Okay, here's my rather weak (in my mind, anyway) stab at a case fic. It'll be eleven chapters long. Enjoy!

February 28, 2014

She walked quickly through the darkened streets. Even though it was only in the wee hours of the morning, the city still had enough people out and about that she went unnoticed amongst them all. As it was, there was apparently nothing particularly interesting about her. She was a plain woman in her mid-thirties, though she looked even older. Dark curls of greasy black hair framed a face that had been weathered by time and hardship, brushing the shoulders of her dark, wool trench coat. She walked quickly, shoulders hunched over against the chill of a late February in Washington, D.C.

Like most everyone in this metropolis, she had somewhere to go and something to hide.

March 6, 2014

"Grant, is that you?" Agent Grant Anderson's sister called out as he hung his suit up on the hat stand.

"Yeah, Mags, it's me," Grant called back, walking into the kitchen.

His sister, Maggie Richards, came to stand in the doorway, asking, "Did you pick up some milk like I asked you to this morning?"

Grant groaned, starting to root around in the refrigerator for something that didn't make his stomach churn. "No! I knew I forgot something!"

"I've been at you over this for three days!" Maggie complained. "It's just milk! How hard can it be to remember something that simple?"

"I know, Mags," Grant groaned, slamming the refrigerator door shut. "It's just been a hard couple of days at the office… distracting stuff."

"You're seeing stuff that's as bad as all that?" Maggie asked, becoming a little more understanding as she referenced his job at the BAU.

Grant shrugged, turning to face his sister. "I've just been in the right place at the right time, I guess – or the wrong time, really."

"You know, milk really isn't that big of a deal," Maggie said – her way of apologizing for snapping at him.

"And you know that it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to get out of this apartment every once in awhile – even if it just is to get a quart of milk. Just because you've gotten a divorce from Bruce doesn't mean that you can become a hermit. Seriously, sis, when was the last time you went somewhere and did something?"

"I get out," Maggie said, mildly defensive.

Grant didn't believe her, and his tone said as much as he folded his arms across her chest and asked, "Really?"

"Yes, really; I even have plans for tomorrow evening."

"Where?"

"Volunteering around town. You're the one who told me I needed to make a friend since I moved here from Rhode Island, right? Why are you so surprised?"

"Because in plan and practice you don't usually listen to your little brother. What time are you going to be going out tomorrow?"

"It'll be after you're already in bed."

Grant raised his eyebrows in surprise, silently inquiring.

"I've started occasionally doing work with some prostitutes in the area. The anonymity of nighttime makes it easier."

Grant was just relieved to hear that his adopted Irish twin – she was eleven months older than him – was getting out of the house, and for such a good reason. It was just Maggie's way to be private, so he didn't ask any more questions.

March 7, 2014

"And in further news, the continuing investigation into the double murder of a mother and her newborn child that occurred late Friday evening has ground to a halt. The police have reached a dead end, although the woman was confirmed to be a local elementary school teacher who is now thought t-"

The next morning, Grant groaned and tuned out the newswoman on the radio, saying, "Mags, can we please not listen to the news this morning? I get enough of this crap at work. Right now I'm just thanking God that it's Friday."

Maggie reached across the counter where she was eating her breakfast and and switched the radio onto variety station, saying casually, "Sure."

"I mean, what sort of a freak show kills an elementary school teacher and her baby?"

"Yeah," Maggie mused quietly to herself. "The baby kind of was overkill, wasn't it?"

"What?" Grant asked, not sure he had heard her correctly.

"Nothing," Maggie said casually, shaking her head. "You'd better hurry or else you're going to be late for work."

"Yes, mother," Grant said, affectionately rolling his eyes as he made his coffee to go.

"I'm your sister, not your mother!"

"Only by adoption!" he called out cheerfully as he left her behind in the kitchen and headed towards the door, making use of an old argument between them.

"It still counts as long as you love me!"

"Who says I love you?" Grant asked with a smile.

Her smile was as good-humored as his as she answered, "You do and you know it."

"Yes, I do," Grant said as he headed out the door, freezing with the door open as he remembered, "Oh! Hey, I'll try to remember the milk today, okay?"

"Don't bother;" Maggie said. "I'll pick some up tonight when I'm on my way home."

"Right; okay." He grinned at her one last time before he headed into work.

The woman in the trench coat was back on the streets again, walking in steps that were a little more agitated then before. She had changed her game plan this time and had left the little one alive. After all, it really wasn't the baby's fault. Sure, the baby was what changed everything – didn't children always change things? – but it wasn't that poor things fault that it had been born; it was just a product of the real problem. And tonight she had put an end to one more of the real problems – given her the punishment that she deserved for ruining a real love and for trying to take over what already belonged to someone else.

She knew that she had done the right thing in leaving that baby alive – someone would find it eventually – but it still made her nervous, even though she knew that there was no way that baby could speak up and say what it had seen her do. So she walked a little stiffer, a little more hunched over, a little faster, all the while telling herself that she just wanted to get home so that she could get the milk that she had bought in the fridge while it was still cold.

Hopefully you liked this first chapter; it does get better. Reviews are my new best friend, if you feel so inclined to drop me one! Thanks!:)