When Nothing Goes as Planned
Week 20
On her way over to the precinct Emily had called Hotch, but he had not answered his phone. She guessed that he was either really busy or had seen her name on the caller ID and did not want to get yelled at. But when she got there Hotch was not anywhere to be found and neither was Morgan, so she figured that he was not actually ignoring her. Emily went into the office they had been giving to work in and found JJ and Reid going over the case with the college girls while Dave was working on Simone's case. As Emily sat down by the table JJ looked up from the file she was reading with a guilty look on her face. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.
"Why would she be mad at you?" Reid asked.
Emily shook her head. "No," she told JJ and then she turned to Reid. "You don't wonder why I'm here two and a half hours later than the rest of you?"
"Because you're pregnant," Reid answered simply.
"Because I'm pregnant?" Emily said trying not to sound offended.
"Yes, you need more sleep, because you're pregnant. You see it takes a lot of energy to grow a baby and you are growing two. Also your heart is working five times harder during the pregnancy just to keep enough blood flowing through your body and your babies' bodies. Plus your kidneys are working harder to expel waste products from your body, too. And to top it off, a surge in the hormone progesterone contributes to your fatigue," Reid told her. "So I'm guessing you were here late, because you were sleeping."
"Fatigue?" JJ asked, looking at Reid with a raised eyebrow. "Why couldn't you just say tired or exhausted?"
Reid just looked confused back at JJ while Dave and Emily laughed. When the laugher died out Emily asked, "Where's Hotch and Morgan?"
"They left a few minutes ago to speak with Allan Bryce, the psychology professor," Dave told her. Emily nodded and rose from the chair, walking to the whiteboard. One side of it was covered in pictures and notes from the "college girls" case and on the other side hung some notes and a few pictures from the "Simone Hartmann" case. They still did not have much evidence to work out from except the description of the kidnapper's car. "This is new," Emily said, moving a magnet of a picture, taking it from the whiteboard.
"Simone's mother gave it to us, it's-" Dave started to tell her, but Emily cut him off.
"It's Simone's sibling, June, Kian and Sheila."
"How did you know?" JJ asked surprised.
Emily looked at her. "I just met them," she said, "they are staying at the same place we are. The boy, Kian, actually ran into me as I was coming out of our room. They were going for ice cream." She looked back down at the photo. It's showed all four children in a garden, wearing white. The two oldest girls were wearing white dresses – Simone's knee long with puff sleeves and June's long and strapless – sitting on chairs next to each other with Sheila sitting in June's lap and Kian standing behind the girls in the space between the chairs. The picture was not what you would expect. Yes the setting and lighting was perfect and the children were smiling, but none of them had been looking at the camera was the picture had been taking. Simone and Sheila were looking at each other as the little girl was pulling on a string of Simone's dark hair but a big smile on her face. The smile on Simone's smile looked kind of painful, while June and Kian were laughing and trying to get the girl to left go of the hair.
"Isn't it a bit early for ice cream?" Reid asked.
JJ hit him lightly on the back of the head. "Is that all you have to say?"
"What?" Reid asked, but JJ just shook her head and instead asked, "Can I see the photo?" Emily handed it to her and she looked at it for a moment. "Do all 4 kids have the same parents?" she asked.
"They do," Dave said.
"Huh, I wouldn't have thought that."
"Why not?" Reid asked.
"Well, because of the big age gap and then because the two oldest have dark hair while the others have blonde hair," she said, handing the picture back to Emily.
"True and it's probably something they are often asked" Emily said, hanging the photo on its place on the whiteboard and then sat down in the chair she had been sitting in earlier. "Has anyone talked with the parents yet?"
"Hotch did as soon as we got in," Dave said. "The parents had been waiting for someone to tell them what was going on since 5 in the morning."
Emily sighed and ran a hand over her stomach. "What a nightmare their live has turned into."
/
Simone opened her eyes and looked around the room. She thought she had heard something, but everything was still quite, so she closed her eyes again and hugged the pillow tighter.
"Hello?"
The sound of the simple word startled Simone so much that she actually jumped out of the bed, throwing the pillow on the floor. She looked at the door without moving, afraid that her movement would drown out any new words spoken to her.
"Simone? Are you still there?"
Simone quickly moved across the room to the door and pressed her ear against it. "I'm right here," she said quietly, afraid that the man might figure out that she was wake if she talked too loudly.
"He didn't lock it."
"What?" Simone asked confused.
"The door," the woman said, her voice hoarse. "My door, he didn't lock it when he left."
Simone quickly turned the door handle, opening the door wide ready to step inside, but she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. Where her room was full of natural light and all white and pretty, this room was dark and dirty. The only light came from a small lamp in the corner that gave the room a slightly yellow glow and that made it just possible for Simone to see the bed that stood in opposed corner. On it laid the woman whose voice Simone had heard through the door. Her hands were tied with small a chain to the headboard, and because she was only wearing underwear Simone could see the many bruises that covered her body. She did not know if they were at dark as they looked or if it was just because of the light in the room.
"Please help me," she begged and before slowly walking into the room, Simone went back to her room to grab a few books to place in front of the door so it would not close, giving her the light she needed to see the woman's face better. When she got to the head of the bed Simone saw that the woman was not as old as she sounded. She looked to be around the same age as her big sister. "What do you want me to do?" Simone asked, kneeing by the bed.
"See if you can somehow get the chain open or at least get it free from the headboard," she told her as she pulled at the chain, trying to break through the wooden headboard. Simone gently laid her hand on top of hers, making her stop pulling at the chain. "I will try," Simone said, getting up from the floor. She looked at the chain. It were thin, but not thin enough that she would be able to break it. Maybe there was something she could do to the headboard. The chain ran through two heart shaped holes, but they were a good 16 inches apart and the wood was thick, so somehow getting through seemed somewhat impossible. Simone sat back down on her feet. "I don't think there's anything I can do," she said, looking away. "Sorry."
"It's not your fault," she said with a sigh.
Simone nodded slowly and felt shivers of cold run through her body. She wrapped her arms around herself, looking back at the young woman. "You must be cold."
"I am," she said, her voice sounding thick with sadness and Simone saw that she was crying. The tears ran down the side of her face and into her ears. Simone got off the floor and started walking out of the room. "Where are you going?" she asked panicked.
Simone stopped at the door, looking back. "I thought I would bring you something to keep you warm."
"Okay."
Simone nodded and went into her room. She pulled the pink cover of the bed and grabbed one of the pillows. On her way back Simone noticed something red under the staircase. She walked over and saw it was her red backpack that she had had with her when the man grabbed her. For the first time since this nightmare had begun Simone felt herself smile. She bent down and grabbed the bag, before walking back into the room, where she place the pillow under the young woman's head and covered her body with the pink blanket.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome," Simone said and sat down on the side of the bed with her backpack in her lap. She tucked the blanket in around her a little more. "What's your name?"
"Jennifer. Jennifer Young."
"That's a pretty name," Simone said with a small smile.
"Yours are too. Simone isn't a name you hear often here."
"It is in Denmark."
"Is that where you are from?" Jennifer asked and Simone nodded, opening her backpack. "What's in the bag?"
"My things," Simone said, pulling out a purple long sleeved shirt. She put in on and then took out her pencil case. She opened it and sat in bed to her on the bed, before taking out her sketch book.
Jennifer looked curiously at every movement Simone made. "I like to draw. I always have a pen with me where ever I go and if I don't have any paper to draw on, then I will just draw on myself."
"You draw on yourself?" Jennifer asked and it sounded almost like she was about to laugh.
"Yeah, but my mom doesn't like it when I do so," Simone said with a smile, but the mention of her mother quickly made her remember where she was and that she might never see her mom or family again. The smile faded from both of their faces and for a moment they were both quiet, but then Jennifer said, "You can draw on me."
Simone looked at her face. "Won't I hurt you?" she asked, thinking of the many bruises on Jennifer's body.
"Not more than it already does," Jennifer said just above a whisper, avoiding Simone's eyes.
Nodding slowly, Simone found a black pen in the pencil case and removed the lit. "What do you want me to draw? And where?"
"Just something pretty and it be on my back?" Simone nodded and Jennifer rolled over so she was lying on her stomach with her hands crossed over her head. Simone moved the blanket down so Jennifer's back was exposed, but she kept it tucked in at her sides, so that maybe she would not get too cold. Simone ran her fingers over a few dark bruises, making Jennifer shiver and then she started drawing. While she drew none of them said anything. Jennifer did not even ask what it was Simone was drawing, but after a sometime the silent became too much for her and Simone started humming the melody to "Once Upon a December".
Jennifer turned her head to the side so she could look over her shoulder at Simone. "Isn't that the song from the movie "Anastasia"?"
"You know it?"
Jennifer turned back around. "I loved the movie as a kid."
"It scared me when I was little, but I would still watch it all the time," Simone said. "And I love the songs. I think I can still remember the lyrics to all of them."
"Will you sing some of it to me?" Jennifer asked.
Simone stopped drawing. "I only know the words in Danish."
"That's okay."
"I'm really not good at singing. My mom says I'm completely tone deaf."
"Just sing to me," Jennifer begged.
Simone hesitated, but then started singing, "Dansebjørn, sort på hvidt. Ting jeg svagt kan erindre. Og en sang, sunget blidt. For længe siden, en vinter. I en favn, jeg hviler trygt. Alt er godt, her er ingen frygt. Danse lystigt sværmeri. Til mindets melodi." Simone started humming again, but when she was about to sing the next couple of lines she heard footsteps on the staircase. She could tell that Jennifer had heard them too, because her whole body had gone stiff.
The light from the door was blocked by the man's form. "You shouldn't be in here, doll," he said and Simone could feel him walking closer to them, but she was too afraid to turn around. "Why didn't you stay in your room?" Simone did not say anything; she just bowed her head and stayed completely still. "Answer me when I talk to you!" the man yelled and grabbed her around her upper arm. Simone looked up at him, but was too scared to anything and tears started falling from her eyes. "Stop crying!" he yelled and the hand around her arm tightened. When she did not do as she was told, he threw her of the bed.
Her left should, and head hit the wall and soon Simone's world turned black again, but before she lost consciousness completely Simone heard the man walking towards her as he said, "You should have stayed in your room, doll."
/
Emily walked out of the door to the women's bathroom and was on her way back to the office to work when she heard a small child cry. No one else seemed to react on the sound, so at first she thought it was just something she had imagined, but then through the window to an office she saw a dark haired woman walking back and forth whith a crying girl in her arms. Instead of ignoring what was going on – like everyone else seemed to do – Emily walked to the office. She knocked on the door lightly, before opening it. Even though the woman was still walking and the child kept crying, Emily recognized both of them. It's was Simone's mother and youngest sister, Iben and Sheila. Emily walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Iben stopped walking and looked at Emily. "Is there something new about my daughter?"
"Not yet I'm afraid." Iben nodded and started walking again. "Is there anything I can do?" Emily asked, mentioning to the crying child.
"I wish," Iben said with a sight. "I can't get her to stop crying. I have 4 children and I have been working with for 17 years, so I know who to make them stop crying, but I still can't make her stop. I have tried everything, but she just keeps crying!" She stopped walking and dried the tears that had made its way down her cheeks as she had talked of with the back of her hand.
"Here, sit down," Emily said, leading Iben to the couch on the other side of the room. They sat down and Sheila laid her head on her mother's chest, as Iben wrapped her arms her little girl. Sheila did not stop crying completely, but her cries calmed down and turned into sniffles and light hiccups. Iben ran her fingers up and down the child's back and a moment later she fall asleep. Iben sighed in relief and let her head fall back against the couch. "I never thought she would stop crying."
Emily gave her a sympathetic smile and said, "She may too young to understand what is going on, but she can feel it."
"I know," Iben said, sitting up a bit straighter on the couch.
"I'm Agent Emily Prentiss, by the way," she said reaching her hand out.
"I figured," Iben said, letting go of the girl with her right hand, so she could shake Emily's. Emily looked confused at her, so she quickly said, "June told me that she had talked to you at the motel."
"Oh," Emily said, not really knowing what else to say to that. "Had your husband go back to stay with the kids?"
Iben nodded. "Kian wanted his dad," she said and then sighed. "He doesn't really understand what is going on. He knows that we are here, because Simone is gone and we are waiting for you to find her, but he doesn't understand how serious this is. But why would he? He's only 7 years old." She closed her eyes to keep tears from falling.
"Maybe you should go back to the motel and get some sleep," Emily said.
Iben shook her head. "I already tried that, but I couldn't stand being there," Iben said, looking guilty at Emily. "Kim won't sit still. He just keeps walking around the room and Kian keeps asking when Moni is coming home and I don't know what to tell him. June is trying to be strong, but as soon as we could back to your room she handed me Sheila and then locked herself in the bathroom crying."
Emily laid a hand on Iben's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "It's very understandable that you had to get out of there. It's a lot of sadness in one room."
"I'm beginning to think that it was a mistake to bring the children here. But it was just, the thought of leaving them almost killed me, but now I think I was just being selfish."
Emily shook her head. "You're just afraid that something might happen to them if you're not there with them, like you weren't there with Simone. But that doesn't make you selfish, it makes you a mother."
Iben gave her a small smile. "I'm guessing you are speaking from experience," she said, mentioning to Emily's stomach.
Emily laid a hand on her stomach. The thought about her having to leave the girls at home while she left to work on a case was already half killing her and they weren't even born yet. "I can only imagine how hard it will be."
"Your first?" Emily nodded. "How far along are you?"
"20 + 6 weeks," Emily said, running her hand over her stomach. "Twin girls."
"Good luck with that," Iben said, laughing, but quickly stopped when Sheila started making noises. She comforted the girl to keep her from waking up and the looked at Emily. "Two teenagers in the house at the same time can be a handful."
Emily smiled. "You were smart there, getting the children that far apart."
"We were," Iben said, smiling. "I have a fun story to tell you."
"What?" Emily asked with a smile.
"Well Simone didn't think it was as funny as we did," Iben said.
"Go on, tell me what happened."
"Okay, we had been out shopping, and Kim put the bags in the trunk while I sat Sheila in her car seat and then we left. But a few minutes later a got a text from Simone saying, "Hey mom, what are you doing." So I just texted back that we had just left the mall and would me home in 10 minutes, and then she answered back, "Didn't you forget something?" The text really confused me and couldn't think of anything we would have forgotten to buy, so I wrote back, "What would that be?" and a moment later I got a very angry text back that said, "ME!" So we turned the car around and drove back to the mall to get her."
"Oh God! You forgot her," Emily said, laughing hard."
"We did and she was so mad at us, so to make her feel better Kim got her a butterfly necklace," Iben said with a smile. "It helped a lot, but she has used it against us from time to time."
Emily smiled and was just about to ask if Simone like butterflies when the office door was opened and Dave stepped instead. The look on his face told her that something had happened, something bad. "Will you excuse me for a moment," Emily asked, keeping the calm smile on her lips, so Iben would not notice that something was going on.
"Of course," she said smiling back at Emily as she walked out of the room. When Dave had closed the door behind her she let the smile drop and turned to face him. "What's going on?"
Dave sighed. "A body was just found matching Simone's description."
A/N – Link for "Once Upon a December" in Danish www . youtube w atch?v=BcKYBQ-wrpc
