AN/ I know, you thought I forgot about this story. NOPE. UPDATED :) Sorry to any of you that checked this when it was first posted only to find a weird chapter that didn't belong. Woops.
JJ turned her head to the side, effectively cracking her own neck and relieving the stress that had built up along her vertebrae.
Somedays, it just felt so good to be her.
Filling up her coffee mug in the precinct break room, she cringed as she heard a detective behind her curse softly under his breath. "Stupid idiotic kid." He murmured.
JJ turned around, fighting the anger that welled within her, "a bad case?" She asked, feigning understanding.
Inwardly, her heart lurched with excitement at the prospect of a new victim.
"My daughter." The Detective rolled his eyes. "Just as worthless as her mother. Sadie will probably grow up to be a whore just like her too."
JJ's eyes sparkled as she inwardly applauded herself for finding another deserving target.
Because no child should be made to feel worthless.
"Mom?" The nineteen year old asked nervously as she entered the house. Somedays she wished she didn't have to ever come home from school.
But if she didn't come home, Brady would have to deal with her all by himself.
If she thought she wouldn't arouse suspicion, she would have taken care of her own mother years ago.
She already took care of her father.
It was more important that she didn't step a toe out of line that would bring attention to herself.
Damn.
If she could only figure out a way to get Brady away from her mom, maybe they could be normal.
But for now, it was more important she be there to protect her brother.
And keep up the facade of the small-town soccer player living the perfect life.
If only people knew.
"Mom?" JJ asked again, surprised to see the recliner where her mom drank away her life unoccupied. Normally, her mom was so drunk she could barely see straight.
"You're back?" Her mom stepped around the corner from the kitchen. "What, did they kick you out of school?"
"No." JJ bit the inside of her cheek in an effort to keep the smart remark in, because even if her mom wasn't as physically imposing as her father had been, she still had a mean right hook. "School ended for the day. I came back to check on Brady."
"Shame we couldn't ship you off to some work camp." Her mom muttered, picking up her keys. "Then maybe you'd at least be worth something instead of being an eighteen year old leech."
"Where are you going?" JJ asked, choosing to ignore the comment that chipped away at what little was left of her desire for motherly approval.
After all, she hadn't ever really received motherly affections, why should that start mattering now?
She was a senior in high school now, years of criticism and abuse hadn't made her needy.
Who needed a mother anyway?
"The store." Her mom rolled her eyes as if it was the most annoying question in the world. "You'd better come with me because I don't trust leaving you here by yourself."
JJ glowered inwardly, incensed at the accusation she couldn't take care of herself for an hour.
After all, she'd been taking care of their entire family for years, and now her mom didn't trust her alone?
What about the nights where her mom was passed out on the couch from the booze?
Or when she didn't come home for days on end because she found some unsuspecting bastard to spend the week with?
"Fine." JJ growled, following her mom out the door to the car.
It wasn't until her mom drifted into oncoming traffic for the third time that JJ was struck with the horrifying realization. "Are you drunk?" She asked incredulously.
"What does it matter?" Her mom slurred.
JJ slapped herself mentally, wondering how she had missed the signs.
"Pull over." She shouted.
"Don't talk back to me you brat." Her mother retorted, swerving back into the correct lane of traffic.
"Pull over or you're going to kill us!" JJ cried, grabbing the wheel in an attempt to save not only herself, but everyone else on the road, from her mother's recklessness.
In the struggle to obtain control, neither woman was prepared for the patch of ice that sent the car careening off the road and crashing into a nearly frozen pond.
That was the day Jennifer Jareau became an orphan.
The same day she had gained unfettered freedom.
JJ snapped herself from the memory and quickly scribbled down the address of an abandoned warehouse just outside of DC. Handing the card over to the detective who had long-forgotten her presence, JJ smiled brightly. "A tip came in from an anonymous caller. I was going to give it to my team first, but I thought you might want to see it." She twirled her hair, inwardly reeling with gleeful joy as the detective bought her dim-witted routine hook, line, and sinker.
Some days, it just felt good to be her.
Especially when she was ridding the world of monsters.
"Of course I want to see it." The detective grumbled as the detective snatched the paper from her hands. "An informant? Or just an empty warehouse?"
JJ bit her lip, carefully weighing her options. She wanted to get him in the right place at the right time for simple convenience.
Because while she could figure out a way to lug his dead weight around, she was smart enough to figure out ways around that.
After all, her team had just referred to her as a 'killing machine'.
She kind of liked that title-even if it was directed at a sociopathic killer that the team was trying to profile.
"An informant." She decided, knowing full well where she could hide that the detective would never see her coming out of the shadows and would allow her to inject him with a full dose of sedative in order to have her nightly mission be successful. "He wanted you to meet him inside at 7:00. He said he would only talk to you."
"That's the way real police do their job." The detective informed her snottily. JJ didn't bother to point out that she was handing him the information and that if this tip were even remotely real it would be the sole fruits of the BAU's efforts.
It drove her crazy when cops acted like the BAU did nothing but complicate their investigation.
Because even if she was a sociopath, she was still a team player.
Just a team player that had a gorey side-job on her off hours.
Really, it was completely justifiable.
"Should I tell my team you need backup?" She asked with doe eyes, chuckling inwardly as he looked at her like she was incapable of comprehending the vast complications of police work.
It was protocol for her to tell the team.
Hell, she outranked him. There was no reason for her to ask his opinion, according to protocol.
But protocols generally meant nothing when you were dealing with chauvanistic, emotionally abusive officers.
"I've got this girly." The detective replied. "Thanks."
Thank you. JJ replied mentally, almost giddy as she picked up her phone. Punching out a text to Will that read - - Sorry, working late tonight. See you at home- - she fought the urge not to whistle a happy tune as she returned to the conference room where the team frantically focused on trying to find the serial killer.
Her.
Some days, it just felt good to be Jennifer Jareau.
Garcia watched as JJ fidgeted with muted excitement.
If she hadn't been cataloguing her best friend's every move, she might have missed it.
But sitting next to her for hours after joining the team to give them immediate access to her technical prowess had let Garcia monitor JJ's every move.
JJ was excited.
Normally, this would make Penelope just as excited as she interrogated her friend to spill the juicy details of whatever her evening plans entailed.
But now...a sickening feeling of dread accompanied the thought of what JJ did in her free time.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Hotch was standing just ouside the door, talking to Chief Barrow while the other profilers chased down leads Garcia was pretty certain would lead to nowhere.
"So what's got you all fidgety?" Penelope asked conversationally.
She watched as JJ's face fell, as if startled at somebody noticing her, but was quickly masked with a wide grin. "Henry's been talking like crazy lately, I-I don't know, I just can't wait to get home."
"Go Home." Hotch's kind soft voice floated from the doorway where he had evidently caught the tail end of JJ's reply, well aware of what it was like to miss out on tender moments with family. "We can finish up here for tonight and see you in the morning."
Penelope's eyes narrowed as she watched JJ hum excitedly while the blonde picked up her belongings.
Something was up.
And Garcia couldn't rest until she knew for sure.