Finally, at long last a new chapter! ;) I know it has been so long right? Things finally settled down enough for me to sit down and see if I could get some more of this story out. I know it's been a while so I hope this chapter lives up to the wait I put you all through.
Also, totally excited this story has been nominated Profilers Choice Award for best JJ/Morgan story! Totally excited and thank you to those who nominated my story.
So here we go what you have all been waiting for….the next chapter
The usual disclaimer applies…I don't own'em
The next morning JJ and Morgan awoke feeling a little better they had at least broached the subject of them to a certain extent the night before. While it was not the total resolution either of them wanted they were at least at a point of agreement; feelings were there but time was needed.
Morgan wasn't totally thrilled with it but at the same time he wanted to be with JJ bad enough that he was ready to wait and take what she was willing to give him until she was fully ready to move to the next level. He understood Will's leaving had damaged not only her but Henry as well and JJ was putting her son and what he needed first above anything else, including her own happiness.
The two dressed and headed down for breakfast not at all excited for the activities planned for the day. For two people who had agreed to put things on hold the last thing they wanted to do was discuss how to get out of the holding pattern.
"It's going to be a long day" Morgan thought to himself.
As guests at Love's Haven enjoyed their morning meal two unmarked vehicles sat parked in the brush off the road and just out of the visual view of the compounds surveillance cameras. The figures inside waited for a black sedan to leave and head for town.
JJ and Morgan were making small talk with the people at their table when Mark Shaw walked into the dining room. The immediately fell silent, all eyes and ears turned to their host eagerly waiting for what he had to say.
Glancing around the room Morgan had to admit the man definitely the skill to command the attention of a room full of people. He also had to admit the place was starting to have a "cult" feeling to it. He wondered if some of these people would jump off a bridge if this man told them that doing so would save their marriage or make them happy.
JJ looked over at Morgan and could tell he was thinking the same thing she was, the only thing this place was missing was a vat of Kool Aid. Checking out the awe expressions of some of the guests she wondered if there was indeed a vat of Kool Aid somewhere and she and Morgan had just managed to avoid it. Realizing Shaw was talking JJ turned her attention to him.
"Ladies and gentlemen I hope you all are enjoying your time here at Love's Haven?"
A solid round of applause filled the room
Motioning for the room to quiet down Shaw continued to work the room. "My wife and I are glad to know you are all are enjoying yourselves and we certainly hope that you are all benefiting from our classes and seminars"
Another round of applause broke out.
"Thank you. Thank you. The reason I am here is to tell you that as you go through you classes and exercises today my wife and I will be coming around to invite some of you to a private dinner session with us tonight and tomorrow night. At this point in the retreat we like to sit down and talk with our couples to see what kind of progress they have made and to even get feedback on what we can do to make this experience better in the future. So please enjoy the rest of your meal and your day and I will see some of you later in my class and some of you at dinner tonight. Enjoy"
The applause that broke out as Mark Shaw left the room was almost deafening and there were even a few couples who stood in applause. It was no wonder why the two unsubs felt they could get away with just about anything, some of these people were completely oblivious either innocently or on purpose to the true nature of these people. They were more concerned and consumed with themselves and the perception of a happy marriage to truly care.
At the precinct the team were discussing what their next move would be having been given a lay out of the compound and it's security measures. Hotch had to admit these unsubs were very organized and methodical. The security was tight and the guard's shifts timed perfectly to prevent any types of gaps or holes in their surveillance. There would be no sneaking in under the cover of night. No if they were going to go in it would have to be fast and seem to come out of nowhere.
"This place it locked up almost as tight as Fort Knox" Rossi said as he came to stand next Hotch and skimmed over the plans Markum had supplied them with.
"They are very smart and cunning that much is certain" Added Prentiss
"If we are able to get a warrant to go in it will have to be quick so we don't give them enough time to go into lockdown" Hotch said as he read some of the notes Tane had made from the late night meeting.
"The kid gave us a lot of information but he didn't know exactly how many guards were armed and how armed they were. We could be walking into a small well equipped army" Rossi replied pointing to some of the spots Markum noted he knew the armed guards often patrolled
Hotch nodded "Is the surveillance in place?"
Prentiss nodded as she sipped her hot coffee "Yes I just got finished talking with Tane about it before I came over. He has two unmarked vehicles each with two plain clothes officers in them. One is about 100 yards away out of the line of sight of the nearest camera" She said pointing to an area near one of the perimeter cameras at the front gate "the other car is 50 yards further away from the first. The plan is that when the sedan leaves the closer vehicle radios the other and that one tails the sedan while the other continues to watch the gate for any other comings and goings"
By now Reid had joined them his hair a tousled mess and his were very obviously what he slept in. "I've been studying the guard shifts and they are almost perfect"
"Almost?" questioned Rossi. Of course if there was the slightest gap even if only large enough for a mouse pass through Reid would find it.
"Yeah the gap isn't in the shift change it's in the pattern they apparently follow. Markum's sketch is very detailed in the route each guard takes and these two" Reid said reaching over Emily and pointing to two guards who walk the back end of the property near the storm drain employees use to sneak out "if this indeed accurate put their backs to the property at the same exact time. That shouldn't happen. Even if one of them turns their back the other should still be facing the property line"
"Well" started Prentiss "that's probably designed that way"
Reid looked at her a little confused
"If the guards who aren't glued to the Shaw's hips as Markum described leave the property the same way the other employees do then they would have to be in on looking the other way giving those wanting to sneak out time to do so. And if the employees are seen by the Shaw's or their personal guards then the guards on duty can honestly say they didn't see anything."
"That could work for us" Hotch stated as he studied the layout and drawings of guard routes.
"I think they would notice if armed men and women walking across the property even if they are supposed to ignorant to people leaving and coming back" Rossi joked as he sat on the edge of the nearest desk.
"I'm not talking about an entry team. I'm talking about two maybe three people entering through the drain pipe"
"A stealth mission" concluded Prentiss
"Well whatever we decide to do we are going to need JJ and Morgan's eyes on the inside"
"I know. I am going to text Morgan and tell him what we have so far and see what he and JJ think about it." With that Hotch walked off pulling out his cellphone to text his two agents on the inside.
As they watched their boss walk away Reid, as usual spoke his mind
"Something has me baffled"
Rossi turned to Reid in wonder
"You are baffled about something. Quick someone call the police"
Prentiss laughed and as usual Reid was oblivious to the remark
"How are they dosing their victims? If they crush up the Ecstasy and simply stir it into something like wine the drinker would notice the odd taste. Same with the Yohimbe"
"Maybe they put in the food? Mix it in with a sauce or gravy that's been cooked?" Prentiss suggested
"Based on what David Silver said it happened within an hour or so of them having dinner. If they ingested the drugs that were cooked and diluted in food it would have taken longer"
"So…" Rossi asked waiting for the boy wonder's aha moment
"I don't know yet. I need Garcia to do some research"
With that Reid simply took off
"Great talk Reid. Let's do it again" Rossi joked as he watched Reid speed walk away from them
"You are still surprised by anything he does?"
Hotch typed as fast as he could. Knowing more about what Shaw had planned for his guests and as he typed Hotch's stomach grew uneasy with worry for JJ and Morgan's well-being. He had very little doubt that Mark Shaw wouldn't hesitate to kill two FBI Agents. His narcissistic attitude and the grandiose image he had of himself had evolved to such a level where he felt he was untouchable and invincible.
Morgan and JJ sat side by side on the grass as their counselor spoke on how a marriage needed to have trust and honesty between husband and wife in order for it to succeed. Secrets in a marriage only bred distrust and resentment and happiness would never be achieved if this toxin were allowed to seep in. He reminded them all when they first arrived one of the very first exercises he had them do was go off alone and sit with their spouse and tell each other something the other didn't' know.
"Now I want you all think about what you said to your spouse and I want you all to ask yourself if you told the 100% truth in that confession. Ask yourself if what you told your spouse was truly deep and personal or if it was something you simply said to do the exercise? So as with the first time I want you all to go off among the grounds, don't use the same spot this is about starting fresh and a new and I want you to be truthful and honest with your spouse and tell them something they either don't know or something you feel the two of you have discussed but you never felt was truly and honestly resolved."
JJ's stomach dropped. It was like her and Morgan's relationship was a book that these people were reading aloud. The first time they did this exercise had been hard enough but now it would be even harder given their conversation from the night before. Part of her, while afraid of what she may hear, felt it needed to be said and done because while he said he understood and agreed she could feel Morgan's disappointment and hurt.
This time they sat out in the sun next to a small pond. They sat in relative silence for a few minutes. JJ wanted Morgan to say what was so heavily hanging between them. After what felt like an eternity he finally spoke.
"I really am ok with you asking for time"
Ok she hadn't been expecting that.
"I…"
"JJ I understand. Honestly I do and I am willing to wait and give you the time you need to get situated and comfortable with this" he motioned a hand back and forth between the two of them
JJ's heart was about to burst. If she were being honest with him she would tell him she was pathetic because she was using her son as an excuse to not be with him. But she was afraid. She was afraid of ending up right back here; alone and heartbroken. Her heart had been torn apart by a man who she thought was "the one" only to find out he was a huge asshole. She was afraid to put herself out there. Yeah if she were being honest with Morgan she would tell him she lied to him and that more than anything she wanted him in every way imaginable.
Morgan watched the inner struggle JJ was having within herself. He wanted to tell her he knew the real reason why she asked for time. That she was afraid of being hurt again. He could read JJ better than anyone he knew, more so since Will left. He wanted to grab her and pull her close and tell her it's ok to be afraid, it's ok to want time for that reason.
Instead Morgan reached out took her hand in his and looked her deep in the eye trying to silently convey he knew and he was ok with it.
At that moment JJ realized Morgan didn't need her to tell him the truth because he already knew what it was and he still wanted her. Her heart swelled. Will had convinced her no one but him could ever love her and love her without feeling pity for her. Even gone this long Will still had an emotional hold on her but Morgan wasn't going to give up and he certainly didn't pity her.
All she had to do now was break the bonds of fear that were holding her back.
They heard the horn in the distance telling them the exercise was over. They headed back to the group and noticed Allison Shaw was standing along-side their counselor making small talk. As they were about to sit Allison motioned for the two of them to step away with her.
"Derek, Jennifer how are the two of you doing?"
JJ had to admit this woman was good. It turned her stomach
Morgan decided to answer for them "We are good thank you"
Allison smiled "That's fantastic. As my husband mentioned this morning at breakfast over the next few nights we will be inviting a few couples to join us for dinner so we can get a feel for progress and to see if there is anything else we can do for you beyond the courses you have been attending. So that being said, my husband and I would like the two of you to join us for dinner tonight in our private dining hall."
"That would be nice thank you"
"Excellent. Dinner will be at 7pm, one of our employees will come to your room and escort you"
The two agents nodded and put on the best smiles they could. They watched as she walked back toward the main the building
"That woman is…" JJ started
"Definitely a sociopath" Morgan finished
"Without a doubt"
JJ's uneasiness about her and Morgan was pushed aside by her uneasiness concerning Mark and Allison Shaw and what was in store for them tonight at dinner.
After two more classes JJ and Morgan were finally able to go back to their room to get ready for dinner. They had about 2 hours before their escort was set to arrive. As he had done every time they came back to their room Morgan approached the desk where his cellphone lay and woke it up. There were several messages from Hotch. Reading over them he was both surprised at the job Shane Markum was doing and concerned regarding Collier and the drugs. The only plus where that was concerned was that as of an hour ago he hadn't left the compound which meant the drugs Collier got for Shaw hadn't been obtained yet.
He replied to Hotch that the messages had been received and explained how they were attending a private dinner with the Shaw's in less than 2 hours and if they learned anything new they would reply. Once the message went through Morgan deleted all the messages as a precaution.
As they got their clothes out and ready for dinner Morgan filled JJ in on everything Hotch had passed along. He told JJ that even though this sedan the team was waiting for hadn't left yet, if anything at dinner should have a funny taste to it not to eat it. To find a reason to excuse herself that is not feeling well and he would follow after her. She nodded and the two went about getting ready for dinner.
Little did any of them know the sedan they were all waiting on had already come and gone long before they arrived.
So how did I do? I figured I made you all wait so long for a new chapter that I would make this one a nice long one.
Thanks again to everyone who has favorite and followed this story as always I really appreciate the support. Please be sure to review and when the time comes….be sure to vote for me for best JJ/Morgan story. ;)
