Hey all, I'm so glad there had been interest taken in this story. Thanks to those who have followed or favorite this story. So, as it seems like I'm committing to another fic, I am happy to tell you that I have the first twenty chapters or so planned out. When school starts again, I'm not sure how much free time I'll have to write, but I'll do my best to update. Also, I have a couple request for you readers. First, for this story I'm going to ask that you not follow the timeline of episodes from the show. I am jumping around from seasons, borrowing plots from several episodes to fit my story. Second, I am keeping these characters in my story: Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Reid, JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia, along with my OC, of course. So, keep in mind that other team members from the past (Blake, Callahan, etc.) will not be in this story.
With that said, i hope you enjoy and please remember to review. Happy reading. x
All rights go to the owners of Criminal Minds, except for my original character.
Not Like This
Chapter Two: First Day on the Job
Those hazel eyes, that freshly cut chestnut hair. It was longer the last time Jamie saw him. The sight in front of her stunned her, not in a bad way, but in more of a "oh my lord" way. He had always been mature for his age, now though, his eyes seemed to be filled with wisdom and unfortunately, through the sudden shock, Jamie could swear there was a hint of upset buried inside him.
Jamie offered the young agent a grin and stepped forward, casually opening her arms to him. "Long time no see, huh?"
Spencer accepted her hug, taking her in his arms and hesitantly pulling her close. He didn't bother looking at his colleagues, who were staring at the pair with obvious, intense curiosity. "Wow, uh, Jamie. Wh-what are you doing here? I mean, how-how did you…?"
Jamie found the stuttering somewhat distracting, but she couldn't blame the guy. If you thought that you would never see someone ever again and then they suddenly showed up after ten years, wouldn't you be flustered and shaken, too? Jamie tucked a lock of her brown hair behind one ear and bit the inside of her cheek. "Well, I work here now. I think it's safe to assume that you do, too?"
Spencer was still taken aback, letting his eyes linger on a major part of his past; a part that had made the decision that nearly broke him. He turned his attention to his unit chief, a question on the tip of his tongue. "Hotch, you didn't tell us who you were bringing onto the team…"
"Do we ever know before they get here?" Morgan remarked.
Jamie could've sworn in that moment that Spencer was disappointed, even disconcerted by her unexpected presence; but she shook it off. She had no responsibility to tell him anything anymore. Was she aware of her past flame being employed with the FBI? Yes, but she wasn't in the loop about him being in the BAU. It was an honest coincidence, right?
Hotch looked at Spencer, deadpanned. "I wasn't aware that the two of you knew each other. It doesn't make a difference, though. So, please, we have a case to work." He gestured to the seats around the table, everyone following suit, taking one chair.
Jamie took a seat next to JJ and Morgan, across the table from Spencer. She attempted to slightly turn he head to get a quick glance at him, but to her dismay, he was already looking at her. Her head snapped back forward, eyes locking onto Garcia and the screen before her.
"Okay, crime fighters," Garcia began. "those of you who love a good mystery, you're going to love this one. Gary Ellard, Barry Deaver, Paul Hicks, and Terry Rodgers. Over the course of the last month-and-a-half, all four of these men have gotten into their cars in La grande, Oregon and drove straight into never-to-be-seen-agains-ville. The latest victim, Terry Rodgers disappeared twenty-four hours ago."
"Does forensic evidence point us anywhere?" JJ asked first.
"Point would imply there is evidence, and there is no evidence, at least for the first three victims."
Jamie shuffled through the papers in her file, her brain already working up to the magnitude that the job needed.
"No witnesses, no ransom demands, no forensics. Maybe these guys just voluntarily decided to hit the road?" Morgan offered.
"Four sudden disappearances in a community this small, I doubt this is about seeking greener pastures." Rossi jumped in.
"And based on last known sightings, we're dealing with a sizable geographical area." Hotch added.
"He's efficient and well organized. It's not easy to make four people vanish and stay that way." Morgan mentioned, shaking his head.
Jamie opened her mouth and was about the say something, conveniently at the same time as Spencer. It took them both by surprise. They stared at each other, wondering and silently telling the other to go ahead and be heard. Spencer broke that and gestured with his hand for Jamie to go ahead and speak.
"I was just going to mention that political kidnappings usually-actually frequently request holding multiple adults simultaneously." She noticed the heads of her new colleagues, nodding, agreeing with comment.
"Or they're already dead. Nothing says 'can't be found' like a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere." Rossi added, almost in an obvious tone.
"Okay, assuming that they are alive, how is this unsub controlling them?" Prentiss offered.
"And for what purpose?" Jamie thought out loud, her eyes focused on the bright screen in front of her.
"The time between abductions is shortening with each victim. Wheels up in thirty." Hotch gave a confirming nod to the team, standing from his seat and making his way into the hallway rather quickly.
Jamie noticed this and took her chance to chase him down, slightly anxious about what went down before the debriefing. Her boots clacked loudly on the tile flooring, making her attempt to catch him noticeable. "Excuse me, Agent Hotchner?" she called, slowing her pace as he stopped in front of her.
"Is there something you need to tell me, Agent Carter?"
"Wow, straight to the point then." she thought quickly to herself before speaking out loud. "About Dr. Reid, I promise that I-"
"Look," he interrupted. "anything that you and Dr. Reid went through in the past, should stay in the past. I don't want to know and I don't need to know about it. As long as this does not affect the team or the way we work, you'll be fine."
Jamie nodded with stern acknowledgment and began making her way back to the debriefing room to grab her file from the table.
"Oh, and by the way," Hotch called her back. Jamie spun around, waiting for some possible discipline. "you can stop calling me Agent Hotchner. Hotch is fine" With that, he walked away, back to his office to prepare for the case.
Jamie let a grin sneak up on her face and proceeded to the briefing room. When she arrived, there was nobody in sight. She grabbed her file and strutted her way down to the bullpen. Upon arrival, she noticed the desk that was cleared out just for her. There was a shiny new name plate sitting on it. It made her feel ecstatic on the inside, but she was a master at keeping it calm on the outside. She sat down in the rolling chair and spun herself around one time. Her feet found their way onto the desk top, and she was glad there was nobody to witness her beaming with delight. Jamie heard footsteps behind her, so she swiftly took down her bootie covered feet and looked back where the noise was coming from.
It was JJ.
They offered one another a smile as she approached Jamie. When she stood by Jamie, her perfume filled the air. It was sweet, but not like candy. "That was quite a start to your first day, huh?"
Jamie shook her head, her green eyes meeting the blonde's blue ones. "I knew he worked for the FBI, but I had no idea he was part of the BAU. I mean, we haven't spoken in years."
"Has to be a coincidence, right?"
Jamie sat in thought for a moment. Did she really believe in coincidences, that certain event might happen for a reason? She wouldn't even be able to answer that for herself. "Oh yeah, it was so meant to be." she remarked sarcastically, placing a hand over her heart.
JJ laughed. "Well, you know everyone is dying to know about it. Even Hotch wants to know. I heard what he said to you earlier. Even though he may not seem that interested, trust me, he's in the loop just as much as we are about these kinds of things."
"Freaking fantastic." Jamie muttered internally. At the same time, though, she felt the environment shift. It was like JJ accepted that Jamie wasn't willing to share at the moment. She was grateful for that and she could tell that even though they just met, she could consider JJ a friend.
"Alright, well we better get going. Got a plane to catch." Jamie said, standing from her desk chair. She walked out the bullpen, JJ trailing not too far behind.
There was a new story to write with this new beginning, and Jamie knew-actually, she hoped that it would look nothing like her past.
Stepping onto a private jet was a little exhilarating to Jamie. She took into account the leather seats, the mini kitchen, and the soothing neutral tones. Taking a seat by herself, she pulled out her case file. Before she knew it, everyone was on board and they were in midair. A ringing came from the laptop in front of Hotch and everybody's attention was given to it. It was Garcia, ready to provide any information she could on the victims.
Hotch started in right away. "Garcia, anything on the last victim, Terry Rodgers?"
Typing could be heard from their end of the call. "Only that he's unemployed and lives in a cabin in the woods. But primitive, like, no flushing toilet primitive."
"That doesn't fit the victimology of the other three. Ellard coaches track and field at a local college, Deaver's a small business owner, and Hicks is an attorney." Morgan mentioned.
"And they're all married with young families." JJ added.
"Another difference with the first three victims is that they were all born and raised in La Grande. Rodgers only moved there a couple of months ago." Jamie provided her insight.
"Do we know where he moved from, Garcia?" Spencer asked.
"Rhode Island." she answered confidently. "Though, there is a five-month gap between Terry being in Rhode Island and then arriving in Oregon. Where he was and what he was doing, is a big fat blank."
"It says here that vomit was found in the vicinity of his abduction." Prentiss pointed out from the case file.
"Mm, thank you for reminding me of that disgusting detail." Garcia bantered. "Yes, the vomit has been collected and is being analyze as we speak, and I'm very grateful that I have this job and someone has that one that's not me."
"Rodgers is obviously the anomaly of the four, but there's no apparent overlap between any of the victims." Spencer observed.
Jamie nodded her head in agreement. "It's almost like this unsub was selecting random targets."
"Okay, Prentiss, you and Morgan go talk to the families of the victims. See if there is anything that links them that isn't on paper. Rossi and I will go to the abduction sight. Reid, Carter and JJ, go to Terry Rodger's cabin. He's the one we know the least about. Maybe there's a reason he made himself obscure." Hotch instructed the team, followed by everyone doing their own reading over the case along with their file.
Jamie noticed without looking up all the way, that Spencer had gotten up to make some coffee. She decided to take the slight window of opportunity to go talk to him. She stood from her seat, placing her file down to replace her absence and walked back to the miniature kitchen. Arriving right beside him, she inhaled through her nose and exhaled slowly before she spoke. "…how are you?" she asked, mentally slapping herself for sounding too reluctant.
"I'm actually doing very well for myself. Sure didn't expect to see you again, let alone here of all places. How did you even get this job?" The words poured out of his mouth at a fast pace, leaving Jamie to stare at him in concern. He made no effort to look at the girl, absent, mindlessly stirring his coffee as he produced his word vomit.
With his question still hanging in the air, Jamie jumped to defend herself. She let out a scoff and crossed her arms in defense. "First, I am very qualified for this position and secondly, I was asked to meet with Hotch." she explained matter-of-factly. She stared right at Spencer, who still refused to meet her eyes. Although, at the same time, she could see Spencer ease up just a tad. His shoulders relaxed and the stern, narrowing look on his face softened. The man was not in the company of a stranger. As far as Jamie knew, he knew her better than she knew herself and she doubted that time had changed that.
Finally, hazel met green and lingered there for a moment. "This is crazy, Jamie. I-I just…"
"Glad to see I can still make you speechless after all this time." Jamie said, playfully. Then, she wondered if she was unintentionally flirting with him. Perhaps it was a given, but whether she wanted to or not, her words were delivered with minor coquetry.
Before Spencer could reject what she said, Morgan called to them. "You two making up for lost time back there or what?"
Jamie gave a half-hearted laugh. She looked up at Spencer one last time and decided to leave his bubble. Sitting back down in here seat, file in her hands, she opened it up and began analysis over her first case as SSA Jamie Carter.
Riding in the SUV with Spencer and JJ was anything but enjoyable. Jamie swore that JJ could easily feel the tension in the air all throughout her body, just as she felt it herself. Throughout her life, Jamie repeatedly reminded herself that the best thing she could do in certain situations was to not think, not wonder, not imagine, and not obsess. Eventually, everything works out for the best. She couldn't stress out about the things she wasn't able to control, whether or not those things affected her directly.
Arriving at the cabin provided Jamie with a feeling of release. She was sure that her colleagues wanted out of that air-tight box just as badly as she did. JJ brought the car to a halt, all three agents making their way out of the SUV. They were greeted by local police who showed them the basics of the cabin, which, in Jamie's opinion, wasn't too shabby. Entering the cabin, Jamie let her eyes roam over every visible object, every observable surface. She placed on her blue gloves and went to work.
"Okay, economics, philosophy, political theory. Not exactly breezy, take to the beach reading." JJ mentioned as she was going through piles of books.
"I'd do it, but I don't really like the beach." Spencer commented.
Jamie couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face. She was glad her back was to the others.
"Oh yeah, and why is that?" JJ mused.
"Sandy food, sunburn, limited and unengaging topographies, but oh wait for it," Jamie teased, holding one finger in the air for dramatics. "the drug-resistant bacteria that is spread by seagull feces." She shared a look between JJ and Spencer, hoping that her clarification was decent enough for JJ.
JJ's eyes went back and forth between the two, amusement and faint concern written across her features. "Is that why?" she questioned Spencer.
He nodded his head, his lips going in a straight line. "Yeah, pretty much."
JJ laughed, then fixated her attention back on their work. "There's a lot of material here about global warming, overcrowding, the evils of technology."
"And there's also no phone, no television." Jamie pointed out. "What the heck does this guy do for fun? I'd go batty without my CW shows." Her witty remark earned a grin from her female coworker.
"I think I might've found the answer." Spencer pronounced, observing a small bag in his hands. His back was turned from the two female agents as he inspected for a second longer. When he turned around, he held up a snack sized bag…filled with marijuana.
Jamie's eyebrows went up in disbelief. "No way."
Spencer shrugged, allowing Jamie to take the bag and show it to JJ. After observing it for a quick minute, they placed it back where it was found and examined the cabin further. Deciding they had seen enough, the three of them went back out to the SUV.
"I'll drive." Jamie offered.
"Are you sure?" JJ asked.
Jamie nodded and took the keys that were being handed to her. She hopped in the front seat and started the engine. When everybody was in, she adjusted her review mirror, catching Spencer's eyes when she did. "You guys like music?"
"Uh, I don't mind." JJ responded.
"Don't tell me you're about to play classic rock." Spencer sounded from the back.
"Oh, you know me so well, Spencer." Jamie joked, driving out of the gravel driveway of the cabin.
"And some things never change." he muttered to himself, but Jamie heard it loud and clear.
Thanks for reading and please remember to review. I would really appreciate it.
If you like Supernatural, check out my work(s): The Unforeseeable Life of Alexandra Winchester & Alexandra Winchester: One-Shots
