A/N: Just wanted everyone to know that is is my first Criminal Minds fanfic. Updates will most likely be sporadic as I do not have that much time to write, but from reviews I've gotten on other stories I have written in the past, I hope the content will be worth the wait. I may get information wrong which I'm sure is true for any author, and I'm very willing to listen to criticism and advise from fans of the show and use it in my writing. I do not own any of the CM characters that will be mentioned besides the ones of my own creation. I hope everyone enjoys what I have to write and please, favorite, follow and review. Thank you and enjoy.

Keller

Waking up was never fun for Keller, she'd been sleeping on a shitty fifty-dollar-a-night motel bed for the past month, with a very loud prostitute doing "business," in the next room. She wasn't exactly annoyed at the moans and banging that kept her up most of the night, more the part where she hadn't gotten laid in two months and the rough fucking she got wasn't even worth telling anyone about.

Sitting up in the bed, Keller pressing her hands into the small of her back and leaned back until she heard and felt the popping of joints. Sighing when that did nothing to relieve the soreness that had settled in, Keller, swung her feet out of bed and stood. She thought about showering, but for the past week nothing but icy water was available and the manager of the run down motel was dragging his ass, refusing to fix it until he got more business than whores and their dates.

Pulling on one of her three shirt options, and a pair of skinny jeans with rips in the knees, Keller shoved her hands in her pockets, ready to grab breakfast and begin her day of going to all the bars in the city, hoping to find someone willing to pay her for singing or playing guitar in the corner, so she could continue to sustain her existence. But all she found was forty-seven cents and pocket lint. "Fucking Hell!" Keller shouted kicking over a folding chair and running her hands through her jet black hair, trying to think of where she burned up the last of her paper money. She always made sure she had at least fifty dollars so she could keep staying in this shit pit rather than on the street... Again.

Keller scratched her head as she mentally ticked off all the things that had happened last night. She'd gotten paid two hundred dollars for performing at a small bar when the manager's first choice bailed for a sweeter gig. Tried to buy some drinks at the bar before she left, but the bartender saw through her fake ID, saying there was no way Keller could be in her twenties and it was true, she was a eighteen year old high school drop out, trying to sell her paintings, which was her true passion, but buying good art supplies, such as paint, canvases, brushes, sketch books and easels was expensive as all fucking hell, while buying an old used guitar and learning to play was cheaper. Once the bartender told her to fuck off, she went outside to see if she could catch a ride back to the motel.

Unfortunately for her the only guy who didn't look like a rapist was a huge prick and said he'd give her a ride... If she would let him watch her fuck his buddy. Keller rudely declined his offer and began the six mile walk back to the motel, with their lewd comments and drunken laughed echoing after her. When she was two miles away, stumbling from patch of light given off by flicking street lamps, to patch of light, a chick on a motorcycle pulled up along side her.

"Looking for a ride, sug!?" She yelled over the hum of the bike.

"Oh, my fucking, god, yes!" Keller called back, stumbling over, the only pair of shoes she owned were black boots with a three inch heel and walking in them all day did not do her feet any favors. She'd ridden on motorcycles before and even owned one for a few months before she had to sell it to pay for rent, and easily climbed on behind the driver.

"Safety first, sug!" The first rider said, reaching around behind Keller to pull out an extra helmet from the back compartment, her hand brushing against the opening of Keller's jacket pocket.

That's when that bitch did it! Keller thought. Or I dropped it somewhere along the way... she reasoned with herself, sighing. Looks like it's back under bridges for a while. Grabbing her room key, Keller grabbed her leather jacket and pulled the hood over her head, knowing her short hair was probably spiked all all sorts of awkward directions, and plastered to her head in others, her only concern being that she had her hair styled in a way that it obscured the view of the left side of her face. Exiting the room, Keller was about to use the rear entrance, so that she didn't have to confront the front desk worker, and answer his daily question of "Where's my money?" Or, "If you can't pay you'd better bend over." Which Keller had done a few times in the winter, she reasoned that letting that horrid beast on top of her was better than losing her fingers or toes to frost bite. The choice haunted her every time she had to go up to him and watch the way his cold eyes roamed over her, or the sick way he grinned when she did have quite enough cash.

But as she shut the door a plain white envelope that was pinned to her door caught her attention. Maybe he's kicking me out, before I can do it myself. But upon pulling the pin out and holding the envelope in her hand, Keller found that the contents were far to heavy for a simple eviction notice and went back inside her room to view whatever this person had left for her.

Putting the chair she'd kicked back on all fours, Keller dumped the contents of the envelope onto the table, only to have hundred dollar bills spill across it and onto the floor. Keller sat dumbfounded for minutes until she got up the nerve to pick up a bill, hold it to the light and make sure that it was real, she did the to several other random bills until she was sure this wasn't some prank to get her arrested for counterfeit money.

Her mind working in overdrive she quickly began counting, and found she was no longer dirt poor but had twenty-five thousand dollars. Keller thought of the people who would be this kind to her. No one. Who could have this much money in cash? A drug dealer. Or the hooker next door perhaps?

They had bumped into each other a few times since Keller had been staying in the motel, sometimes they even talked. Their last meeting had been a week ago and had resulted in the prostitute showing out her latest client and having Keller collapse in her doorway. The John had asked what Keller was strung out on, but prostitute whose name Keller found out that night, was Misty, shooed him away and pulled her inside of her room.

The room of a whore looked just like Keller thought it would, clothes were thrown all over the floor, beer cans covered the table, the bed sheets were covered in a variety of stains that Keller didn't want to think about and she was sure she noticed handcuffs attracted to the headboard.

"When was the last time you ate something?" Misty asked from the doorway as she pulled several locks into place.

"I don't know, maybe four days ago." Keller slurred through the haze of exhaustion.

"Slept?"

"I'd sleep a fucking lot better if you weren't fucking screaming and banging your headboard against my wall every fucking night!" Keller snapped. Who did this slut think she was questioning Keller's health? She was an adult, and she could take care of herself. Mostly.

"Seeing as you can sass me, I think you'll be OK." Misty chuckled, Keller hadn't noticed but Misty had prepared two sandwiches, she had taken a bite out of one and was chewing slowly and was holding the other out to Keller, who hesitantly took the offering, lifting a bread slice to check the contents. A simple PJ and J that Keller wolfed down like she hadn't eaten in days, which she hadn't. Misty laughed and made Keller one more, before giving her a bottle of water and sending the younger girl on her way.

Keller sat at her table with tears in her eyes, she had no idea how to approach this situation, Misty was still sleeping, Keller knew she didn't begin her days until around six in the evening, and a simple thank you wouldn't be enough. Keller had no idea what type of food Misty liked out what she did other than her "work." But she could not squander this gift, no one had every been this kind, her father was never in the picture, her mom merely slept with some guy at a party, rolled the dice when he refused a condom and lost. She never really cared about Keller, leaving her alone for hours on end once Keller learned to use the microwave and could cook her own meals.

Pulling a small duffle bag out from the bed, Keller packed up what few clothing options that she had, the money, and all the snacks and drinks from the minibar, taking one last look at the small room she'd called "home" for a few months Keller raised both her middle fingers and walked out, hoping never to return to this place.

Going up the the front desk Keller was greeted with the shrewd worker there who leaned over and glared down at her, "Gonna give me your payment in five's and one's again? Or shall we head to your room for some more one on one time?" He said with a smirk.

Keller glared back up him and slammed her room key and two hundred dollars down on the desk, "Fuck you, asshole. I won't be staying here any longer."

As Keller was walking out the front door, the desk clerk finally dug his tongue out of his throat and shouted at her back, "Good riddance!"

Good riddance is right, Keller thought, looking up at the clear afternoon sky, that reflected her mood. Calm, controlled, with this new sense of confidence, the sense that nothing could get in her way, Keller walked down to the train station and bought a ticket to New York City, she didn't know what she'd find there, but it was better than here.

Her train wasn't scheduled to leave until shortly after ten in the evening, and she still wanted to thank Misty properly, at least in some way. Having four hours before she had to be on the train, Keller decided that she would indeed have time to pick up something for Misty, present her with the gift and if she hurried be back to the station before her train left.

Checking in her bag to pull out a bill from the envelope, she made a few stops on the way back to the motel, and ended up hauling a large vase full of white and pink flowers, a thank you card, a stuffed bear and a personal sized cake.

It was dark as Keller hurried back to the motel to say goodbye to Misty, but in the distance she could make out the red and blue flashing lights of police cars. Son of a bitch! What if Misty robbed someone and gave me the money so she could let me take the fall? But then again in this part of town it wasn't a rare occurrence to have cops around.

Walking over the crest of the last hill, Keller's heart dropped when she saw the lights were indeed in front of the motel, but is wasn't just police cars there were ambulances as well, with paramedics and cops running about. She thought about turning back, getting on the train and getting the hell out of this town for good, but curiosity get the better of her and as if being pulled she slowly walked down the hill and stood among the crowd of people that were gathered around trying to get a look inside the motel.

Keller gasped as a pair of paramedics walked by with a gurney, the body was covered but blood was seeping through the white sheet and as they loaded the stretcher into the ambulance, the arm of the victim fell from under the sheet and Keller stood there shell shocked as her eyes zeroed in on the charm bracelet, though she'd only seen in once she knew who it belonged to in an instant. It was Misty. An officer began shooing people away from the scene, and when he made an attempt to push Keller away from the taped off area she grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her.

"W-," Keller struggled with the words, but finally forced them through the lump in her throat. "What happened to Misty?"

"Is that what that sluts' name was?" The cop asked, seeming not to care in the least about "that slut," was not so long ago an living person.

"Yes, you fucking pig!" Keller screamed at him. "Who did this to her?"

"We don't have any leads, but whoever did this, was once sick bastard," The officer replied, jerking his arm out of Keller's grip. "Now run along home kid, what happens to a prostitute is no concern of yours."

Keller glared after his retreating back, but turned and left the scene, roughly swiping at tears that began falling from her eyes, she didn't have a choice, she couldn't help Misty now, and she couldn't miss her train out of this town. The train swayed as it sped down the tracts, Keller couldn't sleep, anytime she closed her eyes all she saw was Misty laying beneath a bloody sheet. She' given the little cake to a child she passed at the station and the flowers to and elderly man who could afford a bouquet for his wife. The bear however was clutched in Keller's arms, she toyed with the little red satin bow at it's neck and stared into it's lifeless glass eyes.

At some point she must have dozed off, at least for a few minutes, for when she lifted her head she could see the shining lights of the city in front of her. She couldn't help but smile through the shock she'd felt this evening, and held the little bear close. "Almost there."

Keller: Present Day

It had been four years since that night, Keller was sitting on the railing of her apartment's balcony looking out over the city lights. A chilly early spring breeze was blowing through the city and she shuddered wanting to stay out, but knowing it was too cold to do so. "Hey, Misty," Keller whispered as she walked from her balcony, to her room. Glancing at the little bear that was propped against her pillows.

The bear's red ribbon was now longer as shiny as it used to be, and the ends were tattered with age. Keller had given the bear shortly after moving into this little apartment, a little reminder of the person who may very well saved her from a life of squalor.

Going down the hall to the bathroom, Keller quickly stripped and kicked her discarded clothing into the corner. For the past two years, she'd been working in the city, traveling a bit as well, opening for large bands, Keller didn't make a lot but she got enough from shows to support herself, and selling cheap art on the streets helped too. After her long shower where she scrubbed every inch of her pale skin, Keller sat at her vanity table, and combed through her black locks, strategically covering the left half of her face, and leaving the rest to air dry naturally. She slid dangling inverted cross earrings easily through her lobes, altogether she had sixteen piercings, six in one ear, eight in the other, and two in the right corner of her lip, with one ring that curled through both holes.

Looking at her face in the mirror she debated the color scheme of her make up, and decided to just do around her right eye, using black, silver and blue eye shadow to make it pop. With her hair covering the left eye Keller felt no need to make up that eye as well and went to her closet. Tossing her towel over the back of her chair to dry, Keller shiver as her wet hair touched her spine and icy droplets of water slid slowly down her back.

Pulling out a black dress with a white rib cage on the front and a red rose where her heart would be, Keller set in on the bed got a matching lace set of undergarments. Dressing herself, Keller grabbed her purse and tossed in anything she might need for the night, except that she couldn't find her phone. Keller groaned and began her daily search, she was always losing the damned thing, and it always turned up in the oddest places.

Keller was crouched down looking under her bed, when her ring tone could be heard from the kitchen. Lifting her head up carefully so she didn't hit it against the bed frame... again, Keller ran out to see who was calling.

"This is unrecognized talent," Keller answered with a grin, knowing who was called from the caller ID.

"Hell's bells, Kells! I've been calling for like twenty minutes," The woman on the other end said laughing.

"You could have come up, Shea. You do have a key," Keller reminded her friend, they'd met in a bar when Keller first came to the city, argued over bands, and a month later were best friends and often performed together, with Shea as a guitarist and Keller singing.

"Shut it, punk. Hurry your little ass down here, we gotta go!" Shea demanded, hanging up the phone.

Keller tossed her phone in her purse and adjusted her hair once more before slamming the door behind her and locking it. Shea was waiting by the door to the apartment building her little car parked on the curb.

"Fucking Christ, Kells, it sure takes you long enough to get ready," Shea complained as the girls climbed into the car.

"The concert doesn't start for another hour and we are the second act, we got time," Keller said.

"Whatever you say, Rock Star," Shea chuckled, pulling away from the curb and off to their destination.

"Show time," Keller whispered.