A/N: I'm finally done with school!! So, updates should be far more frequent. Hope everyone has a good holiday!
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Through Thick and Thin
Chapter Seven: The Arrival
By Ann Parker
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"You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity." – Epicurus
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"So what are you saying, Reid?" Hotch stated. Reid had been placed on the speakerphone just seconds prior and had already rambled off the information he had discovered.
"That's the problem, Hotch, I don't know," Reid replied. "Following a lunar calendar would suggest some sort of ritualistic killing, but nothing else in this profile fits that idea. There are no symbols at the crime scene, no wounds to suggest it, nothing."
"Then, what makes you think it's not just a coincidence?" asked Emily.
"That seems highly unlikely, but I can't be certain without seeing the crime scene myself," countered Reid. Hotch and Gideon looked at each other. They knew the young man probably did need to be on scene for this case, but the potential consequences were uncertain.
"I'll call in your plane and have Morgan pick you up," stated Hotch, relenting. "I'm sure Jack will be happy to see LJ again."
"Okay, see you soon." Reid hung up, not noticing the tone in Hotch's voice.
"Should we have Morgan brief him on the situation at the hospital?" asked JJ.
Gideon sighed, "That should really be Sarah's decision."
Hotch looked back up at the crime scene photos hanging on the bulletin board on the opposite side of the room. "Let's just focus on our job right now."
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"Hotch, are you sure that's a good idea?" Morgan couldn't believe it. He wasn't sure how Reid was going to handle this situation. Or Sarah.
"We don't have much of a choice, Morgan. He appears to be on to something and we need to crack this case fast." Hotch could hear Morgan sigh in reluctant agreement. "He'll be there in a couple of hours."
"What should we do about---"
"Let Sarah make that decision." Morgan sighed once more as he hung up and looked back at Erin's door. How was he going to tell her that she now had to tell Reid about his long lost father in the middle of all this?
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Sarah could see the look of fear and guilt in Erin 's eyes. It was so obvious now.
"Erin, I know you don't want to tell me, but it's important. If there is something about your story that you need to change, you won't get in trouble, but I need to know in order to keep you safe," Sarah stated, taking hold of Erin 's hand. "To keep your friends safe. The man that did this to you won't stop until my team and I catch him." Erin held Sarah's gaze and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Sarah quickly poured her a cup of water and offered it to her. The teenager took a quick sip before handing it back. "Please Erin."
"I wasn't supposed to be there." Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes and she reached out to Sarah. Sarah pulled Erin into her embrace.
"Be where? The bowling alley?" Sarah asked.
Erin shook her head violently on Sarah's shoulder. "I lied," she sobbed. Sarah stroked the girl's head, trying to calm her down when there was a slight knock on the door. Sarah could feel Erin hug her tighter, as if she thought the unsub was on the other side of the door.
Sarah turned slightly to see Morgan stick his head through the door and sighed. "Erin, it's okay, it's just my partner, Agent Morgan. Shhh, it's okay." Erin nodded and loosened her grip, but still held on to her.
"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you for a second," Morgan stated, his voice very gentle in an attempt to not scare the teenager. Sarah nodded.
"Erin, I promise I'll be right back. I'll just be outside this door for a minute." Erin looked up at her, tears running down her cheeks. Sarah placed a hand on the side of the girl's face. "It'll be okay, I promise." Erin nodded and finally let Sarah go enough for the agent to climb off the bed.
She followed Morgan out of the room and gently closed the door. "What is it Morgan?"
Morgan sighed, he could tell she was annoyed that he interrupted and he was only going to make it worse. "Reid is flying out to join us. He has a theory about the time of deaths that requires his presence at the actual crime scenes."
Sarah sighed heavily. She should have known that would be the only reason for Morgan to interrupt. That or another victim. "Okay."
"What do you want to do about…you know who?" he asked.
"I'll tell him. Let me know when he gets here," Sarah stated, hardly waiting for Morgan to nod in response before heading back to Erin.
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He let out an exasperated sigh as he set his briefcase down on the desk near the front door and tossed his badge down on top of it, having forgotten to remove it earlier. He then removed his coat and loosened his tie before heading down the hallway to get a drink. Why was this bothering him so much? That look of immediate distain on those two agents' faces had been annoying him all afternoon. Sure, they acted civil, well at least the female did, but he could see the hatred in their eyes. Was it that wrong for him to want the rest of the patients and the staff to feel safe?
He reached the fridge and opened the door to find a drink. And that female agent...what was it? Agent Riverson. Why did she act so oddly when she heard his name? It wasn't because…oh god.
"Figures a bunch of FBI agents would have come into contact with that…thing. Hope he didn't do anything too drastic," he muttered to himself.
"What was dat honey?" William looked up after grabbing a beer to see his second wife entering the kitchen. She was wearing that red dress that he loved. The one that forced him to seduce her a few years ago while her husband was overseas in Iraq. It was a great day for him when that guy was killed in an explosion. The only draw back was that step-son of his. At least the kid wasn't as weird as surely Spencer was by now.
"Oh nothing. Just ran into some FBI agents today that weren't very friendly," he replied right before Carol gave him a quick kiss.
"FBI agents? They here for dat Jonas girl?" she asked.
"Yeah. What's for dinner?" he asked, changing the subject. He took a sip of his beer as she rattled off what they were going to eat, but he didn't really listen. All he knew was that he was going to find out why Agent Riverson reacted like she did. He needed to know, and he always got what he wanted.
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Sarah rubbed her eyes as she shifted in her chair next to Erin's bed. The young girl hadn't said much since Morgan had interrupted them and now she was sleeping. It was late, but she couldn't let herself leave. Not until she knew this girl was safe. She had sent Susan home to get some rest. Morgan had gone to pick up her husband and bring him to the hospital. Like she needed that distraction right now. How was she going to tell him that his father was here? She was worried that it would completely derail any train of thought he had about this case because there was so much emotional baggage involved.
"Hey." Sarah's eyes darted open as she spun around in her chair, her hand instinctually reaching for her gun, until she recognized the familiar figure by the door behind her.
"Hey," she replied as she stood and walked over to him giving him a quick kiss. "So your genius brain as discovered some clue, has it?" she gently teased as they quietly left the room.
Reid smiled, "yeah. At least I think I did. How are things going here?" He could read her eyes – tired, frustrated, and confused – and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. Since they were on a case and in public he couldn't do much more.
"Better I think. She's talking, but it's only coming out is bits and pieces that I haven't put together yet. That's why I'm staying with her tonight," she said, appreciating his touch.
"You should get some rest. The deputy working the night shift just got here; he can handle it," Reid stated. "I don't want you to get overworked."
Sarah smiled. "Okay, Gideon," she teased. "Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. I want to stay in case she wakes up and wants to talk some more."
Reid nodded; he knew he wouldn't win this argument anyway. "Well, I should get to the crime scenes. Anything else you need to tell me about this case I don't already know?"
Sarah gulped. Should she tell him now? He seemed so focused on the case and they couldn't afford to lose that. Maybe after he figured out this part of the puzzle, the part that only he seemed capable to put together. "Um, no."
She noticed Reid look behind her briefly, ensuring no one was looking, before planting a quick kiss on her. "Okay, good luck. Love you," he whispered.
She smiled, "back at you." He flashed her a quick grin before heading down the hall. She watched him meet up with Morgan. The senior agent glanced back at her and she shook her head. With an understanding nod, Morgan turned away and she headed back into Erin's room.
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He held the badge tightly in his hand, tucking it under his sleeve while he walked down a hallway. It was nearly one in the morning so he needed to make sure the staff didn't see him. Not that they would probably mind, he had already gained their trust. He slid the badge into the security lock on the door, allowing him access to the fifth floor. Peering around the corner, he noticed the young deputy reading a magazine while trying to stay awake. There were several empty cups by him. This shouldn't be too hard then.
It wasn't too long of a wait, maybe twenty minutes, before the deputy decided to get up to use the restroom. No one was there anyway so a few minutes won't hurt anyone. He hid in an empty room as he watched the deputy turn down another hallway before creeping towards her room. He couldn't believe that she had gotten away from him the first time. He had gotten too cocky and had loosened his grip on her, something he planned to rectify. Ever so gently, he opened the door.
What was this? Another person in the room; he forgot about the FBI agents that had shown up. He took a deep breath, noticing that she must have fallen asleep. That should make this easier. He crept closer, only to bump into something in the dark room. Something metallic fell, making a large clanking sound on the floor. The agent darted out of her chair, now awake and he had to react. He's blond goddess started to scream, but was too scared to run as he struggled with the agent. He managed to kick her on her left side and hit her on her head. She fell to the floor; not moving.
He looked at his real target and grinned. He might just have enough time. Grabbing a pillow, he moved towards her and started to hold in over her face as she struggled when he heard yelling and footsteps. Great.
"I'll be back for you, don't worry my sweet," he stated, caressing Erin's cheek as she gasped for air. He quickly ran out of the room and down an emergency exit as the deputy was almost to the room.
The deputy started to go after him when Erin yelled for his help. After hesitating, he ran into her room to find the girl hysterical and Agent Riverson on the floor with blood around her.
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