Chapter 1: The Start of Something

Summary: The secret that one person holds doesn't keep the others from caring about you. Nothing makes us lonely as our secrets.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first story for Criminal Minds. This is set after Forever People (season 10 episode 11). In this story, Emily never left the BAU. Also, in this story, Emily (not Reid) was the person JJ told about her secrets in the episode Forever People. I hope you enjoy guys. I really like some reviews and some of your ideas for this story. I hope to update regularly to satisfy you guys taking some time to read my story.

"The face is a mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart"

– St. Jerome

A phone vibrating disturbed his morning ritual as Aaron Hotchner pulled up his car in the parking lot at the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. He left early from his house to process additional files that were needed in today's briefing. He reached out to his pocket to read the message that was sent to him as he walked down the hallway of their building to his office. "Message from JJ?" he muttered as he opened the text message.

I need to take a leave. JJ

He raised his eyebrows while staring at the message as he sat down his chair in the office. "That was unsual... She rarely takes a leave, especially if we have a case." He said to himself.

"Hey, Princess!" Morgan shouted as one of their team entered the office. "Hey, Morgan. Had a nice weekend?" Emily Prentiss replied.

"Of course! Never been better. What about you Prentiss, had a nice date?" Derek Morgan asked as their morning chat started. "Well yes, with Sergio." She replied.

"I bet you got your wallet stolen again with your moves like always." Emily added with a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Aw come on. With your cat? And the wallet, still here in my pocket." Morgan laughed while pointing out the wallet in his back pocket.

Emily was going to reply when she heard an authoritative voice behind her.

"Conference room in five"

She saw Hotch walking behind Morgan's table and entered the conference room near it. She looked at Morgan and just shrugged her shoulder as she followed Hotch in the room.

After five minutes, the round table was occupied one after another. After Hotch saw everyone, with Dr. Spencer Reid as the last one, he started on their debriefing for their next case. "New case here in Virginia, multiple robberies with..."

"Hey! Why are we starting? Where's JJ?" Reid asked, wondering where their blond friend was.

Hotch looked up to him and replied, "She's on le..."

"She's on leave." A new voice was heard as someone came in the conference room.

"Chief Cruz." Hotch acknowledged the new person who entered the room.

"Leave? JJ never uses her leaves." Reid replied.

"Just leave it Reid. Maybe she needs one right now." Emily answered Reid while staring at Mateo Cruz.

"Continue Agent Hotchner." Cruz said to Hotch while answering the stare with his eyes from Emily Prentiss.

"As I was saying, new case here in Virginia, multiple robberies in different establishments." He started, and then looked at the team's faces. He almost laughed at his teams' doubtful faces; it's true that they don't do normal cases like robberies. "Well, the police reports says it were robberies, but the unsub kills all his hostages in the establishments after playing games with them. And it was in broad daylight."

"Wouldn't anybody notice if one establishment was being robbed? And in broad daylight?" David Rossi asked after reading the case report.

"It seems like there was no commotion outside to warrant any disturbances in the neighbourhood. The security cameras of the places were also shut down during the attack." Hotch replied.

"It seems like the unsub is targeting establishments that is not popular to most people, like antique shops, to ensure that he is not disturbed when he commits the crime." Morgan added.

"Okay, let's go down the police station for additional reports. Wheels in thirty."

"What date is it today?" Emily asked as she stared outside the window in their SUV.

"Why do you ask? Is something wrong?" Morgan replied, taking a short glance at his partner before focusing down the road in front of them.

"...Nothing. Just asking." She replied after a pause.

"April 6. Are you sure nothing's wrong? You look a bit strange after Cruz entered the conference room earlier." Morgan answered back.

"Oh... April 6." She muttered. "Really. Nothing's wrong. It's just weird that Cruz joined us earlier in the conference room." She added.

"I'm not going to push you if you say nothing's wrong, but if there is, you know you can always talk to me, Princess." Morgan replied after parking their SUV to the parking lot of the police station.

They are the first ones in the station fully packed with policemen. A few seconds later, Hotch, Rossi, and Reid came in. The lead detective in their case welcomed them to the station.

"Morning everyone, thanks for coming here. We're happy to have help from the FBI. I'm Detective Lance Brown, just call me Lance. Do you need anything?" The detective welcomed them to the station.

"I'm SSA Hotchner from the BAU, the team behind me are SSA Morgan, Prentiss, Rossi, and Dr. Reid. We need an evidence board and a table to help us settle. We also need all the case files from the previous cases related to this one." Hotch replied as he introduced the team to the detective.

"No problem Agent Hotchner. We have a room prepared for you guys. The case files are also inside." Lance replied to Hotch.

As the team entered the conference room prepared by the detective, they immediately went and read the case files.

"From the three crime scenes, it really seems like our unsub likes to target small, unpopular establishments; an antique shop, a collector's bookstore, and a pawnshop." Reid spoke after reading the files.

"But why a pawnshop after the stores?" Morgan asked.

"Maybe a debt or something?" Rossi answered back to Morgan.

"And what about the victims? There were about 2-3 people inside, including the owner, when the attack happened." Hotch added to the discussion.

"The victims' were shot in different places in the bodies. We need to see the bodies and talk to the medical examiner for the complete details on them." Morgan added.

"Ok Reid, do the geographical profile on our unsub. Morgan and Rossi, go to the medical examiner. After that, go to the first crime scene. Prentiss, you're with me. We're going to the second crime scene." Hotch directed his team after the briefing.

The team started doing what Hotch said to them. Reid started circling the map of Virginia with things that an ordinary person cannot relate to. Morgan and Rossi went outside to their SUV to go to the medical examiner.

Emily and Hotchner started going to their SUV when Hotch asked her, "Are you ok? You're a bit quiet in there."

"Sorry Hotch. I'm just thinking about something." Emily answered him as they went closer to their SUV.

"Is this something, about JJ?" Hotch asked her as they buckled their seatbelts in the car. Emily's eyes widened a bit before composing herself, not wanting Hotch to see something odd in her behaviour.

He glanced a bit and saw her panicked for a second when he asked her the question. "How about with Cruz? I saw the both of you staring at each other this morning at the conference room." He added.

"Well, I'm just a bit worried about JJ since she's rarely absent. And even when she does take a leave, it's only because of Henry. And for your second question, no. Cruz has nothing to do with anything." Emily answered Hotch.

"Ok." He just replied, not wanting to push Emily if she didn't want to talk about anything now. But he will, later.

Thank you guys for reading the first chapter of my story! I hope you take some time to review my story. Any ideas are welcome! :D