along the wings, okay?"
"Why Mommy have wings?"
Aaron made a choking sound, shoulders shaking.
"Um. Did I not mention that?" Emily tried to sound innocent.
"No, you didn't." Aaron might have sounded dazed. Or amused. Or...something.
"Lady Justice bears a striking resemblance to Haley. The gentleman birdwatching from his perch on the moon? Is, um." And Emily glanced to the side. "Jason."
"Anyone else I should know about?"
"Um. Maybe?"
"Mowe letters," Jack said, pointing to the water, inked in ripples of blue and violet and crimson.
"'Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,'" Haley read.
"Sir Winston Churchill," Spencer added.
"You drew his profile?" Jason asked Derek in confusion.
Stricken, Derek actually took a step back.
"No, he didn't." Aaron spoke up before Derek could go on the defensive. "It's more like a personality portrait." He held Derek's gaze, trying to convey acceptance, understanding.
Derek swallowed hard, nodding.
"Can I go on now?" Emily asked. "Thanks. 'Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about.'"
Spencer laughed, leaning on Derek's shoulder for support, unruly hair hiding his face.
"I take it whoever said that is rather interesting." Haley smiled.
Penelope giggled. "Trey Parker and Matt Stone. South Park," she added at the confused looks.
"I didn't want to put that cliche, 'Friends are the family we choose for ourselves,'" Derek explained.
"Still gets the point across." Emily's shoulders twitched.
"Yes. Yes, it does," Jason said.
The quiet then was heavy with meaning, and warmth that had nothing to do with the sun.
Jack squirmed to get down and clung to Aaron's leg when Emily set him on his feet. "Unca Mohgan dwawinged pretty."
"Very pretty," Aaron said softly, running one hand gently over Jack's hair. He looked up at Derek then, forcing eye contact. "I only wish I could see it myself."
"Here, it's not perfect, but..." Penelope held out her camera.
Aaron glanced between Derek and the screen.
"We're all in there, written in the cliff," JJ said softly. "The whole team, and Sean, and a few other names I didn't recognize."
Breath catching, Aaron had to close his eyes, lashes damp with unshed tears. He knew then.
He didn't have to look at the photos to know that Derek had drawn the people who kept him balanced. The people who formed his bedrock. Even Elle, lost to him through his failures and her choices, fierce and free, still close, willing and able to lend aid.
And Jack, his image more hinted at than not, dawning on a new day.
~~~the end~~~
Previous: Logical Lines
Series: Of Innocence and Empathy (maybe?)
Author: Frogg
Beta: raphael0877 (cause I'm an impatient bitch and Taddpole won't let me start on something else in the meantime.)
Rating: FRT-13 for fluffy angst, or angsty fluff and possible schmoopiness.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Damnit.
Author's Note: Sequel to Logical Lines.
"Do not," and Derek paused to catch his breath, the whites of his eyes still showing a little, "tell me you've been awake this whole time."
"No, I've been dozing on and off since before you started. Now, are you done with me or not?"
"Yeah, yeah, you can get up." He sounded nervous again. "Why didn't you tell me you were awake?"
Aaron lurched to his feet, his coordination shot from lying still all afternoon. One foot caught in the towel, digging it into the sand. "Because you would have stopped." There was so much more he wanted, needed to say.
"Oh my god," Penelope murmured, shocked. "No, no, turn back around."
"Why didn't you tell anyone you could draw?" JJ asked, approaching warily to get a closer look.
Derek snorted. "I can't."
"I beg to differ," Emily said.
"Penelope?" Aaron put in before the conversation could degenerate further.
"Yeah?" she managed through her distraction.
"Take pictures."
"Oh! Of course."
Aaron could only be thankful that she hadn't added a 'sir' to that. "Someone want to tell me what I have on my back now?" he asked dryly.
"It's gorgeous, is what it is," JJ said.
"I'll try," Emily offered, getting closer, but trying to stay out of Penelope's way.
Silence descended.
"On the right side, Lady Justice stands atop a cliff, depicted as an angel with her wings spread behind her. Her sword is sheathed at her waist, scales at her feet with the chain hanging over the edge. Her blindfold rests in her hands as she gazes into the distance, off to the left," Emily started, low and even. Her hand reached out, not quite touching Aaron's back. "Below her, an eagle?" She glanced over at Derek and continued at his nod. "Sits on a nest.
"The left side shows a sunset, or sunrise, I'm not sure which, at sea. The moon is a huge crescent high on the left shoulder, and there's a gentleman sitting in the curve with a pair of binoculars, watching another eagle catch a fish. In between," she paused again, taking a deep breath. "The sun's half hidden behind the cliff, surrounded by wispy clouds."
"It's a sunrise," Derek muttered quietly, embarrassed.
"Hmm. That makes sense." Emily swallowed. "Penelope, move." She drew closer, all but squinting at the detail. "There's writing in here," she added, one finger just shy of tracing lines only she could see.
"What's it say?" Jason asked.
"Hang on." Emily took gentle hold of Aaron's arm, turning him so his back was toward the sun. "Damn, you write small."
Derek mumbled something under his breath.
"Here. 'It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive,'" she quoted, running her finger up the outside edge of one of Lady Justice's wings.
"Earl Warren," Spencer said.
"There's more?" Haley stood, coming to peer over Emily's shoulder.
Emily huffed a laugh. "There's a lot of stuff in here. It's like playing Where's Waldo, only you're looking for the whole football team. Next one: 'Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength.'"
Everyone looked over at Spencer.
"What?"
"You aren't going to tell us who said that?" JJ asked, smiling.
Spencer ducked, scratching his head. "That's St. Francois de Sale. I thought it was uh. Kind of well known?" That got a chuckle.
"I play?" Jack asked hopefully, then stuck his soggy thumb back in his mouth.
Emily turned. "You want to find a quote in here? No, wait, I got it," she said, stopping Aaron as he started to kneel. "C'mere, Jack." She held out her arms, scooping him up and resting him on her hip. "We're looking for itty bitty letters, like the ones along the wings, okay?"
"Why Mommy have wings?"
Aaron made a choking sound, shoulders shaking.
"Um. Did I not mention that?" Emily tried to sound innocent.
"No, you didn't." Aaron might have sounded dazed. Or amused. Or...something.
"Lady Justice bears a striking resemblance to Haley. The gentleman birdwatching from his perch on the moon? Is, um." And Emily glanced to the side. "Jason."
"Anyone else I should know about?"
"Um. Maybe?"
"Mowe letters," Jack said, pointing to the water, inked in ripples of blue and violet and crimson.
"'Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,'" Haley read.
"Sir Winston Churchill," Spencer added.
"You drew his profile?" Jason asked Derek in confusion.
Stricken, Derek actually took a step back.
"No, he didn't." Aaron spoke up before Derek could go on the defensive. "It's more like a personality portrait." He held Derek's gaze, trying to convey acceptance, understanding.
Derek swallowed hard, nodding.
"Can I go on now?" Emily asked. "Thanks. 'Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about.'"
Spencer laughed, leaning on Derek's shoulder for support, unruly hair hiding his face.
"I take it whoever said that is rather interesting." Haley smiled.
Penelope giggled. "Trey Parker and Matt Stone. South Park," she added at the confused looks.
"I didn't want to put that cliche, 'Friends are the family we choose for ourselves,'" Derek explained.
"Still gets the point across." Emily's shoulders twitched.
"Yes. Yes, it does," Jason said.
The quiet then was heavy with meaning, and warmth that had nothing to do with the sun.
Jack squirmed to get down and clung to Aaron's leg when Emily set him on his feet. "Unca Mohgan dwawinged pretty."
"Very pretty," Aaron said softly, running one hand gently over Jack's hair. He looked up at Derek then, forcing eye contact. "I only wish I could see it myself."
"Here, it's not perfect, but..." Penelope held out her camera.
Aaron glanced between Derek and the screen.
"We're all in there, written in the cliff," JJ said softly. "The whole team, and Sean, and a few other names I didn't recognize."
Breath catching, Aaron had to close his eyes, lashes damp with unshed tears. He knew then.
He didn't have to look at the photos to know that Derek had drawn the people who kept him balanced. The people who formed his bedrock. Even Elle, lost to him through his failures and her choices, fierce and free, still close, willing and able to lend aid.
And Jack, his image more hinted at than not, dawning on a new day.
~~~the end~~~
Previous: Logical Lines