Hello everyone! I am a huge Criminal Minds fan, and after years of writing Teen Titans fanfictions I have finally decided to write one about my favourite TV show! I think this is gonna be a good one so please let me know what you think about this chapter by reviewing. Reviews are always appreciated! This story takes place between season's 5 and 6. JJ is still with the team; none of the Doyle drama has happened with Emily; and Haley has unfortunately died. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am not associated with the show in any way... unfortunately!
It was in the late hours of the evening that the BAU members slowly walked into their office in Quantico, Virginia and lazily fell into their desk chairs feeling completed unmotivated to begin attacking the mountains of paperwork that followed after a case. And unfortunately, this case had been one from hell! An unsub had kidnapped nine children over two months, sexually assaulted them and then ended their misery by violently stabbing them repeatedly and dumping their innocent, young bodies in wooded areas. The case had affected them all on an emotional level and the last thing the profilers wanted was to revive the memories they were desperately trying to compartmentalise, all because they had to justify their actions for the director. Prentiss and Morgan had taken down the unsub moments before he could kill his ninth victim; an eight-year-old boy; and while it was a bittersweet victory they wouldn't forget the child's frightened face anytime soon. JJ and Hotch, as parents themselves, had struggled from the moment they were briefed. But they couldn't let their emotions free, having to stay professional at all times in the eyes of the Boise police. Garcia had seen so many soul-destroying pictures on her computer screens, but these were some of the worst see had encountered and she was just grateful that they were just images and nothing more. As for Reid and Rossi, they had the unfortunate job of interviewing the families of the missing children; having to listen to their cries of anguish and guilt. All seven of them were relieved when the unsub was finally placed under police custody; pleased that another child wouldn't have to suffer.
All of them started on their paperwork, occasionally taking a break to re-energise with strong cups of coffee and snack on food from the vending machine. They knew they'd be working until late and wouldn't have time for a hearty dinner.
Two hours after entering the office, Hotch looked out of his office window down into the bullpen at his team. Reid was finishing off his last report and sneakily stealing some of Prentiss' manila files from her desk to help her out, as she wasn't get much done with her head on the desk, snoozing. Derek kept shaking her every few minutes so she could finish her work and get to bed, but he still had a lot to do himself. They all seemed exhausted and distracted, and to be honest he felt the same way. Whilst in Boise he kept seeing Jack's face on the bodies of the corpses in the morgue. He was physically and emotionally drained. He was sure that Dave, JJ and Penelope were feeling the same way in their own offices. Letting the blind slip from his hand, he closed the folders he was working on, left the office and made his way over to his team's desks.
"Go home. We're all exhausted and can finish these reports on Monday. Have a good weekend, you all deserve it." He smiled, turning around the get his things from his office.
"Thank God!" Prentiss moaned, sluggishly locking the files in her desk and grabbing her bag. Morgan and Reid did the same before waving goodbye to the others and leaving the federal building. Garcia and Rossi followed swiftly behind, both eager to forget the horrors the last few days had bestowed on them in their own way; by drinking. JJ locked her office door and distributed some papers on her friend's desks for their viewing pleasure on Monday morning. Making her way to Hotch's office, she paused before entering and listened to his voice through the door. He was on the phone to Jack, telling him he'd be home soon to read him a story. She sighed, letting herself in when she heard him say bye to his son.
"You ok Hotch?"
"Yeah, fine. I just needed to hear his voice."
"I know the feeling. Cases with children are always so horrible," she sighed, sitting down opposite him. "but ringing Will and Henry always makes me feel better."
"How is Henry? Still teething?"
"Unfortunately! I can't take his screaming Hotch, but he's been like it for a while so I'm hoping he'll be fine by next week." Hotch could relate. Listening to Jack's cries when he was teething was heartbreaking.
"Try giving him ice cubes to suck on. The cold will help numb his mouth." Hotch suggested. "It helped ease Jack's discomfort when he was teething."
"I'll try anything that will stop him crying long enough to get some sleep! I'm gonna need all the hours I can get to recuperate after the week we've had." JJ said, putting the memories to the back of her mind and concentrating on the things she had planned to do with Henry and Will this weekend.
"Get some rest and enjoy your weekend JJ." Hotch smiled, standing up from behind his desk. He wanted to get home just as badly as she did to see his son.
"You too Hotch. Give my love to Jack." She said, giving him a small wave as she left his office to go home and sleep. Hotch followed a few minutes later, happy to finally begin his weekend and forget about work for two precious days.
It was 2am when Emily woke up, on her sofa. She slowly opened her eyes and closed them again, wincing as her retinas came into contact with the bright lighting in her living space. She sat up, her bum crushing a bag of already crushed crisps which she'd obviously been lying on. Moaning, she felt an awful ache in her neck which cracked when she turned her head to the clock on the adjacent wall. 'What the-?' she thought, trying to work out why she was on the sofa and not in her comfortable bed. The noise from her television and the spilt glass of red wine on her coffee table gave her a clue. 'I must have dropped off', she reasoned, getting up to clean the rouge stain off the mahogany surface and stretch her aching limbs. She wouldn't be sleeping on the sofa again in a hurry! She turned off the television and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. Opening the door, she gasped. On her bed sat a blue envelope, with her name written in messy handwriting on the front. On guard immediately, she reached into her pocket for her gun, disappointed when she felt nothing. She'd left it downstairs on the kitchen side when she'd got home. Slowly, she walked further into her room and scanned it for anything, or anyone, that shouldn't have been there and then did the same in her en-suite. Her room was clear, but that didn't ease the nausea she suddenly felt at the thought of someone being in her apartment. She picked up the envelope and opened it, taking out a crumpled piece of paper and reading the message scrawled there...
Dave was surrounded by layers of covers, yet he couldn't sleep. Images of the children they couldn't save were replaying in his mind and preventing him from closing his eyes. He thought the half a bottle of whisky he'd devoured before heading to bed would have knocked him out but obviously his plan had failed. Now he was lying there, getting extremely pissed off with the insomnia that plagued him. Cursing, he turned over, hoping that a more comfortable position might help, and after ten minutes he could feel himself begin to sleep... when a sound from downstairs caught him off guard. He sat up quickly and glanced around his bedroom before getting up and making his way downstairs, grabbing his gun off his dresser drawer as a precaution. Downstairs he scoured the various rooms, hearing nothing of interest. Satisfied that he was just overtired, he went to check the front door was locked and saw a blue envelope sitting patiently on his doormat. He picked it up, looking at his name on the front before opening it...
Reid liked to unwind after a difficult case by watching his Star Trek DVDs, something that he had little time to do as the team's caseloads had become more demanding over the months. By the time he looked up at the clock he was shocked to discover it he'd been watching the Sci-Fi show for four hours! Deciding it was time for bed, he made his way upstairs and disregarded the mess he had left, too tired to even consider cleaning it up at this time in the morning. He went into his bathroom, to find some painkillers for his knee. Even though it had been a few weeks since he'd been given a clean bill of health by his doctor he found it aggravated him every so often, and this was one of those times. Opening the medicine cabinet, he found more than just painkillers. There, standing out in bright contrast to the medicines and toiletries was a blue envelope. Confused as to why there would be a letter in his bathroom, he immediately felt on edge as it sunk in that someone had been in his house without him knowing. Hesitatingly, he ripped the top edge of the envelope open and grasped at the paper inside...
JJ and Will were both lying on the sun-kissed sand, listening to the waves crash peacefully against the shore as they let relaxation overtake them. The palm trees surrounding them danced in the cool breeze and the sweet smell of coconut filled her nostrils, fighting with the scent of barbecue that was wafting from a couple further down the beach. She sighed contently, looking over at her handsome partner; the father of her gorgeous son; and her future husband if he proposed anytime soon (which she hoped he would!) She was the luckiest girl in the world in her opinion. Looking back up, she listened to the sound of Caribbean music and smiled as it filled her ears. Moving her head in time to the music she enjoyed the sound of... crying?
JJ woke up, no longer in paradise but back in her apartment in Washington DC. Sighing, she got out of bed to tend to Henry, whose cries were rising in pitch every second. 'Damn teething stage!', she thought, going to get an ice cube from the freezer. 'Let's hope Hotch is right.' Exiting the kitchen she saw a blue envelope on the floor by the front door. Funny, she thought, wondering why Will hadn't picked it up earlier. He'd been home all day with Henry after all. Picking up the envelope without a second thought, she ventured down the hall to her son's room. "Hi Honey!' she smiled, stroking his cheek. "Look what Mommy has for you!" She put the ice cube in Henry's mouth and he began to quieten down as the ice did the job Hotch promised. She remembered to thank him later. Going back to bed, she remembered the envelope in her hand, which was now wet in the corner from where it had come into contact with the ice cube. It had her name on the front so she opened it...
Morgan, not being able to sleep, had decided to go for a run around the block. It was his way of venting and he enjoyed feeling the sweat roll down the muscles of his back and torso. He didn't have such a fabulous figure for nothing! He did go to the gym on a regular basis and got a good workout chasing unsubs, but his physique was mainly down to his running. He slowed down as he came towards his building, knowing that his muscles would cramp if he didn't give them the opportunity to cool down and that was the last thing he wanted to happen if he was going to get a restful night's sleep. Well, half-night-half-day as it was now around half 2 in the morning. He took a moment to stretch his calf muscles on the steps outside of his door and get his breath back. It was a beautiful night he thought as he looked at the scenery that surrounded him. He loved Chicago, it was his home after all, but there was something special about DC that the Illinois city didn't have. His eyes fell on the mailboxes belonging to him and the other residents and he noticed that his had a blue envelope sticking out of it. 'I could have sworn it was empty when I got home?'he thought, snatching the envelope from the box and seeing his name on the front. He opened it...
Penelope was desperate for the toilet! But she was so warm, and really didn't want to move. Unless she wanted to wet the bed, which she hadn't done since she was about seven, she was going to have to give up the precious warmth and make her way to the other side of her cold apartment. After what seemed like ages she finally got up, running from her room towards the bathroom just in the nick of time. She hated getting up in the middle of the night. She wasn't scared of the dark by any means but ever since she had been shot she'd felt more uneasy at night time. It was fine when her Sculpted God of Chocolate Thunder had been there to protect her 2 years ago, but Morgan wasn't there now and she couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. 'Your babies made it home safe; Boss-man is with his son; and JJ is with that gorgeous Godson of mine. Everything is fine, Garcy. Nothing is wrong and all is right in the universe', she reasoned, the babies she referred to being her wonderful friends. Heading back to her bedroom, she got into bed and felt something out of place. Feeling around, she picked up a blue envelope. It was slightly battered and bent at the edges. She must have slept on it. 'Ooooh maybe it's a naughty letter from Kevin!' Penelope giggled despite the late hour, opening the envelope with care. She smiled as she put on her glasses to read the letter inside...
Hotch had been asleep when his phone vibrated harshly against his bedside table. Ignoring it, he turned over and pushed his ears further into the pillows. However, the noise didn't stop. Opening his eyes, he was blinded by the bright light as he looked at who was calling him at... '2:30!' Prentiss' name was flashing across the screen.
"Emily?" Hotch murmured, still half asleep.
"Hotch! Is there a blue envelope in your house?" Emily said, her voice slightly shaky.
"Blue what? Prentiss what are you talking about?" he replied, starting to wake up a bit more as the woman's voice on the other line rose in volume and got shakier.
"Hotch, get up and see if there is a blue envelope in your house!" she shouted. Hotch began to feel worried. He hadn't heard Emily talk like that since she lost Matthew Benton to a deranged exorcist last year. Following her orders, he looked around his apartment and found no blue envelope.
"Check your mailbox!" Emily suggested. Looking down at his sleepwear, which consisted of a navy blue, oversized t-shirt and a pair of grey boxers, he put on his robe and made the short walk out of his flat to the mailboxes which were at the end of the hall. Inside he was shocked to find a blue envelope, just like Emily had said. Rushing back to his apartment with Emily still on the line he opened the letter...
"I think we have a problem."
Hotch couldn't have agreed more as he read the contents of the letter. "You got one too?" he asked her, already knowing the answer was yes from the slight waver in her voice and the urgency with which she had called. It didn't take a profiler to hear that something had disturbed his agent. She confirmed his suspicions before adding that Reid and Rossi had text her asking the same thing a few minutes before.
"Ring the team and tell them to meet at the BAU in 1 hour." he stated, staring at the words written on the paper in front of him.
And that's chapter one done! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This story will contain all the characters but will focus on some more specifically as the plot continues. Also, there will be no love scenes or shipping because I can't stand the idea of the team being nothing more than friends with each other. Feel free to leave me a review, and I should have chapter two posted by the end of the week. I have an essay to write for university to worry about before I write the next part. Thanks for reading! H x