Title: The Poison Apple
Author: innocent choir girl Is a past offender after the BAU team?
Category: General
Genres: Angst, Crime, Drama, Hurt/Comfort,
Characters: Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia
Rating: PG-13
Chapter 1 "Another Day"
Author's Notes: This is my first Criminal Minds fic, so be helpful with reviews please! Thanks be to my lovely Riley for helping with beta-ing and making it so this fic didn't seem too screwed up. I wanted to use a timeline, so that everything is kept in proper context, thus why I skipped ahead to January of 2008. I wouldn't be able to feasibly finish this if I planned it at Christmas time, plus I think it would not convey the correct tone. On a side note, the quote (if I were making this into an actual episode) would be spoken by Jennifer "JJ" Jareau.
"Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: its after-flavour, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned."
-Charlotte Bronte
January 7, 2008
Behavioral Analysis Unit - FBI
Quantico, Virginia
Jennifer "JJ" Jareau sat in her office going over a case file that she intended on handing over to Hotch for the team to take on next while she slowly ate her Knudsen's cottage cheese and fruit cup. It was early and none of the team had arrived yet. That was to be expected. She still needed to finish up putting everything together, so that when the case file was presented everything would be together. She looked up at the clock and then sighed. It was going to be a long day.
In Leavenworth, Kansas was where the team would be headed next. Not only was Leavenworth the home of the Leavenworth Penitentiary, but also the current place where a string of murders were being committed. There had already been four children taken and then later murdered. The current victim was an eight year old boy names Corbin Bryant, who was taken while he had been on his way home from school. He was Caucasian with close cut dark brown hair and brown eyes.
She tossed the empty container and the spoon into the trash before thumbing through the photos of the pictures of the prior children that had been taken. She'd already seen the gruesome photos, but she would rather remember their school pictures. Each one with a smiling face.
The first victim had been taken while she was away from her mother at a local grocery store. She was a blonde hair, blue eyes six year old Caucasian girl named Bridget Collins, she'd been found in a nearby field.
The second victim had been taken while he was playing at a local park without any parental supervision. Thomas Barnett was only three years old when he was killed. The picture JJ had of him was from just two weeks prior at Christmas. The bright eyed African American boy was in a festive green sweater with a Santa hat adorning his head. She smiled at how completely adorable he looked and then tried to not think of how he'd been found on a road side.
The third victim was ten years old and had been taken while he was walking home from a friend's house. The Caucasian male had a closely shaven head with his dark hair crowning his head and bright green eyes. His name was Noah Cummings and he had been found in an abandoned car in a parking lot.
The fourth victim was Alexandra James, a Caucasian short haired brunette with soft brown eyes. She had been practicing her piano piece at her teacher's house. The teacher had stepped out of the room to get them some lemonade and when she returned Alexandra was gone. She'd been found behind a large grouping of trees in a local park.
Sometimes JJ wondered how people could hurt people how they did, but knew that that question would just drive her crazy with the senseless answers that the unsubs always used. The deaths of children were something that still amazed her, how anyone could harm and kill innocent children was beyond her. Shutting the file, she let out a sigh; she'd been looking over it much too long.
Deciding it was time to take a break; JJ exited her office and made her way towards the elevator. It would be far more relaxing and effective if she went to the nearest coffee shop outside of the FBI building in order to get her caffeine fix. Plus, the coffee would be much more enjoyable than coffee she'd end up brewing in the BAU later.
By the time JJ returned to her office, she noticed that Reid was already at his desk in the bullpen. She smiled and then ducked into her office to retrieve the files she needed. She looked up at the clock and knew that the rest of the team would soon follow and be coming in at anytime. She wanted to make sure that she could present the case as soon as everyone had arrived. The sooner the team could get to Leavenworth, the sooner they could try to find Corbin Bryant.
"Morning, JJ."
Her head shot up in time to see Emily Prentiss' head popping into her office. JJ pressed a smile forward and quickly shouted back, "Morning!" The entire team would soon all be there.
January 7, 2008
BAU's Private Jet
En Route to Leavenworth, Kansas
"Hey," Prentiss interrupted as she took a seat next to JJ in the back of the jet. "You okay?" she asked concerned.
JJ looked up and pushed forward a smile. "I'm fine," she said as she brushed hair back and tucked it neatly behind her ear. She closed the folder that she'd been going over for the tenth time since she'd gotten into her office that morning. She averted her eyes back to the folder signaling that she was done talking with Prentiss. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk; it was just that she didn't feel like it.
"You know you can talk to me," Emily whispered, politely keeping her voice low as she lowered her head a bit trying to get in the same eye line as JJ. She wasn't sure, yet, what was bothering their media liaison, but she'd either find out or figure it out later. Sure, she'd like to know now so that she could help to ease whatever JJ was feeling, but she'd give the younger woman time.
"I know," she whispered and looked back up at Emily. She continued with the kind, polite smile to try to prove that things were fine.
"Offer's open anytime," Emily added.
JJ felt like laughing, but just smiled a bit wider, "I know. Thanks…I really appreciate it." She knew that Prentiss wasn't pushing on purpose, that she was merely concerned and when she felt like she needed to talk to someone she'd talk to her about what was going through her head. She had a feeling that if she told Emily exactly how she felt, the face that it dealt with the case they were working she was afraid that Emily would be far too watchful of her. She was the last one that needed to have attention brought to. They were going to Kansas to catch a kidnapper and killer, the missing child was the one who deserved their full and undivided attention. She could wait.
"Hey!" Morgan shouted, "You guys gonna join in on the game?"
Prentiss smiled over her shoulder at Morgan as he flashed the desk in their view and then she turned back to JJ, "Come on…it'll be fun."
"It's alright, I think I'm going to go over the file some more," JJ told her.
"JJ, it'll be good to take a break from the case for a couple minutes. It's still going to be a while until we land. Just one game," Prentiss tried to push a bit.
She was going to continue to argue, but decided that she'd give in and play a hand. Once she was done, she'd go back to working on the case and going over what she needed to do once they landed.
TBC…