Title: Moments In Time
Rating: T for later chapters, probably.
Criminal Minds fics are so hard to get right. Enjoy and review.
001. Briefing
They all acted like they didn't know. It wasn't any of their business, really. They had always been flirty- no need to act like anything had changed.
Even though they did come to the conference room only moments apart- Garcia's lips red, not from lipstick, and Morgan's shirt half un tucked. And he did hold her hand under the table, thinking he was being sneaky when he really wasn't. And they all knew who exactly had banned Kevin Lynch from entering that area of the FBI offices- permanently.
002. Boy Genius
"We did all we could for him, you know," Hotch told Gideon softly- and they both knew he wasn't really talking about the homeless man who had killed innocent people. Flashes flew through Gideon's mind- track marks in the crook of his elbow, his harsh eyes as he lashed out at Emily, the way he rocked back and forth, veins popping out, needing more than the team could give him.
003. A Dalmation Could Do It
"You had to," Gideon reminded Hotch softly, as they stared down at the bruised and bloodied Reid, sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed. "Dowd would have…"
"I know," Hotch responded. "But I didn't want…"
"I think he knows."
004. Kevin Lynch
Morgan knows that he and Garcia aren't…well, they're coworkers. And friends, sure, but not…together. Exactly. He knows she isn't his. He knows the "hotstuff"s and "mama"s are playful.
But that doesn't stop him from wanting to rip into Kevin Lynch's throat and tear him into pieces when he kisses Penelope.
005. A Conversation Overheard
Hotch walked purposefully towards the conference room, pausing outside the door when he heard his name.
"So, you and Prentiss are okay?" Morgan asked JJ.
"I'm fine. Prentiss will be to, but she's taking the rest of the week off. Those guys were creeps…I've just never been so close to the unsub, you know? But God, you should have seen Hotch when he came in to rescue us."
"I bet," laughed Morgan.
"He looked like he wanted to take whoever had dared to touch Emily and roast him over a fire. She's got her very own knight in a three piece suit."
Hotch burst into the room, sending JJ's hand flying to her mouth and Morgan's eyes shooting up.
"Hotch! Oh…I-"
"We've got a new case, then?" He asked, refusing to listen to anything she'd said before.
"Right. Right.
006. Childhoods
So, they'd all had issues. Reid's mother was schizophrenic, locked in a mental hospital. And now this news about Morgan, about the abuse he'd endured.
But no one knew his secret, and he planned on keeping it that way. No one knew about the nights where his father would hold his head under water, or burn his fingers with a flame. No one knew about the constant beatings, about the teacher's concerned looks, about the child services' agent who simply had her "hands tied".
And Hotch planned to keep it that way.
007. I see London, I see France
"It was humiliating," JJ moaned, leaning against Garcia as Prentiss giggled across from them. Whenever the BAU stayed in hotels, the girls liked getting together and having little "girls nights"- they could forget the horrendous murders they had seen, order pizza, and gossip.
"I can't imagine," hooted Prentiss. "I'm always worried it's going to happen, but I must say I've never walked in on any of the guys."
JJ blushed. She had to admit, Reid in his boxers was sort of cute.
"So, Garcia," JJ said slyly, trying to get the attention off of herself. "Does Morgan wear boxers or briefs?"
A pillow fight worthy of any teenage boy fantasy ensued.
008. Desert Island
"Three movies." Morgan nodded at Prentiss. They were all on sort of a high, after having found their last killer and bringing him in alive. "Go."
"Oh, God. Um…Fight Club, Stolen Summer, and…The Lion King."
"I always cry at the part where Mufasa dies," JJ put in.
"Reid. Go."
"Statistically, the chances of any of us getting stranded on a desert island, which very few of actually exist, is so improbable that-"
"Hotch?"
JJ giggled, covering her mouth. They never really asked Hotch to play Desert Island. Texas Hold 'Em, sure. Gin, all the time. But Desert Island just seemed so…trivial.
"The Fugitive, Boondock Saints, and Righteous Kill."
They all turned to him wordlessly.
"What?"
009. Special Delivery
"It's taking too long, I think," Garcia announced, her leg bouncing up and down.
Morgan grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Calm down, sweetness. I think it's supposed to take this long."
"She's well within the realm of normal time," Hotch announced, not even glancing away from his New York Post.
Reid glanced at the clock. "Statistically-"
"Reid," Prentiss announced, "I love you, but this is no time for statistics.
All of a sudden, an ecstatic looking Will LaMontagne busted out of the doors.
"7 pounds, 8 ounces, blue eyes, Matthew Christopher Jareau-LaMontagne." His smile was starry and far, far away.
010. Getting Off Track
"Reid?" Hotch asked. "Are you okay?"
"Of course," he stuttered out, although he was feeling pretty jumpy. Too much sugar in the coffee, probably. "Why would you think otherwise?"
Hotch grabbed his arm and flipped it up, revealing pale white skin and…track marks.
Reid bit his lip and Hotch's eyes filled with betrayal, and he stood there frozen long after Hotch had flipped open his cell phone and walked away.