Welcome to my new story, Something Better. Chapter one is set during "Jones".
This means Emily is pretty new to the team, Gideon is still around, and everything that happens in seasons 3 through 7 has not yet occurred! (spoilers for "Jones" and "Revelations")
I will (hopefully) have a quote at the beginning and end of each chapter.
I don't own Criminal Minds. Please review. :)
"The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it." -Wendell Berry
The BAU was aboard their jet, flying to New Orleans, Louisiana. Several men had been found dead, in the same manner as some unsolved murders a few years previous.
JJ was sitting across from Emily, pretending to be reading the case file, but in truth, her mind was miles away. She was a little apprehensive about going to New Orleans; Hurricane Katrina had been only two years ago and some parts of the "Big Easy" were still lying in shambles. The visuals of the extensive media coverage would be forever engrained in her mind. For some reason, JJ couldn't shake the mental picture of drowning within her own home.
She glanced over at Reid who was sleeping on the opposite side of the plane. Her mind was suddenly cast back to that night, about a month ago, when Tobias Hankel had taken him. Every time she'd looked at him since, the only thing that she could think of was the torture that he'd been put through. JJ blamed herself for everything, even though it was illogical. She knew she shouldn't blame herself, and everyone kept telling her that it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't stop. It was her fault; she hadn't tried hard enough to stop Spencer when he'd suggested that they should split up.
She looked over at the young genius again. Reid was twitching and mumbling in his sleep. JJ wanted to cry. It was obvious that what he went through in Georgia had changed his life. He was different now, not as innocent and naive as he had been before. Reid had been acting strange lately; he was neurotic and kept to himself more. JJ was worried that he was addicted to the Dilaudid that Hankel had injected him with, but she constantly tried to quell her suspicions. Spencer can't be an addict, he's just going through a hard time, and rightfully so.
JJ looked down at her arm; a jagged scar was visible where one of Hankel's dogs had bitten her. It made her feel sick to think about.
JJ felt like she was being watched. She glanced up at Emily.
"You okay, JJ?" asked the newest member of the team.
"Yeah, I'm fine." she quietly replied, although she was anything but.
2 days later:
JJ woke up in her hotel room in New Orleans, her head being cradled by a man's arm. Will LaMontagne was in her bed. The previous night rushed back into her mind. He'd taken her out to experience "NOLA." They'd gone to a bar and she even beat him at darts. While they'd been out, JJ was surprised by how much she was enjoying herself. It was the first time since the incident in Georgia that she'd been in a highly social setting, having fun. The charming Southern gentleman had swept her off of her feet with his flirtatious smooth talking. When she was in that bar with him, she'd been free from her guilt and grief and he had even been able to take her mind off of the current case.
JJ was jolted out of her reverie when she realized that she was naked under the bed sheets. She flushed; she'd never been that type of girl. This was the first time that JJ had ever slept with anyone on the first date. Despite the abruptness of it all, she wasn't ashamed. Will was a great guy who made her feel special. JJ hoped that this fling could turn into a long distance romance.
She turned to look at the alarm clock. This movement woke Will.
"Hey" he whispered into JJ's ear. He then pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.
"Will it's eight. We need to be at the station in one hour." she replied urgently. JJ got out of bed and wrapped a blanket around herself.
Will said, "Jeez, I guess we were in a hell of a hurry last night, to forget to set the alarm clock."
JJ blushed, "If I remember correctly, you weren't planning on spending the night."
He laughed, "You actually remember anything about last night?"
"Of course I do," she replied, "I drank about half the amount you did! Seriously Will, we need to get ready!"
He got out of the bed and starting putting his clothes back on. "Well I need to get home to shower and get a change of clothes then."
He kissed her on his way out the door. "See you at the station babe!"
"Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it." -J.K. Rowling
"NOLA" is a nickname for New Orleans, in case you couldn't figure that out!
Let me know what you think, please review! It'll make me happy (even if it's a bad review, I'll appreciate the criticism!)
