The bird's opening - Criminal Minds - JJ

Bird's Opening

Afghanistan, 2010

Dani's head snapped in the direction of the tent when she heard commotion inside. From where she had been talking to JJ, she rushed into the tent, slipping inside just in time to see Askari taking a step back with a shout when Nadia spat straight at her face. Dani frowned when she noticed Askari reaching for his weapon.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded, stepping in between the two of them as she pushed Askari's weapon away.

"She just went crazy on me." Askari defended, as Dani rolled her eyes, but looked around the room to assess the situation. "I don't know where it came from."

Dani turned to look at Nadia. The woman sat in a chair, sobbing, probably in fear of Askari, but Dani wasted no time in noticing what was missing: a doll. The one she had been holding ever since she had been brought into the camp and that she never let go of. Well, never until now because, try as she might, Dani could not find a single trace of the doll around anywhere.

"Where's the doll?" She asked, as Askari frowned.

"What doll?" He asked.

"The doll." JJ said, stepping inside the tent and understanding what Dani was talking about in a second. As Dani dealt with a still very much angry Askari, JJ walked over to Nadia as she tried to calm her down, even if for a little. "We need to find the doll. It's ok. Calm down. Where is the doll?"

Emotions were high now and JJ was already yelling a little, but before anything could get too out of hand, Hastings, of all people, walked inside, Nadia's doll in his hand as he softly approached the group.

"It was on the ground outside." He said, trying to sound calm in contrast to everyone else around him.

Dani kept a careful eye on Askari still, but also watched as Hastings approached Nadia with the doll, kneeling down in front of her as he offered her the doll, speaking softly to her in a language Dani didn't know. Still, Nadia calmed down as soon as the doll was back in her hands and she sobbed quietly, holding the doll as close to her as she possibly could. Dani noticed how JJ watched the scene and when she turned to look at her, as if asking for some kind of permission, Dani nodded.

"Translate, please." JJ said, looking at Hastings, who frowned as he looked up at her.

"Me?" He asked.

"That was your first step at developing rapport." JJ explained. "We need to build on that."

For a second, no one moved. Hastings and Askari turned to look at Dani then. They didn't particularly like each other, but, still, they knew Cruz had put her in charge of female interrogations, so they waited for her instructions. Deciding to trust JJ's instincts - especially considering the fact that she was going further than she ever had on building rapport with Nadia -, Dani decided to take the risk and nodded. She noticed how Hastings and Askari exchanged looks, but neither argued. Nodding at Dani, Askari left the room and JJ turned to look at Hastings instead, silently asking him to translate for her what she said next.

"My name is Jennifer." She said, pointing at herself before pointing at Dani. "This is Daniella and this is Michael."

Hastings translated her words to Nadia then, as the woman watched the three of them with wide eyes, clearly still scared.

"Was that your child's?" JJ asked, nodding at the doll. Hastings repeated the question, causing Nadia to nod. "Where is she?"

"Quetta." Nadia said, after Hastings translated the question.

"She's in Pakistan." Dani said, as JJ nodded, weighting her options before turning back to Hastings.

"Ok, hum, tell her if she gives us the names of the men that dealt with her husband, we'll reunite her with her daughter." She said.