Disclaimer: Not mine.
As the minutes changed into hour, the whole team was gathered and discussed the recent events. The atmosphere in room was weird. Usually, when there was one of their own in distress, they get out of themselves to do something. But with Annabelle it was different. It was like on the family´s-old-maiden-auntie funeral. Everyone kind of knew they should miss her, but no one was really personally touched. The unwritten ´you-don´t-mess-with-the-FBI´ rule was clear enough for everyone to do their best, but no one ever care enough to get to know the lab girl to feel anyhow connected to her. She was just another victim, another way for them to get to know the UnSub better.
They were ripped out from the grim thoughts by Garcia, she stormed into the room and drew everyone´s attention to herself.
"Did you know, about Annabelle?" she asked everyone, but no one in particular.
"Did we know what, Garcia?" Emily asked the question in everybody´s mind glad that something should take their minds off the the fact how stuck they were. They still didn´t know for sure, if the two cases were connected. Either way it was, it didn´t change anything for them. They had nothing to go with on either of them.
"Annabelle, she was kind of famous, at least in one group of people" if she had said she just saw a Santa Claus, they wouldn´t be more surprised.
"What are you talking about, Babygirl" Morgan asked, now seriously intrigued.
"Have you at least googled her?" Garcia asked.
"Why would I goo…"
But before Morgan could finish, Garcia was already seated at his computer with Google on. She typed Annabelle´s full name and selected pictures. Immediately dozens of pictures appeared. At the first one Annabelle in white dobok and she wore a black belt.
"What the hell?" Emily wondered "How did you found out?"
"I´ve check her personal file and in her CV she wrote she was into the martial arts, so I´ve figured if she was really into that, there would be some track online, so I´ve check various sport federation and I´ve found her in the Taekwondo. As I was browsing the federation pages, I´ve noticed some article mentioning her, so I ´ve searched further and voila!" Garcia once more pointed at the pictures on the screen, this time selecting the one with Annabelle in national dress, holding a flag.
"She is a many time national champion, last year even The World Champion, did anyone knew?" Garcia wondered out loud.
"Even I didn´t have an idea" Frank Stewart just came down to ask how was the investigation going "She´d never told a word when she was asking for leave of absence, I was even mean to her last year when she asked for longer time off. I thought she was having some serious vacationing planned because she mentioned Australia….I´ve never figured…"
"That´s not all." Garcia continued "While I was googling, I´ve decided to give it a shot for the other victims as well…and guess what I´ve found."
This time she had printed photos and some articles. All three previous victims were somehow involved in various martial arts.
"That´s our linking point" Reid stated the obvious. Sad smile appeared on his face. "Now we know that the cases are connected"
"I´m going to get Hotch…" Emily informed but before she could go anywhere, the Unit Chief was lured out by unusual gathering.
"What did you found?" he asked as he recognized Garcia as the unnamed leader in the small group.
"She was finally able to find the link between the victims, even Annabelle. They didn´t even need to know each other, at least not personally." Morgan summarized what they found out and in few sentences informed Hotch about Garcia´s finding.
"Great, Prentiss go talk to Annabelle´s couch…instructor or master or whatever they call it. Reid, Morgan and I will do the same with the other girls. Rossi, go check Annabelle´s apartment. There might be some indication what had happened to her. Meeting in two hours. Great work, Garcia" Hotch ordered everyone while he himself was already halfway out of the room.
Hotch was probably the only one, except for Reid, feeling the FBI-stick-together-thing. The last month´s conversation with Frank made him realize that he worked with Annabelle for five years not even knowing about it, so he took the time, read her files and greeted her every time he met her. For him, she was part of the team and no one messes with his team.
And then there was Reid. He had been greeting Annabelle ever since she had started to work for them and she always smiled back. Most of the observers would call it chemistry, but because they had enough awkwardness between them to provide for regular high school, nothing had ever happened.
It had all started few years back, when Annabelle had came to work for the FBI. She had been nothing but naïve university graduate back than, lucky enough to catch a job with the Bureau. She really didn't want to come to the huge Annual Christmas party but she had been told it was obligatory. So she went.
The fate of Reid had been very similar. He had known the party wasn´t obligatory, but the pressure created mostly by JJ had forced him to go anyway.
So it happen the two of them had met. Anabelle sipping only second glass of champagne and Reid who was on the orange juice whole evening had had so much to tell to each other that they had completely forgot about ongoing madness. Too bad their coworkers hadn't. It had taken a while, but the couple had been noticed. What had started as a friendship was quickly transformed to awkward what-might-have-been situation by merciless teasing of people far more experienced in human relationships.
It had naturally turned to playing it safe and any further contact since then had been only work related and any attempt at the conversation had finished with awkward silence.
Reid just blushed slightly at the memory of his concern about her bruises. How she must have laughed at him. He wondered why Bella had never told him she was into Martial Arts.
Next: Getting to know Ani.
