Infallible

Disclaimer: I own nothing. As usual.

–

Sophomore student Gemma Stephenson glanced at the clock on the wall. 9.45 p.m. Only fifteen more minutes until her shift was over. She hated 10 hour shifts. Those days always seemed endless. Only one more summer, then she'd be out of this hell hole and pathetic excuse for a job.

9.50. She prayed that the place would stay empty for the remaining ten minutes so she could close up at 10 o'clock sharp. But she realized she'd have no such luck as she caught glance of the back Suburban who pulled up on the otherwise deserted street outside. She recognized the car though. She and the rest of the town had seen the SUVs parading around town like a caravan for the past week. It wasn't exactly a secret that the FBI hotshots from Quantico had flown in.

She also recognized the man and the woman who stepped out of the vehicle. They'd stopped by the coffee shop almost everyday for the past week. Sometimes in the company of four other agents and on a couple of occasions only the two of them. The regular appearance of these two in particular had cause a minor obsession in some of the younger girls working at the coffee shop.

But not even Gemma could deny that the man was very good looking. With flawless, dark brown skin and a muscular built he looked a little bit like a hero taken straight out of Greek mythology. It didn't make matters worse that he had easy manners and kind eyes. Same went for the tattoos peeking out from under the sleeves of his formfitting t-shirts.

The woman who always came along with him was seemingly unaffected by this. Because the way he talked to her, smiled at her, would send half of the coffee shop staff into fits of giggles. Gemma herself included. But this woman mostly rolled her eyes at him, swatting him on the arm when she seemed to think his flirtatious comments were a little to cheesy.

As they walked towards the counter, Gemma noticed the exhaustion clouding their features. Their matching cargo pants were dusty and the woman sported a rather nasty bruise on her left arm.

He placed the order. Another late dinner for six, this time to take away. As Gemma prepared their sandwiches she kept a close watch, and ear, at her two patrons. The woman seemed lost in her own world, staring out the window. Maybe it was her injury... Combined with the serial rapist they were chasing which had put the whole town into terror for almost seven weeks now. Gemma couldn't imagine all the twisted things they must have seen and heard about. Not at all like her own, dull days at the coffee shop, toasting paninis and making floral patterns in the foam of at least a hundred caffe lattes a day.

She spread the ingredients on the countertop and glanced over at the pair as she opened a Tupperware containing sliced tomatoes. The female agent was still staring out the window, arms wrapped around herself. Her partner looked just as exhausted, and a little bit dejected.

"Emily..." he spoke in a low voice. No response. "Em...Come on..."

After a long moment, Emily turned to face him and Gemma was taken aback by the pain in her eyes, but apparently her partner wasn't.

"Hey...It's okay."

Gemma watched, almost transfixed at the scene unfolding. The previous times she'd seen them, they'd either been with their colleagues, laughing and teasing each other. When it had only been the two of them, they'd either gone through notes and files or been deep in conversation. But always with faces reflecting strength, determination and confidence. Now they both looked deflated. Vulnerable. And maybe even a little too friendly, Gemma noted.

"It won't go away, Derek. It's been almost a year..."

Then their voices lowered further and it was impossible for Gemma to make out the words. But as always actions spoke louder than words, and Gemma guessed there was a reason to why she and her fellow co-workers hadn't realized it before; that these two actually were a couple. Wonder why...? Maybe it was still fresh. At least it will probably against FBI rules, Gemma mused. And most certainly a secret, considering this was the first time she'd seen them display any kind of affection at all.

Gemma consciously slowed down her movement so the almost finished sandwiches wouldn't interrupt their slight moment. Probably wasn't many of those when your day job was chasing down criminals. Reluctantly, Gemma started to wrap up the order, but still keeping a discreet albeit close eye on the two. They were still engaged in a quiet conversation. By the looks of it, Derek was trying to offer some kind of comfort. She watched as he gently ran his hands over Emily's arms before lacing their fingers together. Gemma found herself smiling and for a moment, wondering what it felt like to have someone look at you the way Derek was looking at Emily. Nothing but tenderness and adoration.

It hadn't really crossed her mind before that the stone-faced agents, on some days having been the personifications of sophisticated, were also nothing but human beings. And they probably saw horrible things on a daily basis, met murderers, watched people die, risked their lives and doing their job so well that people like her could live in blissful ignorance of what was really out there.

But they were simply humans. Living in the same world as her, although a bit different maybe. They got hurt. Fell in love. Just like everybody else. Gemma finished wrapping up the sandwiches and placed them in a paper bag along with six bottles of water. Seeing as their moment seemed to have passed and they now waited patiently for the food, she felt comfortable to call upon their attention.

Their hands had remained linked but now the grip loosened as Derek pulled out his wallet and payed for the food, deliberately dropping one extra twenty dollar bill on the counter.

"For doing overtime, " Emily explained their generous tip. "We know it's kinda last minute..."

"Oh...It's no problem, really. Thank you."

Both agents offered genuine but tired smiles as Derek took the bag from the counter. "Hey... Even if it feels like nothing ever changes, it will. I promise."

She just nodded at his random piece of advice. Had he read her that easily?

"Have a good night, " he said, taking Emily's hand again as they left the coffee shop.

Gemma let Derek's words ring in her ears. Hmm, maybe he was right. It had sounded like he spoke from experience. Glancing out the window, she saw that they had stopped out on the sidewalk. Emily was talking now, with an affectionate and almost teasing smile. Derek mirrored her expression, his smile lighting up his face and his eyes crinkled in the corners. He shrugged almost shyly, looking at his shoes. Gemma once again found herself smiling at their exchange. Emily then reached out, gently touching his cheek and turning his face up to hers. It looked like a movie scene, but still not as cliché, as they shared a slow, lingering kiss before climbing into the car and disappearing around the corner.

Deep in thought and slightly overwhelmed by the past fifteen minutes, Gemma locked the door and shut off the lights. She had another 10 hour shift waiting tomorrow but suddenly it didn't feel as bad as it sounded. It will change. It's not forever. Satisfied to have being reminded of the other side of the coin, she cast one last glance at the empty street before turning around and walking back through the now darkened coffee shop.

The "closed"- sign swinging solemnly in the window.

–

Thank you for your time. Please review!