Title: True Confessions of the BAU
Parings: H/R *slash* through most of the ones with parings, because that's how I roll, and H/P in one, which is also how I roll.
Beta: xstarxspikex because she's my besty and an amazing writer in her own right.
Rating: Ehh we'll say T, mostly for curse words.
Summary: Book fic of 10 drabbles from the book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. It's by Avi, go read it.
Spoilers: Revelations, Demonology, To Hell…. And Back, and the fact that JJ has a baby.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, my muse just suggested that I play with them.
Words: ~2,200
Not every thirteen year old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial and found guilty.
In fact, Hotch can't ever remember a time when that had happened. In his mind this girl had. This striking conniving fiend may not have pulled the trigger herself but as far as the entire team was concerned she might as well have. Her beauty and unnatural ability to pull people into her charm and have them do whatever she told them almost seamed supernatural in its intensity.
She even had the team convinced that she was the sweet angel that she appeared to be. That is until Reid could no longer stand to see her smile beautifully in her child like manner and finally spoke up about it. True, the team didn't believe him, most thought that Reid was jealous in his own way because of all the attention that he usually got from the team was directed at her. That is until Reid was proven correct in his assumption that she was the controlling force in the kidnapping and murders of 16 year olds in the area. How could a 13 year old girl commit such horrendous acts? Well not alone of course, she corrupted her older brother and caregiver into thinking that she needed real boys to be her prince charming and when they didn't comply she had them killed. The brother felt compelled, as did all who knew her, to obey her every command. That is until the team witnessed the brother, with the girl watching from aloft out a window, murder Reid in cold blood because he dared to oppose her.
"Mr. Grummage, sir, what is the captain's name?"
"That bastard deserved everything he got coming to him. I warned the scumbag to take the deal. The narcissist knew there would be consequences if the deal was not taken. I rid the world of a pest and you are arresting me?"
Morgan comes across the table at the Reaper and throws him against the wall, fists flying in rage at his face. "His name was Aaron Hotchner, you mother fucking bastard. You can't even say his name! You aren't worthy enough to stand in the same room as him and you dared to take his life?"
No one from the team flew in to peel Morgan off of him, for they all agreed that this nemesis was not worthy enough to have felled their fearless captain.
I was never to see him again.
Spencer used to believe in fairy tales. Well not for very long, he proved that the magic that happened in them wasn't real a long time ago. That doesn't mean he didn't want them to be real. He knew that it wasn't Aaron's fault. It wasn't his fault that the tales of old only existed to the young. Aaron gave all of himself to the job and his son, and as hard as Aaron would try he couldn't give himself to Spencer too. That was just too much to ask of any man, even one as strong as Aaron, and Spencer didn't want to be the one that caused his prince charming to fail at anything by being the straw that broke the camel's back. So Spencer gave up on his fairy tale and walked away, from Aaron, from the bureau, and from the fairy tale he had held onto for so long. That was also the day that Aaron stopped believed in those long forgotten fairytales too. After all, fairytales don't exist for gay men, and these two were at a loss about how to create one.
"I'm not certain…" "I will guide you."
Gideon had promised to show Reid everything he needed to know to work at the BAU, and often times he did. He had shown Reid that there are people in the world he could and must trust, the team being one example, but he also learned to trust himself. When Gideon left he was still teaching Reid, that time the lesson was independence.
Now Reid found himself being taught by someone new. Hotch had taken Reid under his wing after Gideon left and assumed the teaching position. The lessons that Hotch taught didn't always have to deal with life at the BAU but rather his personal life. Reid often compared Hotch and Gideon in their ways of teaching, Gideon's way was letting Reid figure it out for himself with assurance along the way. Hotch had more of a tough love approach. At the current moment Spencer, with his head thrown back in ecstasy, was not complaining about Aaron's approach on teaching him the ways of passionate, rough sex. Not complaining one bit.
Indeed I was a baby. (Baby Henry's POV)
Mom's gone a lot. I don't like it, not at all. I mean, I love daddy but I like it when mommy is home. I like her pretty sunshine hair. Plus when mommy comes home she brings me cool toys from all the places she goes. I wish I could go with her on the big white plane. Sometimes mommy comes home and seems all sad, but I make it better by giving her the biggest hug and kiss I can. A few times I went to the place she works at and gave hugs and kisses to all the sad people like my uncles Derek, Aaron, Spencer and Dave. But I like giving my aunts kisses better, aunt Emily and Penelope don't have scratchy faces like my uncles. I don't mind though, when I make them feel better I get presents and Spencer does magic! He's a real wizard! I always know when I get to go to mommy's work when she gets back because I hear her tell daddy something about a "bad case" or "we didn't get to the child in time". I don't know what it means, but I like the smiles that come while I'm at mommy's work. And the presents!
You can imagine my relief at being rescued by Mr. Hollybrass.
People say that your life flashes in front of your eyes before you die. Mine didn't, because all I could think of was Jack. Not the fact that he would grow up without a father, but the fact that maybe it would be better for him to be able to say that the reason I'm not there for his ball games, his birthday or his wedding was because I'm dead, not because I'm on a case. I think it would be better for him, easier for him to understand that I couldn't be there for him instead of choosing not to be by selecting a career that I know will take me away from him. So with this thought in mind, I'm ready, ready for that blast of the gun, ready to free my son of a lifetime of disappointment that I know I would bring him, like I brought Haley. The gun fire I heard was in itself a great release, from all the stress of this world. At least I thought it was. When I felt no pain from the Reaper's bullet, I turned and much to my dismay saw Dave standing in the doorway, gun drawn. My voice barely audible asks, "What have you done?" My mental plight unknown to the old friend in my house, he answers, "Looks like I just saved your ass. You can thank me later." I don't think I'll ever thank him.
"Mr. Grummage, sir," I blurted out.
To this day, Hotch doesn't know the real reason I spoke his name to Tobias. Everyone thinks it was the only way to let the team know where I was by misquoting a passage that Hotch and I had been discussing. Sometimes even I believe it, but I know deep down that I said Aaron Hotchner because all I wanted was to see him one last time before Tobias killed me. Saying his name aloud was the closest I thought I would ever get to my secret love again, so before I could stop myself, I said it. Everyone thinks it was my saving grace but it was actually the last wish of a dying heart.
At first I tried to ignore the feeling.
It worked for a while too, that ignorance. The news of Matthew's death though shattered my defenses though. I didn't understand that what I felt for Aaron was love until after the case when I realized that he risked not only his job but his reputation on a hunch that I couldn't prove. That me, little Emily that never fit in anywhere, could have a man like Aaron willing to give up a career that he chose over a marriage! That all I had to do was look at him and ask for help and he would risk it all to do whatever I needed. That's why I'm standing at his front door trying to get up the courage to knock, because I not only realized that I was in love with Aaron, I realized that he must either care for me too or he was crazy. Why else would he risk so much for me? Personally I was hoping for the first but it was the threat of the latter that kept my hand from placing itself upon his door.
I didn't notice that the man I had been pining for had opened the door until he spoke my name. "Emily, you should come….."
"Hotch IthinkI'minlovewithyouandIdon'tknowifyoulovemeback." Well, all that came out in an unexpected rush. I hung my head and waited for the amazing man in front of me to turn me away and tell me to look for another job. But I didn't complain when he kissed me instead.
Dinner at midday was the same.
Penelope knew that her kids never ate well on a case. Often they skipped meals in order to have more time to catch the heartless bastards that they fought every day. If they weren't catching them then they were battling the paper cuts and bad coffee that accompanied the ancient technology of paperwork. So every so often, Penelope went home and cooked her babies a loving meal. She always piled Reid's plate high and made him eat all of it because the boy was just too damn skinny. She made Morgan eat his vegetables before he got any dessert. Baby Henry always got something sweet by way of his mother, and Penelope always called Will to make sure JJ gave it to him. After all she was Henry's godmother, she could spoil him! Penelope always made special chocolate to give just to Emily, who would always share it anyway. She also made Rossi a few boxes of food to take home with him so he would actually have something to eat while he was living the bachelor life. And Hotch, well she made him come down from his office and eat with the family as well as smile. She had to remind him that he still had a family. Why does she do this? Who else is going to take care of her team of crime fighters? They all need a momma, even superheroes.
He only found more to complain about.
"Reid stop twitching! You're keeping the whole plane awake!" Morgan threw a paper ball at him as he spoke.
"I'm sorry; it's just that this seat is leather so I keep sliding off of it. Not to mention the fact that it's too cold to sleep without a blanket but too hot to sleep under one. Then when I finally got to sleep a few minutes ago the jet hit turbulence and bounced me off the couch!" Reid sounded like a whiny five year old.
"Reid could you possibly complain more? What's wrong with you, you've been jumpy all day." Morgan inquired.
"What Reid's problem is, is that he drank about 15 cups of coffee today. And you know how much sugar he puts in each cup." Emily called out from a darkened corner.
"Spence, why in the world would you drink 15 cups of coffee?" JJ sighed sleepily.
"I was trying to stay awake today, and it wasn't 15 it was 12 cups." Reid sounded like his pride was wounded.
"Boy, if you make me ask why you needed help staying awake today and if it isn't a good reason I will slap you silly." But Morgan's threat sounded weak from the sleep that surrounded it.
"I had a date last night." Reid said quietly.
"What was that, Reid? I couldn't hear you." Rossi's voice appeared from somewhere near the back of the plane.
"I said I had a date last night." He said with more force.
"That's my boy, who was she?" Morgan's interest was piqued.
About this time Hotch called out, "Guys get some sleep and that's an order." Hotch knew who the "she" was that was Reid's date. Her name was the local DAA, Drug Addicts Anonymous. Hotch was the only one who saw the pamphlet fall from Reid's pocket, the only one who saw the tell tale signs of the constant withdrawal Reid was going through. After all, hadn't Reid said that he knew Hotch would understand?