This story is a slightly altered universe. There are 3 things that are different.
1) JJ never cared what the team thought, she and Will became an item and he moved up to DC for her.
2) They never had kids
3) Everything else did happen
4) This takes place in the middle of S16/CME 1. The difference is there is no Voit or Bailey. (If that doesn't make sense to you, that is okay and also you should either buy the Season on DVD and watch it, or get yourself some heavy binge time with Paramount + to watch it, because it's FABULOUS!)
Here are the important parts you need to know for this story:
1) I am obsessed with the people who use various sexual kinks for healing purposes. I don't understand it at all and yet I am absolutely fascinated by it, because usually those people were abused by that same kink in the past.
2) I have MASSIVE amounts of respect for the writers and creators of this show, and I do not mean them any disrespect by writing this. If for some very odd reason one of them stumbles across this, know that I am just enjoying the world you created and I thank you for doing so.
3) I'm not good at writing, so my grammar and spelling are sometimes VERY off. I've edited this story a gazillion times so far, changed the plot at least 3 times and I am still finding mistakes. Please just roll with it as best you can.
4) This is still a work in progress and I have several key life events coming up. There will be delays in updating.
5) Thank you for reading
Wyatt and Victoria moved inside to check in and just as they did, two black SUVs pulled up, one driven by Dave and the other driven by Luke. Everyone slipped out of the cars, taking all the go bags and various pieces of equipment with them. "Dave, meet us in the lobby please," Emily said and then she went to give Luke the same message. They drove to park the cars in a specific area and everyone else moved into the lobby. "I'll check us all in, and maybe you can go sit in one of those nice chairs and relax," Emily suggested, speaking mostly to JJ, who was holding Hazel in her arms and Hazel was doing her very best not to burst into audible sobs.
JJ moved to sit in a chair, near a woman who was in a similar chair with her own young love. When Tara, Penelope, and Will moved to stay near by, Tara immediately recognized Victoria and Mackenzie, but chose to say nothing. It was clear Mackenzie was not happy and Tara wasn't going to exacerbate that. "Agent Lewis?" Victoria asked.
"Hi Mrs. Lansing, it's nice to see you again," she said and Mackenzie turned her head quickly, shocked at the familiar voice and then further surprised by all the people around her.
"Kenz, do you remember Miss Tara?" Victoria asked kindly and Mackenzie turned to look at her, but didn't say anything.
"Hi Mackenzie," Tara smiled. "These are some of my team and my friends. This is Penelope, and Jennifer. This is Jennifer's husband Will and cuddled up with Jennifer is Hazel," she said and Mackenzie looked quizzically at Hazel. Things were still new and fresh for Hazel, where as Mackenzie had approximately a year's worth of healing from similar physical trauma. "And do you remember the lady walking to us?" Tara smiled.
"Miss Emmy," Mackenzie smiled.
"That's right," Tara smiled. "And she is coming to tell us, she just checked us into our rooms," Tara smiled.
"All connecting," Emily said handing Will one of the envelopes. "Garcia, Lewis, and I are together, and Rossi and Alvez have the third room," she said and then she squatted down and smiled. "It's nice to see you again Mrs. Lansing and Miss Mackenzie," she smiled.
"Hi," Mackenzie said softly.
"Mackenzie, I promise you, my team and I are only hear to keep everyone safe," she said and Wyatt came up behind her and smiled, watching all these people be very gentle with his little love.
"Daddy," she grinned.
"Hi baby," he said. "Are these the friends we have who are keeping us safe?" he asked her and she nodded at him and then pointed them out.
"Miss Emmy, Miss Ta-wah, Miss Den-fer, Hay-za," she said pointing out everyone she remembered.
"That was very good," he praised. "My name is Wyatt Lansing," he said offering Will his hand.
"William LaMontange Jr. Jennifer's husband," he said and Emily smiled when she stood up to see Dave and Luke approaching them.
"Mr. Lansing, it is nice to officially meet you," Emily smiled. "These are our team members David Rossi and Luke Alvez," she said.
"Mr. Lansing, a pleasure," Dave said.
"Mr. Rossi, nice to meet you in person," Wyatt smiled. "And you miss?" he asked.
"Penelope Garcia," she smiled.
"Penelope Garcia is our one in a million tech analyst and we do not know what we would do without her," Luke said and Penelope blushed slightly, but quickly fixed her face and moved to duck down by both of the little girls.
"Now, I'm going to let you both in on a little secret. Luke is super nice and he's a good guy. He also knows that if he isn't nice to me, or either of you, I will give him no details, and Luke comes to me for just about every detail under the sun," she said and Luke rolled his eyes a bit and everyone else grinned. Mackenzie zeroed in on the kitten eared headband that Penelope was wearing and spoke very softly.
"Fuzzy?" she asked mimicking the placement of Penelope's cat ears on her own head.
"They are very fuzzy. Do you want to feel them?" she offered leaning forward a bit and Mackenzie played with the soft ears for a moment.
"Soff," she said when she was done and with a whisper from Victoria, Mackenzie softly thanked Penelope for letting her play with the ears.
"Mackenzie, your Daddy wants us to assure you that we are here to protect you and everyone at the convention this weekend. We are here for added safety. Since you've now met our team, we hope you feel safer," Dave assured her and she nodded.
"Hay-za," Mackenzie said softly and Hazel shifted a little bit and looked directly at Mackenzie. Mackenzie very gently touched her own face, rubbing her hand from one side of her jaw, all the way to the other, and spoke softly. "Ow?" she asked softly.
"He'p," Hazel said pointing to Garcia and JJ smiled, cuddling Hazel close.
"Penelope has been very helpful, that is true," JJ offered and Penelope looked relieved at JJ's translation for Hazel's one word answer.
"I've been trying," Penelope smiled. "I made Hazel a blueberry smoothie to help flush out the novocaine left over in her system, and put some honey in it to cut the bitter taste," she said.
"I nee dat Mumma?" Mackenzie asked Victoria softly.
"You don't need it, but if you think it sounds good, I can ask Miss Penelope for the recipe and I will make it for you when we get home," Victoria offered.
Wyatt smiled and knelt down and did his best to speak directly to the two little girls. "I'm going to make a suggestion friends. Why don't we all go to our rooms and get settled for the weekend. After, we can meet back here in the lobby. There is a little cafe over there and they make the best milk shakes. It might help both of you have a better feeling jaw," Wyatt offered.
"We'd love to all join you, but most of us have some extra coordination to take care of. JJ and Will can meet you and the rest of us can join you if we don't take too long getting set up," Emily offered.
"What do you say Hazel? Should we join Wyatt, Victoria and Mackenzie for milkshakes?" JJ asked her.
"Hay-za, you come?" Mackenzie asked and Hazel thought for a moment and looked to JJ.
"I promised you Hazel, Will and I are not leaving you. None of us are leaving you and when I have to work with the rest of the team, Will is going to be with you," JJ told her and then Hazel nodded at Mackenzie that she would join them.
"Hay-za?" Mackenzie pressed softly. "Who you Mumma?" she asked curiously, noting a lot of women were surrounding Hazel as protectively as Victoria surrounded her.
"Dead," Hazel answered and Mackenzie nodded and then rested her head on Victoria's shoulder.
"My Mommy," she told her. "Who you Mommy?" she asked and everyone sort of collectively held their breath. To the best of everyones' knowledge, Hazel was not into the little girl lifestyle that Mackenzie was using to heal, but they didn't want to speak for her.
"Day-day," she said leaning against JJ and Mackenzie nodded.
"Jayje, you are panicking, you have to breathe," Luke told her as she paced the hallway and wrung her hands and did everything she could think of to burn off her nervous energy. He'd seen her looking off, so he took her into the hall, for some privacy so they could talk.
"She called me Mommy," JJ said in a hushed and angry whisper.
"She referred to you as Mommy, there's a difference," Luke offered.
"No. NO! I am confusing that poor girl and doing things to her and for her that she maybe doesn't want. I cannot be someone's Mommy. I'm not meant for that," she told him.
"Says who?" he asked and she stopped pacing and stared at him.
"This is why I need Penelope," she grumbled.
"You are very wrong on that. Garcia would work up a birth certificate that says Hazel Jareau LaMontange, so you definitely don't want her," he said and she went back to pacing and shaking her hands again.
"Yeah, okay fine, but no, this is wrong. I am not Mommy. I'm going to make this so much worse!"
"You really need to stop and breathe," Luke told her.
"Do not tell me what to do!" she growled at him as Emily entered the hallway. She and Garcia were getting ready to go down to the convention room, where Lewis and Rossi already were as they got settled into their rooms the fastest.
"Whoa! Hey! I get to tell everyone what to do," Emily said walking out into the middle of the squabble. "Thank you Luke," she said kindly, dismissing him from the scene and sending him to meet the others downstairs and then she rounded on JJ once he left. "What is up with you?" she asked her. "I need your head in the game for this weekend, starting tomorrow," Emily told her.
"She called me Mommy," JJ said.
"Well currently that seems easier than JJ or Jennifer, so I'm still not following why you yelled at Luke or why you're pacing a hole into the floor or why you're so stressed that Hazel trusts you," Emily said.
"I am messing this up. I'm messing her up. Will and I talked about this. A lot. I mean up-to-three-hours-long, midnight conversations, for maybe a year, kind of a talk. We both agreed. Our jobs are not safe enough for us to be parents, and now there is a traumatized young lady, in that room, who potentially has the mind of a genius and she just called me Mommy," JJ said. "Not only did I somehow not protect her. I didn't stop the transference from happening, and now I'm only going to cause more trauma when I have to walk away," she said.
"Number one, do not yell at me when I tell you to breathe, just do it. Pace all you want, but please breathe while doing so. Number two, she didn't call you Mommy, she referred to you as Mommy. She told Mackenzie that her real mom is dead. Number three. Until she actually calls you Mommy, to your face, you have nothing to worry about," Emily said and then she paused and JJ glared at her. "No profiling me!" Emily scolded.
"Then say number four, because I know what it's going to be, so say it and get it over with," she grouched.
"You and Will would make excellent parents, despite any concern you may or may not have," she said and JJ let out an exasperated sigh and continued pacing. Emily let her be for a moment before speaking. "I say it, because it's true. You are the Mama Grizzly of this group," she offered and then waited a few moments more, before continuing. "Would you please turn off your angry face. You and Will are supposed to meet Victoria, Wyatt, and Mackenzie for milkshakes, and I promise, we will finish up our last minute coordinations and join you," she said. "I also think Rossi would like something stronger than a milkshake, so the first round is on him. The last thing you need to know is that Hazel has gone from tired to excited. She's looking forward to it."
JJ froze on the spot and looked at Emily expectantly. "Excited?" JJ asked. It was a hopeful sign. Maybe everyone was right. Maybe she should just breathe.
"Penelope got her a little going out outfit. She helped her change and she's doing her hair and she seems to have forgotten about being scared to come at all. She's talking as best she can, and Garcia has her posing for pictures together. She's opening up, so go find your husband and have him help you pull it together," she said and JJ started to fall apart in the hallway. It all seemed too much for her. "Come here," she said and she pulled her best friend close and hugged her and didn't let go.
"Em," she tried.
"No, you stay here, in this, because you've forgotten that we're a team. And I'm not letting you go till I feel your body understand that. You also owe Luke an apology for snapping at him," she said. It took a few seconds longer, but JJ finally relaxed and Emily smiled. "You are fine, and really fine, not the fake fine that we all say we are when we really aren't," Emily told her and they finally released the hug.
"Well my body has not caught up to your words," JJ told her.
"Go find your husband and breathe please," she said and JJ flashed her key in front of the door to the room she shared with Will as Penelope stepped into the hallway to head down to the conference room with Emily to put together all the last minute details.
"There you are. What happened?" Will asked. "I was getting worried."
"She called me Mommy," JJ whispered as they watched Hazel sit on the bed watching the game show network. Penelope thought that was the calmest channel for Hazel to watch. It would give her a good distraction until JJ and Will were ready.
"Referred to you as, and while you were pacing in the hall, you missed an entire conversation, so just breathe please," he told her and wrapped her in a tight hug and then kissed her. "I love you and you jumped the gun. She's still figuring it out and she knows that. She had a whole talk with Garcia about Mackenzie. She had questions and went straight to her, rather than coming to me. She is learning to trust the entire team. Once she got answers, she moved on. They had a full on conversation about heaven knows what and Hazel looked like she was having a good time. There is even photographic evidence. So take a breath, go get freshened up, and we will meet the Lansings downstairs," he told her.
"She had conversations?"
"You see what you miss when you go pacing through the hallway?" Will teased her. "Come on, go get ready. Milkshakes in the lobby."
Friday morning found a buzz of excitement in the hotel rooms for the members of the BAU. As everyone got ready, JJ found herself lingering slightly near the bed where Hazel was still sleeping. "You have an early start love, don't keep the team waiting," Will said gently, keeping his eyes closed and his voice soft. His job was to stay with Hazel, so he did not need to be a part of the morning madness.
"Are you going to need help? I can ask to join later or maybe come back early?" she said.
"Mia, I got this. It's okay," he assured her and she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
"But she's going to need to be re-bandaged," she said, getting a little worked up.
"Yes, you're right, and I will call you for help when I need it. It's going to take time though. She's still sleeping and we should leave her that way for as long as we can," he said.
"JJ! Ready?" Penelope called softly through the connecting door that was cracked open and JJ sighed.
"Go, it's going to be fine," he said and with a quick kiss to him, she moved toward Penelope and they stepped into the hall, where Dave was waiting for them.
"Where's everyone else?" JJ asked.
"They left," he told her.
"I thought Alvez was going with us too?" she said, slinging her lanyard badge over her neck and then tucking it in her shirt.
"He's downstairs already. He was up and in the gym at some ridiculous hour, when most of the world is still sleeping. He came back, showered, changed, and left," Dave said. "Now, for you, are you okay?" he asked her with great concern.
"I'm okay," she lied.
"Jennifer, if you don't talk to anyone, whatever you're feeling will not go away. I will be that sounding board for you," he told her.
"I'm worried about transference," she said. "I think it's going both ways. I don't want to pressure Hazel into anything she isn't ready for, and I don't want to take on something that I do not understand," she said.
"Okay," Dave said thoughtfully. "Let's start with this. What do you understand the best?"
"My job, my team, and my husband."
"Good, so let's go down and do your job, with your team. That's all we have to focus on right now," he assured her. "We'll focus on one small bit at a time and then move forward from there."
JJ nodded her agreement and smiled when Penelope took her hand. "We are an entire team. It's a supportive circle," she said and with that they all headed to the elevator, to go down to their command center set up behind convention room. As soon as they stepped off the elevator and made it to their command center, it seemed to be a whirlwind of activity.
Tech and Undercover were working together to have all communications up and running while Emily sat at a table and went over a list to put final logistics together. Penelope took her place at the head of the tech area and the rest of the team went over to Emily to get instructions. "Ok guys, we are working as a joint task force. Communication between everyone is going to be critical. Garcia is tech command. She's got her extra eyes on all types of monitors. These are our comms, and everyone in tech, undercover, and the BAU can all hear and talk with each other," she said passing them out and slipping her own comm unit in her ear. The rest of the team did the same and then she rolled out a small map of the floor plan. She knew everyone had their comms in, so she spoke simply. Garcia, Captain Riggs, please come join when you're all finished." As they slowly gathered Tara took a moment to pull JJ off to the side.
"Hey," she said kindly and JJ gave a tight smile and Tara responded with a look.
"I'm sorry," JJ said quickly. "I know she's safe with Will. I know he can handle things. I know we will catch the bad guys, and for some reason I'm extra anxious about this case."
"We are all here, please don't forget that," Tara said kindly, giving JJ's hand a gentle squeeze and then lead her back to the gathering and Emily started her little speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we need eyes, ears, and focus. We are a join task force; Agent Emily Prentiss team leader for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, Captain Greggory Riggs, team leader for Under Cover Operations and Technical Analyst for the BAU Penelope Garcia, team leader for tech command this weekend. We will start with tech. Garcia," she said and Penelope nervously addressed the small group, focusing a lot of her attention on Luke. His face was keeping her calm at the moment.
"You have comms, and we at tech command can hear you all, and you'll be able to hear us. Just talk normally. There are eyes in the sky, and each of the under covers has a pin camera linked back to our screens. We will see what you see. Agent Marshal is running switchboard. Under covers if you need a specific BAU agent, you are to note that. You will have a cacophony of noise in your head if you don't. The example is, Marshal, Riggs to Prentiss," she explained and then handed it over to Agent Marshall, for a continued explanation.
"Once you hear copy from me, you're good to go and only the two people who I patch through will hear each other. When you are done with direct communication, I need a verbal over and you'll be switched back to everyone," Agent Marshal explained.
"Please focus if we tell you to shift your body. The pin cameras are helping us run facial recognition programs. We want this done as quickly and efficiently as possible, since the goal is to rule out anyone here as the unsub or connection to the unsub," Penelope said and then turned to Captain Gregory Riggs.
"That is where some of my team will come in. Casper, Mills, Buxton, Parker, and Haze. The five of you are on registration, you've been fitted with glasses that have cameras in them. We need you to look at each person you check in for a moment. Smile, say good morning, do the best you can. We will tell you if we need more. The rest of my team, you'll be passing through registration and fanning out inside," he told them and then looked to Emily to continue.
"When you are inside, we are looking for a partnership. We do not think they are here together just yet, but they will be working together," Emily said and then she looked to Tara.
"Partner one. Kylie Danvers. White female, mid forties. The last eight victims were four foot tall or shorter. They were also alone. Keep an eye out for anyone making a stalking type behavior. This also goes for the vendors that will be in the room. We know Danvers and her partner have a van. We have not been able to identify anything about that van, so they may be at the convention as one of the vendors. If you see anyone being lured away, or kept for a long period of time, that is something that should send up red flag signals," Tara explained before looking at Rossi.
"Partner two. Hollis Matten. White male, mid fifties. His most distinguishing feature will be that he is in a wheel chair. Again, as agent Lewis mentioned, the last eight victims have been single and four feet tall or shorter," Dave said. "If you see lurking movement around someone fitting the description of either the Unsubs or the victims, please alert us. They have been sticking to a height pattern, but anything can change, and it can change rapidly. Focus more on the behavior of the Unsub, rather than who the potential victim might be."
"We do not believe either of the unsubs are armed. These two are more into paralytics. They need to be close to their victims in order to cause some type of injection. Their last victim has escaped and is successfully in recovery. They are not going to wait long. As soon as one is gone, they focus on another one," Luke explained.
"Both should be considered dangerous and approached with caution, should you believe you have them in your sights. We need everyone to wait for confirmation before moving in to do any type of apprehension or restraint. This is a crowded convention," Jennifer told them.
"This convention hall has two exits. One on the north west corner, leading toward the pool and the one at the east entrance of the building, where registration is. Captain, I'd like you to post look outs in those specific corners please," Emily said and he nodded at her. "Everyone be safe, you are dismissed, thank you all," she said and all the under covers disbursed to the east entrance to wait in line with the gathering crowd of participants, leaving the BAU team in place for a few moments and Luke zeroed in on Emily.
"Boss?" Luke asked curiously. She looked like she was about to say something very important.
"I'm going to repeat key points for us. We do not have a one hundred percent guarantee that we know what they look like. There is no shame in tapping out if we need a minute. We cover each other and we get the job done." They all nodded at her. She checked her watch and then looked at her team. "Places in thirty," she told them.
Penelope gathered all of her techs and did her best to channel the energy of everyone who'd ever been in charge of the BAU. Members of her team managed to demand things of her, with the utmost of kindness. She took a deep breath and looked at all her techs. "I know Prentiss gave an overall briefing. That still applies. Here's our briefing. When you have a face on the screen, I need you to capture it and drop it in the folder on your dock. The icon is on the bottom left. That folder will put it in the queue for facial recognition. The faster we rule people out, the faster we find our unsubs. I have everything running at full tilt. I need the full face. If you don't have the full face in your frame, let the UCs know they need to back up, or twist right or left to get you the full face. Once that's done, the system will do the rest. If anyone needs to use the restroom, do so now, and then back to your stations," she said and they all nodded and disbursed to their positions.
She returned to her own little desk, sat down and exhaled heavily. She was trying to shake away all her feelings for the moment, so she could do her job. It was something Luke noticed and he checked in on her quickly. He took a chair next to her, sat down and then took her hand. "I know you don't like being in this position," he said.
"No, no, it's not that," she smiled. "I mean it is that, but no. This is my family. I do like my job. I was reminded of that. It's the balancing part I'm still working on," she said and he simply looked at her and listened to whatever she was going to tell him. "In therapy, I've learned that taking time for me is important, and so for what, three years? Almost three years? I forgot about everything that was horrific and just built this great little web space, with future Garcias, so that no one would be without help. We could go out into the world and make this lovely little place, for more than just me. While I did all that, I took time for myself. I exercised, I cooked, I learned new languages," she said and then shook her head. "No, that's wrong, I studied new languages, just because it was nice and different and not horrific, and then I was forced back into the job where all the horrific happened. I want to help, and I'm finding the balance difficult," she said honestly.
"Is there anything I can offer now?" he asked. "Did you get enough to eat or drink so far today? I know you like tea, I can get you come chamomile from the little cafe," he offered.
"You are lovely and food might be better. Something carb loaded so I can burn it off as we work," she said.
"They had hash browns," he offered and she smiled. "One order of hash browns coming up my lady," he smiled at her and with a quick kiss to her cheek, he left.
In the hotel room on the fourth floor, Mackenzie, Victoria, and Wyatt had started their day as well. Wyatt was moving around the room and his soft movements woke Mackenzie from her sleep. She'd been squeezed up against Victoria as she slept. "Daddy!" she called softly once she wiggled away from Victoria. She still got nervous about waking them up, afraid she'd be in trouble.
"Hi baby," he smiled at her, walking over toward the bed. She carefully crawled over to him, pulled herself up to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Did you sleep well?" he asked her and she just nodded but stayed tucked up against him.
"You go?" she asked him.
"I will be in a while, but I still have time. Would you like to get dressed and go eat breakfast together?" he offered her.
"Mmm, wha' I eat?" she asked softly.
"Well, let's look at the breakfast menu together," he said and he pulled out the little brochure on top of the nightstand. "They have standard breakfast it looks like. Eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, and what's that?" he smiled at her pointing to a photo.
"Has-b'ows," she smiled happily.
"Yes, hash browns. I know those are your favorite," he grinned and she nodded, snuggling in closer to him. "Should we get you dressed so we can go eat?" he asked her.
"Not Mommy?" she asked. Wyatt simply kissed her temple before answering. It was sometimes very difficult to treat this actual twenty two year old, as anything other than a six year old. With all her injuries and past traumas, she fell into six quite easily and Wyatt used his Master skills to meet her where she was. It was a constant balancing act.
"Well Mommy's still sleeping and you know her, she doesn't really like breakfast. I was thinking we let her rest and you and I go eat. When we finish, then we'll come back here. At that point Mommy will be awake, the two of you can spend the day together, and I will head to my lectures and demos," he explained and Mackenzie agreed. "Okay, so Mommy put your outfits for the weekend together in the top draw. Let's pick one of them out, get you dressed and head downstairs," he said, trying to give her space to make her own decisions.
She nodded and let him help her get dressed. Then she hung on to him as tightly as she could, not prepared or willing to walk very much on her own. Wyatt carried her off the elevator, through the lobby, and into the little cafe they had. "How many?" the host asked.
"Two please," Wyatt said.
"Do you need a booster seat?" he asked.
"No, thank you," Wyatt said and he felt Mackenzie shrink a bit. She hated when people asked if she needed a booster seat. He kissed her temple and spoke gently. "He doesn't know details Kenz, he's making assumptions," he reminded her quietly and she nodded and hugged him tightly as the host fished out an adult menu and a kids menu.
"This way please, Sir," he said and took them to a far off table, placed the menus down, and left them alone.
"You tell me love. Sit facing the room, so you area fully aware of what's going on or with your back to it, so you see nothing?" he asked her.
"Wif you Daddy," she said softly.
"Yes, with me, of course. Facing out or facing in?" he asked her.
"Um, I sees," she told him. It was a sure decision, but not a brave one and he figured it might be a bit of time before she was feeling fully confident.
"Good choice, I'm super proud of you," he told her and then he took a seat at the table, with his back to the wall and Mackenzie on his lap. She snuggled against him and began watching the people walk in to the hotel. These were the conventioneers, gathering outside the main doors, until it was time to enter. She was doing just fine until she saw a woman in a black leather jumpsuit, leading a man in black leather pants and no shirt by a collar and leash.
"Daddy," she said slightly panicked.
"I'm right here Kenz. I promise. Look, let's see what we should order besides hash browns. Do you want to share something?" he offered her and she looked at him for a minute.
"Peepa," she said pointing her arm for a moment and then lowering it.
"Yes, a lot of people. Are you worried about the leather?" he asked, knowing what was making her so upset all of a sudden. He'd seen it too. He also saw the sub with the horse's tail, but he was glad she missed that, because it was always more difficult for her to focus when other people put their sexual fetishes blatantly out on display. She remembered how she felt about learning all those things ten years ago, but those memories usually snowballed into all the abuse that followed later on as well as the abuse she suffered at the hands of Hollis Matten. Knowing she needed a good distraction, he made a suggestion. "Should we play a game then," he asked kindly and she nodded. The game was simply eye spy and it was a great distraction tool when she needed it. "Who goes first? Daddy or Kenzie?"
"Daddy."
"I see something far away, shaped like a square, and red," he told her and she looked around the room, following his instructions. To the rest of the world, she was a little girl playing eye spy with her Daddy. In actuality she was a frightened adult who needed a care taker and that care taker was working to distract her enough, so she didn't have a panic attack.
"Um, dat," she said pointing toward the giant Coco-Cola sign behind the counter.
"Be more specific please," he said softly.
"Coke Sy-a," she smiled at him.
"Good girl. Okay your turn," he said.
"Is um. far but gettin' hewe, is tall an has a bea'd," she grinned and Wyatt looked up to see Luke Alvez approaching. Luckily Wyatt remembered him from the night before.
"Is it our friend Mister Luke?" he asked and she nodded with a smile and then waved at him.
He waved in return, placed his order at the counter and then walked over to them. "Good morning my friends, did you sleep okay?" he asked and Mackenzie nodded.
"Lou?" she asked softly.
"Yes Mackenzie?" he asked her with a smile.
"I not s'areds you now," she told him.
"Well that's good. I'm glad to hear that. I don't think I'm scary. You know what though, if I ever did scare you, there are four women on my team, who would yell at me," he said. "I would be in a lot of trouble with them, if I scared you," he said and she smiled at him.
"No, you is nye," she told him.
"Thank you. I know the first day you met me, you were not happy, so I can understand why I seemed scary," he said.
"You an' Miss Emmy," she told him.
"That is correct," he said. "I will tell you a secret; are you ready?" he asked and she nodded, so he leaned in close and spoke softly. "Sometimes Miss Emily scares me," he admitted.
"Noooo," Mackenzie giggled. "Hers nye too," she said.
"You're right. She is very nice," Luke said kindly, glad that Mackenzie seemed to be outgoing and bubbly this morning. He didn't dare correct that fact that while Emily could be very nice, if you messed with Section/Unit Chief Prentiss, she could very well eat you alive. "Are you and Daddy here for breakfast?" he asked and she nodded. "The food here is very good. I ate earlier and I'm here now to get some hash browns for my friend Penelope," he told her.
"Oooh Fuzzy," she said tapping imaginary cat ears on her head and Luke suppressed a laugh as best he could.
"Yes, Penelope with the fuzzy ears," he said. "I do have to get back to my team. You have a good day and I'll see you later okay?" he asked her and she nodded and waved at him. Once he got his food and left she looked at Wyatt.
"Daddy, we kays?" she asked.
"We are the safest we've ever been sweetheart," he told her.
"I sees Hay-za?" she asked.
"We'll have to have find that out, but I'm sure it can be arranged," he said.
"Es, p'ease," she said.
"Of course. Now the waitress will be here in a moment. Do you want just hash browns, or will you have some eggs and bacon too?" he asked.
"We s'are?" she asked.
"Yes, I will order a big plate and we can share," he told her.
Luke returned to Penelope with the plate he'd gotten her and she smiled gratefully at him. "Sit please," she commanded and pulled out a spare fork she had with her, letting him have the one he'd returned with. "We will share," she said and he sat with her, take a few hash browns every so often, but leaving most of it for her.
"You have a new nickname I think," he told her. "At least for this weekend," he said.
"What? From who? You're not about to start acting like one of my rookies are you? Do I have to demote you back to newbie?" she asked in exasperation.
"Settle." he warned her. "It's not any of us. It's from Mackenzie Lansing," he said.
"I'm sorry," she said honestly. "Continue," she prompted.
"I saw her in the little cafe with Wyatt. I told her I was getting you food and she got very excited and mimicked your cat ears and simply said Fuzzy. I think your names might be too hard for her mouth. I'm Lou, and Prentiss is Emmy." he said.
"I have too many syllables in either of my names, and the muscular damage she and Hazel have prevents them from even trying I think. For Mackenzie and Hazel, I will allow Fuzzy," she said. "If you try that though," she warned him.
"I would never," he assured her. "Thank you for sharing and for now enjoy your hash browns. I'll check in later," he said and with that he returned to his own station.
A few of under covers wandered around outside, in the parking lot, to gather any information they could. "This is Cotton, I need a plate run," he said softly and Luke was the first to answer.
"This is Alvez, proceed," he said.
"I have a grey box van in the lot, purple logo on the side, it could resemble a needle, plates are seven, two, X-ray, Tango, Whiskey, niner," Cotton responded as he kept walking in a lazy circle around various cars and trees, to appear that he was just killing time, waiting for the convention to open while Luke looked up the plates
"Keep visual," Luke ordered and then moved over to Penelope for the plate run, he knew she was already doing. As soon as he appeared behind her, she glanced at him and shook her head at the photo on the screen. It wasn't Matten, so right now, they were not interested. "Negative, proceed with entrance," Luke answered. This was going to be a long waiting game.
Back in the little cafe Mackenzie was eating her breakfast, mostly on her own, and watching all the people go through to the convention. There were a lot of them, and the more people she saw the more she got nervous. Wyatt could feel the tension in her so he tried to distract her a little bit. "Kenz my love, should we call up to Mommy and tell her it's time to get up?" he asked.
"Um, hers mad?" she asked softly.
"Not at all my love. Mommy likes to sleep, but it's day time. Maybe we get her up now, and you two play while Daddy goes to the convention and then you can both take a nap in the afternoon and we can all play more tonight," he suggested, smoothly working in a nap, knowing Mackenzie would most likely need it, if she continued to get overwhelmed. He was also sure she wouldn't ask for a nap and she'd be begging to be carried most of the day. This was a high anxiety situation for her.
"Kays," she agreed and he pulled out his cell phone and called his wife.
"Hello?" she asked tiredly.
"Good morning my love," he said.
"Hi Mommy," Mackenzie said in the background and Victoria smiled.
"I hear a happy girl," she said.
"Indeed and we are nearly done with breakfast. If you are up for it, Kenz and I will come up, and you can take her to the pool this morning and I will attend the conference," he suggested. "I will also be very jealous, because you two will be able to take a nap after lunch, if you wish and I will have to give a lecture to a lot of people who will have a food coma," he said and Victoria laughed softly.
"Put her on please," Victoria requested.
"Here baby, talk to Mommy," he said.
"Hi Mommy," she smiled.
"Hello my love, are you enjoying breakfast with Daddy?" she asked.
"Mmm, I seed Misser Lou," she told her. "He gots has-bows," she smiled. "For hims f'iend, um, Fuzzy Lay-ee," she said touching the spot on her head, to mark the ears of Penelope's headband, which Victoria could not see.
"Kenz, that's miss Penelope," Wyatt said, being sure his voice was loud enough for Victoria to hear him.
"Es, hers," she said.
"We'll practice her name later my love, and I'm very glad that you saw Mister Luke," Victoria said. "When you finish breakfast, come up, and we can get ready for the pool this morning," she said.
"Mommy, can Hay-za comes too?" she asked hopefully.
"Let me talk to Daddy so we can figure that out baby," Victoria said and Mackenzie gave Wyatt the phone and took a bite of her eggs, feeling better about her situation this weekend. It would be nice to have a friend with her. Someone who was more like her, understood more of what she'd been through. Mackenzie recognized that Hazel would probably never want to leave her Mommy and Daddy type people, and that was fine, but she did want a friend, so she was hoping to get one this weekend.
"I will take Hazel if I'm allowed, but I don't know how to find her?" Victoria told him.
"I have Agent Prentiss's card, I'll call her, find out what the deal is and then bring Kenzie up to get ready," he said.
"Sounds good, love you," she said and they hung up.
"Daddy," Mackenzie said and offered him a bite of eggs while he hung up with Victoria before making a second call.
"Thank you baby," he said and then dialed another number on his phone.
Emily felt her phone ring and spoke kindly. "Marshal. Prentiss off," she said and she received a vocal copy before answering her phone. "Agent Prentiss," she said keeping her eyes glued to her monitor.
"Agent Prentiss, Wyatt Lansing, I'm sorry to bother you. We were wondering if Hazel would like to join my wife and Mackenzie at the pool today."
"Oh yes, Mr. Lansing. Is this your cell number?" she asked him.
"Yes Ma'am."
"Great. Give me about ten minutes, and I'll get you the contact information you need," she said.
"Thank you," he replied and hung up and Mackenzie looked at him expectantly.
"Miss Emmy said no?" she asked sadly, thinking the conversation had happened too quickly.
"No baby, not at all. She said she needs ten minutes and she wanted to make sure the number was my cell, so she can reach me back," he assured her and she nodded.
"Marshal, Prentiss on, Prentiss to Garcia," Emily said.
"Copy Prentiss to Garcia," he said.
"Boss," Penelope smiled.
"Text Will, give him the heads up that Mackenzie wants to spend time with Hazel, and then send Mister Lansing Will's phone number," she said.
"On it," Penelope said and within seconds both tasks were finished and they went back to their posts, keeping watch for either Hollis Matten or Kylie Danvers. As Emily watched, she noticed a man, who came into the east entrance in a wheel chair and then she got in touch with registration.
"The next person on registration to get the gentleman in the wheel chair, hold him a few seconds longer," she said firmly and they all either nodded the affirmative, or bobbled their glasses up and down, knowing she could see the screens move in a yes motion. The gentleman rolling up to registration seemed very confident and Emily spoke softly to Dave. "Rossi, feed lines to registration," she said.
He nodded and refocused his screen, so all he saw was the man in the wheelchair, looking at the person at the registration table. He fit the description of Matten and since no one was sure which way to go, they decided to start with a flirtatious strategy, to hopefully get him talking.
"Marshal, Rossi to Casper," he said
"Copy," Marshall answered and then Dave began feeding her lines.
"Well hello big muscles," Julie Casper grinned at him. "Welcome to our convention, may I have your name please?" she asked.
"Kyle Matson," he said.
"Flatter him," Rossi said in her ear, needing her to stall him a little longer and then he heard Penelope's voice in his ear.
"Get him to lift his chin a little bit please," Penelope requested.
"Casper, we need him to lift his chin, Garcia needs a slightly different angle. Sit back and and gain his full attention please, pause everything you are doing to make him stop and look directly at you."
She made a small show of searching for his name and the smiled. "Wait, Kyle?" she asked and her eyes got wide and she smiled real big and made herself blush a little bit.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Lift your chin a bit for me please?" she asked and he did so and then she had him give a side profile. "No mole, so you aren't my bosses estranged twin brother. He made a big stink about how I had to come, quote, brave this convention, because he didn't want to see his brother," she said, babbling on a bit, as they confirmed in her ear, they got the shot they needed.
"What about you? Can you brave this convention? Beyond this reception table?"
"I'm sure I could Sir," Dave said in her ear. "Be confident and direct with him," he coached and she repeated it.
"Sir? You're a submissive then?"
"I am polite and have manners," she smiled at him and then checked him off the list.
"Well, I'll tell you what, if you'd like to show me exactly what kind of manners you have, I'm staying in this hotel tonight. Here is my number. I am very sure we could have a lovely little adventure together."
"No thank you Sir, I have someone waiting for me at home," Dave said in her ear.
"Too bad, I am sure I could show you a very good time, and I think my pet would love you, even for just a night," he smiled.
"I appreciate that Sir, thank you," she said and with that he went on his way.
"Very well done," Rossi praised in her ear.
Once he left, reception spotted six more people in wheel chairs entering the convention. "Marshall, Buxton to Garcia and Prentiss," he said.
"Copy for Buxton, Garcia, and Prentiss," Marshall answered.
"Garcia, do we know how many wheel chairs are coming this weekend," she asked through tight lips so she could be heard by only the people in her ear at the moment.
"Negative," she answered simply and reception gave a heavy sigh.
"Prentiss, I hope you have all eyes on us then, six just rolled in," he said quietly and Emily knew she had seconds to spare, before they rolled up on the table.
"Marshal, Prentiss to all," she said.
"Copy, Prentiss to all."
"Parker and Haze, excuse yourselves from the table and head around back to command center," she ordered and they quickly jumped into action. "JJ, Lewis, Rossi, feed lines. Alvez eyes on the ballroom with me, start south. Garcia get assists to capture," she ordered and everyone did as told, as quickly as possible. Emily held Parker and Haze back, until all the wheel chairs had been captured and cleared and then sent them back, which was great timing, because a flock of people came through the door and they realized the convention was hitting it's peak attendance for the morning hours.
Penelope was furiously capturing and running the facial recognition programs, happily placing everyone so far into the cleared folder when a woman approached her from the side and spoke kindly. "Ms. Garcia," she said and Penelope looked at her with a smile, recognizing her as the hotel manager they'd met the night before. This was Danielle Kryton and she'd made sure everything was set up properly for the command center and made sure that only she or her assistant Ryan would be assisting the entire joint task force. "Ma'am, does everyone on your team like coffee?" she asked.
"Oh, Ms. Kryton, thank you, yes." she smiled, having pushed the mute button for herself on her keyboard.
"I will leave a few carafes back here behind you, and I'll take several up to reception," she said.
"Thank you," she smiled and with that, she went back to her station and lifted the mute she had on herself. "Marshall, Garcia to all," she said and once she had the verbal copy, she made her announcement. "All teams, coffee is headed to reception and there will be coffee back here at command in about fifteen minutes. Rotate yourselves accordingly," she announced and was quickly rewarded with multiple declarations of love and adoration for getting them all the caffeine they were so desperately needing. Luke came up behind her and kissed her cheek before scribbling her a note.
"I love you the most," he wrote down and she gave a smirk and wrote him a note back.
"Newbie!"
By nine o'clock pretty much everyone was in the convention and now the focus needed to shift. The under cover agents had to start scoping out vendors. Alvez and JJ were covering the screens for the north side of the room while Rossi and Lewis covered the south side. Most of what they saw were Masters and Mistresses who seemed to be showing off their pets to each other. Prentiss had posted one under cover at each side of the vendor row on each side of the room to keep a broad view of things. The rest of the under covers roamed around the room getting instructions from the BAU about which vendors to look at a little more closely. Captain Riggs was very quietly roaming the entire room, reading off the names of the vendors to everyone listening. "Riggs, go back a few booths, it looks dental related. Two booths behind you," JJ instructed, having caught something just off camera. As he ventured backward, he saw the one booth lined with ropes, paddles, lubricants, various toys that could be inserted, and costumes that could be worn. The sign over the top of the booth was labeled The Barn and the woman behind the table smiled as Riggs stood there and surveyed everything.
"Can I interest you in anything Sir?" she offered with her best southern drawl and Riggs smiled at her. His relief grew when he heard JJ in his ear, calling for a direct link between Riggs and herself. It made the upcoming conversation a little bit easier.
"You know what? You can actually. This is a fancy little gadget, how does this work?" he asked pointing to what looked like a very small bridle for horses, which was what caught JJ's eye to start with.
"That is a bridle and based on your questions, my assumption is you have a horse that likes to play," she grinned.
"Marshall, Jareau to Burke and Riggs," she said quickly. Once she got the verbal confirmation, she continued. "Burke, Riggs is just behind you. Move in fast. Be overly sweet. Ask your honey what he found," she said.
Kelsie turned and made a mad dash to her captain. She all but bounced into his side and smiled, wrapping herself around him a little bit. "What'd you find honey?" Burke asked, brushing her hair coyly behind her ears and the vendor's eye lit up.
"You are gorgeous, you pretty young filly," she praised and Riggs wrapped a protective arm around Burke and drew her just a little bit closer. He did not like how aggressive the vendor was being. The look in her eye was predatory. "It turns out that your rider found this bridle," the vendor said. "You would place this in her mouth and then attach the reigns to the ends. Once she's got the bridle on, it makes it easier to stay in character and you can ride all night long," she said. "It's also good if you want to practice gag work, although I'd recommend a different product for gagging," she said handing him a different mouth piece.
"Now this is interesting, how does this work?" he asked curiously, waiting to hear what JJ's next instructions were.
"This is a paci-gag," the woman said.
"Let her tell you, but politely decline and move on," JJ coached in his ear. Anything that dealt with infantilism wasn't for them. They needed anything that dealt with paralytics, bindings and dentistry. Riggs and Burke moved to the end of row, parted ways and she went over toward the other side of the room, stopping at a booth where a massive amount of ropes caught Tara's attention. There were ropes dangling everywhere.
"Marshall, Lewis to Burke," she said and then waited for the verbal copy. "I have you Burke, pause here," Tara instructed and she stopped where she was. A woman stepped out from behind a small curtained area carrying several bundles of rope. She was wearing a skin tight pair of black leggings with a skin tight black t-shirt, her red hair was poker straight, framing her face, and behind a silver mask she was wearing, were a pair of striking green eyes. The block letter silver necklace was the final clue that this was most likely the Kylie Danvers they were looking for.
"See something you like?" the lady asked as she laid all the bundles she was carrying on the table top and began arranging them.
"Stall while I run diagnostics," Tara said kindly and began writing things down. "Marshall, Lewis for Garcia and Burke," she said.
She heard the copy and waited a split second. "Garcia, run the lady in front of Burke, eyes and necklace are a match for Danvers description."
"Burke, take a half step back," Penelope instructed and as soon as the woman's whole face was in the frame, Penelope grabbed the screen shot and put it through recognition.
"Burke, excuse yourself to the bathroom. You can return in a few moments, we're running her face now," Tara explained and agent Burke did just that.
Penelope growled softly and hit a few more keys. "The mask is throwing the software," Garcia finally announced.
"Marshall, Lewis to all," Tara announced.
"Copy."
"The booth is Complexity Wrangled. South side, second booth down from Rivers. We need a way to get the photo with the mask off," she said.
"I'll put a tail on her," Riggs said over the comms.
"Copy all units, everyone return to task at hand," Prentiss ordered and everyone returned to business as usual.
"Marshall, Lewis to Burke. Burke, go back to the masked woman, I'll feed you the questions we need answered," Tara said.
Just after eight o'clock, Hazel woke up and started looking around for JJ. When she didn't see her, she felt instant panic. She squeezed her eyes shut, tried to remember as many details as she could from the day before and then realized she felt the presence of another person in the room. When she saw the man sitting at the edge of the bed, panic filled her body. Some of it left, when the man stood up, faced toward her and she realized it was Will. He was supposed to be her protector too, something JJ had promised, but right now, he was just slowly moving about the room. She rolled onto her side, curled up as tight as she could and whimpered as pain began to radiate from her chest toward the rest of her body. Will turned at the noise and frowned. "Hazel," he said approaching her carefully. "Hazel it's Will. Why don't we stretch you out, so your ribs don't cause you too much more pain."
"Den-fer," she said sadly.
"I know love. We are going to meet her and the rest of the team for dinner. Right now, she and her team are working to catch the people who did this to you and some others. I do promise, that we don't have to stay here the whole time though. Penelope left your bathing suit, and mine, so we can get dressed into those things, and then go have some food at the little cafe and then go to the pool to swim for the morning," he said and she started to cry. It was a lot of information for her to handle so quickly. "Oh my Hazel," he sighed. "Okay, talk to me," he said gently and he picked up the two communication boards, brought them to her and sat across from her. He didn't want to pick her up, if she wasn't ready for it, although he did want to hold her and give her comfort in some way. She let JJ do that with no problem. Hazel hung her head and started to cry. "I'm so sorry Hazel," he said kindly. "Would you like to have a hug?" he offered and to his surprise, she climbed over the boards, into his lap and held on tight. "Shhh, I'm so sorry sweet girl. I know you didn't ask for any of this," he assured her. He rubbed her back for her and did his best to sooth her and slowly she began to calm down. Once she was calmer, he spoke gently. "I have an idea," he said. "Why don't we go to the desk, and use the boards that Doctor Page gave you. If you can tap for me, then we can communicate better with each other and get everything figured out."
Hazel held on to him and he carried her over to the little desk, pulled out the little note pad and pen, and waited for her to start tapping for him. Her finger found one letter and bounced up and down repeatedly. "JJ"
Will sighed, but simply transcribed for her, hoping she would get the point to say more things. Instead she just continued to tap and cry, and was only interrupted when Will's phone vibrated in his pocket. She felt the sensation and jumped at the feeling, before calming down as he explained it was his phone and then answered. "LaMontange," he answered.
"Sir, this is Victoria Lansing, I believe Agent Prentiss told you'd I'd be calling," she suggested.
"Oh right right, yes, sorry. Mackenzie's Mom?" he asked.
"Yes, that's correct. Kenzie and I would like to invite you and Hazel to join us at the pool this morning," she offered.
"Hold on please," he smiled and then spoke directly to Hazel. "Hazel, remember last night when we had milkshakes with Mackenzie and her family? What if you and I join Mackenzie and her mom at the pool today," he said. She nodded and he smiled. "We would love to join you, thank you. Can we meet you there between nine thirty and ten? We still need to have breakfast and get dressed," he said.
"Is there anything I can help with?" she offered.
"Well, it would appear that Hazel is very attached to my wife, who as you know is busy right now," he said and Victoria could hear the slight panic in his voice. "It's just going to take us a few minutes to figure it all out as we go," he said.
"Mr. LaMontagne, would you like me to come to your room, to try and assist maybe?" she offered.
"That is very kind, thank you. I will decline though, this time. Hazel and I just need to figure it out," he said.
"Fair," she smiled. "Please know that if you change your mind, you now have my number," she said and with that, they disconnected.
"Day-day," Hazel pushed out.
"I know love, I know," he said and he kept her close, stood up, and began pacing with her. When JJ did it, it worked miracles, so he decided to try. She calmed down pretty quickly, but had a death grip on him. "Shhh, I'm not going anywhere. You are with me and safe with me. I'm not leaving you," he said.
"Day-day," she whimpered.
"JJ didn't leave you permanently. JJ and her team went to go do a job. In order to keep everyone safe. That's where JJ went and she's coming back as soon as the convention is over tonight," he said. "In the meantime, let's try to figure out getting you and I dressed into our swim clothes and then food. Will you try for me?" he asked and she nodded, but didn't dare let go of him. "Thank you Hazel," he said and as he slowly moved about getting her dressed. First he had to re-wrap her ribs. Once that was done, he put on her emerald green bathing suit and looked at her leg. "Let's re-bandaged this and put a waterproof sleeve on it," he told her.
He sat her on the counter top in the bathroom so she could lean against the mirror with her legs in front and he could tend to the wound without inflicting more pain upon her. She looked at the waterproof sleeve and thought for a moment, before tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. He looked up and smiled. "Yes love?" he asked.
"Ow?" she questioned him.
"Huh-ow? As in how did I know you need this?" he asked her.
"Huh-ow," she mimicked and he smiled at her attempt to do better.
"Well, you see, the ladies of JJ's team, they are incredibly smart. They think of everything possible and since Penelope did all the ordering she figured out that you will need this so you could go swimming. This sleeve is something I wore a while ago when I hurt my arm," he said and then he showed her the scar on his tricep.
"Ow?" she asked sadly.
"Not anymore," he smiled. "Actually, not really even then. There was a lot of adrenaline flowing. Once that wore off, then yes, ow," he admitted. "But now, everything is fine," he assured her. She nodded and watched him slip on the waterproof sleeve and then peel off the sticky tape and seal it against her skin. "Now, if this starts to feel loose, or starts to slip off, you let me know, but the seal is pretty good, and Penelope bought us more, if we need them, so we should be good to go. Let me get dressed and then we can be on our way," he told her. He gently carried her back to the bed, set her down and then went to get changed himself. Once he was in his trunks and a t-shirt, he returned and smiled at her. "My personal opinion is that we eat breakfast first, do you agree?" he asked.
"Mmmm," she said and then reached for him. He scooped her up gently and kissed her temple.
"I am very proud of you Hazel. Thank you for trusting me," he said and with that, he gathered up the small backpack that held a change of supplies for Hazel, as well as sunscreen for both of them and they went down toward the lobby.