A/N- Hey all! So another chapter is here for your entertainment! Teehee! This one is actually quite long, so I'm sorry if this bores anyone! A massive cookie and a thanks to anyone who reviewed, favourited, followed or even read this book. You guys are the best! xox
~MBL
6 HOURS SINCE MISSING
Once the two FBI agents made it back to the precinct, they told the rest of the team and the local PD of their new findings.
"And Miss. Brown refused to tell you the name of our UnSub?" Hotch asked, his voice showing a hint of bewilderment, yet his stoic face always showing no emotion.
JJ shook her head. "She said Holly- erm, Agent Green specifically asked her not to tell her any information about the crime. Not the location, not the name of our UnSub, not even Green's name."
Morgan ran a hand over his scalp. "Shouldn't she be asking for help, instead of falling right into this guy's hands?"
The blond in the room merely shrugged her shoulders in response. "There's something right in front of us, I can feel it."
Hotch turned to Reid. "Reid, are you able to get a geographical profile with regards to the known victims in the area? He might be comfortable in a certain area. Label one color for residence at the time, and another color for abduction sites. We need to get in this guy's head, and fast. He has a Federal Agent now, this has become a very high priority case."
Reid nodded quickly, his lanky figure exiting the bullpen and making his way into an office that contained many maps and diagrams of surrounding areas.
Hotch then turned to Rossi and Blake. "It's getting late, so we're going to work from the office, but tomorrow morning, I want you two to go the other victims' residences and find out as much information about our UnSub as you can. For now, I want you guys to help out Reid and try to get out a preliminary profile. It might not be much at this stage, but it's the best we can hope for."
The two older agents nodded, and hastily made their way to the office where the youngest agent was currently situated at, already making conversation about possible profiled traits.
"Morgan, JJ. The three of us are going to try to get a profile on Green. If we can figure out what type of person she is, then maybe we can figure out how he seemed to know her and why he has her now."
"Shouldn't I be helping Rossi, Blake and Reid in working out a geographical profile? JJ was her friend, she should have this down pat." Morgan inquired.
"A lot of things have happened in fifteen years, Morgan. I don't know her as well now than I did then." JJ muttered, looking down at the floor.
"And you do specialize in obsession crimes. This new information has led me to believe that our UnSub has an obsession with Agent Green, which could be divulged further into if we get an accurate profile on her." Hotch elaborated.
"Wait, hold on," JJ interrupted, holding out a hand. "You're saying he could have an obsession with her? What makes you think that?"
Hotch folded his arms across his chest. "All of the points of similarity between our known victims. I'm sure by now you've noticed that Agent Green has matched up with all of those points of similarity. I believe he has had this obsession with her for fifteen years, because they all also have a common age – eighteen. Also, look at Natalie Brown," He continued, pointing to a photo of the now found victim on the wall. "She has all of the points of similarity also, our UnSub must have known Green would be on this team and that we would take the case. He's been stalking her for years."
JJ all of a sudden felt sick to her stomach. "Do you think it might have been a message to her, once he found out the BAU were taking on the case, I mean. Like a 'come and get me' statement?"
"We'd have to assume so, until further evidence suggests otherwise." Hotch replied.
"But are we sure she wants to be found?" Morgan interrupted. Glancing between the Unit Chief and the former Media Liaison.
The latter scoffed at his words. "What are you implying, Derek?" Folding her arms across her chest.
In defense, the dark agent held up his hands, as if surrendering. "Hey, I'm just saying. What if she just vanished on us because she wanted to get caught by this guy? She wanted to disappear, or look like the hero if she caught him first and on her own. Are you sure we should even be looking for her?" Realizing just how the words had impacted the blond agent, who was glaring at him with her fists clenched, Morgan immediately doubled back.
"Look, Jayje, I didn't mean-"
"No, Morgan. I know exactly what you meant. You think because she had a moment of stupidity that she doesn't want to be found?" she shrieked, startling the Unit Chief and causing the three profilers to poke their heads out of the door. "You think she wanted to be taken by a man who sexually abuses his victims? You think she wanted to be raped? How dare you! How dare you accuse an FBI Agent of willingly going into the field to get captured, raped and god knows what, and for what? So she can be a hero? Not everyone is like you Derek! Not everyone needs to prove how superior they are! Or how much testosterone they have running through their veins! So don't you dare," she pushed her forefinger into his chest, causing the entire precinct to take steps forward, all alarmed at the usually composed agent's meltdown, "accuse my best friend of willingly putting herself in that sort of danger."
Morgan took a step back from the blond, her bright blue eyes burning with anger and regret. He knew he should just leave it there, but he had to ask the question that had been burning on his mind since the case began. "Are you sure she's your best friend, Jayje? You had known her for only three years, and hadn't even heard from her for fifteen. You said she was your sister, but I didn't see no sisterly reunion back at Quantico! You yelled at her, and she was getting ready to yell at you too! You even said so yourself just now that you don't really know her anymore. So are you really sure you still know her after all those years? Are you still sure you're her best friend? Her sister?"
Without warning, JJ took a step closer to Morgan, so that they were almost nose-to-nose. Before anyone could react, the loud sound of flesh on flesh could be heard, snapping Morgan's head sharply to the left. Before anyone could blink, she quickly departed the bullpen, and rushed to the ladies' room.
It took a few seconds for everyone to process what happened in the last five minutes. Hotch immediately turned to Morgan, rounding on him. "That was careless and tactless, Morgan. She's already freaking out about this case, blaming herself for Green's disappearance, and now you're questioning our victim, with no evidence to back up what you're saying. That was out of line, and if I see you pulling another stunt like that, or challenging one of our own agents, I will pull you off this case and make you do all the case files when we're done. Am I understood?"
Morgan nodded. Afraid to say any more for fear he'll make matters worse.
"Alright. Go get some ice for that, that'll bruise very quickly." Morgan hurried off, with another police officer leading him to the first aid kit. Turning around to his remaining profilers, he noticed all of them had small smirks on their faces, but all quickly wiped their faces blank when their Unit Chief shot them all a warning look. "Blake, I want you to talk to JJ, comfort her. She really needs a woman right now, and I'm worried that Garcia would get upset if she found out she slapped her – what does she call him? – 'Chocolate Adonis'."
Rossi was close to bursting into laughter at their stoic Chief's attempt at dry humor, earning a slap on the arm from the female brunette.
Blake walked away from the group of law enforcement, who were all still in shock, and entered the female bathroom. She noticed the blond leaning against the sink, looking absolutely disheveled, staring blankly at the mirror.
"Come to lecture me?" she asked, not bothering to turn around. Blake flinched at the tone of her voice. It was hoarse, as if she was crying, but was emotionless.
Blake took another step towards her. "I've come to learn how to perform a bitching slap like that!" she answered in awe.
JJ chuckled, but it didn't sound like it was even her chuckling. It was a dry, forced chuckle that didn't even turn up the corners of her lips.
"Why are you here, if not to lecture me?"
"I want to make sure you're okay." the brunette responded.
"I'm fine." JJ still hadn't taken her eyes off the mirror, still staring blankly at her own reflection.
"That's bullshit and we both know that." Black reprimanded. "Tell me how you really feel."
"You want to know how I feel?" JJ spat back, looking at the profiler for the first time, anger briefly flashing across her now dull blue orbs. "I feel helpless! I feel like everything is falling to shit around me and there's nothing I can do about it. I feel like I failed as a best friend, because this is probably what happened to her back then and I never saw it! I feel like a horrible person, because everyone around me seems to disappear or die! Take a look at Roz, my father, half my goddamn family, and Holly! I feel like I could've done more, but I never recognized the signs! I feel responsible, because I'm the one who called her parents to my house on her seventeenth birthday, and they die on the way home! I feel regret, because I recognized all of the signs of depression – heck, I went through it – and I did nothing! I let her abuse alcohol, and take drugs! And you know what I really feel? I feel mortified, because I can't afford to let my emotions getting in the way of this case, but if I keep them locked up inside, I feel like I'm going to explode at any minute!"
JJ finished off her rant, leaving her chest rising and falling rapidly and heavily. Blake just looked at her in shock. She had never expected the always calm, bright, bubbly former Media Liaison to snap like that. Blake just stared at her for a bit longer, allowing her to compose herself.
"Just like I exploded now," JJ whispered, shock crossing her features. "Alex, I'm so sorry."
Blake held up a hand. "I understand. I may not have been through what you're going through, and you have gone through a lot, but I understand. If you need anything, and I mean from someone to listen to you or even a tissue, you call and I'll be there for you." She walked up to the still panting agent, and with her thumbs, wiped away a few tears that had managed to fall from her eyes.
"Blake, do you think that-"
"Don't even think about it, Jayje. Morgan was just being an ass. He was just exploring all probabilities, but you and I both know that sometimes his head isn't always connected to that big mouth of his, and he says things before he even had time to register what he's saying." Blake's face split into a smile, with the corners of JJ's lips also slightly turning upwards. A familiar twinkle appeared in her bright blue eyes, but vanished as soon as it came.
"It is my fault?" she whispered, asking the same question she asked Rossi before she knew about the ordeal.
"Is it your fault that Green is currently in the hands of a psycho who could be doing god knows what? No, of course not!"
"She couldn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on. If we're right, and this UnSub did the same thing to Holly as he did to those girls," The blond's hands were once again clenched into fists. "All she did was leave me a letter telling me she was leaving. It told me to not bother looking for her. I had to just give up, and I let her push away all those she cared about."
Blake slowly brought the distraught woman in a tight embrace, something she did not do often. JJ let out a small gasp in shock, but quickly conformed to the warm embrace.
"I don't know why she didn't open up to you, JJ. But when we get her back, she is going to need you more than ever, even if she doesn't admit it. You need to promise to be there for her, throughout everything, and never letting her go again."
JJ nodded against Blake's chest, making a silent vow to Holly to find her and never let her do something so stupid again.
As slowly as she pulled into the embrace, Blake pulled out, cupping JJ's face with her hands. "Now come on, let's get you cleaned up."
"Do you reckon the team will be mad at me?"
"Please! They were almost laughing at Morgan." Blake replied with a laugh.
"How's his face?" JJ asked, worried that Morgan wouldn't be quite as forgiving.
"He'll be fine, just a bit of bruising, nothing to be worried about."
"I look like shit," the Pennsylvanian muttered, taking her reflection in properly for the first time.
"Ah, never doubt a female agent who just happens to think ahead!" Blake declared, bringing out JJ's small makeup bag from her own purse.
Gratefully, the blond grabbed the case and quickly started reapplying her makeup. "You're a life saver, you know that?" smacking her lips as she reapplied some subtle pink lip-gloss.
"I've been told that once or twice." replied the brunette, cocking her head to the side and splitting into a huge grin, which JJ reciprocated genuinely.
"Come on, let's get out of here." Blake offered.
JJ nodded, and followed the brunette out of the lavatory and back into the bullpen, where she saw Morgan and Hotch as one of the desks, while spotting Reid and Rossi in the office they were in some time ago.
Immediately, JJ walked up to Morgan.
"Listen Morgan, I-"
Morgan held up a hand, the other holding the ice against his cheek, interrupting her. "There's no need, Jayje. I was out of line, I didn't think before I threw around a theory and I apologize. She does want to be found, I wasn't thinking when I said that."
JJ's face cracked into a wide smile as she gave him an awkward one-armed hug. "How's your face?" she asked, after breaking the embrace.
"I've had better. Remind me not to get on Pennsylvanian Petite's bad side again, you got one hell of a smack!" Morgan smiled, but only briefly, as the smile quickly changed into a grimace of pain.
"I'm sorry I slapped you," responded JJ, somewhat sheepishly.
Morgan chuckled. "I deserved it."
JJ was about to argue to Morgan when she was interrupted by a local PD officer.
"Agent Jareau? There's someone on the phone asking for you."
"Who?" JJ couldn't think of anyone who'd be calling her now, she had just sent a text to Will before she arrived telling him that she was in Pittsburgh on a case, and that is was personal. He had responded with a 'take care' and an 'I love you'.
The officer shook his head. "I'm not sure, it was a woman."
JJ's first thought came to Natalie or her mother, coming up with more information about the case and asking if they could speak to them in the morning.
"Which line?" asked the profiler, nodding.
"Line two, ma'am."
JJ strode over to the nearest desk and picked up the phone, putting on her 'Media Liaison face'.
"Agent Jareau."
"Jayje."
JJ had to pause for a second, caught off guard with the person on the other end of the line.
"Holly?" she asked, motioning for the others to listen in, while putting the phone on speaker.
"Yeah, it's me. Couldn't get rid of me that easily, Jareau."
Hotch quickly made a motion to Morgan to get Garcia on the line and track the phone call, who quickly went into another room.
"If I remember correctly, Green, you were the one who ran off in the first place. Twice. What were you thinking?"
"I needed to get the girl and I needed answers. How is she, is she alright?"
JJ almost laughed. "She's fine! Are you? Why wouldn't you let her tell us where you are?"
"I don't know. Adrenaline makes you do stupid things. Like leaving the country, going to his house. I've done a lot of stupid shit, haven't I?"
"You scared me half to death on a lot of occasions, you stupid idiot!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd care if I told you."
"Of course I'd care, I've cared about you for eighteen years, since we became friends!"
JJ quickly heard the sound of a throat clearing, coming from Hotch.
"Agent Green," he started, "not that I would like to interrupt this little reunion, but can you give us a name and a location? We would like to have you back now."
JJ could hear chuckling on the other end of the phone. "Is that Agent Hotchner? I didn't think you were one for a bit of humor."
JJ almost laughed with the new agent. "You'd be surprised."
"Alright, his name is Char-" Holly was interrupted with the sound of a door slamming, followed by loud footsteps.
"Shit, he's here!" Holly whispered.
"Alright Holly, stay with me, what's his name?"
"Charlie. Charlie Price." JJ could hear the footsteps getting louder, chilling her to the bone. She took a quick glance at the rest of the team, all displaying looks of shock and fear, except the forever stoic Aaron Hotchner.
"His address is eleven-thr-" Holly was again interrupted by a door slamming, but JJ was sure this door was the one that led into the room that held Holly hostage.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" JJ flinched at the thunderous voice and could hear Holly whimper into the phone, now forgotten.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorr-"
"YOU HAVE THE IDIOCY TO CALL YOUR TEAM? YOU STUPID-" JJ could hear a loud thump, causing her and the rest of the team to flinch, knowing he just hit Holly. "LITTLE-" Another loud thump. "BITCH!" One final, sickening blow was heard over the phone. JJ started shaking, she could hear bones cracking at the final blow and could now hear Holly sobbing.
Instantly, out of nowhere, two gunshots rang out over the phone, causing JJ to let out a little scream. Everything went silent on both ends of the line.
"Holly? Holly!" she screamed into the phone, looking at the team who were mirroring her facial expressions, even Hotch.
There was a shuffling noise on the other end of the line, and a deep, sickeningly calm voice was heard.
"She's dead."
Then the line disconnected.
A/N- I am SO sorry for the cliffhanger! I'll try to update as soon as I can so you all could see what has become of our favourite avengers. Please review, follow and favourite! 3 :) xxx
~MBL