Secret Admirer
Thursday, December 14, 2006
7:29 pm
JJ yawned so hard she heard her jaw crack. She stretched her arms over her head and groaned. "You okay, JJ," Emily asked from across the aisle.
"Yeah, just tired."
"I hear that," Emily said.
The jet arrowed smoothly through the night sky. Their return trip from Chicago was – tense. Usually, they'd spend the time sleeping, playing a game of poker, or blowing off steam with some teasing banter all around.
JJ flicked her eyes to Morgan, who sat with his eyes closed and his head flung back. He'd put in his earphones, but his forehead furrowed, and there were lines of exhaustion around his eyes and mouth. She wished she could think of something to say to take his mind off - but she knew he needed space to process.
Hotch and Gideon talked in low voices at the front of the cabin, and Reid stretched out on the bench. He flipped from one side to another, and once she caught him staring at Morgan. Reid noticed her watching him and blushed. He turned away and kept his eyes closed.
"Gonna try to sleep," JJ said.
"Yeah, me too." Emily agreed.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
JJ unlocked her office door two hours later. She needed to drop off some files and go home for badly needed sleep. She flicked on the overhead light and flinched in surprise. Perched on the top of the files in her inbox was a small gift box. She was sure it hadn't been there when they'd left for Chicago. Who'd got past her locked door?
She went to the box and stared down at it. It was scarlet with a gold ribbon tied into a box. Someone had tucked a card with her name under the ribbon. She looked around as if to see someone lurking around her desk, but no one was there.
"What the hell," she said and picked up the box.
The voice in her head told her to take it to security, but instead, she ignored that voice and pulled the card free. Inside was a white card with a short note.
JJ,
The butterfly has several meanings. If a butterfly lands on your shoulder, it signifies someone watching over you or sending you a message from the spiritual realm. It also symbolizes joy, color, and change.
JJ realized her hands were shaking. The card had no signature but had to be someone in the BAU. Right?
The handwriting wasn't familiar. It was written in beautiful calligraphy and was unsigned. JJ decided to open the box, and then she'd try to figure out who left the box.
"Oh my," JJ gasped as she removed a beautiful golden butterfly hairclip. It appeared to glow in the lamplight.
She smiled and ran her fingers over the hairclip. It was a costume piece that looked expensive, and she loved it. She decided that she would wear it in her hair the next day. She had a good idea of who left the gift for her but needed more than a hunch.
"I'm going to figure it out." She said to the empty room.
She put the hairclip back into its box and tucked it and the card into her bag. She shut off the desklamp and smiled for the first time since the fiasco in Chicago.
