Difficult Times (Jemily)

Chapter 46

(Trigger warning: talk of suicide)
*Next day getting ready for work

Emily's POV:

"JJ where's my shoes?"

"They are next to the couch" she calls back.

"Thank you" I yell.

I grab my shoes and put them on. JJ was finishing getting dressed. We weren't supposed to go to work but there is a case.

"You almost ready?" I ask.

"Yup" JJ says while walking out.

"Meds?"

"Oh shit"

"JJ we talked about this"

"I know I just forgot. I'll take them now" She grabs a glass and fills it with water, and I hand her 2 of her pills.

"Okay all good. Now let's go" I say while grabbing both of our go-bags.

We drive to work pretty fast. JJ was singing along to the radio almost the entire time. We walk into the bullpen and Hotch calls us into the conference room. We weren't told anything about the case beforehand so I just hope it won't take to long.

We all take our normal seats.

Garcia walks in and starts to present the case. "6 nights ago, in Wyoming 2 different teens were found hanging in their bedrooms. Trish Leake was dead when she was found. Ryan Krouse was revived on scene, but then died a few days later in the hospital."

"I know we don't handle suicides. But the previous Friday 2 more boys a few towns over were found hanging on the backs of their doors." Hotch says.

"Four successful suicides in the same rural county in a week? That's way above the national average." Reid says.

"These kids don't fit the pattern. No drug or alcohol abuse, no antidepressants, no prior arrests. These are just plain good kids who decided to hang themselves at approximately the same time on a Friday night." JJ says. Everyone stares at her not wanting to talk. "When someone feels trapped in what feels like a hopeless situation, pulling the trigger or swallowing pills, or hanging yourself seems like the only way out." No one still says anything. So JJ continues, "None of that seems to exist here. Something's really wrong." JJ let's put a sigh before continuing. "All these events happened on a Friday, it's Wednesday. In 2 more days there will probably be another body or two."

"Wheels up in 30. On the jet we will determine wether these are homicides or suicides. And even if they are suicides, there's definitely something wrong here. And Garcia you will be coming with us." Hotch says.

JJ's POV:

We all start to walk out of the room but at the last second Hotch calls me over.

"JJ can I talk to you for a second. Emily can you close the door."

"What is it?" I ask.

"If you want to sit this case out that is completely understandable." Hotch says.

"I'll be fine."

"If it gets to be to much let me or Emily know and you can stay at the hotel."

"I will."

"Alright then, let's go."

We both walk out and head to grab our things before going to the jet. Emily pulls me to the side right before walking out.

"What did Hotch want?" Emily asks.

"He just wanted to see if I wanted off the case after everything that's happened. I told him I would be fine. And if it starts to get to be to much then I need to let you or him know and I would stay at the hotel for the rest of the cast."

"Okay. If it does start to get to be to much please tell me. And if I think it's getting to be to much for you then I will tell Hotch." Emily says leaving no room for disagreeing.

"Fine."

We both make our ways to the jets and everyone takes their normal spots but I stand but the back.

"Sir, it's not that I'm not glad to be coming with you because I am. I just don't understand the why." Garcia says.

"One of the aspects of a equivocal death investigation when suicide is a probability is an indirect personality assessment." Hotch states. I try my best to not say anything. Hotch continues, "Our victims are all internet generation kids. There should be invaluable personal data on their computers to mine for the evaluation."

"If they committed suicide, evidence of it will probably be in their cyber world." Derek says.

"So I'm gonna snoop through dead kids computers?" Garcia says.

"This plane seldom makes pleasure trips." Rossi says.

"We've all been over the files, let's talk about victimology." Hotch says.

"Okay. All four kids were decent students, from different neighboring towns but the same school and the same county."

"Active in sports and community." Derek adds.

"Intact families, no mental disorders, no precipitated events."

"These are just good average kids. There has to be some underlying issue." Derek says. I was about to speak but Reid started talking first.

"Besides relative proximity there's no obvious connection between any of them."

"It seems to rule out an overt suicide pact." Hotch adds. I try to speak again but Reid goes first.

"The first few days leading up to a teenager's suicide are usually very telling. Their behavior is transparent. There's a multitude of indicators."

"Yeah, but the most common don't exist here. There's no prior attempts, no period of deep depression, no withdrawal from family members, no spontaneous proclamations of love." I say.

"Spontaneous proclamations of love?" Emily asks.

Everyone looks over to me. "Sometimes a suicidal person, in the days leading up to the act, will just blurt out 'I love you' to family, sort of like a goodbye."

Everyone looks away and stops talking. So Hotch speaks up to break the awkward silence, "We'll start with the latest two victims. If they were suicides, let's find out what drove them to it."

We landed about 6 hours later. Emily and Derek were told to go and speak to the Leake family. Rossi and Reid were told to speak to the Krouse family. Hotch went to the morgue to see if they found anything else on the victims to determine if it wasn't a suicide. Garcia and I stayed back at the station. I worked on a geological profile and Garcia was setting up her things so she could look through the victims computers.

I knew Hotch made me stay back because he didn't doesn't trust me. I almost always talk to the families.