Bum-bum-BUMM! I'm back, baby! My mojo hath returned! :) I'm so excited for this one. Seriously, it gets the ball rolling pretty darn quickly. There are some possible unsubs, as well as little soft-Prentiss moments. -queue music- I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it. (not my song.) Ummm... I should update Friday or Saturday of next week, again, depending on school work and such. I have it started, so I have no idea when it's going to be up. This chapter is the longest, and it's great. :) Please feel free to critque, voice your opinion, and/or guess who is our unsub. Bets, anyone? OH! And sorry if the who name situation confuses you, because it confused me at first, too.

Disclaimer: I own my strange mind, not Criminal Minds.


Chapter Seven

The next morning was completely different. Both awoke from sleep at four-thirty; they were at the BAU by five thirty. They each had a bag packed, even though they were supposedly getting a whole new wardrobe. Menace seemed eager to be back, but considering both were so tired, he was calm. Bethany was like the walking dead, Emily was much more used to odd hours of sleep. JJ was the only other person there, looking about as tired as Bethany. She stood and gave them a small smile. "Morning."

"Morning."

Bethany made some sort of moaning sound, using the wall to help her stay up straight. Both agents snickered a little. Their little laughing fest was interrupted by Hotch and Rossi swooping in, wearing matching, serious expressions. They passed, but all three followed, the youngest barely functional. She sat on the steps of the bullpen, arms over her knees, and head buried in her arms. "You guys know what to do, and I trust you to get it done without a hitch. You two will be arriving at your new home in a few hours; there you'll find everything you need. There are agents set up around the area to monitor your movements. Any questions?"

No one spoke, so he ushered them off to the car, where Menace was sleeping in the back seat. Bethany mirrored him in the front, curled up in a ball and completely unresponsive. Prentiss was secretly happy her job required odd hours of sleep; otherwise she wouldn't have been able to drive almost three hours to the small town on Oakville, Virginia. Although, she wouldn't have refused a few more hours of sleep.

Around three quarters of the way there, the younger stirred and awoke, stretching her limbs as best she could in the small coupe. She yawned at least three times before settling in a sitting position, elbow resting on the 'gonna-piss-myself-handle'.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Like someone woke me up at four-thirty in the morning."

She snorted, dryly. She twisted the wheel at a turn, making her look out Bethany's window. "Are you ready?"

She inwardly sighed. "As I'll ever be, I guess."

"You know you don't have to do this; all you have to do is say the word and I'll turn this car around and go home."

The corners of her mouth defied gravity for a few seconds. "What's the word?"

Emily thought for a second with a serious expression on her face. "I don't know... Daisies."

"Lilies, then."

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful, aside from stopping at a little bakery for muffins. It was quiet, even when Menace decided to wake up and whine to go pee. When the car finally pulled into the driveway of the small, stereotypical suburban house, Bethany felt like if she didn't get out and walk around, her legs would fall off. As soon as it was at a standstill, she yet again almost did a barrel roll from the vehicle. Car rides bothered her; it seemed, all of a sudden. "Come on, Menny," she urged when the front seat was pulled far enough forward for him to leap out.

The two enthusiastically bounded to the front door. "Mom! Keys?"

Prentiss, who was just climbing out, dug into her jeans pocket and threw a pair of keys to her. "Thanks" was called over her shoulder as she struggled to unlock the door. It eventually swung open to reveal movers buzzing about with furniture, fully explaining the big movers truck parked on the curb. "Woah..."

The dog beside her barked and ran ahead to check out the house. A few of the men jumped aside, and then nodded slightly to Bethany. She smiled in return, but took in her surroundings. She was standing in a comfortable-sized foyer with stairs one pace right, and three paces in front of her, a hallway to the side of that, and door-less doorways on either side. She decided to go through the hall, to find the den on the other side. There was a television on a stand against the back wall with a large leather couch facing it, and smaller recliners flanking either side. Bethany's mouth hung slightly open in astonishment as she continued on to the room to the right of that. The kitchen.

It was nothing extravagant; a window above the sink, counter space, a refrigerator, a microwave, cupboards, and a small table with a few chairs set around it. Sunlight streamed into it, bouncing off countless white surfaces, right into her eyes. She blinked, and tried to block it with her arms, but it simply came from everywhere. In defeat, the young girl retreated back to the foyer, where Emily was standing with the bags slung over her shoulders. "Sorry," she said quickly. "I'll take mine."

The small duffle was given over along with a raised eyebrow. "Go unpack, kiddo. Your stuff should be upstairs all ready. Last one on the left."

Without replying, she bolted up the half-carpeted staircase. There was a door to her right, then three more to the left. As per instruction, she walked in the direction of the wide open door at the very end of the short hallway. The furniture had been set up in there as well, a bed, a desk, and a dresser. A dark purple beanbag chair was thrown haphazardly in the center of the otherwise white and wood room - a splash of paint on a blank canvas. It made her smile; until she spotted seven cardboard boxes piled in front of the window all marked 'Holly' in bright red Sharpie marker. She dropped the bag and practically ran to them, opening one to reveal clothes neatly folded and jammed in. Four others held the same; however the two remaining larger ones held items one would normally associate with teenage girls, plus a skateboard.

"Garcia... I owe you one," she muttered as she rifled through many of the things she loved; a basketball, running shoes, a new pair of basketball shoes, spiked belts that undoubtedly came from either Rue 21 or Hot Topic, books, posters of her favorite bands, and so much more. She heard the jingling of tags as Menace trotted into the room, tail wagging excitedly. He pushed his soggy nose into a box, sniffed, then proceeded to sneeze all over a pair of black skinny jeans. "Menace, seriously?"


After she had emptied the contents o the boxes to proper places, the initial thrill of a new environment had worn off. She saw the adjoining bathroom, and guestroom, and the boring backyard, and not to mention the cookie cutter neighborhood outside. Bethany knew she had a lot to get used to fairly quickly, but it seemed like an overbearing task. But, after all she was determined to accomplish this, so she grabbed her new Baker skateboard, and Menace, and was out the door with a brief yell to Prentiss.

The dynamic duo raced down the sidewalk, the dog pulling her as she stood atop her board. There were all ready people galore out, despite it being only eight-thirty on a Thursday morning. They were, for the most part at least, nice, almost all stopping their routine to say hello and welcome her to the neighborhood. She had nearly slipped up and said her real name the first three times she introduced herself, but after that, Holly had a nice ring to it.

Menace was greeted as well, albeit not as enthusiastically, especially because of the way he would step in front of her. She had to at least give him credit for the fact that he hadn't scared anyone off. Yet.

As they rounded the corner to the third block of straight suburbs, Bethany was nearly thrown as her companion suddenly stopped. She managed to step off in time to save herself from face planting, but not in time to stop herself from slamming into someone. She staggered back a step and looked to see a handsome boy around her age with dark brown skin, a red shirt, and jean shorts on. "I'm so sorry," she said quickly. "Are you okay?"

He chuckled. "I'm fine, but I think the real question here is are you?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, Menace doesn't usually stop like that," she said, shooting the dog a pointed glare

He leaned over and scratched him behind the ears. The dog seemed to relax at the gesture. "Menace, huh? Doesn't seem like one to me," he mused, then looked up to her and held out a hand. "You don't look familiar. I'm Julius Parker. I live over on Hanover. You?"

She took the extended hand and gently shook it. "Holly. Kingston. I just moved on Clark, I think. My mom said we needed a change of scenery, or something."

Julius flashed his bright-white smile. "It gets old real fast."

Bethany looked around, casually, taking in all the similar-looking homes. "I wonder why," came her sarcastic reply. "Hey, uh, I don't mean to be nosy, but what are you doing out here so early?"

"My parents sent me to pick up a pie from Mrs. Rosewood. She makes the best pies in town... Just don't try the rhubarb."

She laughed softly, but stopped when she saw the serious look on his face. He had a good few inches on her, but she could still see all his features as if they were eye to eye. "I'll remember that, thanks. Look, I should probably g-" she started, going to retrieve her board. He caught her lightly by the arm.

"Why don't you come with me? I mean, unless you have somewhere you have to be."

Bethany's mind raced back to what the agents had said about this... unsub, had they called it? 'Probably uses handsome fifteen year old boys'. Her lips scrunched to the side. "Uh... Sure. Lemme just text my mom." She pulled her phone from her back pocket, and her fingers flew as she typed 'kid wnts me 2 go w/ him 4 pie. txt u address l8r'. "'Kay."

She picked up her skateboard and tugged slightly on the leash. Together they walked directly across the street and down the sidewalk in silence. Julius had his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed ahead, Bethany had her hands full and eyes following the ground a few feet in front of her. "So, Holly, where're you from?"

Thinking on her feet, she quickly replied, "This little town called

Pomfret, in Maryland. It's just a little ways away from DC."

"What made you move?"

She glanced up, a far of look in her eyes. "My dad died. He got run off the road by a drunk driver. Hit a tree and died instantaneously."

"I'm so sorry. Were you close?"

"Not exactly. We got along well, for the most part, but he didn't take me places very often. I barely knew what his job was," she answered, easily. Her phone buzzed, causing her to jump. She extended the leash to him. "It's probably my mom. Can you hold him for a minute? Please?"

When he took it, she read her text. 'send it NOW.' She sighed, turning to her companion. "Do you know the address? She just wants to know how far I'll be."

He nodded. "Yeah, it's 23 Apple Drive. Ironic because her best pie is apple."

She smiled as she typed her quick response. "'Kay, I can take him back." She tucked her phone into her butt pocket again and took the leash back. They continued in silence for a few minutes before Julius gestured to a brick house on the left. They headed up the walkway and onto the porch, where he knocked on the glass front door, very casually.

An elderly-looking, dark-skinned woman opened the door, a wide smile on her face. "Well, good morning there, Julius. Who've you brought this morning?"

"Mrs. Rosewood, this is Holly Kingston. She just moved here from Maryland," he answered.

Bethany smiled back at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. He tells me your baking skills are impeccable." She resisted the urge to use slang as much as possible, but even saying that sentence was difficult.

"Now, I don't know 'bout that, but I do enjoy doing it. Why don't you come in? You're dog is no problem, right?"

"He couldn't hurt a fly if he wanted to," she assured. Mrs. Rosewood opened the door wider for them to step in. It was cozy, floors covered in white carpet, and the air smelling of a mix of apple pie and lavender. Menace sneezed, tail starting to wag at the smell of food.

Julius nudged her to the left, which was apparently the living room, judging by the medium sized television, coffee table, and couches on either side. They took a seat on the one with its back to the windows, the dog taking his spot beside Bethany's legs. The woman had shut the door, and then disappeared, probably to the kitchen. She reemerged a few minutes later, carrying two tin pie plates with plastic wrap over the top. She handed on to Julius and the other to Holly. Before she could open her mouth to object, Mrs. Rosewood held up a hand.

"Why don't you consider this a 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift? No charge," she instructed softly.

Julius pulled a few bills from his pocket and handed them to the elder. "Thank you," he said, again flashing his dazzling smile.

"It's no trouble, sugar."

As they strode back down the sidewalk, Julius carrying both pies, a beat up, white pick-up truck slowed beside them, a man in his early forties in the driver's seat, and a handsome blonde boy beside him. "Morning, kids," he said, brightly. "You need a ride?"

Bethany sent a nervous glance in her new friend's direction. He shook his head. "No thanks, Mr. Bey."

"You sure? It's a far walk home, Julius. It's no problem at all. Justin and I were just on our way to the store, it's right on the way."

Just like any of the agents would have done, she studied the body language of the two in the truck. The man had a smile on his face, but his eyes said something different. They weren't hopeful, nor harsh, but sad. This made her wonder. Justin's eyes hadn't left the dash since they pulled up. He was fidgeting with his hands, looking uncomfortable and awkward. He, too, seemed a little sad, but she wasn't sure if it was even for the same reason.

"No, that's okay. Walking's healthy."

"Okay then. You both have a nice day."

Bethany offered a small smile as she replied, "you, too."

When they had gone, she looked over at Julius. "There something I need to know about him?"

He stopped walking and turned to face her, hand taking a gentle grasp on her shoulder. "Holly, I've known you for a little over an hour," he started. She nodded, slowly. "And You seem pretty frickin observant, so I'm not gonna lie to you. This whole neighborhood is pretty wealthy, just in general. People here have good jobs- doctors, lawyers, executives, and whatever. That guy, his name is Walter Bey, his wife died about two years ago, and she had the good job- she was a high paid nurse somewhere. Well, when she died, he couldn't keep up with the bills as easily, so he took a job as a plumber, and made Justin get a job at the store down the road to get by. He's friendly, but there's something off about him. I don't know what, but there's something he's hiding. Something big."

"And Justin?"

"Poor kid never has any free time. When school starts, I barely see the kid anywhere other than the library and the store. Girls throw themselves at him, but he barely talks to them. Actually, he barely talks at all. Honestly, I feel bad for him."

Bethany bit her lip, knowing Prentiss would want to hear all about them. "That's all?"

He nodded, solemnly. "He needs friends badly, but he's so quiet, I can barely hold a conversation with him."

"How old is he?"

"Fifteen, I think. He's a grade higher than me, is all I know."

She nodded as well, staring past him at a tree. When she looked at him, she noticed the look of confusion on his face. "What?"

"Why do you want to know all this?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

She felt Menace sit on her foot as she shrugged. "I wanna know who to watch out for. Don't wanna get caught up in the wrong crowd, you know?" He didn't answer. "I should probably get home and help unpack. So... Thanks. For the walk and the talk."

He handed her her pie, and as she was about to kick off on her skateboard, he said, "wait!"

Bethany turned around, eyebrows furrowed. "What's up?"

He smiled, almost nervously. "Can I have your number?"

She laughed, just once, but put down the food, and pulled out her phone. He took his out as well, and they traded, each punching their information into each cell. Once they were back with their owners, she and Menace were off like a shot, taking a few turns until they saw 'home'.

Bethany left the board in the bare front yard and they ran to the front door. Emily was in the kitchen, unpacking plates and bowls into the cabinets. She looked up as Beth let the dog off the leash. She had her face set on an expression of wonder. "Got something you wanna share with the class there, Hun?" she asked, putting down the stack of dishes she had in her hands.

The younger sat on a stool at the counter. "Uh, yeah. We might want to call Aunt Pennie for a background check."

Prentiss leaned towards her. "On?"

"Guy named Walter Bey. He's a plumber. Julius said there was something off about him, but isn't sure what."

"Woah, woah. Bey? Julius? Slow down there, kid. Who's Julius?"

Bethany almost rolled her eyes. "He's this nice kid I met, and is sorta the reason we got free pie. Seems totally normal. Both parents. No funny stuff."

Her eyes narrowed, in a protective, mother-bear sort of way. "You don't know that yet." She whipped out her cell phone and hit a button.

"Bakery of all known knowledge; would you like your muffin buttered?"

Bethany snorted, then slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Garcia, I need you to run a name for me."

"I'm gonna need a name, cupcake."

"Walter Bey. That's B-e-y."

"Okay..." she said, slowly. In the background, there was the sound of keys being pressed a mile a minute. "So, our fine fix-it man is clean, on the outside. He seems like a normal, single dad to the untrained eye. Once I started digging, I found some interesting dirt."

"Well, come on, tell us."

"Okay, pushy. He was arrested when he was fifteen for animal cruelty- aw, he killed a whole litter of puppies, and the mother."

"How?"

"Looks like he... Broke the mom's neck, then stuffed the puppies in a bag and lit them on fire. But, he got it erased from his records when he turned eighteen. His former wife Amber checked in to a clinic several times with signs of abuse. Nothing was ever filed against him, though."

"Did he have a daughter?" Bethany asked, leaning her elbows on the counter.

"Yes, Emma. She died in a car accident with her mother when she was fourteen."

"Okay, thanks, Garcia-"

"Hold on," she said, quickly. "His son-"

"Justin."

"Yeah, he ran away three times. He was brought home by the police twice, and once by a neighbor."

"Is that it?"

"Yep. Baker out." Both sides of the line clicked off.

Prentiss looked her in the eyes. "You need to be careful. Try to get close to the son, but stay away from his father, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." She slid off the stool, and went to go upstairs.

"And Holly?"

She turned her head back. "Yeah?"

"If you ever need to talk, I'm right here."