Lorelai had been living with Hotch for three months now and was finally starting to feel at home. Finally starting to feel maybe she belonged there. Work had been going well to. She still missed the field work but was really getting good at the profiling and figuring out how else she could help without being in the field.
The team was at the office mid-afternoon and no new cases had come in. They had been working non- stop for the past three weeks so there was a lot of paperwork to get caught up on. Lorelai was honestly getting bored of the paperwork and needed a break. She decided to go get coffee asking anyone else if they wanted some. She got a couple requests and she made mental notes on what everyone wanted and headed downstairs.
While she was waiting for the coffees to be made her phone went off with a notification that she had an email. She looked at it and saw it was from Rebecca. She had in the last few months emailed her back telling her everything. Rebecca was also very surprised and curious how she was handling everything. They had been emailing and calling occasionally too. This email was not a good one though
Lorelai,
We have a problem. I ran into Rachel with her new foster father when I went back to finish some paperwork with the new police and honestly, I am worried. She was barley allowed to talk to me even when I told her foster father who I was. I was able to ask her about her social worker to find out that she was not with the social worker she was newly assigned anymore, and she is back our old social worker. The one who knew what was happening and did nothing. I cant do anything more to help her but maybe you and your team can. She is still in Idaho but a few towns over from where we were.
Please see what you can do.
Thanks,
-Becca
Lorelai was surprised. Morgan had told her that he was keeping up on the kids and that they were all doing well. Getting therapy and happy. Had he just missed this? She found it hard to believe, he was an observant person. Did he lie? Did he just not care anymore. She grabbed the coffees and headed back up dropping them off at the other agent's desks putting Morgan's down a little harder than necessary causing everyone to stop what they were doing and looks at her. She ignored them and said she was going to talk to Garcia for a bit.
"Hey Garcia." She said as she went in with her favorite drink. "Was getting everyone coffee figured you could use a pick me up too." She said
Garcia smiled. "I knew there was a reason you are my favorite mini profiler." She said
Lorelai chuckled. "Mini? Not sure how I should feel about that."
"I didn't mean you weren't as capable just younger." She said quickly
Lorelai nodded. "I know." She smiled "Can you do me a favor?"
Garcia nodded. "Name it."
"Can you check into the social workers who are responsible for my former foster siblings?" She asked
Garcia made a bit of a face. "Isn't Morgan keeping up on them?"
Lorelai sighed. "I feel like he might have missed something…"
Garcia tilted her head "Morgan doesn't miss things."
"He did. I got an email from my friend Rebecca. One of the kids is back under the care of out former social worker and possibly in a bad foster home. She is the only person other than Rebecca and me to spill everything. This social worker was supposed to be fired. Have lost her licence." Lorelai told Garcia
Garcia was surprised. "Morgan would have done something…"
"Okay, so he missed it. I need to know the others are safe." Lorelai told her
"You could ask Morgan?" She offered "He would want to rectify his error."
"You're not going to help me?" Lorelai asked
"Its not that I don't want to help. Morgan will help trust me. Just ask him. If you still need my help after yes, I will." Garcia told the young Agent.
"Fine." She said annoyed and she left the office. Garcia told her she could come to her. She would help her with anything. And now she wouldn't. Morgan said he would keep an eye on them and he either stopped or is ignoring the issues. He wasn't doing what he promised. She was starting to have doubts in her team. If no one were going to do what they said they would. She would do it herself.
She told Aaron that she was going to the small town to talk to the new police officer about the missing kids that they hadn't found yet. She had been requested to go a few weeks ago but she had been putting it off.
Aaron offered to go with her, but Lorelai told him she needed to do it on her own. That Rebecca would be there too so they would have each others back." Aaron knew that she and Rebecca had been talking so he felt okay with it, but he could sense there was something else going on. "There is nothing else?" He asked giving her a chance to tell him whatever it was.
Lorelai shook her head. "Nothing else." She hated lying to him. But she didn't know what else to do when two people who she thought she could depend on had bailed on her.
"Alright. Keep me updated." He told her
Lorelai nodded and went home and packed and checked out the information on Rachel before flying out to Idaho and going to the police station. She was going to do what she said and go talk to the police so at least part of her story was the truth.
She gave the information she knew to the new officers from the small town before she went to the town that her former foster sister was now living. She went to the address and knocked.
An older man opened the door and asked if he could help her. Lorelai showed her badge and said she needed to ask Rachel a few questions alone. The foster father refused and said she had told the police everything she knew. Lorelai nodded. "I understand that but just a few more questions." Lorelai pushed.
The older man shook his head and shut the door in her face.
Meanwhile back in Virginia, Garcia had a bad feeling, she went to Morgan and asked him if Lorelai had come to him and when told her that she had gone back to small town to talk to the police about the new case Garcia's face went white.
Morgan knew at that point that something was really wrong. He had a feeling she was upset earlier when she placed his coffee down on his desk and now Garcia was telling him about what Lorelai talked to her about and how she had told her to talk to him. "I'm sorry. I should have come to you right away." She said looking very apologetic.
Morgan shook his head. "No baby girl this is not on you." He tried to call Lorelai's phone but either it was off, or she pressed ignore. Either way he was annoyed.
"I have to go talk to Hotch you should come too. He needs to hear the whole story from you. Its not on you." He reiterated as he finished his statement.
The two went up to Hotch's office while Morgan tried to call her again with the same results. Morgan and Garcia told Hotch what they knew.
Morgan could tell that Hotch was angry. Maybe angrier than he had ever seen. "Did you miss it?" Hotch asked Morgan.
"No, I didn't. I was handling it. It's a bit tricky but I was taking the steps. I didn't tell Lorelai as I didn't want her to worry, we all know how anything with her hometown effects her. If she had come to me, I would have told her." Morgan told Hotch.
Hotch nodded. "Okay." He tried to call Lorelai as well before he called Rebecca to find out that she was not there at all, and she had told her about Rachel but told her to involve the team in getting the girl safe. She apologized saying that she didn't know she would do this. Hotch told her it wasn't her fault but the next time to email him the information since clearly Lorelai didn't know how to handle things.
Lorelai started getting calls. She knew she was busted but she didn't care. She was going to get Rachel to a safe place. She couldn't get to her though the foster father. She wasn't about to kidnap the girl. She did the next step she looked up where the social worker lived and went there and knocked on her door.
The women opened and crossed her arms. "What the hell do you want?" She asked
"You are going to get Rachel out of that home. Otherwise, I will make sure you rot in prison and that everyone in their knows exactly who you are." She told her
The social worker smirked. "You have no control of it. Clearly as I am still a social worker. Didn't lose my job, didn't lose my licence."
"Yes, you did. You work for a bad agency. I know all about it. I will make sure all your co-workers get taken down too. They will all hate you." Lorelai told her
The door was closed on her there too. She was angry. Nothing was working. She may have just made the situation worse. That was when she got a call from Rebecca. Who had gotten the call from Hotch and also a call from Rachel.
"You are an idiot!" Rebecca told her "I told you not to do it alone!"
"I know. You're mad but you don't understand." Lorelai started
"I understand that Rachel just called me and was locked in a room now because of how you handled this!" Rebecca told her. "She can get out but has no where to go. I should really call the police or Agent Hotchner, but I actually think at this point you're the only one who can help quickly enough. I told her to get to the local coffee shop. Go get her and get her safe!" Rebecca told her. "And call your boss. Tell him what's going on." Rebecca finished before hanging up.
Lorelai was surprised. She had never heard Rebecca yell like that. But she didn't have much time to think about it. She got in her car and drove towards the coffee shop. She called Hotch.
Hotch and the team had already gotten on the jet and were on the way there to dig her out of trouble again. Hotch saw who was calling. He was just to angry with her right now. He handed the phone to Morgan and told him to talk to her.
The team all looked at each other. Hotch was angrier than he had ever been.
Morgan answered. "Davies. It's Morgan."
"Uh. I thought I called Hotch." She said
"Oh, you did. He is choosing to wait to speak with you. Are you injured or arrested?" He asked
"No. Morgan I…" She started
"I suggest you head to your hotel and wait." He cut her off
Lorelai sighed. "I cant do that."
"Agent Davies. That is a direct order. Go to the hotel and wait." Morgan told her
"Morgan I was just calling to tell you all that I have a way to get her out and I need to get her out now. I made the situation worse and if I don't help her, she might not be alive when you get here." She said. "If you had done what you promised I wouldn't be here." She said hanging up.
Morgan was stunned. He knew she was stubborn, but they had never had a problem before. The team were all looking at him waiting for him to tell them what happened. After the shock wore off Morgan informed them what had happened. Hotch called the local law enforcement and told him what was happening and that his agent might be in danger. The police said they would go help her.
Lorelai showed up at the coffee shop and picked up Rachel and started to drive.
The police showed up at the foster home. Lorelai hadn't told Morgan what the exact plan was so the team and the police assumed she was going back to the foster home. When the police got there and found her gone, they called Hotch back and said they didn't know where either of them were. They also looked up her phone and found her driving towards the border. They informed Agent Hotchner who told the team. Morgan called Lorelai back but didn't get an answer.
Eventually the police did manage to catch up to her and bring both of them in. Soon after the team showed up at the station as well.
The police had spoken to Rachel and arrested the foster father and the social worker making sure they were both going to be held accountable for their actions. The police made sure Lorelai was okay but left her to sit until her team got there.
When they got there. Hotch told Morgan to get her to the hotel. He didn't even look at Lorelai. He was more furious than he had ever been.
Morgan gave Lorelai one look and Lorelai knew she wasn't just in trouble with her boss and foster father but with Morgan as well. Lorelai went with him. "Have you eaten? He asked. The team all knew about her iron deficiency at this point and knew she tended to forget to eat. "No." She admitted
Morgan pulled into a drive through and got them both food before driving to the hotel and leading her to the room. "Eat." He ordered. Lorelai did as she was told despite that she was not all that hungry.
When they were done Morgan started. "I was handling it." He told her. "I made you a promise." He continued. "Why the -hell didn't you come to me when you found out. Or when Garcia told you too."
Lorelai didn't answer. "I asked you a question. Whether you like it or not you will answer me." He told her.
"You didn't tell me what was happening. How can I trust you when you don't tell me?" She said getting angry.
"No. You don't get to get angry. Drop the attitude. You have been part of this family for nine months. Have you ever seen me break my promises? Have I ever let anyone get away with things if I knew?" Morgan asked.
Lorelai shook her head. "When are you going to realize that you can come to us with anything. You were worried about her. I get that. But you instead went behind our backs. Again." Morgan told her.
Lorelai didn't say anything.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't take you over my knee before Hotch does?" He asked her
"I don't have one." She said as a few tears fell.
"I want you to imagine. If the roles were reversed. How would you feel?" he asked her calmer than before.
She thought about it "Hurt…" Lorelai admitted
Morgan nodded. "Lorelai. Forget about how you didn't trust me. Disobeyed my direct order. Were rude and hung up on me. Think about Aaron. Who has done so much for you. More than he has done for any other Agent. Why didn't you go to him?" Morgan asked.
Lorelai shrugged.
"Nope. You have a reason." Morgan said
"I felt… betrayed. By you. By Garcia. Two people who told me they would do anything for me. Someone who I trusted would tell me if something came up with my former foster siblings." She said
"I never told you I would tell you everything. I said I would keep an eye on them, so you didn't have to worry. I was protecting you." Morgan told her. "Maybe I should have told you. I realize that's my mistake. However, you had no reason to doubt my dedication to helping them." He told her. "And Garcia -knew that. Which is why she told you to come to me. But instead, you went to Hotch and lied." He said.
"Technically I didn't lie. I did what I said I was doing... I just did more than that…"
"Lie by omission is still a lie Lorelai. You know that." He said getting annoyed again.
"Yes. Your right. I'm sorry." She said
"You need to apologize to Hotch for that." He said
She nodded "I'm sorry for not trusting you. For not giving you a chance to explain it to me." She said. "I know that you have never given me any reason to doubt you. I am also sorry for being rude and disobeying your order." She said.
Morgan nodded. "Okay. I accept your apology. Its going to take some time for me to be able to forgive you. But know that I still care about you and still have your back." He said
Lorelai nodded. "I do. 100% have your back."
"Good." He said. He squeezed her shoulder gently.
"Can I ask you a question about Aaron?" She asked
Morgan nodded. "You can ask I might not have an answer though."
"He didn't want to talk to me on the phone. Has he ever…" She started.
"Been that angry? Nope. Cant say I have ever seen him not talk to someone." Morgan told her.
"D-Do you think he might be ready to give up on me?" She asked holding back tears
Morgan shook his head. "No. If he were giving up on you, he wouldn't be angry. Or hurt. You screwed up big time. I'm not going to pretend you are not in a world of trouble. But no. He is not giving up on you."
Lorelai nodded. Morgan wrapped her in a hug. "I promise he will calm down." He told her.
Lorelai sobbed into him. She hated that she had angered her family again. The people who have been there for her. Through it all. Who had lied for her and backed her up. Why was it so hard for her to trust them. What was she so afraid of.
Morgan told her to stay put. He had to go back to the station.
Lorelai nodded and just curled up on the bed waiting for the inevitable.
