Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the story, this is my attempt of pretending I own it all.
A/N: To avoid all confusion, the next few chapters are going to be the team.
Basically what has gone on in the nine months JJ has been gone.
~ Five months in ~
Hotch looked over at the photograph on the board and shook his head, it had been five whole months, five whole months of hell. He looked down at the floor before walking over to the board, his eyes wandering over the name on the board before lifting up his hand to touch her beautiful face, that smile he was so sure he would never see again.
"She is still alive." He jumped at the voice behind him, surprised when he saw a red-eyed Penelope Garcia sitting down, he hadn't noticed her when he walked into the bullpen. He shook his head,
"Is she?"
"I can feel it, we're best friends... we tell each other everything. I know so much about her, she's like a little sister to me and I would do anything for her and vice versa. I know she is still alive."
"I hope so." She nodded, walking over to him, hesitating a moment before wrapping her arms around him. He sighed when he did the same to her, JJ's kidnapping had taking it's toll on everyone. Garcia and Emily had become closer since, spending almost every waking moment with each other, laughing about something JJ had told them once and thinking about all the good times they had together.
Morgan had isolated himself from everyone and anyone around him, he would sit at his desk and stare at the team photograph that had been taken on a night out that he and JJ had insisted they have about two weeks before she went missing. Morgan had his arms around JJ and both of them were completely drunk and grinning at the camera, the rest of the team were around them all smiling and laughing but JJ always seemed to stand out to everyone.
Reid sat on his own most of the time, talking to himself as he went over the case notes over and over again, writing down something every now and again but otherwise coming up with nothing.
Rossi locked himself in his office and hardly ever came out, they all knew he was in there looking up the case over and over again – just like Reid.
Hotch had taken three months off and spent the whole time with Jack. Haley had known JJ and she knew how heartbroken her ex husband was over the possibly dead woman, she had let him take him off on holiday for the whole time with no complaint. They all thought he would come back changed, a little happier and ready to start new cases but he came back worse.
He would lock himself in the office with a photograph of him and JJ with Jack at the beach, it had only been taken a few days before she went missing – just before the case. He would touch her face lightly, looking into her eyes as she smiled and tried to read her eyes, just in case there was something there.
He would look over the files trying to find something someone else may have missed, always coming up empty handed. He would come out of his office, not looking or speaking to anyone else in the building as he walked into the bullpen – the same times every single day, six times – and he would stare at the board, looking for something new but never seeing anything. He would smile a little at her photograph before locking himself in his office again.
He held back the tears now as Garcia held him, she sniffled a little before pulling away and looking at the photograph of her best friend.
"She's going to be okay, we will find her." She whispered before walking out and into her own office where she spent most of her time nowadays.
Strauss looked at the BAU as she walked through the office, frowning when she thought about what she was going to do. She had a heart, but she knew this was for the best. She needed the BAU back and it was never going to happen unless they snapped out of the depression the whole team had found themselves in for the past five months.
She shook her head before calling all of them to her office, biting down on her lip as she tried to think of the reactions. She sighed when they all knocked on her door only five minutes later, none of them sitting when she asked.
She looked at every single one of them before sighing and looking down at the desk,
"I need you off the Jareau case." She finally said,
"We are closing the case." She bit down on her lip, waiting for the shouts of anger, surprised when none came. Tears fell down all their faces but they looked down at the ground to hide them,
"What if we refuse to stop working it?" Emily finally asked, looking up at the woman and shaking her head,
"Then I am afraid that all of you will not be able to work here anymore."
"Fine with me, it's not the BAU without JJ anyway." Morgan muttered,
"I am not giving up on her." Reid whispered,
"You can't make us stop looking for her." Garcia looked at the woman and shook her head, there was on way in hell she was ever going to give up on her best friend.
"I am never going to give up on her, it could be a whole ten years and I will still look for her." Rossi slammed his hand down on the desk, causing them all to jump a little. Hotch nodded,
"I am afraid you're going to have to fire us then." Strauss nodded,
"I want all of you to hand in your guns and badges now." They nodded, taking them off and putting them on her desk,
"We won't stop looking." Hotch muttered before walking out of there, his head held high as his team followed him.