A/N: Hello to all my wonderful readers out there! This story is meant to be read mainly as friendship pairings but I suppose you can read it as romance if you'd like. That being said, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters. Those rights belong to CBS.
She could hear the footsteps pounding behind her. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she could see her pursuers gaining ground far too rapidly. Kicking her speed up a notch, JJ ducked around the corner. Pausing a second to catch her breath, she reflected on the events that led to her being chased through the streets of downtown Los Angeles.
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"JJ, we need you to go undercover," Hotch said as the team gathered in the LAPD police station.
Her head shot up in surprise. Undercover was not a common option within their cases, and she was not normally first choice for any undercover options that arose.
"What exactly do you need me to do?" she asked curiously.
Hotch pulled up the pictures of their victims onto the screen and replied, "You fit the profile better than anyone else here. The only connection between all four of our victims aside from their physical appearance is that they spent almost every Friday in the same downtown LA club. Your job is to become one of these girls. Tomorrow night, you'll infiltrate this club as just another girl looking to have a good time."
Morgan glanced at Hotch. It was obvious from his face that he didn't like these circumstances one bit.
"Are you sure about this, Hotch? Shouldn't we just stake the club out and see if we can catch our unsub in action?"
Much to Morgan's dismay, Hotch shook his head, "We don't have enough time for that. Our unsub is devolving. We need to catch him quickly, and we don't have the time to waste. JJ will be fine. Besides, I'm sending you into the club as well. She'll be bugged. We won't let it get too far."
Morgan shook his head, still unconvinced. To his surprise though, JJ placed a hand on his forearm. He looked up at her eyes and read the silent message in them, "It'll be okay. I'll be fine."
Morgan nodded resignedly and turned back to Hotch, "What do we do now?"
Hotch turned to Reid and Rossi and said, "Begin compiling everything we know both about our unsub and about our victims. I do not want to go into the club unprepared tomorrow."
He then called Garcia and had her start to backstop covers for both JJ and Morgan.
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Coming back to the present, JJ heard another set of footsteps approaching. She ducked deeper into the shadows, hoping that her dark clothing would aid in keeping her hidden. She nearly hissed in pain as her bare foot came in contact with what she could deduce was a sharp piece of glass. The heels she had been wearing in the club were far too impractical to run in, so they had been discarded several miles back.
The footsteps grew louder and louder, and then stopped abruptly.
A raspy male voice crooned into the darkness, "I know you're back here. You can't hide from me."
JJ involuntarily stepped backward, taking in a sharp breath. She had no idea how this man knew she was here; her cell phone had been cast off with her shoes, and the men had forced her to remove the camera, earwig, and microphone back in the club. She thought she had no trail.
The man heard a slight rustling behind him, and whipped around. There, nearly engulfed in shadows, was the girl from the club. He leisurely began to walk forward. Matching him step for step, JJ backed up. He continued to move towards her though, and suddenly she felt the wall behind her. There was nowhere left to run.
Quicker than JJ thought possible, the man grabbed her arm and held her in place. In the moonlight, she saw the glint of a syringe. She struggled and thrashed in his grip, trying to break free from his iron hands. Unfortunately, she felt a prick in her neck and the whole world went sideways.
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Emily helped JJ put the finishing touches on her makeup, then held up the mirror so JJ could see her reflection. Heavy mascara and eyeliner accentuated her blue eyes, and bright red lipstick completed the effect. With her hair done up and the short black dress, JJ fit the bill for the unsub's victims perfectly.
With one last rueful glance in the mirror, JJ turned and strode back into the main part of the police station. The rest of the team had gathered in the briefing room they had been provided; Derek was already dressed in his apparel for the evening.
Hotch glanced up from the file he had been perusing and asked, "Are you all set to go?"
JJ nodded and looked at Derek for his confirmation. He nodded, and the team set out to the club. Reid, Emily, Rossi, and Hotch were staying nearby in the SUVs as both backup and surveillance, while JJ infiltrated the club to draw the unsub out with Morgan as her immediate backup.
JJ sauntered into the club and Derek followed a few minutes later. After nearly half an hour, there was still no sign of the unsub and Morgan was starting to feel a bit antsy.
"Hotch, are you sure he's even going to strike tonight? This is an awfully big risk."
To his surprise, it was JJ who answered.
"Give it some time, Morgan. We've only been here for about thirty minutes. It may take a while for him to make his move. We'll be fine."
She made eye contact with him from across the room and he nodded reluctantly. Suddenly, a man that had been sitting near JJ stood and moved towards her. Derek watched from his spot as JJ smiled flirtatiously and followed the man Derek presumed was the unsub into a private room in the back of the club. He couldn't see her anymore, and fought the rising panic that the only contact they now had were the earwigs.
JJ followed close behind as she and the man slipped into the room. To her surprise, though, they weren't alone. Two other men were standing in the room. They were both carrying several weapons and had arms that absolutely bulged with muscle. She shivered involuntarily and turned to face the man from the club.
He stepped towards her and went to whisper in her ear when he noticed the tiny earwig in it. He stepped back in disgust.
"She's a cop or a fed or something. Check her for bugs and cameras, then get rid of her."
He then turned and stalked into an adjoining room with his phone held to his ear. JJ's eyes went wide as the two thugs approached her. Meanwhile, Hotch ordered Derek to get to her as soon as possible. Unfortunately, a man had passed out on the dance floor and no one was allowed to move until the paramedics got him out of the way. Too much time was passing.
The goons quickly and thoroughly removed all sources of contact from JJ, including her cell phone, and then made a move to grab her. Finally, her training kicked in. Wrestling herself free from their grasp, she executed a few well-placed kicks and bolted out the door, discarding her shoes as she ran.
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To JJ's surprise, she didn't lose consciousness; everything was very hazy and her limbs felt numb. As she lay on the ground, she suddenly heard several sets of footsteps approaching. It sounded like there were far too many of them to be the thugs from earlier though. The man bent to pick her up, and she noticed a dark sedan parked near the front of the alley. Her heart rate sped up. She still couldn't move, and no one was there to save her.
Suddenly, she heard gunshots. The man dropped her unceremoniously back onto the rough asphalt and JJ winced slightly as she made contact with the hard ground. He pulled his own gun and delved into the shadows, prepared to fight off the unwanted visitors. Then, a familiar voice called out from the front of the alley.
"Justin Folleux, come out with your hands up. We are armed and have you surrounded," Hotch shouted.
The man, Justin Folleux, turned and shot one last glance at JJ before raising his gun to his head and taking his own life. He hit the ground next to JJ with a thud. Reid rushed towards her with Hotch and Morgan following closely behind. The latter quickly got to work on securing the body while Reid knelt next to JJ.
"Hang on for a bit longer, JJ," Reid said softly, "the ambulance is almost here. You're going to be fine."