𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀

Part 2: Sunset

Hotch and JJ had been in his office for almost an hour, they had the rest of the team waiting curiously downstairs. They all wore a concerned face and fidgeted in some way, trying to distract their minds.

What could they be talking about?

Am I in trouble?

New case?

Am I getting promoted?

Each member of the team pondered a different scenario as they stared at the window, not even trying to hide the fact that they were spying on the two agents.

When the door finally cracked open, JJ and Hotch shared one final word and then exited the room. JJ's eyes were red and swollen, maybe from crying. The team attempted to scatter back to their desks and get to work. JJ walked into a separate conference room and dialed a set of numbers on her phone then lifted it up to her ear and started talking. The words she spoke were too muffled for the team to hear anything, Hotch called them up to the larger conference room and they all sat down.

"What's going on?" Reid asked. He could tell something was wrong, the energy in the room was ominous, as if there was some unsolved mystery.

"We have a case," Hotch ignored Reid's question and sat down. A few moments later Garcia walked in briskly with the same concerned face that she usually wore when they got a case.

Garcia hadn't built up a tolerance to the type of stuff they saw on the daily the same way as the rest of the team had. She still turned away or hid her face when she presented new cases and covered her ears when the team talked about the especially gruesome stuff. She wasn't quite built for the job mentally, but she had a skill set that nobody else could possess.

As Garcia started presenting the case, nobody could focus on the large screen at the front of the room. Instead they were giving JJ a side eye, glancing at her on the phone until she hung up and walked into the room.

She smiled reassuringly, "Sorry, I had to take that." She sat down in between Reid and Emily, took a deep breath, and opened the case file in front of her.

Reid studied her body language and facial expressions. She was biting the inner part of her lips and was fiddling with the necklace around her neck. She always held the pendant close to her, it was the most special thing she had left of her only sister, Rosalin. It was long and it fit perfectly around her neck. She fiddled with the sentimental chain until she noticed something and left it resting on top of her collarbones.

She sat up straighter and adjusted the collar of her shirt. "From what Haley told the local police, they were walking together when Ella screamed and got pulled away," She glanced over at Reid, knowing he would finish her sentence for her.

"So why didn't the unsub take both of the girls?" His brows furrowed and he focused his narrow eyes onto the papers in front of him, hoping to find even the smallest detail that could explain the kidnappers thought process.

You could almost see the gears in his brain turning as he flipped through every possibility.

"Maybe he couldn't get both the girls at once," Derek inquired.

"But that doesn't make any sense," Emily chimed in. "They're 9 year old girls, they're small and don't have the same strength compared to a grown man."

"Exactly," JJ said. "There must be something different that he's after." She scowled at the files, resenting them and growing more frustrated by the second.

The team all stood up and scattered when Hotch gave them the cue. They each went their own ways, searching for the last items of clothing they needed to pack in their bags.

When they left the headquarters and stepped out onto the large concrete area, the small but mighty jet stared back at them. It was placed upon the brightly lit tarmac, awaiting its passengers. The plane felt like home to the team, they were on it so often. Any one of them could easily curl up and sleep on the couch or one of the reclining chairs.

After settling in, the jet took off. It made a deafening rumbling sound as it sped down the runway, the team put in headphones or covered their ears.

After a few minutes, it sailed above the clouds as the sun set. The reflection of the colors made the clouds appear as cotton candy. Hues of orange, pink, and purple were foreshadowed onto the fluffy white beings.

JJ listened to the hum of the motors as she watched the sun set, hoping to bring her mind back to a state of contempt. The orange gold stretched far and wide, the color of fire overwhelmed the sky. It blossomed upon the horizon, creating a welcoming and calming outlet for pain. She watched as the sun got lower and lower, as the array of colors faded away with the last of dusk.

At last, the stars came out to play and JJ's breathing slowed. Her eyelids became heavy and the soft whirring of the plane lulled her to sleep. The softness, the quiet, and the calm of rest overcame her completely and as her body relaxed, she let go of all worries, allowing her mind to fall deep into dreams and fantasy.

If only real life were this serene.

****

Remember to vote!