Hi All. Welcome to chapter five of More Than A Team: The Final Member. This is the first in a series of stories that will all be under the umbrella of More Than A Team, I hope to write new stories for this series frequently. This story is complete and was going to be written as a one shot, but it immediately became too long for a one shot, so I wrote it as eight separate chapters. Updates should be weekly unless something drastic happens. This is an introduction to my OC and not a full representation of what future stories will be like.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal minds, if I did then Aaron Hotchner certainly wouldn't have left, and neither would Derek Morgan! Pepper Rosanne Lee is my own original character, but all other recognisable characters belong to Jeff Davis, I just like to use them to do my bidding.

Series Summary: The Criminal Minds team is more than just a team, they spend so much time with each other, relying on each other, and wrapped up in each other's lives they are practically family. This is how the family makes sure they stay a family even when rules are broken.

Story Summary: This is the story of Pepper Rosanne Lee, how she went from a victim of an Unsub Jason and David were hunting, to the eighth member of their team. AU, OC, AaronXHaley, starts Season two. Warnings inside please read, rated M for good reason.

Warning: This story involves Criminal Mind cases, if you've watched Criminal Minds, you know what I mean, I've tried not to be too graphic, but there is abuse, kidnapping, murder, and rape, if this is triggering, please be careful. This story also involves the spanking of minors and adults, don't like, don't read.

WARNING this chapter contains mentions of sexual assault of a minor please do not read if this might be triggering or harmful to you. Be safe.

A huge, huge thank you to my wonderful and amazing beta, Jules Ann, she is quite literally my Magical Muse Mender and when I get stuck just talking to her can help me figure my way past a block. She has helped me so much with all my stories and my writing, I would be utterly lost without her.

~o~

Pepper took one final look in her mirror before climbing out of her car. She straightened her shirt trying to force back the nervousness she felt, this was what she was supposed to be doing, there was no need for nerves. No matter how much she told herself that though, she still felt a bubble of anxiety, it wasn't the job so much, she had sailed through training and aced every assessment, it was working under Uncle Jason… or rather Agent Gideon. She had forgiven him for what happened, but the closeness they'd had, it was gone, and it had been a little while since she'd even seen him.

It was her own eidetic memory that was working against Pepper here, she could still remember the abandonment with perfect clarity. She could remember the heartbreak, devastation, betrayal, and anger it had made her feel. She knew from her studying and training that a trauma like that was pretty huge, and she couldn't argue with that. She'd even been angry at her Uncle David, and he'd had nothing to do with it.

Flashback

Last Christmas had been pretty awful, Pepper had spent the whole season on eggshells worried about doing something to set off her Grandfather and he'd spent the whole season incredibly drunk. This year Pepper was already excited, she loved living with Uncle Jason and his family, she adored having a little brother in Steven and though she knew Santa wasn't real, she kept up the pretense for Steven's sake. The first of December had been amazing, Elaine had kept her home from school, and they'd spent the day in new Christmas pajamas, listening to Christmas music, and decorating the house for Christmas. They baked gingerbread men and sugar cookies and ate them for lunch, then once the house looked like Santa's grotto Elaine ordered pizza for dinner and they watched Christmas Movies and ate popcorn until they fell asleep cuddled up together under a blanket. It was a wonderful start to what was looking to be an amazing Christmas season, made all the better for the fact that the day after tomorrow, it would be Steven's birthday.

Due to the late night the previous night Elaine had kept her home from school again, Pepper was too smart for two missed days to have any effect on her schooling, she was already working at middle school level. It was shortly before dinner time when the phone rang and Pepper sprang up from the floor where she'd been playing snakes and ladders with Steven and hurried to the phone, shouting out that she would answer it. "Hello, this is Pepper Lee, you've reached the Gideon household how can I help you," she answered brightly.

Elaine came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she waited to see who was on the phone.

Pepper beamed when she heard her foster father's voice on the phone, she started to launch into a retelling of yesterday, but he stopped her and asked to speak to Elaine. "He wants to talk to you," she stated thrusting the phone out to Elaine. She hadn't referred to her foster father as Uncle Gideon in over a month now, as in her mind she was thinking of him more and more as her Dad.

Elaine took the phone, hoping it was simply her husband letting her know he was on his way home, maybe that he'd be a little late. The more cynical part of her mind did wonder if he was going to tell her he couldn't make it home, but she pushed that thought aside, Jason had promised he wouldn't miss important dates for their son.

Pepper waited eagerly to talk to her foster father after Elaine was done, but her excitement faded as she watched Elaine's expression darken.

"Pepper, take Steven upstairs please," Elaine requested a little sharply, she was not going to have this discussion with her husband in front of her son.

Pepper gave a small nod before she guided Steven upstairs, bringing him into her bedroom and distracting him, letting him use her special coloring pencils and one of her coloring books.

Dinner was late and tense that evening, Gideon's absence was keenly felt by everyone. Pepper could tell Elaine was angry but holding back her temper, so she stayed quiet and focused on just eating her dinner.

Elaine forced a smile on her face once dinner was finished, "could you clear the table for me please Pepper? Steven it's bath time."

Steven pouted at being told it was bath time, "no bath, wanna stay up til Daddy comes home."

Pepper saw the anger and upset on Elaine's face and felt a pit in her stomach, her foster father wasn't going to be home. Lately it seemed he was putting work first more and more and she knew it was upsetting Elaine. Though he promised Steven he'd be home for his birthday before he went away on this case, apparently, he was breaking that promise.

Elaine got out of her chair and turned Steven's around slightly, crouching so she was eye level with her son, "sweetie, Daddy…" she started. How did she explain this without hurting her son?

"His job is really important Steven, really, really important, he's saving people from some really bad people," Pepper tried to help Elaine explain.

"Pepper! Go to your room!" Elaine snapped. That was precisely the opposite of what she wanted her son to know, not whilst he was so young. Steven should believe he was the most important thing in his parents' lives, he shouldn't have to come second to anything.

Pepper recoiled at Elaine's tone but did as she was told, leaving the table, and going up to her room. She felt terrible when she heard Steven ask in a heart broken voice if Daddy's job was more important than him.

The next morning Steven burst into tears when he saw Daddy really wasn't there, he had hoped that Mommy was wrong and that Daddy would be there, but he wasn't.

It took Elaine almost an hour to calm her son down. She tried everything, reminding him it was his favorite chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, telling him he could watch cartoons and eat breakfast, even the promise of presents couldn't console him. He wanted his daddy and nothing else would do. Eventually he stopped crying, but only because he exhausted himself and couldn't keep it up any longer.

Pepper tried to help Elaine comfort Steven, trying to distract him, but Elaine snapped at her and sent her away to her room. There was something about the look in her foster mother's eyes that worried Pepper, so she didn't argue and just went up to her room.

Gideon's absence was keenly felt despite the fun birthday party. Pepper overheard many of the parents asking Elaine where he was and Elaine's unhappy response. There were several strangely dark looks sent in her direction, something Pepper didn't understand but it sent her alarm bells ringing. She worked out quickly that the other parents didn't want her near their children, so she hung back.

When Steven was opening his presents, after each one he would turn to look for his Daddy to show it off before he remembered Daddy wasn't there. It was heart wrenching for Elaine to watch and it hardened her resolve, things could not go on like this. Gideon had crossed a line and she was not going to stand for it.

Sundays were normally relaxed lazy days, but Elaine told Pepper to go play outside, and even gave her money to get lunch from the deli near the park. This was definitely not normal, and Pepper wanted her foster father home more than anything in the world, feeling certain if he was home, he could fix this.

That night Pepper didn't get much sleep, the blazing row she could hear Elaine's half of only added to her nocturnal struggles. When she heard her foster mother crying, she slipped out of bed and went to try and comfort her, but as soon as Elaine saw her, she screamed at her to get out. Pepper turned and fled back to her bedroom trying hard not to burst into tears, she wanted to call her foster father or Uncle David herself, but if they could get away from their case they already would have and would be here.

Pepper was extremely tired when she was woken up the next morning, even so it was impossible to miss the tension coming from her foster mother. She was so uncomfortable she left the house as soon as she could to go to school. She liked her school; she was advancing through her classes rapidly and all her teachers said she was smart.

After lunch Pepper noticed her teacher giving her sad, sympathetic looks, looks that made her feel a little uncomfortable and once again had her alarm bells ringing. It was harder than it should have been to concentrate on her work, due to the uncomfortable attention. Even the other students were starting to look at her, and this time it had nothing to do with the fact she was several years younger than them.

Finally, classes were over and though Pepper wasn't that eager to go home, at least it was better than enduring anymore stares. As she packed her bag up though, her teacher's hand landed on her shoulder.

"Pepper honey, you need to come with me to the Principal's office," Mrs. Lambroski told her softly. She liked Pepper, the little girl was unquestionably bright, definitely the smartest girl in the grade despite being three years younger than everyone else. She was already ready to move up to the next grade really, probably wasn't that far off being ready for high school. The news she'd been given at lunchtime was heartbreaking and she really felt sorry for the little orphan.

Pepper frowned in a mix of confusion and worry. Her first concern was that something that happened to her foster father or Uncle David, so she quickly shoved everything into her backpack, "I'm ready, let's go," she agreed hurriedly. She followed just behind her teacher, walking as quickly as she could, heading straight for the Principal's office, freezing on the spot when she saw her caseworker there. What was she doing here?

Sharon had only taken on Pepper's case after her grandfather's house had been deemed an unsafe environment and the man an unfit guardian. She had previously been very satisfied with Pepper's placement; all home visits had been more than satisfactory, and she considered Pepper settled. She'd been through more than one foster placement breakdown with her other cases, and it was always tough, but she had a feeling this one was going to be particularly hard. "Pepper, it's been decided that your foster placement is no longer working out. I've managed to arrange temporary accommodation for you for tonight and will be looking for more suitable long-term arrangements for you," she told the child gently.

Pepper shook her head in horror, "no, no, you've got it wrong, he wouldn't do this, please," she whimpered as her eyes welled up with tears.

Sharon's heart went out to the young girl, but she had more bad news to break, "would 'he' be Jason Gideon? Mrs. Gideon did say it was only she that was terminating your placement and that her soon to be ex-husband might want to remain your foster parent, however we cannot allow a single male to be a foster parent, not to a young girl."

"Please, please let me call Uncle David, he'll fix this," Pepper pleaded as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"David Rossi?" Sharon checked.

Pepper nodded, she was sure Uncle David would fix this, he had to fix this.

Sharon weighed up the pros and cons of this before nodding in agreement. There was every chance Mr. Rossi might actually know of an alternative placement option for Pepper, it would save her some work. "May we borrow your phone Principal?" She requested.

The Principal was rather keen to keep Pepper at her school, the girl was well behaved, bright, a credit to the school, and her test results made them look very good. The chance of her staying here if she was moved from foster home to foster home was slim, so if a phone call could keep her with them, she was happy to help. She agreed quickly and told them how to get an outside line.

Pepper quickly dialed in Uncle David's number with shaking hands, this couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. When her Uncle David picked up, she burst into sobs, "Uncle David, Uncle David, you have to help me, please," she choked out through her sobs.

When Uncle David asked her to calm down Pepper took a few deep breaths to try and calm down, "you have to help me, Elaine… Elaine gave me up," she confessed. She handed the phone over to her caseworker when Uncle David asked to speak to her after he assured her that he was going to do his best to fix this.

Flashback Over

Pepper had been devastated; Uncle David had tried, but there had been nothing he could do, he was a single male himself, and her caseworker had refused to allow him to become her foster father. She had been taken to the emergency placement where she remained for a week before being moved on. Now, she knew it hadn't really been Uncle David, or Uncle Jason's fault, but back then she blamed Jason entirely for Elaine giving her up and blamed David for not being able to 'fix' it. She'd been one hurt, betrayed, and angry little girl, refusing to take any of their phone calls and trusting no one.

Bouncing around the foster care system had only hardened Pepper's attitude, destroying any trust she had in human goodness. Some of the placements hadn't been that bad, others were rather terrible, but she stopped complaining, stopped caring, and she was never anywhere long enough for anything to matter.

None of the placements were as bad as the long-term placement Pepper eventually found herself in, not even the group home had been that bad. She was the youngest of four girls the couple had taken in, and all were treated like dirt, barely fed, made to do all the house chores, and beaten if they stepped out of line. None of this was new to Pepper, things were still better than they had been at her father's. What was worse than the way they were treated by their foster parents, was how their foster parent's biological son was.

Flashback

Pepper returned to the house, this place wasn't home, just where she was forced by circumstances to live. She slipped her shoes off in the kitchen and went to find her foster 'mother' though giving the woman any sort of maternal title was a misnomer, as she lacked any kind of maternal instincts. She handed over the note she'd been given from school, looking at the floor and avoiding eye contact, eye contact was seen as a challenge and liable to get her slapped.

"What's this?" Mrs. Venn sneered. She didn't wait for a response, simply tore open the letter, snorting in derision when the letter indicated the brat had tested as ready for the ninth grade in September and with their consent she'd be moved up to the attached high school. "You cheated didn't you, you little rat?" She demanded.

"Yes Ma'am," Pepper agreed tonelessly. Disagreeing with her legal guardians was a sure-fire way to get hit.

"Well forget about it! Get out of my sight and be thankful I don't tell Mr. Venn about this so you can be punished in the way you deserve. Don't you have some chores to be getting on with?" Mrs. Venn snapped.

"Yes Ma'am, thank you Ma'am," Pepper murmured. She hadn't expected anything else, and she went upstairs so she could start cleaning the bathrooms.

Up on the upstairs hallway Paul, Mr., and Mrs. Venn's only biological child, had one of the other foster girls pressed up against the wall, one hand up her skirt and the other in her blouse. She was simply cringing into the wall, silent tears running down her cheeks, as he assaulted her. They'd all learnt that any complaints made against Paul were met with harsh punishments and it was easier to just stay silent. So far, he hadn't tried to touch Pepper, and for that she was grateful, she was the youngest of them, though the girl he was assaulting right now was only twelve, Pepper figured she was too young for even his tastes.

Pepper realized she had paused when Paul looked around and smirked at her. She flinched away from his leering stare, ducking her head, and hurrying into one of the bathrooms, the sound of his laughter following her even as she shut the door behind her.

Hours later they were called to the kitchen for dinner, it was hit or miss whether they'd be fed on any given day, apparently today was a good day. Mr. Venn was presenting them with a single can of soup to share and three slices of bread. Pepper chanced a small glance at the girl she'd seen being assaulted earlier, wondering if Paul had gone too far and she'd be kept home again. Any signs of the abuse they endured meant missing school, heaven forbid the truth slipped out about the good Mr. and Mrs. Venn who kindly took in these poor neglected children who were so in need of a good home. There was nothing to indicate what had gone on, just some slight redness to her eyes to show she'd been crying, though Pepper knew under her clothes, where it couldn't be seen, she'd have bruises.

Mr. Venn glared at Pepper, "you, I heard what you tried to pull at school. Forget about dinner you ungrateful, lying, cheating, nasty piece of work! How dare you?! It's utterly appalling. Now go shower and go to bed, and be thankful that's your only punishment," he declared.

Pepper was a little confused by the order to shower, that wasn't usually part of being sent to bed early, but she'd learnt a long time ago not to argue with anything her guardians said. It had been at least a couple days since she was last permitted a shower, so she was probably due one. "Yes Sir," she murmured. She turned, ignoring the hollow ache in her stomach, she knew the other girls would save her a couple bites of the bread and that would tide her over until lunch tomorrow. Them not having food at school would be suspicious, it was the one meal of the day they actually got to eat normally for. Weekends were always harder as it was up to Mr. and Mrs. Venn whether they ate at all.

Pepper headed to the bedroom she and the other girls shared, picking up her pajamas and taking them through to the small bathroom they also shared, Paul had his own bathroom as did Mr. and Mrs. Venn. She turned on the shower, not daring to put on any hot water, Mr. and Mrs. Venn did not allow them to use hot water. Bracing herself for the icy sting of the cold water Pepper undressed before forcing herself under the freezing water.

There was no shower curtain around this shower, just a glass door, but still Pepper jumped and yelped when she turned around and saw Paul staring at her, she had not noticed him coming in. She froze and stared at him, her skin crawling with disgust as his eyes rooved up and down her body.

"Keep going, you know you want to give me a show. I saw you watching earlier, wouldn't want my little foster sister getting jealous of the attentions I give to others now," Paul laughed nastily. There was something about the way he said 'sister' that made it seem like a dirty word.

Pepper stepped back, pressing her back against the frigid tiles, her hands going to cover herself. She was still a couple months shy of turning nine years old, but she was far from naïve, her own biological father had made sure of that. She knew full well that Paul's 'attentions' were not proper or in any way appropriate. Just as she knew that though, she also knew there was nothing she could do, any complaints on her part would just lead to punishment.

"Well, come on, hurry up, wouldn't want me to report to my father that you were wasting water and not washing properly now, would you?" Paul threatened.

For a moment Pepper considered letting Paul report her to his father, trying to decide which would be the lesser 'evil' a beating or whatever Paul was going to do to her.

"Really? You'd rather get it from my father than let me watch you shower? I promise I won't even touch you. I just want to watch. Surely, it's not that bad," Paul wheedled.

How bad it would be was still debatable but being watched was probably not as bad as what Mr. Venn would do to her for 'wasting water' or whatever Paul would accuse her off. Taking a deep breath Pepper stepped back under the spray of the water, trying not to look in Paul's direction and continued her shower. Washing her hair and body with the cheap shampoo and body wash they were permitted. She didn't see him leave, but when she turned off the water spray and turned to get out of the shower, he was gone. She quickly wrapped the one thread bare towel they all had to share around her, drying herself off as best she could. She dressed quickly and slipped back to her bedroom, running the brush through her hair before she climbed into bed.

When the other girls came up, they all handed Pepper portions of the of the single slice of bread they'd all been permitted. They did not band together out of any true comradery, it was self-perseveration, helping out each other meant when you were the one sent away with no food the other girls would take mercy on you.

When Paul came to their room to watch them dress in the morning, it was the first time Pepper felt him pay her more than just a passing look. She hated the way his look made her feel, she almost wanted to get back into the shower and scrub herself clean, he made her feel gross and dirty. She had experienced this kind of abuse as a witness before, but it was her first time as a victim of it and she couldn't stand it. She dressed as quickly as she could and left the house with relief, walking to school with the other girls.

Paul paid more attention to her from then, every time she showered, he was there, when they were sent to bed, he would watch her undress, and every morning she felt his eyes focusing on her more and more. He hadn't touched her, though whenever she witnessed him abusing and assaulting the other girls, he would always smirk at her and taunt her about it.

The summer vacation was rapidly approaching, and Pepper was dreading it; school was their only escape, they were fed, they weren't worked to the bone, they weren't beaten, and there was no Paul. She didn't even know if they'd survive a whole summer with the Venns, being fed so little and treated so badly, it wouldn't be much of a stretch if they were to die. For a moment she entertained the motion that the BAU would investigate their deaths if they were to die, but she quickly shoved that thought away. She hadn't even thought of the two men she used to call Uncle David and Uncle Rossi in months, it still hurt too much, there was still too much anger.

Pepper was cleaning the bathrooms again when Paul came in, she tensed up a little when he entered the bathroom, but as it was his she didn't freeze. She got up to leave but stopped when he shut and then locked the door behind him, sucking in rapid breaths as she tried not to panic.

"Mmm, you've been driving me crazy you know," Paul whispered.

Pepper stopped breathing when Paul stepped into her personal space, standing at her side so close to her she could feel the heat from his body. She closed her eyes and started trembling in fear of what was to come. When he touched her, she just reacted, like she'd been taught to by David and Jason when it came to defending herself. She was small and not very physically strong, so they'd made sure she knew how to fight dirty. Her elbow snapped out striking him in a very vulnerable area, doubling him over. As soon as he was doubled over, she pivoted on her heel so she was facing him directly, grabbed his head with both hands, and rammed her knee up into his nose as hard as she could. She couldn't help feeling a level of satisfaction at the loud crack and the gush of blood this action produced.

Pepper did not hesitate; she didn't hang around to watch the results of her attack. She ran for the bathroom door, unlocking it with badly shaking hands as she ran through the house, flying down the stairs and out the front door, running as fast as her legs could carry her. For the first time ever, she was not running to the BAU or David and Jason though, she was simply running. Even being homeless couldn't be as bad as that house was. She was not going back there, not for anything. When she finally stopped running, she broke down in floods of tears. Every time she'd run before, she'd at least had a destination, somewhere to go, and she'd known that the ones she was running to would try to help; this time she had no idea what she was supposed to do, where she was supposed to go, and that scared her.

Flashback Over

Pepper wasn't sure what the immediate aftermath to her attacking Paul and running away had been, but she did know that the Venns panicked. They called her in sick from school for the next few days but when she'd not come slinking back by the weekend, they had gotten really scared, not for her obviously, but what it would mean to CPS. She had actually been doing okay for herself, she was smart and had managed to find a house where the owners were away on holiday and not due back for a couple months. She was actually quite comfortable in the house, eating better than she had since living with the Gideon's and no one was hurting her.

Pepper headed out of the car park then, letting her nerves fade and excitement return to her, this was it, her first day as a member of the BAU, something she'd wanted for nearly ten years.

~o~

There you go, that was chapter five. Once more things take a turn for the worse for Pepper. I'll see you next week for the next chapter. Drop a review and let me know your thoughts, reviews really make my day and motivate me to write more.