G-c: Hey out there. A new season has started and thanks to the many horror films I've been watching, I have decided to make a fanfic about the idea of the afterlife. Hopefully you're all up to date on the show so I don't have to make spoiler warnings. This fanfic is going to take place at the end of season four and the beginning of season five because I need semi-solid ground to get this idea rolling. I am intending for this to be Hotch/Elle with a splash of Reid/Elle or something. There are too many mainstream pairs and I'm being bold and trying something different, hence a short chapter to test the waters and the summary to show my thoughts.

Summary: She was found shot in the head, her own fingerprints all over the gun. It was a typical suicide case, right? Wrong. Elle Greenaway wouldn't have killed herself and her old team was well aware of that. Right? Derek doesn't know what to think and claims she just had too much stress. Garcia and JJ are just speechless but Hotch and Reid are certain this wasn't a suicide. And where is Rossi in all this? With Hotch and Reid busy recovering how can they prove Elle was killed? And is there really life after death? Or is it just death after life?


"Alright thank you." Aaron Hotchner said with his voice littered with remorse as he set the phone back in the cradle. He looked up and scanned his office, it had hidden areas of personalization but he still felt lost ever since he had been stabbed. He was only human after all. Hotch started to walk out, not really sure how he could tell the team what had happened. "Hey can everyone meet in the conference room?" He asked from above the pen where they were working on paperwork. Derek looked up and set his pen down and glanced to Spencer who got up and dusted his pants off. JJ walked along with them as did Emily, everyone was a bit curious to hear what their team leader had to say since there hadn't been any word of a new case to handle. Once everyone had seated themselves around the table, he sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Spencer asked, still fiddling with his crutches as Garcia finally made her way into the conference room. Derek and the others watched Hotch, waiting.

"Elle has been found in her apartment dead." He said and took in everyone's expressions. JJ was quite taken aback and looked off, letting the tragedy wash over her as she held a hand to her chest. Derek looked surprised and a bit pale. He seemed at a loss of how to respond. Spencer's lips parted and he gulped and looked down as he bit the inside of his mouth. Emily kept silent and looked down in respect for a former member she never got to work with. Garcia put a hand to her mouth and let out a tiny gasp at something so unexpected. As for Hotch he was still having trouble internally processing such an event. He wasn't sure if he was able to claim he and Elle were close companions before she had left the BAU. He was sure that every member of his team would say the same thing.

"How did she…die?" Derek slowly asked, someone had to speak up and everyone wanted to know.

"She was shot in the mouth." He said. Everyone shifted, when most people were shot in the mouth it meant they were trying to kill themselves. "The investigation is still pending of course." Hotch assured them because no one wanted to think that Elle would just commit suicide. There was hope, in a sense, that someone had killed her. And if that was the case they would of course find out who would do such a thing. The silence that filled the room said more than enough, no one felt like throwing ideas back and forth about the death of a dear friend. Soon they all just got up and left, their chests filled with more sadness then when they had walked in minutes before. Garcia was the one who linger and made her way over to Hotch.

"Have you seen Rossi today?" She asked him.

"He talked to me about needing some time off." Hotch just said, though he couldn't help but think it was odd that when he leaves, there is a call about an old agent found dead. He just shook it off as the blond walked out. Hotch followed her out and let out a sigh of agitation. He really felt sick at a thought of Elle being killed or even killing herself. Spencer was lingering near when Hotch walked up to his office.

"Um Hotch." He called out and he paused and looked down at the youngest member of the BAU. "You don't think she killed herself do you?" He asked carefully while standing with his crutches.

"No but…the gun was found with her fingerprints on it and the angle is that of when you hold a gun in front of yourself, the angling is slightly different than if someone had put it in her mouth." He said which was something he hadn't wanted to tell them team so soon. The genius absorbed the information and pursed his lips together. "Is that all?"

"No I…" He paused and looked down.

"This just doesn't seem like her."

"I know."

"I mean I've been e mailing with her from time to time and she seemed to me, like she was getting her life in order." Spencer said to Hotch who moved down the two stairs to speak face to face with Reid. "This…doesn't make sense."

"It is possible for someone to have killed her but made it look like a suicide." Hotch shrugged to him, he couldn't deal with this right now. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Sure sure." Spencer nodded and waved a hand as Hotch turned and went back into his office. Spencer just wobbled back to his desk and glanced to Derek. "Can you believe it?" He asked as his darker skinned friend looked to him.

"No I can't…but I don't know." He shook his head, not sure what to think at the giving moment. "We don't know all the facts so we shouldn't think one way or the other yet, you know?"

"Yeah I know." Spencer replied and brushed some of his long scraggly hair behind his ear. "It's weird talking about someone you know like this."

"I guess I can kinda relate to Gideon." Derek muttered and sat back in his chair. He had a point as Spencer just looked off in thought, mentally going over every e mail they had sent to one another. Nothing stood out to him as a cry for help. Then again Ella was a damn good profiler and she was able to lie easily when necessary, especially online. "So you wanna grab a drink tonight in Elle's honor?" Derek offered after a few minutes of silence.

"No I'll uh…we'll see." Spencer just told his friend and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what to do.


( G-c: Short, I know but it's to test the waters. More action to come next chapter if more than three people want to read it. Please review, it's how I gauge how many readers care. I know this isn't everyones cup of tea but be gentle. ^^ )