A/N- See disclaimer at the beginning of story. This chapter is kind of a filler and a set up though I hope you enjoy it all the same. Also all thoughts and locations are in italics. Enjoy!
Quantico, VirginiaThe team quickly took their seats on the plane and prepared for the customary brief before the jet took off.
"Ok, we've got a long flight ahead of us," Hotch started as the team settled, "I want to hit the ground running on this, Reid I want you on victimology, Morgan and Prentiss I want you to visit the medical examiner, Rossi, you and I will take a look at the crime scenes again see what we can get," Hotch paused for a moment trying to think of who would be the best to send onto the streets, "J.J. I want you to get a press conference together, and I need someone to go out on the streets and talk to the working girls."
"I'll do it," J.J. said without thinking.
"Ha!" Morgan laughed before composing himself, "I'll go."
"I said I would go," J.J. repeated in a firmer tone, "I have more skills than just talking with the media."
"Ok Reid you go with J.J.," Hotch said hesitantly surprised by J.J.'s forcefulness, "That's all for now."
With that the team dispersed to their normal positions except J.J. who made sure she took the seat farthest away from the rest of the team. She knew she was acting strange and knew that the rest of the team would have something to say about it, something she just didn't feel like hearing.
"You're doing a bang up job of pissing her off Morgan," Prentiss joked as she flipped through the case file on her lap.
"She started off in a bad mood," Morgan said as he laid his head down trying to catch up on the sleep he had missed the night before.
"She's stressed out about something," Reid said looking over at J.J. who appeared to be listening to music, "She kept tapping her pencil, she's irritated, she's…"
"One of us," Hotch said softly from the seat diagonal to where the three younger profilers were sitting, "She'll let us know what's bothering her when she's ready."
J.J. sat with her back to the rest of the group and put headphones on just to make sure they understood she wanted to be left alone. The young agent could feel herself pulling away from everything that she had spent so long building, she knew that if she wasn't careful she would be right back where she started, alone and angry. J.J. pulled up on a small chain that sat delicately around her neck, reveling an antique locket, which she quickly opened and closed again daring to only steal a glimpse of the pictures inside.
I wish I could see you again… I wish I could see who you've become. J.J. thought to herself as she caressed the letters engraved on the back of her favorite necklace, and let her mind wonder to places and people she knew were better off as a distant dream.