Political Secrets (CM Evolution, Bailey & Prentiss, F)

[90percenthoneydew]

So I wrote a thing. When I first thought of this idea I thought it was crazy, but I actually love how it turned out. It’s another Criminal Minds S16 Prentiss fic because I love gray haired Prentiss. I really liked the platonic chemistry between Bailey and Prentiss when they were getting along, so that’s what I tried to capture. This takes place between episodes 6 and 7. Prentiss is sick and Bailey has the fetish (I know I know it sounds absurd you just gotta trust me here). I also have a Prentiss allergy fic stored up, so let me know if you wanna see that. 

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Doug glanced at his watch as he speed-walked down the hallway. He was running late to a meeting with Agent Prentiss. They both had incredibly tight schedules, and they desperately needed to figure out how they were going to convince the Attorney General to keep the Sicarius case open. 

While this wasn’t the most convenient time for him to attend a meeting, he obliged knowing that it worked with Prentiss’ schedule. She was much busier than him now that she was acting as Section Chief and as BAU Unit Chief. She had been spending so much time on Sicarius that he hadn’t seen her around the office in almost a week. 

He approached the door to Prentiss’ office and was about to knock when he heard two muffled sneezes coming from inside. He cursed internally at how easily the subtle sound caught his attention. 

Douglas wasn’t ashamed of his interests per se. He had absolutely no issue with enjoying them on his own time, but he hated being reminded of them at work. It was simply unacceptable for him to have such unprofessional thoughts while serving in one of the highest ranking positions in the FBI. 

He pulled himself together and knocked on the door. 

“Come in.” 

Doug opened the door and entered the office. His eyes widened in surprise when he got a good look at the woman sitting in front of him. Prentiss looked, simply put, sick. Her hair and outfit were perfect as ever, but no amount of makeup could hide the bags under her eyes or the red tint of her nose. He glanced at her desk and noticed the box of tissues, the scattered cough drops, the half drunken tea, all of the signs of a person battling a killer head cold. He felt his stomach flutter but pushed the feeling down, desperate to remain professional. 

“Uh, sorry I’m late,” he stated plainly. “I ran here straight from another meeting.” 

“Oh, you’re fine. I’m just finishing up some paperwork.” She cleared her throat after speaking, and God, was he screwed. Raspy voices have always been one of his weaknesses, and Prentiss’ sick voice was hot. He forcefully swallowed, suddenly finding his mouth to be incredibly dry, and sat down across from her. 

“So, how are you?” he asked sheepishly. She met his eyes and gave him a look that screamed “Are you kidding me?” 

“Clearly I’m doing fantastic,” she said sarcastically before smothering a few heavy coughs into her sleeve. “I feel like shit, but the wicked doesn’t rest, so neither can I.” 

“Well, I’m sure planning our case for the Attorney General will make you feel so much better,” he joked. That’s it, just keep it lighthearted, don’t piss her off, figure out the presentation and be done with it. He could do that. 

“Oh, definitely,” she cracked a slight smile before suddenly turning away. 

“Heh-he’ktschoo! Ei’tschh! Ahh-hh’etsgh!”

“Bless you,” Bailey mumbled. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsure of what to do with himself. 

“Ugh, sorry,” Prentiss apologized with a wet sniff. “Okay, let’s get this over with. First, we need to prove that Benjamin Reeves is not Sicarius.” 

“Right, and we do that using your team’s profile?” 

“In theory, yes,” she rasped, “but I’m worried that won’t be enough to convince the AG.” 

“Okay,” he said, thinking for a moment. “So we need-“ he cut himself off as he heard her sharply inhale and start coughing. He nervously bit his lip, waiting for the fit to end. 

“I’m s-so sorry,” she managed to get out in between coughs. 

“Hey, hey, you okay?” he asked as her coughs subsided. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” she replied, slightly out of breath. “Please, continue.” 

“We need material evidence. Some sort of physical proof outside of the profile that Benjamin Reeves cannot be Sicarius.” 

“Well, we can start with the timeline. Like Luke said, Benjamin Reeves wasn’t in the country at the time Sicarius started.” 

They continued to bounce ideas back and forth and piece together a plan. Every once in awhile Prentiss would pause to sneeze, and Doug would avert his eyes and quickly continue with the conversation. They remained in this pattern until a particularly bad sneezing fit. 

“Huh’ktchu! Hi’eishew! Ei’ktshh! Hh’tscghh! hih-kschoo!” 

“Hey, um,” he started, the room suddenly feeling too small. “We can push this to another day if you want. Finish up when you’re feeling a little better.” She didn’t reply. Instead, her eyes narrowed, carefully studying him. 

“What’s going on with you today?” 

“I- what?” he forced out. 

“You’ve been on edge this whole time, fidgeting in your seat, trying to find an excuse to get out of here,” she explained. He could practically see the cogs turning in her head. “It’s almost as if-“ she cut herself off, eyes widening. “Oh.. my… God,” a mischievous smile spread across her face. 

“What?” he asked nervously. 

“You are so turned on right now.” 

“Wha- excuse me?” he asked, mortified. She only laughed in response. 

“Douglas, calm down. It’s fine.” 

“Prentiss,” he started in a desperate attempt to defend himself.

“Bailey, seriously, it’s fine. We all have our thing.” 

“I do not want to know,” he said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. 

“I wasn’t offering,” she said jokingly. 

“This is uh, not how I expected this to go,” he chuckled awkwardly. “But uh, Prentiss, you can’t tell anyone about this.” 

“Please, I may be getting used to playing politics, but I don’t kink shame,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “Your secret’s safe with me, I promise.” 

“Thank you. So, we’ll finish this later?” 

“I’ll email you when I’m less sneezy…. I’m kidding,” she added after noticing him blush. 

“Right,” he said with a smile. He headed towards the door and was about to leave before turning around and adding “Feel better, Agent Prentiss.” 

[ID2006]

I don't know the new character but still very enjoyable 

[krazykat]

I would happily read more of these

[MIN]

Ooh 👀 I'm not caught up, on the end of season 6, so no clue who Doug is... but this was beautifully written, I love how Prentiss clocked it straight away and wasn't awkward in pointing it out, you write her so well! And I wholeheartedly agree, Gray haired Prentiss is a gem!