The Playing Game and Lone Wolf revamped
Chapter 1
I had an idea last night on a different take on how the girls' reaction would have been if Alex would have shown up at Alison's 'funeral'.
Here's background more on the Alexandra character:
Though she was the captain of the Sharks basketball team, she had a weak spot for bad boys, mainly Jason DiLaurentis. But the secret was never told to Alison because of the 'friend code'. Her parents fought a lot when her dad was trying to make a record deal (and other secrets Alex didn't know about) leading the move to Nashville.
"Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. -Stephen King"
I pulled up to the town's church just as the people were walking out of it. I knew showing up like this, I knew I had some explaining to do on why I was here. It's not something I wanted to talk about over a homecoming dinner with some friends.
Sure I have a nice paying job, good friends, and a relationship back home that I haven't told anyone about yet. That part really hasn't come up in the conversations. I killed the ignition to my Mercedes-Benz and saw the girls walking down the steps as I tossed my sunglasses to the passenger seat.
"Alex, you're here." Spencer said.
"With a nice car I might add."
"Hanna." Emily said.
"What?" I couldn't help but smile a little. Things haven't really changed.
"It's ok. I would have gotten here sooner, but traffic was a-."
"Alexandra, good you're here." I closed my eyes, knowing that it was Wilden.
"Wilden." I said a little harsher than intended. "What do you want?"
"Follow up questions on Alison DiLaurentis' death." He takes out his memo pad and pen. "I'm assuming you know the rules."
"You know I didn't have anything to do with Ali's death."
"If you want, we can go to the station-."
"Fine let's this over with." The two of us left.
"What just happened?" Aria asked.
"I don't know." Emily said.
…
After what it seemed to be like hours being grilled by Wilden, I was finally released since he couldn't get a straight answer from me. I walked out of the interrogation room more pissed off than usual; I had my leather jacket that Hotch had gotten me for my birthday a couple of years back hanging over my back. I was about to leave when I was stopped by Wilden once more by the filing cabinets.
"Brooks."
"What now?"
"Don't think about leaving town. I still have a couple of more questions to ask."
"For the record, so does my team." He returned a stun look.
"You're a cop now?"
"Does that surprise you?"
"A little." I rolled my eyes at him and left.
I speed dialed Aaron's number as I walked out of the station to meet the girls to catch up on old times.
"Hotchner."
"Hey, it's me." I felt him smile on the other end.
"Hey, how's everything in Rosewood?"
"Funny you should ask."
"Something tells me, I'm not going to like the answer." I smiled a little as I paid for my latte.
"Just the usual past coming to bite me in my ass…and a possible case."
"Oh. Do we need to come down?"
"That's questionable."
"You're being questioned. Aren't you?" I looked up at the ceiling.
"Sometimes I hate you." He let out a small laugh just as I saw the girls walking in.
"I'll take that as a yes. We'll be there tomorrow."
"Ok. Tell Jack hi for me." I heard an ok and I what I guess JJ in the background walking into his office.
"How'd it go with Wilden?" Spencer asked.
"Like I was getting sent to principal's office again." They pulled a face.
"It couldn't be that bad." Aria said.
"Trust me, the last five years that I have worked with the F.B.I., I can now understand what it's like on the other side of the table. I'm just surprised the guy is still working."
"Is there anything we can do?" Emily asked.
"As for now. It's the team job."
"Since I'm guessing you can't leave town any time soon, why don't we have a movie marathon?" Then it dawn on me. Caleb was still in Ravenswood.
"That's your 'I got an idea face'. What are you thinking?" Spencer asked.
"Han, Caleb is still in Ravenswood right?"
"Far as I know." Just then Wilden walked in ordering a cup of coffee and walked over.
"Girls."
"Darren." I said bitterly.
"First name bases, I see." I nodded as I took a sip of my latte. "Any plans tonight?"
"You know the use, movie marathon. So no worries on checking up on me."
"Trust me I will." He left leaving the girls more confused than ever.
…
The five of us walked up to my parents' old barn surprisingly I still had enough money to have I looking nice if I wanted to move back. I started to unlatch the barn when Aria stopped me just as a car drove by.
"I still don't know what we're doing here." I rolled my eyes as I opened the barn door and saw that my motorcycle was still standing in one piece.
"Why are we looking at this rusty old thing?" Hanna asked.
"Gee, Han, I don't know, maybe 'cause Wilden will have eyes on my Benz." She rolled her eyes at me as the other three held back laughs.
"How are you going to escape Wilden, though?" Emily asked.
"It looks like I'm going to have play a little cat and mouse with him." Then Spencer remembered the times I had to climb into her window at night when I broke curfew.
"That's why you always used to sneak into my window at night." I was about to say something snarky when black SUV's drove up.
"Uh, I don't want to alarm you, Alex, but there's a couple of black SUV's out front." Aria said making me look up from what I was doing.
"Oh, good they're here."
"That's all you have to say?" Spencer asked as we walked out of the barn just as I saw Hotch, Reid, Morgan, Prentiss and JJ walking up. I was still ignoring Spencer's rambling mouth as I greeted my team that's when Emily spoke up.
"Oh give it a rest, Spence."
"Thought you guys were suppose to be here tomorrow?"
"Figured we might get a head start."
"Right. Guys, I'd like you to meet, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily." They exchanged handshakes as JJ spoke.
"I'm JJ. This is Morgan, Reid, and Hotch." Aria's alarm went off her cell.
"I gotta get back to work. See you tonight?"
"Got it." She left as did the other three leaving the team and me on my parent's property.
"What's tonight?" Reid asked.
"Our usual movie marathon."
"Since you can't leave town, right?" Morgan asked, earning a punch on the arm.
"Shut up. Will ya?"
"I don't think that' possible." Prentiss said.
"So this Wilden guy?"
"Right. Apparently I'm not his favorite person."
"You?" Morgan asked in a shocked voice.
"Anyways, I had a run-in with him when I was younger-." Reid cut me off.
"Wait you had a run-in with the law?"
"Why does that surprise you, Reid?"
"It doesn't." I just nodded in amusement while the others held back laughter.
"Back to Wilden?"
"Right. He still thinks I had something to do with Alison's death."
"You didn't though, right?" Reid asked.
"Reid, there is one thing you need to know Wilden, he gets what he wants."
"And he wants you out of a job?" JJ added.
"More than you ever know."
"Brooks, you're still here."
"Like I said earlier, I wasn't planning on leaving."
"I'm guessing you all work with Brooks?"
"We do." Hotch said. "SSA Aaron Hotchner, F.B.I." Wilden's face looked like he stole the last cookie the cookie jar.
"You work for the feds."
"You look surprised, Darren."
"I thought you said you were a cop?" I gave him a smirk grin.
"You never asked."
"If you're done-?"
"Actually, I still need Brooks for few-."
"Darren, I told you before I was spending the night at-."
"The Hastings house, I know."
"Are we done here?"
"For now."
…
The team and I were eating in my parent's old house when my cell ranged with Caleb's name on it.
"It's me." I walked off to the other room.
"Hey look, about tonight…"
"You can't make it can you?"
"It's not that," I looked back at my team just as Morgan looked up and I walked father to the stairs. "I can't. I just gotta figure out a-."
"Away to get out-of-town?"
"Bingo." Hotch walked in without me knowing. "I gotta go."
"Something wrong?"
"Hey. I need to step out for a while."
"Everything ok?" I saw that his arms were crossed which was sometimes never good.
"Yeah." I placed my hand on top of his. "I'm fine, I promise. I'll call when I can." He returned a nod.
…
I met Caleb in a park in Ravenswood and took off my helmet just as he opened up his laptop and walked towards him as I pulled the zipper down on my leather jacket and placed my shoulder length blonde brown hair in a ponytail.
"Couldn't get away huh?"
"Funny. I gotta make this quick, or my team will have me benched if I'm not back at Hanna's place-."
"Ok, ok. I got your point."
"So Wilden is still hounding down your neck?" I let out a stiff laugh.
"More than you know. Should've seen the look on his face when I told him I was with the F.B.I." Caleb laughed.
"Here's something."
"Mona's still alive?" I ran my hand over my face just as I heard footsteps and pulled out my gun from behind. "Hello?" I saw Caleb closing his laptop as I was walking around and was surprised by a cat, which earned a laugh from Caleb.
"Dude, you need a vacation."
"When I know this thing with 'A' is over I'll take one." I looked at my cell and had a text from Hanna saying that Wilden was asking for me. "Shit."
"What you're posing is after you?"
"Worse, Wilden."
"Go, I'll send you the info." I nodded.
…
The doorbell ranged just as I pulled my bike in the backyard of the River's residents. Seeing that Wilden's car was parked in the front I had the better chance of climbing the house and into the bedroom, like I used to if I was late for my curfew. I motion Hanna to distract him as much as she could.
"Is Alexandra here?" Wilden asked.
"I think she's changing." He looked at funny.
I was starting to climb the house when I saw JJ on the phone which I was guessing with Will. Thankfully Hanna was still smart enough to leave the some wood décor on the house that her mom had put there. The bad part of it is was Hanna's old bedroom was on the second floor. But I was always up for the challenge.
"Changing?"
"Yeah, you know how gross staying in jeans all day can get." Thankfully Emily spoke up.
"Why don't I go see what's taking her so long?"
"That'd be great." She smiled and left and with Aria just as I fell onto the floor.
"What was that?" Hanna spoke in a panic voice.
"Books falling desks."
"Books?"
"You know me, I just love to read."
Back into Hanna's old room both Emily and Aria walked with surprised looks on their faces as I was still lying on the floor.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." I winced. "Must be getting old." I began to hear footsteps. "Hand me my hoodie." I tossed my jacket by the bed for now and quickly changed into the shorts that Aria had given me just as Wilden walked in, I was putting on my hoodie.
"Don't you know how to knock?"
"I was just making sure everything was ok."
"I'm fine, thanks for asking." He nodded and walked out as we followed just as I grabbed my phone from the bed that had two messages one from Caleb and another from Morgan.
"I still-."
"We know." Hanna said as he was walking out of the house. I watched him drive off just as I was going through my messages on my phone.
"Messages from 'A'?" Spencer asked.
"Actually no, thankfully. I met up with Caleb…" I saw the look on her face. "It's not what you think."
"Are you sure? Cause-."
"I had him to search info on Mona."
"You think she's alive?" We walked back in.
"Think who's alive?" Hanna asked.
"Alexandra-."
"Gawd, you know I hate going by that name."
"Believes that Mona is still alive." I could see the wheels spinning inside of Hanna's head as she was snacking on a carrot.
"Wait, so all this time you've been meeting with Caleb?" I nodded shamelessly as she got up and left.
"Han. Come on. Let me explain." Thankfully Aria spoke up.
"Look, maybe Alex had a good reason."
"Yeah, I doubt it." I ran my hand over my face as I saw leave for her room.
"You didn't do anything did you?" I shot a glare at Emily. "I was only asking."
"I'm going for a run."
"Right now?" Aria asked.
"There's no use of watching movies if it's going to be this tense." I said putting on my shoes. "Call me when she cools off."
…
As I was taking my night run, I came to the high school to the lights still on and made my way back to the gym where I found myself shooting baskets, but was soon interrupted by a familiar voice.
"You can't be in here." Jason said.
"Sorry. The door wa-."
"Al." A small smile appeared on my face.
"Jason, you work here now?" We walked closer to each other
"I've been helping troubled youth." I wrapped my hands around his neck making him smile. "Somebody has been missing me."
"Just a little." He closed the gap between us.
"Only a little?"
"Maybe." He leaned in for a kiss. "Maybe a little more." He grinned.
"I thought so."
"I can't stay long." He nodded just as my cell went off with Spencer's name. "Hanna must have cooled down. See you later?" He nodded as he brushed some hair behind my ear.
…
I ran back up the steps just as the front door opened to show Caleb leaving with a box of his stuff.
"Caleb I-." Next thing I knew my duffle was thrown at me. "Really Hanna?"
I strolled over to my parent's house walked in and dropped my duffle by the door earning looks from Morgan who was getting a beer from the fridge.
"What happen to the movie marathon?"
"What didn't happened?" he passed me a beer just as Hotch walked in.
"I thought-." Reid said.
"Don't ask." JJ and Emily walked in with surprised looks on their faces.
"Get kicked out of the movie marathon?" I simply nodded.
"Basically, I found out more information about Vanderwaal." Morgan turned around with a plate of food in hand.
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. Garcia should have sent your laptop."
"How'd you get this information?" Hotch asked. Caleb walked in.
"That would be me Caleb Rivers."
"Married to Hanna." Reid said.
"Right."
"I've been meeting with Caleb since I was suspended."
"This is a lot of material." JJ said.
"It's all we have come up with so far." Caleb said.
