PENELOPE GARCIA had taken a particular liking to the twenty-two year old who never failed to bring her a drink to kickstart the morning ( Derek had finally conceded after spending the better part of two weeks having Astra nag at him every minute of their horrendously long car journeys, he'd agreed to fund her drink escapades ) Would it be a coffee, a frappé, a mocha, who knew? But she'd slivered into Penelope's good books and that was just about all the BAU needed to begin to warm to the girl.

They were too easy, Astra couldn't help but think. A little sob story ( because it was just so painfully obvious that Derek had informed them of their late night grandparent chat ) and a good deed and they were ready to welcome her with open arms — they were too trusting, it almost made her wish she was a better person, one deserving of their unquestionable faith.

"You strike me as a chai latte kind of a girl, Garcia." Astra remarked as she placed the takeaway cup on the blondes desk, the older of the two let out a little squeal when she added, "but just incase you didn't I figured we could switch, I know you liked the caramel frappé from yesterday."

"How do you always get my taste right?" Because Kai's briefing did absolute wonders. "We should go to a café sometime!"

Astra's practically did a double take, "you want to see me outside of work?"

"Of course!" Garcia exclaimed — Astra was a kind girl placed in a bad situation, Penelope knew all too well what that was like, and she'd kept telling the team to be nicer, once or twice a day. "Now, where did we leave off last time, angel? You used to think you had super-powers because if you stared at something for too long and then blinked, it would still be there?"

"Stop, it's so embarrassing, I literally went around school and told everyone that I was the next Spiderman." Astra cringed, head in her hands as she laughed with Garcia over coffee and croissants in a dimly lit room. Friendship was something the young blonde had sorely missed. She only wished it could last.

"Maybe a little," a laugh tumbled from Garcia's lips as she stoked a consoling hand over her hair. "But I bet you're prettier than them now, so who cares?"

"I have better friends than them, at least." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Garcia, who positively beamed at Astra's acknowledgment of their friendship, though they both knew it had one for at least a week, now.

"I'm truly the best one could ask for." Garcia indulged in Astra's praise, and for the first time since she'd arrived at the BAU, Astra would admit, that she was having maybe a bit too much fun spending her time with the teams analyst. "Oh! Spiderman." She suddenly blurted.

"Sure," the younger blonde nodded along, like she knew what was going on.

"No, you mentioned Spiderman earlier. Who's the best one? Maguire, Garfield or Holland? This is a test, just so you know." Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid's presence went unnoticed by the two blondes, who were so eagerly wrapped up in their Spiderman debate. But when Astra began to argue that it was in fact Andrew Garfield who was superior, both Morgan and Reid felt the need to intervene.

"You're saying he's the best because he was the fittest." Derek argued, forcing the women to break away from their friendly conversation, Astra was preparing to start a full-blown argument. Because, yeah, he wasn't wrong. That was the reason behind her stance, but he didn't need to call her out for it.

Spencer, noting Astra's pointed glare, cut in before their row could so much as start. "Well, if you think about it. Tom Holland is the best mix of them both."

"Agreed!" Garcia piped up, "but Tobey Maguire. . ." She drifted off into a blissful daydream of one of her favourite celebrity crushes.

"Alright then, Morgan." Astra began, paying little mind to Spencer and Penelope's quickly developing discussion on Tobey Maguire's acting portfolio. "Tell me, who's the best Spiderman, then?"

"I'm afraid you might never get in a car with me again, if I tell you."

"I didn't realise my presence had that much of an effect on you?" She retorted with a sly grin, "don't worry, I wouldn't deny myself the pleasure of your boring as fuck car rides."

"Hey-" he'd begun to protest when Astra cut in once again.

"It took you ten minutes to figure out what song you wanted to play and by the time you did, you ended up telling me to switch it within thirty seconds." She reminded him of the previous weeks escapades. With a sheepish grin, he conceded.

"Okay, you win" raising his hands in defeat, he sat down in the seat next to her, leaning his face inches away from hers, he watched as her brows knit together and eyes darted all over the place to figure out what exactly he was up to. With a satisfied grin, he tilted his head down, lips next to her ear, he whispered, "for now."

Astra's eyes narrowed at the man, who'd moved away just as unexpectedly as he'd sat down, joining in on the only other conversation taking place in the room. Her head was spinning with the shock of his sudden change in character — because really, what the fuck had just happened? How was she meant to sit absentmindedly in a car with him later?

But no matter how earnestly she would later deny it, she found an unwilling smile forming in her perplexed state. Derek Morgan was more fun than she thought.

authors note.
even more progress !!!