Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
This is my first Criminal Minds fic so play nice please! Constructive criticism on the characterization of canon or original characters, and plot points is welcomed. Read and let me know your first impressions :P
Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own :)
Jack gurgled and waved his hands upwards. Tabitha grasped the little limb and blew a raspberry against the soft skin. Jack let out a high pitched squeal at the feeling. She grinned.
"Aaron, he's gorgeous," she couldn't help but gush, "Well done."
Aaron Hotchner smiled. "Thank you."
He watched the girl across from him carefully. It had been a good few years since he had seen Tabitha Hotchner. She was his cousin on his mother's side, his only cousin as far as he was aware, and even though she was years younger, they were exceedingly close. He was like a father figure, an older brother. They even looked similar. The same dark hair, the same cheekbones but on a softer face. The only thing that was really different where their eyes. She had her father's eyes. He had watched her grow up, had been there for her, and had kept monthly communications because he didn't want to lose touch.
Which was why he knew there was more to her impromptu visit than just meeting the new addition to the family.
"What's wrong?" Aaron questioned.
Tabitha stilled but didn't lift her head to meet his gaze. "What makes you think that anything's wrong?"
His answer was instantaneous. "You've got bags under your eyes, something you've been trying to hide behind make-up. You're tense, meaning you're worried about something. And you were listening to your Whitney Houston playlist. You always listen to her when you're stressed."
"Did you just profile me?" she huffed out.
"Plus, you came here out of the blue, not even a warning call which means something is worrying you. What is it?" Hotch continued and arched an eyebrow, giving her the patented Aaron Hotchner 'you should tell me now or I'm going to force it out of you' look. It was an expression she had been on the receiving end of many times as a child and it was a little frustrating that she was still so easily affected by it.
Tabitha sighed in defeat, adjusting her grip on the baby. "It's about a case I'm working on…I need your help Aaron."
It was Aaron who had gotten her into psychology. Their family was incredibly law orientated – her grandfather was a lawyer, her mother a politician – but it was Aaron's influence that lead her to this world. All the stories, all the skills he taught her, are what encouraged her to study criminal psychology at college.
She'd taken a position at the Pittsburgh PD straight out of college, had worked and pushed until she had earned the position of Detective. She enjoyed her job, if that was the right word for it – maybe content was better – but that didn't mean that stepping into the BAU headquarters at Quantico wasn't almost dream like.
Tabitha's footsteps stalled and she tried to calm herself down. She hummed the opening bars of 'I will always love you' and she rolled on the balls of her feet. A hand settled on her shoulder and she jumped, startled, unable to school the anxiousness on her face before he saw it. Aaron gave her a small smile and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.
Tabitha returned the smile, straightened her purple button up (she had decided dressing up was the most professional way of doing this) and rolled her shoulders. She nodded sharply as a sign that she was fine, that she was ready. Aaron moved forward first and she followed dutifully behind.
"Conference room in three," Aaron raised his voice to order and Tabitha knew automatically that this was his 'I'm the boss' voice. It was business from then on.
Tabitha tried not to fidget as the team filed into the room, each regarding her with silent curiosity. Profiling her, she guessed. It was instinct at this point with these guys, it was just something they did whenever they met someone knew. Figured out their quirks and their habits, the things that made them tick. Tabitha knew a little but not as much as these agents did, but she couldn't help but make her own check list.
Three women. Elle Greenway, who used to work in sex crimes, has seen a lot and determined to show that her experience means that she's ready for the stress of the BAU. Jennifer Jareu or JJ, communication liaison between the FBI and the media, the state police force, comfortable in her role and confident with what the BAU can do. Penelope Garcia, who Aaron described as "different", bubbly and quirky, it was as if she compensated for the darkness around her with the brightness of her clothes.
Three men. Jason Gideon, one of Aaron's old friend and respected colleague, latches on to the victims to find a reason to keep fighting. Derek Morgan, board shoulders charmer and ladies' man, who was confident with who he was, with what he did, and was willing to do anything to stop the bad guy. Dr Spencer Reid, the youngest member of the team and probably the most social awkward judging by his stance, who retained fact after fact as a defence mechanism.
It felt weird to her, that she knew this much about people she hadn't met before, but she was still grateful for the stories that Aaron had told, the information he may or may not have accidentally given her. It made her feel powerful, more in control rather than the weakness she had before.
"This is Detective Tabitha Hotchner, from the Pittsburgh PD," Hotch introduced, taking a seat.
Tabitha waved awkwardly. "Hi. It's good to meet you all finally."
Elle waved her hand between them. "You two are related?"
"Cousins," Hotch supplied, "She's here to request help on a case she's working on."
"I know this is short notice and isn't really stand procedure, but Aaron had told me a lot about you guys and the good you do and I just think this is up your alley," Tabitha explained.
Files were slide across the table to each member of the team, who opened and examined the photographs and reports inside. At Aaron's nod, Tabitha let out a small breath, trying to regain a hold on her panic, and stand up taller.
"So about three weeks ago, a body was found at a local high school, in the football pitch. Carlton Fry. 18, senior at Roosevelt High, AP student, top of his class. He was beaten, probably with a blunt object, had three stab wounds in his torso and strangled. Coroner declared the cause of death asphyxiation. A week later, Admed Sahiel, another Roosevelt High student, some kind of mathematical genius according to the school and his parents. Four days ago, Julie Griffin, a cheerleader. Same killing method and same dumping ground."
"All from the same school, same age…" Reid mused, "Any other connections?"
"Carlton and Admed shared a few AP classes, mostly maths and science but according to the people we spoke to, they moved in completely different circles." She paused and licked her lips, "There's more. Another teenager went missing, Caroline Rogers – art student. She had a fight with her boyfriend at a party, left early and that's the last anyone heard from her. Same school, same age, she's likely to be another victim."
"And with the time between kills decreasing…" Elle started.
"…we have less than 48 hours to get her back alive," Tabitha nodded solemnly.
Jennifer glanced at Aaron. "Have we been invited in? I don't see any records here…"
"That's because there isn't any," She answered, "At least not from the police. This came from above. The governor gave me her blessing."
"Why would she give you that and not go through the official channels?" Jennifer looked confused.
Tabitha's lips twisted upwards a little. "Well, the governor doesn't particularly like paperwork. Besides, she's…a personal friend. I know, it's unorthodox, but we're desperate. There are three dead teenagers with a possible fourth on the way, with no visible leads or motives. This guy…this Unsub," she corrected, "he's meticulous. He takes them off the streets, he takes them to an undisclosed location to abuse and kill them before dumping the bodies at a public location where the bodies will easily be found. If there's anyone who could find who's doing this and stop them, it's this team."
"You think very highly of us," Derek stated, arching an eyebrow.
"Well duh sweetie," Penelope smiled and winked at Derek, who smiled at her.
"I'm a fan of your work," Tabitha answered, "Just…do you accept the case?"
"How could we refuse?" Gideon's lips twitched upward slightly.
Tabitha didn't bother suppressing her relieved smile.