A/N: I'm so sorry for my ridiculous refusal to update this story after the events of the Doyle/Prentiss arc! It was stupid and... yeah, it was stupid. Though, I am STILL trying to get over Emily not being on the show anymore. It's just sooooo sad...
Anyway, this chapter is the longest I've ever written. EVER.
I hope it's good enough to apologize somewhat for the wait. And I realize that a lot of people might not want to read this anymore since the Doyle/Prentiss thing is long over. But just think of it as an alternate episode. It's something that I WISH had happened.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds. If I did Ashley Seaver would've been shot on that rooftop and Morgan would've shot Doyle and then Emily wouldn't have had to pretend to be dead.
ENJOY!
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Sirens wailed.
Red and blue lights colored the night.
Feet pounded upon the pavement.
Two bodies were wheeled out the doors of a hotel.
One body was wheeled into the awaiting coroner's van.
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Aaron Hotchner sat at his desk, diligently filing endless stacks of paperwork. He stopped what he was doing for a moment, lost in thought. It was times like this when he missed JJ most. Paperwork to her was like shooting a gun on the firing range to him. She'd always been the best at it, the most thorough. Sometimes he used to think, when he passed her office and saw her hard at work, that it was her release. An escape, of sorts. Hence the comparison between himself and JJ. Thinking of her sent a pang of loss through him, but he was slowly becoming accustomed to coming to work everyday and seeing her empty office. They hadn't found anyone qualified enough to fill her slot yet.
A bitter taste filled Hotch's mouth. Yet. They hadn't found anyone yet. It was only a matter of time before Strauss would step in, demanding to fill the unoccupied position. She would do it herself, and once she did, there would be no way of getting JJ back. That was the cause of the bitterness. The day she left, Hotch had promised to do everything in his power to get her back. But what had he done, really? Nothing, that's what. That didn't mean he hadn't tried. Countless times he'd broached the subject with Strauss, with any of his superiors, only to be turned down again and again.
Soon, after banishing these thoughts, Hotch had resumed his work only to be interrupted by a knock on the door not two minutes later. He didn't even have time to say anything before David Rossi was standing in front of his desk. Hotch looked up at him curiously; Rossi usually had better manners. Usually.
"Yes?" Hotch questioned, still seated behind his expensive, Bureau-funded desk.
"We've got a case." Rossi threw a thin, manila folder onto the desktop, making a few of his papers scatter in the process.
Hotch stood immediately, but he didn't bother opening the folder just yet. He simply fell into step with his colleague as they strode out of his office. He could sense something was off, and had the sinking feeling that Rossi knew more than he was letting on. After all, the cases usually came to Hotch now, in JJ's absence, not Rossi.
"Fill me in, Dave."
The older agent's shoulders stiffened, his back straightening to the point of discomfort. "One dead so far. At the Holiday Inn on 7th."
Hotch's eyes narrowed in confusion, "Only one death? Then why were we called in?"
"We weren't," Rossi stated flatly. "Strauss ordered the BAU to investigate."
This new information only contributed to the sinking feeling he'd had since Rossi had burst into his office. "Why?" He wondered aloud.
"I guess we're about to find out." Rossi stopped just short of where he'd led them. They now stood just outside the door to Strauss's lair.
Again, Rossi didn't bother waiting for anyone to invite him inside. Hell, he didn't even knock this time; he just pushed open the door and waltzed right in. His prior history with Strauss giving him a bit of immunity against her attempts at retribution for perceived offenses.
The two agents strode into the office only to find that Strauss was waiting for them. Her hands were folded neatly on her organized, dark-wood desk, and she wore a peculiar expression on her face. It was an expression that Hotch was very familiar with by now. She only wore it when she had to deal with something, or someone, extremely unpleasant in her opinion.
"Good morning, Agent Rossi. Agent Hotchner." Strauss inclined her head slightly and gestured with her hands to the two identical seats in front of her. "Please, sit."
"What's going on, Erin?" Rossi didn't need to have years of experience to know when something was up. He and Hotch both ignored the chairs Strauss had offered, instead preferring to stand. It was their way of gaining an edge when interrogating a suspect, and they used that technique now.
"Very well," Strauss said. She saw what they were trying to do and stood as well, a deep frown of disapproval on her face. She leaned down and picked up a manila folder identical to the one Rossi had given Hotch. She handed it to the latter, not knowing that he'd already received one.
Hotch didn't open the folder. He wanted to hear this from Strauss. He wanted to hear the tone of her voice, every tremble and every pause. It was all important to discovering the reason she had for insisting that the BAU investigate.
"Well," Strauss sighed, "there has been an attack at a local hotel. I believe it is connected with a string of murders in the D.C. area."
"Only one body was found at the scene," Hotch interjected. "What is it that connects the cases?" He was curious now. Curious as to what made these murders so special that his team had to be called in.
"Yes, there was only one dead from the attack at the hotel," Strauss confirmed.
"Then what's the connection?" Dave asked, his patience finally wearing thin. His eyes were steely, his voice chilly. He was already anticipating something bad. Why else would the BAU be called? It had to be something big.
Strauss looked at them each in turn, holding their gazes for as long as she dared. "The connection is a European terrorist."
Rossi arched an eyebrow, "One murder at a hotel hardly seems like a terrorist attack." He crossed his arms over his chest, demanding further explanation.
Strauss shook her head and Hotch, understanding what she hadn't explained, filled in the blanks, "The terrorist is the murderer. He has an agenda, but it's not one of terror. It's personal." Strauss nodded in confirmation.
Strauss took her seat again, signaling to the others that she was done with this interrogation. "I have someone coming to fill you in," she said, already engrossed in the few papers atop her desk. Then she looked up, "You are dismissed."
The two profilers were reluctant to submit to her wishes so easily. "Why was the BAU really called in, Erin?" Rossi inquired. "You and I both know the BAU doesn't profile terrorists, at least not usually."
Hotch remembered when Gideon was still with them and Prentiss had just joined the team. The two of them, along with Reid, had gone down to Guantanamo Bay to profile a Muslim terrorist. It was one of the few exceptions to the usual business of always profiling serial killers and never profiling terrorists. It looked like they were about to have another exception on their hands.
Hotch came out of his nostalgic daze to find that Rossi's question had gone unanswered, and the woman was no longer focused on either himself or Rossi. She was assessing someone just behind them. He didn't have to turn around to know who was there. He recognized her oh-so-familiar perfume, and her voice when she spoke.
"You don't, but Emily did," Jennifer Jareau said as she quickly joined the three agents.
"JJ," Rossi greeted her. He wasn't overly shocked to see her here. He'd known since the day she left that he'd see her again. He just didn't expect it to be so soon. Or was it so late now?
"Hey, guys," JJ said, flashing a quick half-smile. Then she was back to all-business mode.
Before she could say anything, Hotch butted in, "What do you mean 'Emily did'?"
JJ turned to him, an unidentifiable emotion in her clear, blue eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but didn't even get the chance to begin before Strauss interrupted.
"Agents," Strauss's voice was tense when she spoke, "you are dismissed." The Section Chief enunciated each word carefully, so as to prevent any more "confusion". She then engaged in a stare down with Hotch, and, for once, she won.
"Before we leave," Hotch began, "I'd like to know why only Rossi and I were told all of this. Where are Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid?"
"Do they even know about the case?" Rossi added dryly. He wouldn't assume that Strauss had decided not to go behind everyone's backs. He didn't think she was above it.
Strauss responded willingly, "Dr. Reid is still at his desk, filing some paperwork I gave him after he finished what he already had. Agents Morgan and Prentiss are no longer in the building." Strauss didn't make eye contact as she said this, and that put the other agents into profiling mode again. Then the older woman continued, "I decided to only inform the three of you of the situation until I could ascertain the whereabouts of the others." That's when Strauss decided to lock gazes with Hotch again, initiating a silent argument. With her eyes, Strauss dared him to question her motives.
"I'll ask Reid if he knows where they went." Rossi feigned ignorance well. He was pretending not to know that Strauss had probably already asked the young agent so that he himself could ask and therefore uncover Strauss's ulterior motives, that much Hotch could tell.
"No need," Strauss waved a hand at him, and she was aware of what Rossi intended to do. "I've already had Anderson ask him. He doesn't know where they went. He only remembers seeing Agent Prentiss leave quite suddenly and-"
JJ beat Strauss to it, "And he saw Morgan follow her." She hadn't spoken to Reid since she'd arrived, she'd simply guessed. Knowing Morgan's personality enabled her to predict what he would've done. He had such an overwhelming protective instinct that if he knew something was wrong with a teammate, there was no way he'd just ignore it. No, he'd dive headfirst into someone else's trouble for them. He was a wonderful friend and ally to have, but sometimes he come on a little too strong. Especially since he was one who didn't share anything, and he didn't accept help from others very easily.
"I'm sure they're fine," Rossi interjected. "We can start the briefing without them." Hotch nodded his head in agreement.
Strauss thought about it for a moment, but soon agreed as well. "Miss Jareau can brief you when you get there. Get Dr. Reid and go straight to the crime scene."
Rossi and Hotch were out the door as fast as they could go without being rude. JJ, however, stayed behind.
"Ma'am," JJ's emotionless facade was gone in the blink of an eye.
"Yes, Miss Jareau?" Strauss gave her a quizzical look, and purposely used 'Miss' as a reminder that JJ was no longer a part of the Bureau and she didn't have the same privileges.
JJ's lips pressed into a thin, tight line, and her beautiful blue eyes blazed with a sudden, unexpected fury. "You're sending them out to that scene without warning them first? I knew you were cold-hearted, but I didn't think you were this bad." If her words hadn't announced her anger, her death-glare did.
"Miss Jareau!" Strauss stood abruptly, and her body language clearly stated that she would not stand to be talked to that way. "I did what I thought was best."
"What you thought was best?" JJ wanted to pummel the older woman for her stupidity. "They should have been warned! You should have told them!" JJ carefully avoided announcing exactly what it was that Strauss should have said. She knew that she could be easily overheard, and she didn't want people finding out that way.
"It would only hinder the investigation. And I want that man caught now," Strauss spoke in cold, clipped tones. The 'I' in her statement clearly meant 'the higher-ups'. She crossed her arms over her chest. A deep frown settled on her face, any more display of her distaste for the ex-agent wouldn't befit a woman of her standing.
"If you think them finding out halfway through the case won't hinder this investigation, then you're even stupider than I thought!" JJ's seemingly unprovoked anger made her speech careless, it was only after she'd calmed down that she would realize what a grave mistake she made.
Then, JJ turned and stalked over to the door. She yanked it open angrily, and as it shut, she heard Strauss's voice call out to her.
"I hope you realize that you've just ruined any chance you may have had of getting back into the Bureau!" The Section Chief's voice was shrill, having risen several octaves in a sudden burst of tangible anger.
As JJ made her way to the bullpen, she couldn't help but wonder what Strauss's real motives were. She assumed it was another way to put blame on Hotch and get him permanently removed from his position, and therefore getting rid of the serious competition for advancement. JJ was sure that Strauss expected Hotch to break under the pressure, to become unstable when he heard what she was keeping from him. At first glance though, Morgan would be the one most likely to lose it upon discovering the inevitable, but since he was... absent... you had to enter Hotch into the equation. His emotional response when he confronted the Reaper hinted at a side of their fearless leader in direct conflict with his outer image.
The team would investigate this unusual case and eventually uncover what JJ was forced to hide from them. Sure, they'd be more motivated than ever, but when they found their unsub, which JJ was sure they would, someone wouldn't be able to control their emotions. It all fit. Strauss had placed her bet on Hotch, but JJ wasn't so quick to make assumptions.
JJ then found herself standing by Reid's desk in the bullpen. He was looking up at her with a strange expression on his face. It was part concern and part fear. She quickly brought a proverbial mask over her face to conceal her true emotions. It was a mask she used to wear, and still did, many times. It was the very same one she would wear during press conferences, and one she'd apparently forgotten how to use in her time away from the BAU. With the DOD, she didn't do as many press conferences. They had prettier, more talented, and all around better women to do the job. And lots of them. With the DOD, JJ didn't feel needed.
JJ looked down at Reid, attempted a smile, and failed miserably. "Come on, Spence, we've got a crime scene to go to." She grabbed his arm and pulled him up gently from his chair. He was slow to get up, and that's when JJ noticed the dazed look on his face.
She was confused by it at first, but then he asked, "Are you... back?"
To a random eavesdropper the question would seem totally unnecessary, but to any member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit the question was loaded.
JJ let go of her friend and a sad look crossed her face. "No, Spence. I'm only here for this case."
The hope that had just previously been building in Reid's eyes was crushed instantly. The look on his face gave him the impression of a neglected puppy. Upon seeing it, JJ couldn't help but let a small smile curve her lips.
"What about Rossi and Hotch?" Reid asked, moving on from the former, more sensitive subject.
They were walking now, with JJ leading the way. She walked in long, purposeful strides, and Reid struggled to keep up with her. She spared a backward glance at him as they approached the elevator. "They're probably already on their way," she told him. The address, she knew, was enclosed in the case file.
"Well," Reid said as they entered the elevator, "what about Morgan and Prentiss?" He hadn't seen them since they left earlier that night. He was curious as to what they were up to. Prentiss had left in such a hurry, and Morgan had been so angry when he followed her out... Once could only wonder what happened.
JJ's face then did something that never happened in front of Spencer: It closed off completely. Her eyes were blank when she said, "We'll see them later."
Reid cocked his head to one side, further adding to the impression of a puppy dog. This time though, the puppy was confused. He didn't say anything for fear of causing JJ to recede from him even further. She was different now; not that she'd been an open book before. She was distant, no longer the sisterly figure in his life. Rather the estranged friend; there, yet not all at the same time.
The change in her made him sad. He had hoped that whatever she was doing for the Pentagon made her happy. He had hoped that it made her feel accomplished. This change did not support those dwindling hopes. As much as he wanted her back at the BAU, he wanted her to be happy even more. Apparently, that hadn't happened. And yet she still couldn't come back. As the elevator lowered them closer and closer to the Bureau's parking garage and Reid looked at her, he couldn't help thinking that it might as well have been years since he'd seen her, because he barely recognized the former media liaison at all.
A few minutes later, just before the elevator doors opened, JJ turned to him. There was a pleading look on her face. It was so shocking after the distant expression that had been rooted there just seconds ago that when she started to speak, Reid could only stare.
"Look, Reid, I can't tell you everything I know," JJ couldn't seem to make eye contact with him. "But what I can say..."
Just then, right before JJ was going to give up some valuable information, the doors opened. Standing there, in casual clothes and a leather vest, was a man neither JJ nor Reid had ever seen before.
He smiled maliciously, "Hello, Agents." He raised his right hand in what could have been a wave if not for the crowbar in his hand. Neither friend had any time to react before the man pulled back the hand with the crowbar and swung.
The attack was swift, as was the stranger. He went after JJ first, sensing an imminent threat from her for some reason. He hit her over the head with the crowbar just once, but strong enough to knock her unconscious in only seconds. She went down like a sack of potatoes, all dead weight. She lay sprawled on the floor when the man got to Reid. He tried to fend off the attack, but was soon overpowered.
When it was all over, there were two people lying unconscious on the floor of an elevator. Blood seeped from wounds to their heads only to be absorbed by their clothes or pool on the floor around them. All the while, the man that attacked them strolled away, whistling an old, Irish tune to himself as he went.
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MWAHAHAHA! Evil, right? I know :)
I really hope you guys liked this! And don't forget to show me some love and REVIEW! Reviews are like oxygen :DD
PS: In this story, there is no Ashley Seaver. At least, I don't think there is. I might've mentioned her in the first chappie, but I don't remember.
PPS: Did anyone else here that there are talks to bring AJ Cook back to CM? I did! In an interview with MGG, which you can find posted in the "Lauren" discussion thread on Chit Chat on Author's Corner, and then again from TV Fanatic . com!