Mike smiled into the mirror and fixed his eyepatch in the mirror and tugged his bandana into place on his head. He then grabbed the plastic hook and pushed his hand through it before racing into Natalie's room, bursting through the room. Immediately, a scream came from his lips, alerting the two parents to run down the hall and see the sight for themselves.
Sitting in a propped position against the wall, the nine year old blue-eyed girl sat, eyes wide open, sitting too still in a pool of blood. She had a knife loosely held in her right hand and slits in both wrists, but the terrified expression clashed with the thought of suicide. The father dropped to his knees and began to perform CPR as the mother ran to the phone and dialed 911. Pretty soon medics came to revive the black-haired girl, ignoring the boy whose first noise was because of his sister dying.
Finally, a police officer who'd come to investigate the possible murder attempt, dropped to his knees and addressed the four year old.
"Hey kid, what's your name?" The man asked quietly, and the boy took a few seconds to respond in a hesitant voice. "M-mikwey..." He took off his hook and twiddled it in his hands silently, looking between the man and his hook.
"Well Mikey, are you okay? Your sister is going to be fine, but did you see anything?" The man coaxed, and he nodded softly. "Wast night I hweawd some man scweaming bad wowds." He said and looked outside. "He sounded mad abouwt somefint." The faster he talked, the worst his pronunciations came out. "Well Mikey, did you break your silence to scream?"
"I cwouldn't twalk... I twied." Michael responded truthfully. He never could, but this triggered something. It might've been intentional, though ever since he was a baby he'd never made a sound. He wanted to talk, but never could.
"Thank you Michael, do you want to come to the hospital with me to be with your mommy and daddy?" The boy just nodded. "I nweed ta gwab Fwedbeaw."
"Let's go. Can you show me your room?" Anything to get the young boy's mind off the scene he found. He nodded excitedly and grabbed the adult's hand, dragging him down the hallway into a slightly smaller room than the one they'd been in, pushing the spring lock door open to a bunch of plushies and a pirate ship bed, many plastic swords scattered around the room. He had many posters of the Freddy Fazbear gang and many drawings of them all, especially Foxy, taped to the walls. The majority of the plushies spread across the floor were different variations of Foxy. The boy climbed up onto his bed and silently grabbed a Freddy plushie, but was a golden color. Fredbear.
"My gwamma make tis fow me." He said to the adult before looking up at him. "Can we gow?"
"Sure buddy, let's go." He stopped a guy wearing a dark blue jacket on his way down the stairs. "Hey, I'm gonna swing the kid down to the hospital, tell the boss I'll be back soon. He said he heard a man cursing outside, so our unsub is a male. We probably should give him a cognitive interview, but we need his parent's permission first." The man nodded and he took the small boy's hand and led him down the stairs and into a black SUV. "Hop in. It's your lucky day: you get to ride without a booster seat!" He didn't have time to properly strap it into the vehicle. The boy responded by smiling widely and hopping in immediately after the man opened the door.
"So, my name is Aaron, and I get to help stop the bad guys. This is my job everyday, so I'll find the guy who hurt your sister." Aaron told the boy after he began on the road for the short drive, to help him know that he was a good guy and would find the man who'd already attacked three other kids, killing two of the three. "Like a superhero?" Mike asked innocently, and Aaron couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, like a superhero."
"Cool!" He yelled out, not seeming to notice his own words getting more confident and said correctly. Aaron did but didn't point it out, figuring he might make the boy hesitate in his progress.
They drove the rest of the way without conversation, but there was still talking. Mike murmured under his breath to his Fredbear, making it dance and sing on the way. I'm so gonna have kids one day, they are way too cute.
When Aaron walked the four-year-old into the hospital waiting room, he took his hand from the agent and ran to his parents, who looked entirely terrified for their daughter in critical condition, but clearly heard the boy tell them in a softer voice than usual, "I wove you guys." His father pulled the boy onto their laps and they held him close, making him drop his Fredbear which he fussed over. Both looked shocked to his sudden decision to make noise, but neither complained. The agent waited several minutes of bonding time before coming up to the distrught parents.
"Excuse me, Ms. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt?" Their heads snapped over to the FBI agent. "My name is Aaron Hotchner and I'm with the FBI. It sounds like your son heard things going on outside but didn't know it was out of the ordinary, but in order to do the interview fully we needed a parent's permission. This might help us to find the man who did this to your daughter."
"Of course, anything to help our daughter!" Isabelle Schmidt said quickly, but Henry Schmidt cut her off. "I'm sorry, but I'd prefer my son to not have to remember this. This is why we left him at the house in the first place." He said almost angrily, like he was frustrated and appalled that the agent could do such a thing as remind their son of what just happened not half an hour before.
"Henry... we don't want this case to go cold. Our daughter might die, other children might die!"
"Nattie might die?!" Mike yelled out, and all three looked to him. "I'll do it, daddy. I'mma remeber either way." Henry finally nodded. "If you must."
"Would one of you like to be in the room with your son?" Aaron asked, and Isabelle began to nod before the boy cut her off. "No, I can to it alone. Mommy doesn't need ta hear." Michael said bravely, standing up and looking at the man with one hand clutching his Golden Freddy doll tightly. Aaron smiled softly at his bravery and looked towards the parents. "I'll take him down to the station. It sounds like you guys don't want him here, so would you like me to take him back by the house and stay there with him until you guys get back? Granted, there will probably be investigators there the entire time, but I'll stay with him just in case. Unless, of course, you want me to bring him back here."
"Please take our son back to the house." Henry took his wife's hand. "I don't want our son exposed to the hospital. People die in the extensive care unit a lot, and my son won't do well with so many families sobbing..." Aaron nodded solemnly. From his short time knowing the boy, he could completely see that. "Alright, we are gonna go to the station buddy. Say goodbye to mommy and daddy."
"Bye bye mama, bye bye dada!" Mike took Aaron's hand and waved with his hand with Fredbear. "I'm gonna go pay piwate with Mr. Aaron!"
"Thank you so much, Agent. You're really good with kids, I'm guessing you have them?" Isabelle thanked with a strained smile. "No I don't, but thanks. Goodbye for now." He led the boy back to the car and drove themselves to the station to do the cognitive test and brought him to a back room where David Rossi was already waiting.
"Now buddy, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. Just squeeze my hand if it becomes too much." Aaron said to the boy as Rossi straightened the papers he didn't need. "Now close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine where you are." Rossi stated calmly and the boy took an exaggerated breath and closed his eyes, gripping his Fredbear to his chest.
"Now, where are you?" Rossi continued. "I'm... in my room, on my bed. It's dark... there's probably a monster in the closet."
"Okay, now what do you see, what you you hear?" The boy took a second and replied. "I see... my plushies, and I hear... something outside. Sounds like somebody knocked over a trashbin. I get out of my bed and go to my window... I stand on my tiptoes because I'm too short..." The boy was doing really good, the agents duly noted.
"Okay, now explain what you see out the window." Rossi commanded in his same soothing voice, and the boy nodded, eyes still closed. "Outside it looks dark, so I grabbed my flashlight, to make sure it isn't the Lochness monster. I turned it on and I saw this monster... He was purple, everything was purple! His skin, his hair, even his- AHH HE'S LOOKING AT ME!" The boy began to breath heavily and squeezed Aaron's hand tighter. "Hey, hey, it's okay. He can't hurt you. He's not gonna hurt you. Do you need a break?"
The boy shook his head and breathed rhythmically to calm himself down. "No, no. His eyes... they are the only thing not purple. They are brown, like super light brown, almost green. Even his teeth are purple... purple and red? They look a little red. So do his eyes. His nametag reads... Viii- VINCENT! It says 'Vincent' on it. He looks kinda tall, like taller than Mr. Aaron and my daddy." The boy described, and Rossi wrote it all down, glad he had the paper now. He nodded and continued speaking in his calm, almost monotone voice. "Okay, good good. You're doing great so far Michael. Can you tell me what he's doing now?"
"He picked up the trashcan and stands on it... he's putting... tape on the window? I think it's duct tape. He put a cross and a loop... OH MY GOSH HE PULLED OUT THE WINDOW WITHOUT EVEN BREAKING IT!" The boy exclaimed, half in excitement that it was possible and half in frightenment.
"Is he trying to climb through the window?" Rossi asked, and the boy once again nodded. "He's going through the window into the hallway... not my sister's window." That was useful information. It meant he had to have gone through the house without making any noise.
"Okay, so did you ever open your door?" Rossi asked, and he shook his head before speaking. "I don't have to, because they stay open. They can't close. I turn off my flashlight when he gets in the house, cause I'm scared. I go onto my bed and stare at the door, cause I think that monster guy is coming for me. I see a shadow pass my door-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there. Can you smell anything?" Michael took a sniff and nodded hesitantly. "I smell smoke and... pizza? It smells like pizza. I hear him go down the stairs. I can tell cause the third stair creaks, quietly so you have to be listening for it to hear it. He comes back and looks through my door and he's holding a knife... I close my eyes and pretend like I'm asleep. OH MY GOSH I HEAR HIM BREATHING! I OPEN MY EYES AND HE'S HOVERING OVER ME!" The boy squeezed Aaron's hand and took deep breaths. "He puts a finger to his lips and says 'shh' then walks out... I can now smell... coolaid? I smell coolaid. And then he comes back and he gives me water, but I don't drink it. It smells funny. It smells kinda like daddy does when he and mommy yell a lot. He sets the knife on the bed and reaches out for me and HE PLUGS MY NOSE AND FORCES ME TO DRINK IT AND-" Mike opened his eyes in a panic and clutched his plushie tighter with one hand and Aaron's hand with the other. "I'm sorry... I don't remember anything after that."
"It's okay Michael, you did good. Thank you so much, you really helped us." Rossi spoke truthfully. "Do you need a hug?" He nodded and hopped out of his seat, crossing to the other side of the small table and clinging to the man. "Now is it okay if we test you? We want to make sure you're okay, we don't know what he gave you." The boy nodded fearfully. "No needles, right?"
"Buddy, there will be needles, but I'll get it done too! You want me to do it with you?" Mike nodded at Rossi. "Mister, what is your name?"
"My name is David Rossi. Call me Dave." Mike smiled at him. "I'm calling you Wossi! It sounds like a pirate name! You come play pirate with Mr. Aaron and I after the tests?" Rossi raised an eyebrow at Hotch before nodding the the boy, who so easily forgot about the scary images he just explained a second before.
"Let's go, come on Aaron. You're getting tested too." Rossi exclaimed, and Aaron rolled his eyes before begrudgingly going along with the man and boy, the boy now clinging onto Rossi's hand and holding his Fredbear to his chest with his other arm.
After finding out through a series of tests that the man gave Mike vodka and melatonin dissolved in it, the trio headed to the still-being-analysed house and, after his room was cleared of any evidence as he got tested, the boy eagerly led them into his room. Rossi saw the springlock door and immediately understood how it was kept open all the time. If he wasn't holding it shut it would come open automatically.
The boy handed the men eyepatches and a bandana to Rossi and Captain's hat to Aaron, after claiming he was the captain because he knew him longer; four year old's logic, they picked up plastic swords and Mike stood on his pirate-ship bed to be at the two adult's height. He began jousting Rossi and 'stabbed' him in the chest, where he 'died' dramatically. He then fought Aaron, who gave up a fight but was defeated by being 'decapitated' and fell to the ground next to David. He then stood on Aaron's chest and declared he was the best and was gonna steal his gold. He then proceeded to take his wallet, look through the pockets, and grumbled when the man didn't have any pennies, which made the men start laughing.
After two more hours of this and a sun beginning to set over the windowsill, the two decided it was time to put the little pirate to bed and tucked him in, the boy holding his Fredbear to his chest and after the light was off falling asleep instantly.
"You know Aaron, I think he's going to be okay." Rossi said as he sat on the couch, being put on permanent 'babysitter duty' by Strauss as the parents seemed too distraught to come home and didn't want their young son near the death, and their only two babysitters that they trusted were out of town and sick. Even though the FBI rarely 'babysat' the victim's little brothers, this was a rare case as well, so the FBI handled it well.
"This kid was handed a rough deck of cards, but I think he'll make it through okay." Aaron replied sadly, studying the happy family photos on the wall. Not many, but every single one look happy.
Little did the two men know how rough the boy's life would turn out to be.
AN: First off, no, I don't consider it a crossover. I mean, it's the FBI on a serial killer case and I love Criminal Minds, it's a crime not to add them. See what I did there? Too corny? Yeah, okay, I'll shut up now.
Nah, I'm not. JK fools. Not really, you aren't fools. But anyways, I know this might be a bit dark, but it's supposed to be. I'm handing poor little Mikey a rough deck of cards!
Also with the baby voice, he's never spoken so he learns quickly to say the words since he's heard them for four years, yet he still slips up. Or is just trying to be a cutie. u Like, when he's serious he speaks normally as he hears people speaking most the time, but never talked before and is also letting out his inner four year old. Little kids can only be so mature guys!
But seriously, you guys literally might think that this isn't Mike AT ALL, but hear me out. There's more coming! It'll all wrap up!