Well here's the next chapter! I really hope you all enjoy it!
Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading! You guys are the best!
-J
Chapter 12
Monday morning Emily and Alex got up early to have breakfast together, Emily having promised that she would make chocolate chip pancakes for them.
"These are really good," Alex said, mouth full of pancakes.
"I'm glad you like them," Emily laughed, taking a sip of her coffee.
"So where exactly are you guys going?" The teen asked a few minutes later.
"Boston."
"Do you know how long you'll be gone?"
"It's different all the time," Emily explained. "It could be a few days, it could be a week. It all depends."
"Right," Alex replied, nodding. "Well I talked to Spencer last night and she told her mom I would be coming home with her after school. And I packed everything I think I'll need."
"Perfect. Remember to thank Veronica for me," Emily said. "And if you need something and no one can bring you here just call Garcia, she has a key."
"Will do," Alex replied, finishing up the last of her pancakes before going to wash her plate.
"And you're absolutely sure that you're okay with this?" Emily asked for what felt like the hundredth time since last night.
"Yes," Alex replied. "I'm not going to lie I'll probably worry, but I'll be okay."
"Okay," Emily said, helping Alex clean up the dishes. "If you need anything you call me okay? Even if it's the middle of the night, don't hesitate to call."
"I'll call, I promise," Alex replied, as they both continued to clean up.
The pair took about 15 minutes to finish putting the kitchen back together, not wanting to leave a mess since they weren't sure when they would be returning to the condo next.
"You better get your bag," Emily said looking at the time. "We need to get going."
Alex ran up the stairs to retrieve her bag while Emily got her things together from her office, both meeting at the door a few minutes later.
"You're going to be safe right?" Alex asked once she had her shoes and coat on, looking up at Emily, suddenly serious.
"Always," Emily reassured with a smile, pulling the teen into a hug, knowing she wouldn't get a chance to give Alex a proper hug when she dropped her off at school.
"I love you," Alex whispered, hugging Emily a little tighter, wanting to ensure that the older woman understood how she felt about her before she left.
"I love you too," Emily replied emotionally, eyes watering as the pair pulled apart. "I love you so much," she said again placing a kiss on the teen's forehead.
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"Boston PD needs our help," JJ stated as the team gathered in the conference room later that morning. "In the past 2 months these men were all found in various locations throughout the city," she explained bringing up photos of 3 men, all white, looking to be in their late thirties.
"Cause of death?" Rossi asked.
"Blunt force trauma to the head," JJ said. "And all 3 men look to have been beaten post mortem," she explained, brining up photos of the beaten bodies, all laying in their boxers.
"He's taking their clothes," Reid pointed out unnecessarily.
"Could be trying to emasculate them," Emily chimed in. "I mean they all look to be in pretty good shape physically. The unsub probably wanted to strip them of their dignity."
"Well another victim was found early yesterday morning," JJ continued, bringing up another picture. "Jonathan Hayes was found in nothing but a pair of boxers, beaten to death with an unknown object."
"He changed his m.o.," Morgan pointed out. "Rather than just hitting them in the back of the head, he's escalated to beating them until they succumb to their injuries."
"Could be that he wasn't getting enough satisfaction from beating them when they were already dead," Reid explained.
"Well whatever it is, Boston definitely has a serial on their hands," Hotch said, standing up and grabbing his file. "Wheels up in 30."
The team immediately began to disperse, each grabbing their files before heading towards their respective desks to get ready to head to the airstrip. Emily lingered behind as JJ began shutting down the projector.
"You want a ride to the airstrip?" Emily asked when JJ turned around to gather up her files.
"Yeah sure," JJ replied with a smile. "How'd it go this morning?" she then asked, having noticed that Emily looked a little sad when she walked in that morning.
"You know I think I'm having a harder time with it than she is," Emily admitted.
"She'll be okay," JJ assured, reaching out and rubbing her hand down her friend's back. "And you'll get used to being away eventually."
"I know,' Emily said with a sigh. "I just keep imagining her having a nightmare and I'm not there for her."
"I thought she was doing better with the nightmares?" JJ asked, as they waited for the elevator.
"She is. She's doing a lot better," Emily replied. "I just don't want my leaving to make things harder on her. I know she's really worried about me."
"Well I think you just need to trust that she's in good hands, and she'll come to you if she needs you," JJ said with an encouraging smile.
"I know," Emily relented. "You know she told me she loves me today," Emily told JJ, a smile spreading across her face.
"That's great Em," JJ said, reaching out to squeeze her friend's hand, loving how happy the brunette looked.
"I honestly don't think I've ever been happier in my life," Emily replied, giving JJ's hand one last squeeze before the pair exited the elevator, on their way to bring down another bad guy.
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When the team touched down in Boston, they all paired off, heading towards their respective assignments that Hotch handed out on the plane. JJ and Reid were headed for the police station, where Reid would work on the geographic profile and JJ would talk to some of the victims' families. Hotch and Morgan were going to the latest crime scene to see if they could get anything from it, while Rossi and Emily would travel to the Coroner's office to see the bodies of the last two victims.
"So how are you feeling about being back?" Rossi asked as he drove their SUV, looking towards Emily in the passenger's seat.
"Honestly?" Emily asked. "A little nervous. I kind of feel like I did on my first case with the team."
"That's understandable," Rossi replied. "It has been more than a month. But don't worry Bella, you'll fall right back into it, just like you never left."
"I hope it's that easy," Emily replied, feeling slightly worried about her ability to stay focused on the case when she couldn't seem to keep her mind off Alex.
The Coroner's office wasn't far from the airport, so it wasn't long before the pair arrived, immediately exiting the car and making their way in to meet the Coroner.
"Agents Rossi and Prentiss, BAU," Rossi introduced, shaking hands with the tall, dark haired man in his late 50s.
"Frank Bellfort," the man replied. "I have the bodies of Jonathan Hayes and Tyler Mackie waiting for you," he explained, leading the pair over to where both victims' bodies were lying on tables.
"Jonathan Hayes' injuries are significantly more severe compared to Mackie's," Emily said, looking over both bodies. "Did the other two victims look similar to Mackie?"
"Yes," Frank replied. "In fact I would say that the injuries were practically identical up until Hayes here. It's like the guy just went nuts."
"That's probably because Hayes was still alive while he was being beaten, unlike the other three victims," Rossi explained. "Probably had to work harder in order to keep Hayes down; repeatedly hitting him until he finally lost consciousness."
"So he kills the first three men for whatever reason, by hitting them in the back of the head, then beats them when they're already dead," Emily said, stating all they knew about their unsub. "Not completely satisfied, he escalates to literally beating Jonathan Hayes to death, and judging by the amount of bruising and injuries on Hayes, he definitely enjoyed himself."
"Which means he's going to do it again," Rossi said. "And soon."
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The team all met up at the police station, going over what everyone found before interviewing other friends and family members of the victims, looking for any overlap between the 4 men who had been killed.
"Alright what do we have?" Hotch asked as the team once again gathered in one of the station's conference rooms later that day.
"All the victims are in their late 30s, all married, no children, and all extremely fit," Morgan began.
"All the families said the victims were avid gym goers," JJ pointed out. "And they all played some form of recreational sport."
"These were all strong, men," Emily said. "They would have been able to handle themselves in a fight, meaning they must not have seen the unsub coming."
"Also means they didn't view the unsub as a threat," Rossi added. "Their guards were down."
"Could be that the unsub isn't all that fit. He's probably small, and most likely the same age as our victims," Morgan said.
"He probably feels emasculated by these men, might have felt this way his whole life," Emily said.
"Reid how does our geographic profile look?" Hotch asked, turning his attention towards the young genius, who stood up and made his way over to his map.
"All four men were found within this circle," Reid said pointing to the red circle he had drawn on the map. "All four also live within these parameters, which could mean the unsub follows them for some time before he kills them."
"Where is he choosing his victims though?" Rossi questioned.
"Between the 4 men they were members of 3 different gyms, Hayes and our second victim Eathan Jacobs, both members of the same gym," Reid explained. "All 3 gyms are within this circle as well. Considering how important fitness was to these men, I would say it's likely that the unsub find his victims there."
"Morgan, call Garcia and have her get any information she can on members of all 3 gyms," Hotch ordered. "It's a long shot, but have her see if there's anyone who comes up as a member of all 3. We'll go to the gyms tomorrow and talk to the workers there, see if they can tell us anymore about our victims. We'll present the profile in the morning." He finished, dismissing the team for the night.
Morgan went to call Garcia, while everyone else gathered their files, waiting for Morgan to return so they could head to the hotel.
"Garcia will have the search done before we head out in the morning," Morgan said a few minutes later when he returned to the conference room. "She also said our hotel is pretty booked up, so we'll be doubling up again."
"Alright well we might as well take 3 cars back so we can head to each gym in pairs tomorrow before we come back here," Hotch said. "Everyone should get some rest."
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"You want to order room service when we get back?" JJ asked Emily on their drive to the hotel, the blonde driving while Emily text Alex to see if she could call her from the passenger's seat.
"That sounds good," Emily replied. "I just want to get out of these clothes and get in a nice comfy, warm, bed."
"Well we're staying at a hotel, so I doubt the bed will be as comfortable as your bed, but I'm sure it'll be warm," JJ laughed.
"Ugh, I so didn't miss hotel beds," Emily replied with a laugh, just as her phone began to ring. "It's Alex," she said before picking up. "Hey kid."
"Hey," Alex replied happily. "How goes it in Boston?"
"Well it's going," Emily replied, not wanting to go into detail with her teenager. "How was school?"
"It was good," the teen replied. "I got an A on that algebra test I took last week and my English teacher told me I did really well on my paper."
"That's great sweetie!" Emily replied with a smile. "How's everything at the Hastings?"
"It's good," Alex said. "Spencer had debate team after school today so Melissa brought me home so I could get my homework done, and then we all had dinner."
"I hope you're being polite," Emily said. "Don't forget to say thank you."
"I know," Alex laughed. "Are you done working for the night?"
"I am," Emily replied. "I'm just heading back to the hotel with JJ now."
"Oh HI JJ," Alex yelled loud enough for JJ to hear; Emily pulling the phone away from her ear with a laugh.
"Hi Alex," JJ called back when Emily held the phone towards her.
"What are your plans for the rest of the night?" Emily asked.
"I think we're just going to watch some T.V," the young brunette explained. "Spencer still has some homework to finish up, so we probably won't do much."
"Well that sounds like a good plan," the Profiler said. "Well we're just pulling in to the hotel, so I better get going," she said, wishing she could keep the teen on the line longer. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Alex replied. "Well…be safe,"
"I will," Emily replied. "And you be good."
"I will," Alex said, her smile evident in her voice. "Love you."
"Love you too," Emily replied, smiling as she hung up the phone.
"Well don't you look happy," JJ said, looking over and seeing the goofy grin on her friend's face.
"I told you, I am," Emily replied, still smiling. "I have an amazing kid."
"Yes you do," JJ agreed with a smile of her own, loving this new side of her best friend.
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JJ checked everyone into their room, passing out keys before they all headed towards the elevator, making their way to the 3rd floor where all their rooms were.
"Reid and I are gonna check out the diner down the street, anyone want to come?" Morgan asked when they were all in the elevator.
"I need to call Haley," Hotch declined.
"I'm meeting an old friend," Rossi said, checking a message on his phone.
"A female friend?" Morgan asked with a laugh.
"Maybe," Rossi replied, his attention never leaving his phone.
"What about you ladies? You two going to accompany me and Pretty Boy here?" Morgan asked, turning his attention towards Emily and JJ who were standing at the back of the elevator.
"No thanks," Emily replied. "I'm going to stick with room service."
"Me too," JJ agreed just as the elevator reached their floor, and the team got off, all heading towards their separate rooms.
"Well if anyone changes their minds you know where to find us," Morgan called out as JJ swiped their keycard to get into their room.
"He's probably worried about having to listen to Reid spout off facts all through dinner," Emily laughed as JJ stepped aside to let her in.
"Probably," JJ laughed, following the brunette into the room. "You know he claims Reid quotes statistics in his sleep…" JJ continued, walking right into Emily, having not noticed that the brunette had stopped walking. "Em what the….oh," she said looking up to see that Emily was staring at the single queen-sized bed that resided in the room.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Emily asked, closing her eyes and reopening them, willing another bed to appear.
"Well Garcia did say the hotel was pretty full," JJ replied. "This must be all they had left."
"Do you think all our rooms are like this?" Emily asked.
"For Morgan's sake I really hope not," JJ laughed, imagining Reid and Morgan being forced to share a bed. "You're okay with this right? I mean it's not a big deal."
"What?" Emily asked, clearly lost in thought. "Oh yeah it's fine," she replied, really not feeling fine. "It's not like we've never shared a bed before."
"Exactly," JJ smiled, putting her bag down on the left side of the bed, knowing Emily usually slept on the right. "I promise not to hog the covers as long as you promise not to kick me."
"Deal," Emily laughed, willing herself not to over think this situation.
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JJ and Emily spent the rest of the night, relaxing, both taking showers before they ordered dinner and chose a mindless movie to enjoy for the night. JJ had fallen asleep before the movie ended, Emily spending the remainder of the movie watching the blonde sleep, in awe of her friend's beauty. When the movie finally ended the brunette decided she better get some rest, turning off the TV before lying down next to the blonde, who seemed to gravitate towards her warmth, curling up a little bit closer to Emily in her sleep. Emily watched JJ for a little bit longer until her eyes would no longer stay open, allowing sleep to take her.
The pair had been asleep for a few hours when Emily's phone began to ring waking both women from their peaceful slumber. Emily began to blindly reach for her phone, while JJ groaned from beside her, turning over and burying her face into her pillow.
"Hello?" Emily answered, to tired to check who was calling.
"Emily?" Came the quiet reply, as the caller sniffed, clearly crying.
"Alex?" Emily asked, sitting up now fully awake, hearing her daughter crying on the other end of the phone. "Honey what happened? What's wrong?"
At the brunette's panicked tone, JJ quickly sat up, turning on the bedside lamp, looking over at her friend to find her gripping her phone tightly, looking anxious.
"I…I had a nightmare," Alex sniffed quietly. "I'm sorry…I didn't…I didn't want to call but…but I needed…"
"I know honey, I know," Emily interrupted, wishing she wasn't so far away from the teen at this moment. "It's okay, I told you, you can call anytime."
"I needed to hear your voice," Alex said, her breathing beginning to calm down. "I just couldn't shake the dream."
"Do you want to tell me about it?" Emily asked, meeting JJ's concerned eyes, reaching out and grabbing her friend's hand.
Emily listened as the teen told her about her dream, all the while JJ held onto her hand, drawing comforting circles on her palm. The longer she talked, the better Alex began to sound, reaching the end of the dream, explaining that she had run to Spencer's bathroom, so as not to wake her current roommate.
"Are you okay?" Emily asked when the teen had fallen quiet.
"I think so," Alex replied. "Sorry I woke you, I just needed to know you were okay."
"You don't have to apologize for that," Emily assured her. "I'm glad you called."
"I should probably get back to bed," Alex said, sounding very much like hanging up was the last thing she wanted to do. "I don't want to wake Spencer up."
"Okay, well you call me if you need me," Emily replied.
"I will."
"I love you kiddo," Emily said, her voice thick with emotion.
"Love you too," Alex replied quietly before hanging up.
"Is she okay?" JJ asked when Emily hung up, releasing the brunette's hand in order to rub her friend's back comfortingly.
"I think so," Emily replied, sounding exhausted. "She had a nightmare, she just wanted to make sure I was okay."
"And are you?" JJ asked. "Okay?"
"Yeah," Emily replied, shaking her head, while JJ continued to rub circles on her back. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm making the wrong choice. Like maybe I should have found another job. One that doesn't send my teenager into a panic."
"Hey, Alex has been through a lot," JJ said. "She's having a hard time, but she'll be okay, you guys just have to keep talking to each other like you are. You aren't making the wrong choice."
"I hope you're right," Emily said, looking up to meet JJ's gaze.
"Trust me, I am," JJ joked, a mischievous glint apparent in her eyes.
Emily laughed, her brown eyes locking with blue, as all her worries seemed to melt away under the gaze of the blonde in front of her. Both women were suddenly serious, their focus on nothing but each other's eyes, both lost in the moment. It wasn't until JJ let her eyes drift to the brunette's lips that the pair began to move, a magnetic like force pulling them towards each other until their lips finally met.