CHAPTER 5: Broken (Season 8, episode 15)

Character(s): Blake

A/N: Brief mention of episode's unsub, end scenes.

"Acceptance is the truest kinship with humanity." - G. K. Chesterton

Sigh.

I'm home.

Alex Blake staggered, almost zombie-like, into her house. Tossed her coat on a nearby chair (she'd hang it up later, she promised herself). Dropped her keys randomly on some end table.

Her movements sped up ever so slightly when she laid eyes on her living room couch. No coffee, no book, no calming music – all she wanted to do right now was just lay down.

Alex flopped down on her desired resting spot, stretched out, head comfortably settled on a small pillow. Closing her eyes, moving her fingers to the sides of her head, she began slowly massaging her temples, taking steady breaths all the while.

She desperately needed this, needed to calm herself down right now. Because what she'd seen in Texas – it made her blood boil. And she wasn't normally the type to fly into a rage.

Images of young kids flashed through her mind the whole plane ride home. Kids being strapped down in chairs. Being forced to view things that made them uncomfortable. Locked doors, the kind that one just knew had horrible, dark secrets hidden behind them. The bland, same-y outfits, the kind that made her picture the children following the camp leader in some sort of military march.

And Paul. Poor Paul. The young man full of far too much rage, too much shame. The man who was so caught up in his own retribution, to the point where even his close friend, his former love, couldn't talk him down. Alex made a mental note to try and get in touch with him again soon. She needed to know he was getting the help, care, and love he deserved.

If there was one thing that comforted Alex in the midst of all this insanity, it was knowing that her team was just as horrified by the situation as she was. JJ had witnessed the creepiness at the camp with her, she had among the first to help rescue the children. Alex remembered seeing JJ ushering the kids out, holding them close, muttering soft reassurances to them, seeing to it they made it safely out of that place.

And Hotch? He was pissed. She'd hesitated talking to him for a time when he got back from interviewing the prostitute, his fury had been so apparent.

Alex only had the occasional opportunity thus far to see Hotch and JJ in action with their respective sons. But all it took was one moment, or one time when they'd shared some adorable, funny stories about their children, for her to know those kids were getting a lot of love. Those boys could grow up safe in the knowledge that they had parents who would support them no matter what.

The rest of the team seemed to share that general sentiment. Rossi and Morgan had been the ones to finally talk Paul down, to try and reassure him that he was fine the way he was. Rossi even tried to quote the gospel of love to the man. The Bible can teach good things, too.

Given the sadness in her voice when reporting on the camp, it was pretty obvious how Garcia felt about it all. This case flew in the face of everything she believed about humanity. Garcia, bless her heart, was the sort who would quickly accept and become friends with pretty much anyone. All she ever asked in return was that they be nice to other people. That doesn't seem that difficult a request, does it?

And Reid always managed to find a way to be sympathetic towards those who were different in some form or another. He sought out any opportunity available to understand them, to see what made them tick (literally so, in this case). His approach often focused more on logic over emotion, sure, but he still knew what was right and just.

Alex felt a smile creeping onto her face as she gradually stopped her massage. Her hands came to rest on her stomach, her body beginning to relax.

She was lucky, she realized. Lucky to have found this team, lucky to be among people who knew the true definition of the word "family".

Alex Blake was proud to call herself a member of the BAU.

"Having a place to go is a home. Having someone to love is a family. Having both is a blessing." - Donna Hedges