Don't worry, it's not all drama. Review for faster updates :)
Chapter 8
Ava arrived at the BAU late the next morning. She hid her face from everyone she passed, knowing that last night's events were written all over it. While Kate's slap had not left a mark other than the small cut, Ava could still feel its sting and was under the impression that it was obvious. She sat at her desk, holding her head in her hands and ignoring the rest of the team as they watched her. Even Hotch, who had come down from his office for a cup of coffee, frowned at the disheveled agent. The day was slow but Ava was thankful for it, unsure as to whether or not she was capable of fighting any bad guys today. By lunch time, it was clear to the rest of the BAU that something was more than off about their new teammate. JJ, being designated as closest to the woman, was ushered in to figure out what was wrong. It didn't end well.
"Ava?" JJ approached slowly, her chair squeaking as she rolled closer to the younger woman.
"What?" the brunette's voice was harsh. Whether it was from not speaking all day or intentional, JJ couldn't tell.
"Would you like to come get some lunch with me?" the blonde asked innocently. "I noticed you haven't eaten anything all day." In fact, the younger agent hadn't even had her usual cups of coffee.
"Checking up on me, are you?" Ava said, almost angrily fidgeting with her engagement ring. "They send you over to find out why I'm not my normal, happy self?" She scoffed at the idea, as if she hadn't actually been happy this entire time.
"We're just worried about you." JJ told the girl. "I know you're not used to working with a team, but we care about you. You're a part of our family." The phrase cut Ava deeper than she cared to admit, knowing that that was the turning point of her argument with Kate the night before.
"Yea well, maybe I don't want to be a part of your stupid family." The lie left her lips before she could stop it and the brunette squeezed her eyes shut under the privacy of her cupped hand. JJ, however, didn't fall for the façade.
"I know you don't mean that." She insisted. "Come on, I know how much you like Thai food. My treat." As JJ stood, she held out her hand to the brunette and smiled. Ava, however, saw only a blonde head, a hand, and a towering figure.
"Don't touch me!" she cried, slapping the hand away and shoving past the blonde as she sprinted towards the bathrooms. JJ stumbled, taken aback by the woman's reaction and speed. She turned to look at the rest of the team who had been watching the exchange, only to notice that the entire bullpen had turned their attention to her.
"What happened?" Hotch approached, his coffee long forgotten on the counter. JJ shook her head.
"I have no idea." She said, eyes wide with concern. "I just reached out my hand to take her to lunch and she panicked."
"She's never acted like this before." Hotch thought out loud, the blonde nodding in agreement. "Do you think perhaps something happened last night? Something that has to do with that cut on her lip?" They had all seen it, despite the brunette's attempt to hide it. JJ thought for a moment before a scowl appeared on her face.
"Isn't her fiancée a blonde?" JJ asked Hotch, knowing that he knew about the other woman. The man frowned and the two chose to ignore Morgan and Reid's 'wait, what?' in the background. Hotch nodded slowly, the image forming in his head becoming increasingly unpleasant.
"You don't think…" Rossi found it hard to imagine Ava in an abusive relationship. The woman was so strong and well put together. The older man stopped himself immediately, knowing that a good number of 'well put together' women were victims of domestic violence. Regardless, it was difficult to imagine Ava, of all people, as a victim. He frightened himself, realizing just how possible it was.
"So you're telling me," Morgan shook his head, "that not only has she been engaged to a woman this whole time and didn't tell us, but that that woman is abusing her?"
"Why do you think she called you 'dense', Derek?" JJ asked. "Or why she practically crawled out of her skin when you asked if she was pregnant?"
"So you knew?" Reid asked innocently.
"Yes, I knew." The blonde stated. "She told me the first night we met, when we had to share that hotel room." JJ thought back to how scared she had been of being rejected. Her heart began to ache for the girl. "She didn't want me to be uncomfortable around her."
"And what about you two? You don't seem remotely surprised." Morgan asked Hotch and Rossi. The two looked at each other.
"It was pretty obvious, if you ask me." Rossi said nonchalantly.
"It was in her file." Hotch stated.
"Her sexuality was in her file?" Reid asked, suddenly shocked. Hotch shook his head.
"Her fiancée's name was in her file. I don't know a lot of men named 'Katherine'." He corrected. "However, we're deviating from the issue at hand."
"What do we do?" Reid asked, picking at his cuticles in anticipation.
"I'll tell you what we do," Morgan frowned deeply, "we walk straight up to that woman and throw her ass in prison. That is, if I don't shoot her first."
"We have no proof." Rossi reminded him.
"Besides, have you not considered that that might not be what Ava wants?" JJ threw out the idea only to receive quizzical looks. She sighed, knowing she would have to explain the complexity of the situation to the men. "Look, you said it yourselves; she's a strong, independent woman who just so happens to be a federal agent. Can you imagine what she must be feeling, right now?" She realized that they couldn't. "In our line of work, being a woman is seen as a benefit but it's not. It's a hindrance. Most men don't think we belong here, let alone that we'll excel, so whenever a woman does succeed, there are certain…assumptions made about her."
"Assumptions?" Reid asked, his naivety shining through once more. JJ sighed again.
"She means that people assume they sleep their way to the top." Rossi mumbled as JJ nodded.
"But that's ridiculous." Reid pressed. "And illogical."
"It doesn't change the fact that it's the truth." JJ told him softly.
"But…no one's said that about you, right?" Reid's question was innocent in nature but carried a weighted response.
"People in this very room have said that about me." JJ informed them as they began glaring at every man in the bullpen. "But that's not the point. The point is that, when these assumptions are made, true or not, it's embarrassing. Now, with her having the reputation that she has, coupled with the assumptions people have undoubtedly already made, can you imagine what it'll be like for her to admit that her fiancée, another woman, beats her when she goes home? She won't even want to step foot in here again, let alone work with us. This doesn't begin even take into account all the press that would get. 'Federal Agent Abused By Lesbian Lover'. That'll go over really well."
"But she has nothing to be embarrassed about." Morgan cried. "She obviously didn't sleep her way here," he glanced at Hotch momentarily only to receive a glare, "and if she is being abused, that's not her fault."
"Morgan, it doesn't matter." JJ urged. "Why do you think over seventy percent of sexual assaults go unreported?"
"Because victims are too ashamed to come forward." He said slowly.
"Exactly. It's the same thing with domestic violence." JJ concluded. "No one- especially a woman in a position of power and authority- wants to admit that they're a victim, just like the ones they risk their lives protecting." JJ paused for a moment to think. "I know I wouldn't want anyone, especially you guys, to know if it was me."
"What?" Reid asked, surprised. "Why especially not us?"
"Because I know how you'd react." JJ told him plainly. "And I wouldn't want you to see me any differently or think that I couldn't handle myself in the field."
"That's ridiculous." Morgan shook his head in disagreement. "We wouldn't treat you, or Ava, any differently."
"Morgan, you treated me differently after Blackbird." JJ said, growing annoyed at his arrogance. The man's mouth opened to say something but changed his mind a second later. "You all did, whether you realized it or not. And we all treated Emily differently after Doyle. It's just how it is."
"JJ's right." Hotch broke the silence that had come over them. "Why don't you go talk to her? See if you can get her to tell you anything about what happened last night."
"Do you think that's a good idea?" JJ asked, genuinely unsure as to how to continue. "She did tell me that I reminded her a lot of her fiancée." The disgust was clear in her voice at the mere thought.
"Maybe so, but she's more likely to open to you than to any of us." The way they were speaking about her like a victim on a case unnerved all five of them. Despite having only been with them for about five months, they had grown to truly care for the girl. She was like the younger sister they never had- except, of course, in Morgan's case. Now, seeing her in pain broke their hearts. Knowing that there was no easy route to fix it hurt even more.
"I suppose." JJ relented, wanting nothing more than to help her friend.
"She's been through a lot, JJ." Hotch told her quietly. "Quite frankly, I don't know how she deals with it."
"What do you mean?" JJ couldn't help but ask, knowing that her boss would say no more.
"She'll tell you when she's ready." He said. "All I'll say is that it's things no person should ever have to go through so just…be patient with her." JJ nodded once before grabbing a box of tissues and heading towards the bathrooms. Hotch knew that there was no one better suited for the task but his worry still gnawed at him. Ava wasn't prepared to talk about ghosts that haunted her past. What made them think she was prepared to talk about the ones that plagued her now?
