all i may say is that u may all hit me once for making you wait this long 4 a chapter. im not evil. well, maybe a lil bit, but only with my stories. i was planning on taking a break from writing during christmas and now its like feb so i was a super long break but i am back and ready 2 write. um warnings for this chapter, full of angst so im sorry 4 that. u guys might like it tho but it was sad 2 write. so enjoy da read!
Rossi wasn't a huge fan of driving in silence. He liked conversation, and if he couldn't get conversation, he loved music. He had the radio on low, but it was still strange to have someone else in the car and not have a single word spoken. Rickie stared out the window for the most part with his notepad on his lap. He never tried to write anymore down, but Rossi was sure that was because he was driving. Rossi couldn't read something and drive at the same time unless he wanted them to be killed in some horrific crash.
Rossi pulled up in front a two story house that matched the address he had, and parked the car. Rickie didn't get out right away. He just kept staring out the window. It was a modest looking house with old Christmas lights waiting to be turned on again soon, and a parked RV that probably hadn't been used for years. He was hoping to get a call from the sheriff telling him that Rickie's parents were looking for him, but that call wasn't going to come. Rossi got out of the car, and walked up the steps to the front porch. He turned around to wait for Rickie who was lagging behind him.
"Don't go to the station tomorrow," Rossi said slowly so Rickie could read his lips. "You probably have some school work to do here though. It's a weekday."
Rickie shrugged. He pulled off the jacket that Morgan gave him earlier, but Rossi wouldn't take it.
"You can give it back to him yourself," Rossi said.
Plz don't tell them where I have been
Rossi didn't say one way or the other, but he turned back around and rung the bell. He heard voices as someone approached the door, and a woman pulled it open. Her messy blonde hair hung around her shoulders, and her gray shirt had a recent stain on it like she was cooking earlier. Dolls were scattered on the carpet she was standing on, and Rossi could just see a man sitting at the kitchen table next to a young girl. A book was in front of them, and she was scribbling problems on her paper. The man was wearing a striped blue shirt, and he had brown glasses on that matched the color of his hair. The child was wearing an adorable red dress with white tights.
"What?" the woman asked.
"Hi, I'm just bringing Rickie home," Rossi said.
Rickie reluctantly came out of the shadows, and went into the house. The man and the little girl looked up with little interest, but that didn't last long. They were back to looking at the math problems as soon as Rickie was inside. The girl was a spitting image of her father. Her braided hair was the exact color as the man's was, and even her glasses had the same type of frame. That certainly was daddy's little girl.
"You're not one of the cops at the station," she said.
"No, I'm not," Rossi said smiling. "I'm with the FBI here in town for a little while."
"My God Rickie," she said turning around sharply. Rickie lowered his head, but kept his eyes glued to his mother's face. "Where the hell did you go? What kind of trouble are you getting into now?"
"He isn't in trouble," Rossi said quickly.
"Where was he then?" she asked.
Rickie's eyes were begging Rossi not to say anything. Rossi understood where the kid was coming from. Telling the woman that Rickie was digging around in a crime scene didn't sound that great, and Rossi had a bad feeling that he was already treated like a second class citizen here.
"Just helping out at the station," Rossi said. "The sheriff has been so busy with everything lately, and Rickie was just doing his part to keep things going smoothly."
"Well, good," she said after a short pause. "Good. You can just never be too sure with these kids coming in and out of other foster homes. Got him that job to keep him busy."
"Is he the only foster child you have here?"
"I could only handle one agent," she said. "Got my two daughters here. I couldn't handle more than one foster kid at a time."
Rossi looked over her shoulder, and spotted a teenage girl lounging on the couch in front of the television. She looked uninterested in the fact that an FBI agent was at the front door. Then again, they only thing mildly interesting at her age was her cell phone that kept vibrating every few seconds.
"Get to your room," the woman said turning around to Rickie.
Rickie took one last look at Rossi, and ran up the stairs. The girls and their father didn't acknowledge his presence at all. Rickie did have it a lot better than other kids in the foster system did, but Rossi didn't like it that the parents treated their other children better than him.
"He's going to be 18 in March," the woman said turning back to Rossi. "You need anything else?"
"No," Rossi said softly. He knew that he couldn't save the entire world. No matter how many people he saved, there were so many more that would never get the help they needed. Two of his closest friends were in the hospital, and they needed him. They would be his main concern for now.
"How's the investigation going agent?" the man called out from the table.
"Going good," Rossi said. "Good night."
Rossi put his hands in his pocket, and strolled back to the car. The man shut the door before Rossi was off the porch. One of the upstairs rooms was lit up with a dim light, and Rossi could just see someone watching him. He felt terrible to leave Rickie there. There were more kinds of abuse than just physical, and Rickie deserved to live in a home that wanted him. He would probably do better not living in this town at all. Rossi noticed that the people who lived here tended to stick to their own kind. They didn't like outsiders and Rickie was considered an outsider. The foster parents not letting him attend the high school there just made it worse for the teenager.
He waved up towards the window, and got in his car. He would see Rickie again, but Rossi didn't think he would sleep well that night. There was just too much going on for him to clear his mind. He was going to the sheriff's station the next morning to talk to that woman. He didn't know what Morgan planned to talk to her about, but she was going to find out about what happened to her family. Seeing how Laura still thought her husband was doing well in some other jail, this wasn't going to be an easy or fun task. He had a bad feeling that the sheriff wasn't going to be that much help either. It would be better if that guy was just out of the way. He should probably start working on that memorial he kept telling everyone he was going to make for Tommy Phelps. Rossi didn't see that getting done anytime soon.
Reid wasn't feeling any better. He just wanted to be back at home, alone in his own bed. His body was exhausted, and it took more energy than he was used to just to stay awake. He just didn't want to sleep anymore. He couldn't. All he dreamed about was how he let Kate down. He kept telling her that nothing would happen to her. He was going to keep her safe, and help her get home. He wasn't even there when she died. He watched her leave with Joseph, and that was the last time he saw her. He felt tears forming in his eyes just thinking about her. Not seeing her die made it that much worse because all he could think about is what happened in that moment. He was sure that his imagination was making it much more terrible than it really was, but how would that be possible? She was his friend.
He wasn't going to sleep, but he didn't feel like turning on the television. That wasn't going to calm down his worried mind. He scooted himself into a sitting position, and ignored the sudden burning sensation in his rear. He could handle the pain. He took a few seconds to brace himself for the agony he would feel once he swung his legs over the bed, but it had to be done. He held his breath, and turned his body to the side. He let his feet fall to the ground, but the pain didn't hurt too badly. Morgan had been with him most of the night, but Reid wasn't ready to talk to him yet. Reid could only talk to one person right now, and he was in another room. Reid only had a few minutes before Morgan returned from the bathroom, and so Reid got to work removing a few cords that were hooked up to him. They started beeping frantically the second they were off, and he was sure that he could stop them if he tried, but he didn't have the time.
Reid kept his hands on the bed while he shifted his weight to his feet. When he thought he was ready, he let go and immediately fell to the floor. It was easy to forget how weak he still was. He lifted himself up, and used the bed to balance himself once again. He didn't have time for this. Morgan would be back any second. Reid spotted the table near his bed. It wasn't exactly what he was looking for, but it would do. He put the empty cups and useless papers on his bed, and used the table as a walker. It wasn't steady, but the wheels on the table did give him the balance he needed. He took a few baby steps to make sure he wasn't going to fall flat on his face again, but he was confident this would work. Hotch's room wasn't that far from his. He heard the nurses talking earlier, and he needed to see Hotch more than anyone.
The floor was cold on his feet, and he wondered if a nurse tried to put socks on him and he fought them off. That wouldn't surprise him. He pushed open the door, and when he didn't see any nurses or doctors wandering around, he made his way into the hallway. There was only one nurse at the nurses' station, and she wasn't looking his way. Reid quietly held onto the creaking table, and managed to get past the station without attracting any attention his way. To his luck, the hospital was almost deserted. He was sure that he wasn't the only patient there, but it almost seemed that way. The lights were soft, and the music playing overhead was almost too light to be heard. He remembered that they were all in a small town, and the patients that went there couldn't compare to the amount of people who went to hospitals in larger towns.
Reid turned a corner, and he was almost lost in his thoughts. Why did all of this still seem like a dream? He kept expecting to wake up any second. It would be sunrise, and Hotch would be calling him because he woke up late. He would forget the fascinating dream he had about the creepy family from the south by the time he had a cup of coffee, but this wasn't a dream. He really did have bandages around his wrists from the chains he was tied to, and he would have scars from the hell he went through for his of his life. In a way, he was glad the family chose him and not another member of the team or an innocent bystander like Kate. He would never want to anyone else to go through what he had to through.
He stopped looking at the numbers above the doors long ago so he was thankful when he saw three balloons tied onto one of the doors. The bright colors on the balloons had Garcia's name written all over them. He pulled his table up beside the door, and knocked. As anxious as he was, he was going to make sure this was Hotch. With his luck, it would be some old man waiting for his adult daughter to visit.
"Come in," Hotch's voice called out.
Hotch didn't sound the same. It wasn't the strong and confident voice that Hotch usually carried. He sounded sad. Reid almost turned around. How was this going to help him? He was sure that seeing the chief leader looking small in a hospital bed wasn't going to help Reid's fragile state of mind, but he needed to see Hotch. That wasn't an option. He pushed the door open, and made sure to take tiny steps so he wouldn't be falling all over himself again. He wanted to bring his table in with him, but that would probably just make everything harder so he went in without it.
The television was, but the volume was turned down low. Reid kept his right hand against the wall to help balance himself, but his heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't explain why. The setup in the room was similar to Reid's with a big chair near the window, and a small table with wheels was in front of the bed. Several large teddy bears were sitting in the chair, and Reid spotted more balloons tied onto the television stand. He kept his eyes on the floor to watch his step. The closer he got to the center of the room, the more confident he became that he would fall over simply from nerves than from the clumsiness of his feet.
"Reid?" Hotch called from the bed.
Reid finally looked up, and saw Hotch laying on the bed with one of his legs raised in a cast. He was pale, and it looked like he lost quite a bit of weight, but that could just be Reid's mind playing tricks on him. Hotch struggled to get in a sitting position while Reid made his way over to a smaller chair by the table.
"What…What are you doing here?" Hotch managed to ask. "You need to be resting."
"I needed to see you," Reid said quietly.
Reid didn't want to look Hotch in the eyes, but it was hard to look anywhere else. The hospital equipment wasn't exactly settling, and looking at the bandages covering up Hotch's legs gave him memories that he was better off not remembering. His eyes found the biggest balloon that Garcia dropped off earlier. It was blue with an elephant on it offering its well wishes. What was the designer thinking when he chose an elephant? Why not a teddy bear or a puppy?
Hotch scooted further up in his bed so that his head was off the pillow. He cleared his throat, and Reid couldn't keep his eyes away from Hotch's stare.
"Reid, we need to talk," Hotch said. "I'm,"
"Is Daniel here?" Reid asked cutting him off. Reid's heart was still pounding. He knew what Hotch wanted to talk about, but he wasn't ready yet. He didn't think he would ever be ready.
"What?" Hotch asked.
"Daniel, do you know if he is at this hospital? I wasn't sure, and nobody is talking to me. They might have him at a bigger hospital because of his condition, but I wanted to make sure."
"Reid…Laura is the only one who made it."
Reid's hands went cold. None of this could be happening. It couldn't.
"No, Daniel was out with me in the forest," Reid argued weakly.
"He's dead Reid," Hotch said. "Morgan and Prentiss killed Benjamin in the front yard. I shot Joseph in the family room. He was dead before anyone else got there. Rossi and J.J. found you with Daniel. You were unconscious, and he wasn't listening to Rossi. He was armed, and so the only choice they had was to shoot him. He could have killed you Reid. He would have killed you."
Reid couldn't breathe. Daniel couldn't be dead. Kate was dead, but not Daniel. He knew that Daniel had problems, but they could be fixed as long as he was away from that family and got the help he needed with that tumor. Daniel was the only reason that Reid was still alive. He would have been killed long ago by that father if Daniel wasn't there. Reid squeezed the sheets in his fist, but he couldn't get his breath over control. How could Daniel be dead? Hotch put his hand over Reid's fist, and Reid froze. The last time he felt Hotch was when they were in the freezer. Hotch was behind him, and was spreading Reid's legs apart.
"Don't touch me!"
Reid cried out, and pulled his hand away as fast as he could. He fell out of the chair, and landed roughly on his side. The fiery pains from his rear shot up his system, and he screamed. The world around him was spinning, and all he could think about was getting away. He used his hands to pull him away from the bed, but he was in agony. He was in hell. There was no other way to explain it. His hands were trembling, and he was sure that Hotch was saying something, but he couldn't hear it and he didn't care. He heard someone else come in the room, but his vision was just too blurry to concentrate anymore. Foreign hands were touching him all over, but he couldn't get away. Kate was dead. Daniel was dead, and Hotch was suffering in the hospital. Reid gave up trying to crawl to freedom, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He never saw the blackness coming, but he accepted it.
Gable watched from behind a computer while Agent Reid walked down the hallway, and into the other agent's room. He had to give the kid credit for using the table as a walker, and while it probably wasn't the best idea to let him see Agent Hotchner yet, he sure went through a lot of trouble to attempt it. Gable figured a few minutes wouldn't hurt. If all went well, he was sure that he was going to be able to have his first real conversation with Reid that night. It would be nice to talk to the young man that he was trying to help.
"Hey man, did one of your nurses take Reid back for some tests?" Agent Morgan asked as he walked up the station.
"We don't normally do testing this late at night," Gable said calmly.
"Then where is he?"
"He got up on his own, turned the corner, and got to the other agent's room," Gable said.
"What?" Morgan asked, his voice raising. 'He's where?"
Just at that moment, they heard a disturbance where Hotch's room was. It was almost like someone shouted, but then there was a distinct scream and the sound of something crashing. Gable jumped out of his chair, singled one of the nurses, and ran behind Morgan to the room. Morgan put his hands over his head, and stood just out of the way so Gable could get there with the nurse. Reid was on the floor, only a few feet away from the bed. He was hyperventilating, and Gable could see from where he was standing that some of the stitches had torn open. There was a small amount of blood on the floor, and the nurse was beside him before he could register what was going on. How did this happen? Everything was going so well.
Gable joined the nurse on the floor, and she had her hands on Reid's shoulders to try to steady him down. He wasn't even looking at them. He was having a full out panic attack.
"Agent Reid, can you hear me?" Gable asked loudly.
Before he could try anything else, Reid's head dropped to the tile floor. Gable looked up, and saw the other agent was looking terrified on his bed. He looked close to tears, but he wasn't saying anything. Gable pulled Reid's gown back over his legs, and looked back at the blood.
"We need to get him back to his room," Gable said. "Can you get Emma in here? His stiches are going to need to be redone, and I don't want him left alone anymore. We can't have him wandering around the hospital."
"What happened?" Morgan asked looking at Hotch.
"I don't know," Hotch said. "He knows about Daniel… He didn't take that well, but he needed to know. He was upset, but then I tried touching his hand to calm him down and that's what did it. He fell off his chair, and I couldn't help him. He was scared to death."
Morgan look like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. What they said didn't matter to Gable. Reid didn't like anyone touching him, and that included his team.
"All of you must remember that he is a victim of rape," Gable said slowly. "He was raped several times, and while I haven't really worked with people in his situation before, I know that is takes time before they are back to normal. He will recover. I'm confident he will, but touch will just make him recall the violence that he suffered through. He can't have that right now."
"Oh dear," Emma said as she came in with a bed. She lowered the bed, and bent down to help Gable lift Reid up. She gently placed Reid's head on the pillow while Gable covered up his skinny legs with the warm sheet.
"Can you help me with the stitches? Those need to be done tonight," Gable said. Reid's face wore a tired expression, and tangled hair fell around his eyes.
"Of course," Emma said. "I'll get him ready."
Emma expertly guided the bed out of the room, and Gable found some towels in the closet. He knew that the janitor could easily clean this up, but Reid was his patient and he was going to take care of him. He got down on his knees, and got to work scrubbing. Morgan's mouth was clenched shut, and Hotch looked like he was close to having a panic attack himself.
"Is he going to be okay?" Hotch asked.
"Of course," Gable said. "Torn stitches are nothing to worry about."
"I shouldn't have told him anything," Hotch said. "I knew it wasn't a good idea, but Reid kept asking. I don't think he should see me again for a while. I'm part of the reason he's the way he is."
"You can see him again agent, but you need to let him rest more. He's been through a lot. You both have. Just remember that touching him isn't a good idea for a while," Gable said.
Hotch looked over at Morgan, but didn't say anything more. The two of them knew something secret, and they weren't going to let Gable in on the secret. He finished scrubbing the floor, and after bundling up the towels, he got back on his feet. He didn't need to know their secret. He was going to stitch Reid back up, assign a nurse to watch him at all times, and call his wife to let her know he would be spending the night there again. He knew that she hated it when he didn't come home at night, but he was needed there. She would have to understand.
"Dr. Sullivan will probably be here shortly to check up on you," he told Hotch.
Hotch didn't even seem to hear him. The other agent heard the message though. As Morgan moved closer to Hotch's bed, Gable knew it was time for him to go. Catherine would be calling him soon, and he wanted to be done with the stitching by the time she called. He offered the two men a good night, and he silently prayed that Reid was really going to be alright.
Once the doctor left, Morgan sat down on the chair that he assumed Reid was sitting in only a few minutes earlier. Hotch was emotionally drained, but Morgan knew that he wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon. Who could sleep after what just went on?
"How are you feeling?" Morgan asked slowly.
"How do you think?" Hotch snapped.
"Calm down," Morgan said lifting his hands up. "It's just me."
"I know, I know," Hotch said shifting in his bed. "I wasn't expecting Reid to come. I knew that he was going to, and I tried talking to him but all he wanted to talk about was Daniel. I touched his hand, and he just lost it."
Morgan kept his mouth shut. Hotch was going to keep talking, and this is what he needed. He needed someone who would be willing to listen, and since Reid wasn't ready yet, Morgan would be there for him.
"The last time I saw him we were in that freezer," Hotch said looking away. "All of us were in there except for Daniel, and they gave me two options. They said that I would have to rape Reid or they would kill him. That was it. Reid was barely awake, and that's what they made me do. They wouldn't even take off his handcuffs, and he was so cold. It was freezing in that room and they kept threatening me that if I didn't do what they asked, Reid would be dead. He didn't even try to fight me. I hurt him, and I'm never going to be able to take it back."
"Reid knew what was going on," Morgan said. "He heard what they were saying, and he knew you were saving his life. If he hated you so much, he never would have come in your room. I can't see him visiting any member of that family."
"He would visit Daniel," Hotch replied. "He didn't seem to realize that Daniel would have killed him just like his parents and brother would have."
"He hasn't been himself lately. Things will start making better sense to him once he's had more sleep, but what about you? Whenever I see you, all you want to talk about is Reid but you were locked up too."
"I can handle it though," Hotch said quickly. "I don't think Reid can. He barely got through what happened with Henkel, and even then he developed a drug problem. I'm the one who did this to him. If I got him out of here when those bastards started calling him by name, he'd be downstairs having coffee with you guys instead of in a hospital room."
"Reid is stubborn. You know that," Morgan said. "You couldn't have kept him away if you tried."
"That isn't an excuse for what I did," Hotch said. "I let all of this happen to him, and you can't tell me that he is ever going to be the same again. I still have nightmares from that damned place, and I wasn't raped. I wasn't raped by the one person there who could protect me. His skin felt like ice, and he just laid there. I wanted him to fight me, but he didn't. That was the last time I saw him in that house. Daniel came…He had this bucket of ice, and he threw it all over us. I got out of the way right before it came down. Reid screamed."
Morgan cringed. He didn't like thinking of anything that Hotch was describing because it wasn't just random victim from a file. This was Reid. This was the kid that for the first time since Morgan met him wasn't wearing mismatched socks. He never thought he would miss the crazy socks, but the kid needed them back on his feet.
"What happened after Reid left?" Morgan asked, yearning to be on another subject other than pretty boy screaming.
Hotch thought for a moment. Morgan tried not to stare at the cuts and bruises all over the chief leader's face, but it was impossible not to. He had never seen Hotch like this before.
"They wanted me to do it again because we got interrupted. I tried so hard to keep him safe," Hotch said. His voice was cracking. "I tried protecting him. I just couldn't. They were going to kill him but someone came in…Joseph maybe…and said that you guys were finally coming for us. They wanted to separate us, and Daniel took Reid. That was the last time I saw him. The next thing I remember is waking up next to Joseph."
"Hotch…"
"I kept thinking he was dead. The last time someone was alone with Daniel, they were killed."
Hotch didn't look like himself, and he didn't sound like himself. Morgan needed to get them both out of there. The further away they were from that town, the better. Hotch needed to see Jack again, and it would probably do wonders for Reid if he could be back in his apartment.
The phone buzzing in his pocket interrupted his thoughts. He looked up at Hotch, but the constant noise didn't seem to bother Hotch. He was suffering from ptsd. There was no doubt about it. Morgan was losing Hotch to the horrors in his mind. Everything that the team was afraid of really did happen. Hotch really did rape their youngest, and that alone was probably enough to drive both of them completely crazy.
"You can answer that," Hotch said. He was still staring off into space. Morgan wasn't sure if he wanted to know what Hotch was thinking about. Instead of pestering his hurting friend, he pulled his phone of out of his pocket and answered it without looking at the caller ID.
"Morgan."
"Hey Morgan," Rossi's voice came. "I just dropped Rickie off. I'm not a fan of his family. I didn't see any straight out abuse or anything, but there's something about them. They acted like they didn't care if Rickie came back or not. I didn't like it. I told him not to go to the station tomorrow. He shouldn't be around Laura."
"Yeah, I know," Morgan answered. He really didn't know what he was agreeing to though. He wasn't listening at all.
"Are you alright?"
"I'll be right back," Morgan whispered to Hotch, but Hotch didn't respond. Morgan walked out of the hallway, and found a bench near Hotch's room to sit on.
"It's not good over here," Morgan finally said.
"What happened?"
"When I was in the bathroom, Reid got out of his room and found Hotch. I don't know exactly what was said, but Reid found out about Daniel and then Hotch tried touching him, and he flipped out. I found him on the floor. He was shaking all over, and he tore open a whole bunch of his stitches. The doctor is working on that right now."
"How did he get to the room without anyone noticing him? It's not like the hospital is over crowded with patients or anything."
"The doctor didn't see any harm in it," Morgan said. He was getting frustrated. "Hotch really did…rape Reid." His voice was just above a whisper. He didn't think anybody was listening in on his conversation, but he didn't like to even talk about it. He wasn't planning on telling the team everything that Hotch said, but they needed to know this.
"He told you?"
"He gave me details," Morgan said. "I don't know what to do. It really isn't a good idea for them to see each other for a while. It isn't going to help Hotch or Reid. The doctor is going to make sure that Reid doesn't go walking around anymore, but they need to be home."
"When did the doctors say they could leave?"
"I don't know, but I'll find out. I'd like them out of here as soon as tomorrow, but that probably isn't going to happen. They don't see us here to convict that woman."
"I'll be there soon," Rossi said clicking off his line.
Morgan put his phone back in his pocket, and stood up to see if he could find Hotch's doctor. He had a bad feeling that Reid wasn't going to be able to leave yet. If his stitches broke open that easily, what kind of shape was he in to fly? Hotch couldn't walk yet, but other than his fragile emotional state, he seemed to be alright. All Morgan could do was hope for the best.
Sheriff Bill woke up early the next morning without bothering his wife. He was grateful that his wife was willing to put up with the crap from the FBI and the Bates family. He knew a lot of women that wouldn't let him back in the house after a certain time, but not his woman. She would wait up for him all night if that's what it took. He didn't deserve her. He got dressed in the bathroom, and left the house before making any coffee. He would just pick some up on his way to the station. He was planning on getting the barn destroyed as quickly as he could, and if God be it, he would be calling Parker's family to let them know what happened.
He got to the station in record's time, and was a bit disappointed to see the town reporter standing out front. Bill knew it would only be a matter of time before the nosy man showed up. Everyone knew about the murders going on, and the younger man was already asking the other officers questions. Bill managed to avoid him for a while, but he couldn't hide from him forever. Bill sipped out of his hot coffee, and pretended to be looking through files as he approached the front door.
"Sheriff, mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"I don't really have time right now," Bill said. "Have you talked to the officers yet or something? I have things to do."
"Duh," the young man said. "I talked to them a lot already, and they keep telling me to talk to you because you know more stuff. The people of this town have a right to know what's going on. There are rumors that over 100 people were killed. I know that's not real at all, but how many people are really dead?"
"Adam, I really don't have time," Bill said more firmly.
Adam lowered down the pen and paper he was holding, and stared at his red tennis shoes. He was somewhere is his mid-20s, and the idiot still acted like he was a teenager. He still wore baggy shoes, ugly tee shirts, and had some cartoon dog on his shoes. It was embarrassing. The kid was raised in this town, but he didn't act like it. Bill was waiting for Adam to venture out into the real world and get a job with an actual newspaper, but it just wasn't happening. Bill was getting sick of waiting.
"Why don't you try talking to the agents?" Bill asked. Bill was fairly certain that the FBI would have nothing to do with him, but at least Adam would be far away from the station.
"Fine sheriff," Adam said.
He pulled his black framed glasses back over his nose, but he didn't thank the sheriff for the advice. Bill was never fond of red heads. The bright red hair with the freckles and black glasses just wasn't working for Bill. Bill was pretty sure that the kid was only working as an intern with the newspaper though. Nobody could pay an idiot like this. Bill didn't even read the paper anymore. He didn't need some piece of paper to tell him what was going on. He knew the people of this town like the back of his hand, and if they needed to know something, he would be the one to tell them in one of the town meetings. They didn't need to find out through some dumb paper written by a teenager.
Adam put his hoodie over his head, and hurried off towards his bike. Bill didn't see Rickie's bike anywhere, but he could have just been running late. Bill wasn't going to pressure him about that until later though. Bill was going to have to schedule a town meeting soon though. There would be more people lingering around asking questions, and they did have a right to know that the killers were caught, and the surviving murderer would have to face the justice system. Bill opened the front door of the station, and got a blast of warm air in his face.
"Anything new?"
"Good morning sheriff," Jake said. "Um, Laura was up most of the night. Pretty sure she fell asleep around 4am or so. Been quiet since then. Adam got here just a few minutes before you did. Ed called here too. He wants to know what to do about the bodies."
"Did the agents call or Parker's family?"
"Um, the agents still want to stop by later today to see Laura. Haven't heard from Parker's family yet. Maybe they just think she is busy with school or something."
Bill poured a cup of water, and strolled over to where Laura was. She fell asleep on the floor next to the bed. Her mouth was wide open, and he was positive the strange smell in the room was coming from her. If she was a dog, they would have killed her long ago. He liked dogs better than most people though. If any living creature deserved death, it was her. He would aim the gun right at her rotting teeth if he got the chance.
"But um, the agents will probably be here in like an hour. I don't know how many are coming, but at least two of them. Are we goin destroy the barn today? Don't think we can get anymore evidence from it."
"Yeah, but we should have one last walk around it just to make sure," Bill said. "But we don't need it to give this witch the death penalty."
He threw the cold water through the bars and it landed right on her face. He didn't get the terrified reaction he was looking for, but she did jerk up. It only took a second to register what was going on, and she tried spitting on his face. It didn't get very far, but Bill smiled at the pathetic attempt.
"Wake up princess," Bill said smiling. "You got visitors coming soon so you're goin wanna look your best. Thought the water would help ya wash that wild hair of yours. I thought I saw a rat running through it a few minutes ago."
"Go to hell!" she screamed.
"I'd rather not," Bill said pleasantly. "Jake, would you be willing to go the hospital later today? I'd like a witness there when I will meet the wounded agents."
"Sure, Dave will be here," Jake said. "But why are you going there?"
"Just to see for myself what happened. I didn't find them at the scene, and I didn't speak to any of the doctors so before I file my own report, I want to see them."
"Sounds good sheriff," Jake answered.
"We'll leave after the agents get here. It would be better if they weren't hanging around eavesdropping. I'm sure they do a lot, but they're not doin that with me. Just never liked city folk acting like they are better than us. Ya know?"
"I hear ya."
"After I do my own little evaluation, I'll send them on their merry little way. Laura will probably get the death penalty, and then we get our peaceful town back."
Bill sat down at his desk, and put his feet up while the coffee was making. He would stay with the agents for a second to make sure they weren't going to say stupidity to Laura, but he would go the hospital to see the only survivors of the Bates family. Why was it that they lived through that, but not one other person did? There were tons of bodies in the forest. What made Agent Hotchner and Agent Reid so special? Why did they live when so many others had to die?
None of them went back to the hotel that night. They just couldn't after what Morgan told them. J.J. just couldn't believe her ears. Everything was going so perfectly, and all of that was gone in an instant. Reid knew about Daniel, and while Hotch didn't injure himself any further like Reid did, he was going to need a lot of counseling and soon. J.J. and Garcia stayed in Reid's room all night while the others slept with Hotch. J.J. didn't mean to fall asleep, but the next thing she remembered after going into his room was waking up to a nurse checking up on Reid.
Garcia was still sleeping on the big arm chair by the window, but the nurse was being quiet. J.J. brushed the hair out of her face, and tried to act like she just hadn't been sleeping. The nurse checked over Reid's stitches, wrote down his vitals, and just walked out. Reid didn't have a good night. He never woke up, but his nightmares were enough to keep J.J. from getting a restful night's sleep. She rubbed her eyes, and stood up. Reid was finally sleeping without moving around, but he looked exhausted. How were any of them going to get past this?
She snuck out into the hallway. She wanted to go with them when they talked to Laura. She wanted to look into the eyes of the woman that tried to brutally murder two of her closest friends. J.J. had nothing to say to her. She just wanted to look. She would let Morgan and Rossi do all of the talking. Garcia would probably want to stay behind. The nurses were going to be with Reid all day, but Garcia didn't want to leave him alone. J.J. had a feeling that Garcia blamed herself for what happened. She didn't know how that was even possible, but that's how Garcia was acting. This was tearing all of them apart. Morgan needed to know about her. He wouldn't approve. None of them could be blamed for what happened.
"Can't sleep?"
J.J. looked up from her thoughts to see Morgan coming down the hallway with two coffees in his hands. He handed her one, and she drank it without thinking twice.
"I was thinking it would be Prentiss out here next," Morgan said with a soft smile.
"Sorry I beat her to it."
"How was Reid? Did he keep you guys up?"
"Garcia seems to be sleeping just fine," J.J. said glancing back at Reid's room. "I don't remember falling asleep. I think it took a while. Reid is still having nightmares. How was Hotch?"
"Same. Nightmares. He was moving around all night. He didn't want to talk to any of us though, and we didn't pressure him into it. I think if he knew where we were going today, I wouldn't be able to get him to shut up. Are we all going to see her?"
"I don't think Garcia wants to, but I'm coming," J.J. said.
"Do you think we'll be able to get her to say anything new or mention something about that camera? I'm betting you that she didn't actually kill anybody. She helped, but my gut is telling me that she never deserved a fatal blow in her life."
"Well, I'm not going to do any talking. I'll leave that to you guys. She's probably going to take the news of Daniel's death better than Reid did. She might not have been a murderer, but I'm sure she knew all about those welts on her sons backs."
"Already planning the party without me?" Rossi asked.
Rossi was rounding the corner to where they were sitting, and while he probably looked better than J.J. and Morgan combined, there was no doubt in her mind that he was worn out. He wore black bags under his eyes, and she was certain that she had never seen him wear such wrinkly clothes before. She tried not to imagine what she had to look like.
The ride to the police station was quiet. J.J. rode with Rossi while the others took a separate vehicle. In case they needed to get somewhere fast, it would be easier without trying to squeeze into one car in a timely manner. Rossi tried to keep up conversation, but J.J. just wanted this case to be over. She wanted to home, and pretend it never happened. She would wake up warm in her bed, and not be too anxious to tell the team about this crazy nightmare she had, but this wasn't a nightmare. This was real, and no matter what she did, she couldn't reverse the past.
The sheriff was outside waiting for them after they parked their cars in front of the station. J.J. made sure her jacket was zipped up, but she still felt cold. The sun had yet to rise, and while it wasn't snowing, J.J. always froze in the morning during winter.
"Mornin folks," Sheriff Bill said as he reached out his hand to shake with Morgan. "Sleep good?"
"As good as you would expect," Prentiss said.
"Well, Bates is here. She is awake, but I'm not so sure how much you're going to get out of her. She has a tendency to spit on people, and she is pretty aggressive towards my officers."
"Sure we can handle her," Morgan told him.
They followed the sheriff into the station, and while it was much warmer in there, J.J. didn't like it much. It wasn't as roomy as most of the police stations she was used, and judging by the empty bags of potato chips on the desks, they were too lax here. Two policemen were silently watching J.J. and the others go into the hallway where the cells were. She remembered seeing the same men the night they found the Bates house, but it was odd that they never did a single word to her. She assumed that night was hectic for all of them, but that wasn't the reason. It was obvious that the sheriff didn't like outsiders, and that was probably the same opinion of everyone living in that town.
"I'm going back to the barn this morning," Bill announced. "Got one more thing I need to find, and then that hell hole is gettin torn down. Don't need any memories like that in my town."
"What were you looking for sheriff?" Rossi asked.
The sheriff stopped walking. It looked like he was debating whether or not to even tell them. J.J. couldn't figure out why it would be such a big secret. They were in this together.
"We found a camera the other day," Bill finally said. His voice was low. "It was in one of the boys' rooms, but it didn't belong to him. There was a name on the back that said Kate Parker so that woman gave one of those kids a camera. I think that was terribly inappropriate for a teacher to loan a camera to a student, but I'm not from one of those fancy dancy cities. I don't know what you people do out there, but if I knew about what she was doing, I would have gotten that woman canned."
"It wasn't her fault for what happened," J.J. said firmly. "She was a victim, and I'm sure she was trying to help."
"Yeah, well, I'm goin find those pictures from that camera. Already looked all over her place. She didn't even mention it in her diary. One of my guys was actually thinkin that she had naked pictures of herself with it, but I don't think that. I'm just not as trusting of strangers as you all are so don't go around telling me that you think she gave a disturbed kid a camera because she wanted to help him."
"Don't go making accusations sheriff," Morgan said. "The only one guilty of anything is the woman behind the bars, and the family she once had."
J.J. was glad that Morgan wasn't mentioning the photos. The sheriff would find out eventually, but it wouldn't hurt to make him wait a little while longer. If Hotch and Reid liked the teacher, so did she. Their approval was all she needed. J.J. never liked to talk bad about the dead. It just wasn't in her nature to bring negativity to somebody who couldn't defend themselves.
"You're right, you're right," Bill said raising up his arms in a surrender. "Just wanted to let you know where I'll be. Bringing one of the officers with me, but you guys should be just fine with Dave. How long do you think you'll be?"
"Depends on how much she is willing to tell us," Morgan said.
"Have fun with her then," Bill said. "She is the only one back here right now. Let the town drunk go right before she came in. If you need anything, just call. I don't recommend going in the cell with her, but you guys are the professionals so do what y'all think it right."
The sheriff pointed which cell was hers, and then he went back to the main room. J.J. heard muffled talking between Bill and one of the officers, but she didn't care what they were saying. She trailed behind the others, but they stopped at the first cell.
"Heard you all talkin about me," a female voice said coming from behind the bars.
"How are you feeling Laura?" Morgan asked.
so i hope u guys liked the chapter. wasnt exiciting as some of the other ones but A LOT is going to happen in the next chapter which im looking forward 2 writing. and the sheriff isnt really beyond evil or crazy...he just really hates people who rnt from his town. or who r different. so hes more of a jerk than evil. but hes fun to write anyhow so im glad my brain found him haha. plzzzzz review! pweez pweez pweez! my muse likes review and all of us must keep her happy. her name is ciara and i might have gotten that name from the muse in xanadu
