Anastasia Brooke has been a member of the BAU for four years. She loves every single one on the team like family.
And they love her equally as much too. However, a certain individual starts to realise that he wants to love Anastasia a little differe...
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Shoes. That's what you see. So many pairs of shoes. A box just full of shoes. Bile rises to the back of your throat instantly, and you turn away, rushing back to the house.
"Hotch! The box next to the pigs, it's like a garbage bin or something. It's full of nothing but bloody shoes, all different sizes, male and female." Wincing, you cover your mouth to try and stop the increasing bile, before finally continuing, "We said we were looking for ten missings? There's gotta be over one hundred pairs of shoes in that thing."
Hotch's frown deepens as he looks at you, before glancing to Rossi who enters the house. A moment later he returns with Reid and officer Bedwell, following you to where Morgan and Prentiss were.
The smell coming from the nearby pit can only be described as revolting, further increasing the rising sick feeling in your stomach.
"These are... They belong to victims?" Officer Bedwell asks gingerly, looking at Prentiss.
"Possibly."
"Why just the shoes? Where are the bodies?" He asks again, leaning to brace himself.
"I don't think there's going to be any bodies, guys. Pigs are omnivores. They'll eat anything. By anything, I mean... anything." Reid deduces, looking from the pit of grunting pigs to the box of shoes.
Spinning on your heel, you stumble and stagger away from the group to the nearest SUV, hunching over it. Not remembering to eat this morning, too focused on the case, meant that a feeling of faintness accompanied your dry heaving. In all your years at the BAU, there wasn't much you hadn't seen, but this case and the picture that Reid had just painted was eerily disturbing.
The combination of the pigs, the smell, the shoes and the number of victims had you bent at the waist, trying to still the dizziness. Hotch's face comes into your view, him kneeling down in front of you, his hands grasping yours tightly.
"Ana... Baby, are you okay?" Hotch softly rasps, his voice full of concern. Bringing your face up, you offer him a meek smile, before nodding.
Hotch doesn't release his grip on your hands as you slowly rise, straightening and leaning your head against the metal of the SUV.
"Sorry, with the rush of everything today I haven't eaten. That, and the smell, just made me feel a little funny. It's passed though now, it was just a little wave of nausea. I'm good, promise." Opening your eyes, you look at Hotch and squeeze his palms reassuringly.
It doesn't seem like you've fully convinced him, but after one more sweeping look of you, he releases your hands from the confines of his. That's when you notice Morgan had followed you and Hotch, and was watching you both with a bewildered look.
Hotch makes his way back to the group, sending a nod of acknowledgment to Morgan as he passes. Okay, so he really doesn't care if the team know.
