So I'm back. I will update my other stories soon, I promise! However, after my building was on fire Thursday night, my muse decided she wanted to go down a new path and write a crime story filled with angst. So here it is. It would have been posted much sooner, but unfortunately my goddaughter passed away Friday so writing was the last thing on my mind. RIP Taylor. Anyway, let me know what you think! Oh, and as ever, massive thanks to Briannaaa2012 for being my beta.
The floor of the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the FBI was silent at such an hour. Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Jareau had been the last agent to leave, switching off all the lights at 11:30pm and had made her way home to her husband and son. She didn't usually stay so late, but the previous case the team had worked on had been a long one in Tennessee and there was a lot of paperwork. She hadn't noticed the black substance by the kettle in the kitchenette when she turned out the light; she really wasn't paying too much attention; she just wanted to get home to her son and husband. Everything was as expected within the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia; deadly silent and dark. Nobody was there as everyone had gone home: the last security guard had left at 1:30am and had nothing to report. If he had bothered to check the BAU again though, rather than relying on the information given to him by JJ when she had left, he would have found that something wasn't right and he should call for added backup, rather than going home. It was a thought that, when he arrived at work the following day, would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Emily Prentiss groaned as she rolled over in her king sized bed. For the third night in a row, she'd had nightmares now and she was beginning to get worried that they were affecting her job. Her lack of sleep was taking its toll on her concentration at work. Weary eyed, she glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table; 2:14am. Groaning again, she sat up and rubbed her tired eyes, deciding to get a glass of water from the kitchen before trying to get back to sleep: she still had over 4 hours until she had to get up. She slipped her slippers on soundlessly and made her way to the kitchen, trying to remember her dream. Something had awoken her abruptly and she was pretty sure it had something to do with her colleagues.
After finishing her glass of water and rinsing her glass, Emily quickly made her way back to bed after double checking that her security alarm was set and the front door bolted. She had remembered what her dream had been about and it terrified her. Like when she knew Ian Doyle had escaped from prison in Korea, Emily Prentiss feared for her life again; and her colleagues. Logically, she knew she was just being paranoid and that her dream was simply that: a dream. She knew Ian Doyle was dead. Chloe Donaghy had shot him while she was there. She had seen him die slowly. Painfully. Ian Doyle hurting her team now, months after his death, was impossible. But it still put her on edge enough to double check her state-of-the-art security system and that her front door was bolted shut.
After tossing and turning for another hour after getting back into bed, Emily finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep at 3:32am for another 3 hours sleep before her alarm woke her at 6:30 so she could start getting ready for work. Tiredly, she stopped the music blaring from her alarm clock and made her way to the bathroom for a quick, hot shower. Turning the shower on, Emily stripped herself of the baby blue nightshirt she wore to bed and stepped under the spray of water, sighing softly as the heat washed away the headache she had somehow managed to acquire during the night. After the nightmares of Ian Doyle, Emily felt dirty again, and being able to scrub herself clean, despite knowing she was, felt good. It made her feel alive again. Reminded her that she had won the battle against Doyle and had come out on top; alive while he was dead.
Stepping out of the shower 15 minutes later, Emily quickly dressed herself in her black pant suit with her crimson red shirt, and headed downstairs for her morning cup of coffee. Although while in Paris she had given up caffeine to try and relax more, in the last couple of days she had started drinking it again in order to stay awake during the day as her nightmares were keeping her awake during the night. Pouring herself a large mug, Emily took her time drinking her coffee and eating her cereal before washing her dishes. Grabbing her go-bag she locked her door behind her and headed off to work at 7:15am.
Reaching FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia 45 minutes later, Emily parked her black Lexus in the south parking lot and made her way into the building, flashing her badge at the security guard on the door. However, instantly, she could tell something wasn't right. The guard was stood upright and staring straight ahead, normally, he was sat slumped in his chair reading the morning paper. "Patrick? Is everything okay?" she asked concerned, stopping next to him. Patrick jumped slightly when he heard her voice; usually she just walked straight past after flashing her badge. "Agent Prentiss, you're with the BAU aren't you?" he asked her, focusing his attention on her rather than straight ahead. With a raised brow, Emily nodded her head softly while placing her ID in the inside pocket of her jacket again. "Yes" she said slowly "is everything okay?" Patrick sighed. "You're to meet at north parking lot today, ma'am" he said softly. "I'm not meant to give you any more information; Agent Hotchner will inform you as to why once you are there. You're not to enter the building." Emily nodded her head again before heading back to her car to drive round to the north parking lot. "Okay, thank you Patrick."
Getting back into her Lexus, Emily started the engine with a quiet purr and drove round to the north parking garage. It only took her five minutes, but by the time she had parked her car again, her colleagues had arrived. Well, all except Aaron Hotchner. Luckily, the morning was fairly warm however, so waiting the five minutes for him to arrive wasn't too bad. At least now they would find out why they weren't allowed to enter the building. Despite seeing other agents enter without a hitch.
Well, there's the first chapter. It isn't great, but let me know what you think! Next chapter should be up fairly soon, I'll try and get it up by the end of the week, but I am seriously going to try and update my other stories as well! I'll try to have something updated by the end of the week! I'll leave it at that. ;-)