Here's another chapter!
In this one I revealed a little about Vivian and also wrote about the dynamics of her relationship with her teammates.
It is not much but at least it is something...
Do read and review!
[I apologize for any typing errors and grammatical mistakes!]
"Stop! Don't shoot him!" a young girl in her early teens screamed at the top of her voice only to go unheard. The gun shots ricocheted making her wince at every shot fired.
"No! No! No! He's innocent..." she wailed as the man being shot dropped to the floor. She opened her teary eyes to the blurred image of the man reaching out to her. She dragged herself across the floor, towards him. She could hear somebody screaming in the background. It was an angry voice demanding the officers why they hadn't waited for a confirmation.
She pushed the gun in her path to a side. That wretched gun! Only if he hadn't been holding it!
She held his hand and wiped the blood off his face, "Why?" Why did you do this?" She was angry.
"It's better this way.. It is.." Those were the last words he had spoken before she was scooped up and away from the limp body lying in front of her. "No! Daddy! Daddy!"
Vivian was suddenly out of breath. She gasped for breath one last time and woke up with a start. She was drenched in sweat, cold and shivering. She rubbed her forehead and sighed. She looked around to find herself in her bed. The memory of Garcia helping her into bed came back to her.
Vivian found her phone on the night stand as she turned on the light. She checked how late it was. The clock showed 3 AM and several missed calls and messages, most of them from Reid. She got out of her bed and stepped into the living room to find Garcia sleeping on the couch rather uncomfortably. She decided to wake her up and offer her the bed. There was really no need for Garcia to take the couch when there was enough room for both of them in the bed. She figured Garcia had been working late and wondered if the team had solved the case.
The buzzing of her phone startled Vivian. Reid again. A smile crept onto her lips as she answered the call. "I'm so sorry Reid," she said, "I should've called right away."
"I am just glad you're okay. I thought you'd be sleeping..."
"That didn't stop you from calling me though.." she let out a soft chuckle and Reid relaxed.
"We'll be there in about an hour. You should get some sleep."
"Sleeping is all I've done. So did you guys get the list?" Vivian asked as she slid down to the floor. She sat there cross legged leaning against the wall facing the book shelf that Reid and Vivian had arranged three months ago.
"Yes we did. His execution would go on as scheduled."
"How come you guys didn't stay for the execution?"
"Hotch didn't think it was necessary... Did you eat anything Vivian? You sound very weak.."
"Nah.. I am fine. I am just groggy from all the sleep.. Anyways see you when you're back here. Bye," she said and cut the call. Weak.. Weak, she was becoming weak. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "You've got to be strong", she told herself, "You have to stay strong."
She turned her head to see Garcia sleeping soundly. A smile reappeared on her lips. When she was assigned to the BAU, Vivian never thought that she would be welcomed so warmly into the team. Even the tough looking unit chief was one of the kindest men she had ever met.
In the three months all she had found was warmth and friendship; especially, from Emily Prentiss. Vivian knew that the team had doubts about her sudden appointment. In fact so did Vivian. Emily should've reacted quite differently, for even Vivian was sure that she was there to replace Prentiss, which she dearly hoped not. Of course Emily wasn't a kid. She was a professional. It wasn't long before Vivian was able to build a rapport with the older woman.
And JJ.. She was fun. Though not officially, Vivian had taken over the empty spot of their Media Liaison and JJ was more than glad to help her out. JJ worked with her, familiarizing her with their local PD contacts and other necessary contact information. Garcia had become a good friend too, surprisingly fast. They spoke about anything and everything.
Chasing two unsubs down in the busy streets of Queens with Morgan about a month ago was something Vivian would never forget. They had to split up and chase them down without any surveillance's support in those maze like alleys. It was a matter of life and death for the victim and they were running short on time. It was that race against time that helped her gain Morgan's trust, in fact got them to trust each other. It was one hell of a bloody chase! Both literally and figuratively!
She continued staring at the book shelf as her mind wandered back to the day Reid kept his word about helping her with the books.
Three months ago…
Vivian heard a knock on her door as she sat down on the couch to enjoy a nice coffee. It was almost nine thirty in the morning and Hotch had let the team take the day off. Even Vivian, since he knew she had just moved to D.C.
"God! Now what?" she frowned and walked to the door irritated. She peeked through the peephole to see Reid standing there. She was mildly surprised before she realised why he was there.
She opened the door with a grin, "I didn't think you'd come."
"Well, I gave you my word," Reid said and entered. He couldn't deny that he wasn't at ease but it wasn't awkward either.
"We'll start as soon as I'm done with my coffee. You?" she offered him. He refused, "I just had some. I am trying to reduce my caffeine intake which is turning out to be unhealthy. Do you know? Caffeine stimulates your central and sympathetic nervous systems, resulting in an elevation of the stress hormones released by your pituitary, adrenal and hypothalamus glands. These hormones can cause short-term spikes in your blood pressure by raising both your systolic and diastolic pressures. Also, the release of stress hormones causes your body to enter a state similar to a fight or flight response, causing blood to be redirected from your stomach and digestive system and potentially causing indigestion."
Vivian sat there, with her mouth slightly open, her coffee mug stopping mid air, halfway to her lips. Reid who had been observing the living room while talking, now turned to Vivian who was struggling to find a response. He quirked his eyebrows and said, "That's just a study. One of many…"
"Yeah, one of many..." Vivian said slightly nodding her head with a hint of smile on her lips and went back to finishing her coffee.
Once she was done, she dragged three boxes full of books towards the empty shelves. "This is just the beginning…" Vivian said and sat down beside one of those boxes. Reid settled down beside the box labeled Encyclopedias and Journals.
"You have quite the collection," he said, "Some of these seem to date back to the sixties and fifties." He pulled out a few more hardbound books, most of them being medical journals. "Were your parents doctors?"
"Huh?" Vivian looked up from her box surprised, "Those journals? They belong to my grandfather. He was a doctor. Family heirlooms you see. So be careful." She said smiling. "Yeah sure," Reid said sorting them out by date of publication, "I will." He looked at her for a moment as she continued to sort the books from the box of Classics. She never answered his question about her parents. He did see in her filethat both her parents were deceased, but it never mentioned their occupation. He shrugged his doubts away and decided not to profile his colleague. He better not. It was none of his business.
"When you said you read a lot, I never thought you would have your own personal library at home. Will these two book shelves be sufficient?" Reid asked as he arranged the contents of the second box, which was a humongous collection of Modern Literature. Vivian chuckled, "This collection is a gift from my parents and my grandparents. I try my best to take as many books as I can with me wherever I go. Most part of this library is in Mendocino, California."
"Mendocino? Are you serious?" Reid asked as his eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, my grandfather owned a vacation home there. The local library guards my grandfather's collection now."
"What about your parents?" Reid asked casually. He mentally kicked himself for not being able to contain his curiosity.
"My parents? They were scientists," she said turning away and picking up few more books. She walked up to the second shelf and placed the books in her hand in the top row. "I was fifteen when they were killed in a home invasion. My aunt and uncle took me in."
"I am sorry," Reid said, feeling bad for probing into a delicate matter. "They've defined my life Reid. My life as it was and as it is today," Vivian said with a sad smile.
Reid nodded and said, "I am sure your parents would be proud of you. Not many can pull themselves through something like that."
Vivian remained silent. Only if he knew… She shook her head and returned to the task at hand. Every book that came out of the boxes became a topic of discussion. It was only when Vivian reminded Reid that if they didn't stop talking and continue working they would never finish the shelves that they moved to the next set of boxes. Vivian and Reid realised that had lot in common when it came to books and were worlds apart when it came to social life.
About two hours later they were almost done when Reid threw himself on her couch, tired, with a vintage edition of Pride and Prejudice in his hands. "How many editions of this book do you have?"
Vivian looked at him sheepishly, "Six I guess… I love that book."
"Yeah you seem to enjoy romances," Reid observed. "Absolutely!" Vivian's face lit up, "What's life without a little romance?"
Reid immediately wondered about her love life, which made him think about his own. Disheartened, he turned his attention to the chess board, with an unfinished game on the dining table. "Do you play?"
Vivian looked at it seriously and said, "Oh no I just use it to serve drinks and such." Reid chuckled and Vivian continued, "Care to play a game?"
"Sure," Reid said getting up from the couch. Vivian clapped her hands, "Great! I'll get the board ready." Just when she was about to rearrange the pawns their phones buzzed. "Work beckons…" Reid waved his phone.
Vivian slumped in disappointment and looked at the clock. It was half past twelve. "Fine," she sighed, "Let's grab some lunch on the way. My treat."
When Reid hesitated she jerked her thumb in the direction of the shelves, "Token of gratitude."
"Okay…" Reid shrugged, "Ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" She looked at him shocked, "Seriously? Make it twenty."
"That's fast too…" Reid said and exited the house.
Chess games on the weekends and occasional dinners together on their way home from work became a part of their routine. Reid often talked about old cases and Vivian about her life in bureau, which wasn't much. So most of the time all Vivian would do is to listen and learn. But, neither of them spoke about anything personal. They chose to keep it that way.
Rebecca was the only personal detail pertaining to Vivian's life that Reid knew. He happened to run into them one evening while heading out. Vivian had introduced Rebecca to him and they spoke for a few minutes. That was probably because Rebecca herself was a student of psychology and had a lot of questions for the BAU agent. Seeing her enthusiasm Vivian invited Reid to join them for dinner and Reid politely refused.
"Too bad..." Vivian said, "I was cooking."
"Good for me then. Right?" Reid asked Rebecca taunting Vivian. Rebecca laughed and nodded in agreement to which Vivian pouted.
Reid smiled at his newfound friend and left, giving Rebecca his best wishes. Vivian was inclined to ask if he was going out on a date but didn't when she observed that he wasn't dressed for it. That, however, didn't keep her from wondering about the long walks he often went on.
[Present time]
The memory of the night Rebecca had dinner at her place brought back all the grief. She sighed. She was determined not to cry. Crying wouldn't bring Becky back, she told herself.
Vivian got up and walked towards Garcia, "Pen... Penelope.. Get up." She shook Garcia's shoulder and the tech genie got up yelling. "You can't beat me you son of a b*****!"
"Whao! Are you okay?" a startled Vivian stepped back.
"Oh crap!" Garcia face palmed, "I don't believe I'm dreaming about him now!"
"You certainly didn't sound like you were enjoying it..."
"Oh I hate that bastard. There's this guy in this online game I play. And he keeps messing with me. That cheating asshole!" Garcia balled her fist and slammed it against the couch.
Vivian rolled her eyes and pulled Garcia up, "If he annoys you so much teach him a lesson. Do your hacking thing..."
"I've tried it," Garcia whined, "He is just too smart for that!"
"Oh… You better be careful then. Use your own connection this time. You deal with important bureau stuff every day," Vivian said walking towards the bedroom grabbing a bottle of water on the way.
"Absolutely! Oh the horrors if he gets hold of any info…" Garcia stopped mid sentence and frowned, "Wait a minute. What did you say?"
"What..?" Vivian asked perplexed. Didn't she offend Garcia somehow? She definitely didn't mean to.
"This time…?" Garcia narrowed her eyes at Vivian, "How do you know?"
"Oh.. that…" Vivian fumbled, "Reid..! Reid and I we were talking about old, interesting cases solved by the team. That's when he told me about the Fisher King case…"
"Oh…" Garcia sighed, "That was humiliating and that case…it turned somebody's life around…" Garcia said thinking about Elle.
"Who…?" Vivian asked.
"Elle… Elle Greenaway. Whatever, you got some sleep?" Garcia said avoiding any further details, again.
"Yeah.. I did. And you better get some sleep too." Vivian said handing Garcia a comforter.
The next day...
[Vivian's POV]
I tried to concentrate on the file before me but the call that I got earlier had already spoiled my day, although the news I got was exactly what I had anticipated. Will had called to tell me that police have ruled out accidental death in light of new evidence they are now treating it as a homicide. Blood boiled in my veins. Who was that son of a bitch? Kill Rebecca... How could anyone...? I clutched the papers so hard that they crumpled and almost tore off. I shut my eyes tight and took a deep breath. My sister was murdered! And they expect me to not interfere? No way in hell!
I know I gave Will my word that I would not interfere, but I couldn't just sit there doing nothing. I was an FBI agent for god's sake! My job did have some perks. What can the Captain do if I use one them? That's it. I'll talk to the Captain.. Oh yes I will.
I stepped out of JJ's old office, which I used whenever I had to go through files and pick cases, which Hotch would go over again before making the final call. I walked past Reid who was perhaps coming to talk to me. I didn't bother to return his "hey" nor did I bother to answer Emily's "are you okay?"
I was about to enter the lift when I felt a tug on my arm. I turned around swearing only to bite my tongue upon seeing who it was. Hotch! Damn! He looked angry, almost as enraged as I was. And that was pretty scary.
"Where are you going Vivian?" he asked sternly, letting go of my arm.
"To the precinct," I said. I didn't bother to lie because I knew I'd need his help and lying never helps when it comes to our Unit Chief SSA Aaron Hotchner. He continued to look at me, his eyebrows knit into a frown.
"She was murdered Hotch," there was a slight tremble in my voice. As the news dawned upon him his eyes widened, "I am so sorry."
"I just can't let this go Hotch... I need to do something..." I could feel myself breaking down. My body felt weak all of a sudden.
"Do they have any leads yet?"
"They found sleeping pills in her system, which appear to have been in a normal dosage. They were ingested on the night of the murder!" I cried out, "How could she have injected Oxycodone into her system if she had already taken the pills? Also what's the point in taking sleeping pills if you wanted to get high?" Hotch tried to calm me down. "Hotch is there any way?" I asked knowing well that Hotch understood what I was asking for.
"Did you talk to Will?" Hotch asked, leading me back into the office. "Sit down," he said pointing at the chair that Emily just gave up for me.
"Yes I did. But he's not sure if he'd be able to convince their Chief," I said shaking my head in disapproval, "Why is their chief being such a pain?"
"Because it is not in our jurisdiction," Reid cut in. Despite the obvious spike of my anger, I couldn't disagree with him. "We are the BAU. We deal with serial killers not singular homicides. Unless he invites us in we can't claim the case," Reid put it rather bluntly. "I am very sorry. But that's how it is," he paused looked at Hotch briefly and said, "Unless Hotch gives you a, you know, leeway."
"Reid!" Hotch shot him a glare and Reid looked away.
"What I think is you should let Will do his job," Hotch said his voice turning softer. I looked at him worried. "Will is an excellent detective Vivian. Put yourself in his shoes. He'd expect a little trust."
My mind told me to listen to Hotch but my heart? It was an entirely different story! I wanted to be out there hunting down my Becky's killer but I couldn't! Hotch was right about putting myself in Will's shoes. Just because the victim's sister was an FBI agent I wouldn't and couldn't just handover the investigation to her. But, rational thinking isn't exactly one of my strong points right now.
I nodded and covered my face with my hands. I looked up at Hotch and said, "Will said he'd call me back after all the evidence is processed."
"We need to be patient until then," Emily said placing a hand on my shoulder, "Remember, you're not alone in this."
The others nodded in agreement. "Be strong. We will find out who did this," Hotch assured me.
"Thanks!" I was genuinely grateful to them. What relationship did we have? For how long have they known me? Three months? Yet, I find them here with me. Just like a family, supporting me, sharing my pain.
"Anyways, we have a case," I said getting up. If this is how it was going to be, so be it. I have found my strength, my team. I swear to God, I am going to nail whoever killed my little sister and make sure they suffer in hell!
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