ABLOCATE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME TWO
━━ ❛ 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆 ❜
chapter no. 050!
❝ NEXT STEPS. ❞
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﹙ JUNE 24TH, 2016 ﹚
WHEN THE DOOR TO THE PRIVATE WAITING ROOM SHUT, ALL TALKING CAME TO A HALT. None of them knew what exactly they were meeting to discuss, but a few had an inkling that it had to do with the Founding Fathers and Owen Sánchez's recent field trip to Surrey Memorial. It'd been six days and they'd yet to learn any of what was shared that day between Cara, Sánchez, Hotch, and Rossi.
"Garcia's with Cara," Hotch announced, meeting the team's expectant gazes. "We need to discuss this team's next steps."
JJ and Tara exchanged brief looks of intrigue. This was the first time the group had gathered together for a meeting in a week.
"Next steps?" Spencer echoed, confused.
Where was this headed?
"We can't all stay here, Reid," the Unit chief spoke solemnly. "There are cases in Quantico that need to be addressed. We still have a job and personal lives to tend to."
Oh. That's where it was headed.
Spencer's jaw slackened. "What about Cara?! We can't abandon her. We just got her back."
"Slow your roll, kid. All right?" Rossi raised an eyebrow at the brown-haired man, waiting for him to take a breath. Everybody needed to stay level-headed for this conversation. Spencer finally took a breath, comprehending his social and behavioral cues. "Nobody is abandoning her, I can promise you that."
Nodding, Hotch addressed the team with the following words. "We're not leaving Cara. We will still be helping and supporting her in whatever capacity that might entail. However, I am sending everyone back to Quantico and their respective homes tomorrow. Cara has already been informed of this decision and has affirmed that she is okay with it."
Darting her eyes between Hotch and Rossi, Blake tilted her head to the side. The pair were in agreeance on this. Evidently, they knew something the rest were not privy to.
"Everyone?" JJ asked, glancing at Spencer's taken-aback expression. This was not welcomed news. She wasn't comfortable with this and knew for a fact that Spencer wasn't either.
Morgan folded his arms across his chest, eyebrows furrowing into a jagged line. "Who is everyone?"
"The only person staying behind indefinitely is Rossi," Hotch jutted his head in the Italian man's direction. "I'll be staying for an additional week and then returning to the BAU. Cruz will be taking over as acting chief for the week. Reid, I have cleared it with Cruz and you can stay in Canada until the end of July. After that, you will return to work. Is that clear?"
Stammering, Spencer pushed back against the order. "B-But what if Cara wants me to stay longer? What if I want to stay here with her until she's healthy enough to come home?" He did not like where this was going. He didn't like not having a say in this.
Letting a breath out through his nose, Hotch pressed his lips together. This was the reaction he'd been expecting when he, Rossi, and Cara had discussed what the blonde wanted to do three days after Owen Sánchez's visit.
What happened now was entirely up to Cara. With everything she'd been through, Hotch and Rossi wanted her to have the ability to decide where she ended up and what she wanted to do with herself and her life. Regardless of what she chose, they were going to be by her side, supporting her. The rest of the team needed to do the same.
"Reid, Cara needs time to make a full recovery. Not just physically, but in every sense. I don't need to reiterate the severity of the situation here and its effects. In order to do that, though, she also needs to make her own decisions and set boundaries. It is not up to me how long you get to stay here; it's up to her." Hotch explained, mindful of his wording so he didn't share more information than necessary. The trust the blonde had established in him wouldn't be broken.
"So, she made the decision for me to stay until the end of July?" There was an ache in Spencer's chest and he inhaled sharply. Why didn't she want him there longer?
Rossi recognized the hurt in the man's voice. "Yes, but it's not because she doesn't want you or any member of this team here," he explained, also aware of his phrasing. "Cara acknowledges that the healing she has to do needs to be done without overly depending on others. She appreciates the love and care this team has shown her, but she needs time. We're giving it to her. Even if anyone here disagrees."
All was quiet for a moment while people processed the orders being given.
"Copy that," Blake was the first to respond. "We'll be on standby if she needs or wants anything."
One by one, the other members nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, Spencer kept his mouth shut and thoughts to himself.
Part of him wanted to argue against all of this, but he knew that he only felt that way because of his feelings and attachment toward Cara. From the moment she'd been emitted into the hospital, he'd either been by her side or outside her hospital door. He was never too far from her in fear that something would happen again when he could've been there to prevent it.
Turning his head to the left, he peered out the windows of the private waiting room. From where he stood, Spencer could scarcely see Penelope through the blinds and how she was holding Cara's hand while they watched a movie. As far as he could tell, her thumb was rubbing back and forth on the top of it and holding tenderly not to press down on Cara's injuries. She'd been repeating that motion all morning and it seemed to keep Cara calm.
It made the doctor simultaneously proud of Cara but worried— he was concerned that she would have another episode where she forgot that she was safe and mistake Penelope for one of the Founding Fathers. It wasn't improbable. It'd happened a few times and he was praying it wouldn't happen again. Well... at least if it did, he would be there until the end of July and Rossi would stay with her going forward to help.
"When we go back, will we be working on regular cases or working in conjunction with Surrey and Vancouver PD?" Tara asked, curious as to where this would leave the BAU in terms of the Founding Fathers and Cara's abduction case. Especially considering she'd been kidnapped in the U.S. and then brought over country borders.
Hotch slid his hands into his pant pockets. "The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Surrey PD, and Vancouver PD will still be working on the Founding Fathers' case. Seeing as Cara and the Founding Fathers are from Canada and she was found in Surrey, jurisdiction for the case falls to them. Marvinhill will keep us updated if they need anything. They're still searching for them. As of now, they have all of the evidence we've gathered over the years and access to Operation Azrael if they need it. When you return to work, you will only be working on the cases we take. That's all."
"Are there any new updates with the Founding Fathers and their locations? They weren't at Balmoral Tower or in the basement when we recovered Valentine. Last I heard, their whereabouts are still unknown." Morgan mentioned.
"The Founding Fathers..." Hotch trailed off, catching the look Rossi was shooting his way. The go-ahead had been given by Cara yesterday to share what she disclosed to them and Owen. "There is an update for one of them."
This made everyone's ears perk. If someone wasn't fully paying attention, they were now. Spencer tuned back in, glimpsing at the dark-haired man.
Morgan stood a bit straighter. "Which one?" Every fiber of his being was praying that whichever gang leader it was had been arrested or found dead. The very thought of what the Founding Fathers did to Cara made him feel sick. He wanted whatever happened to them to be as equally painful or life-altering.
"Hennessy Lu," Rossi answered.
A breath of relief seemed to ripple across the group. Maybe it was now one down, three to go.
"Has he been found?" JJ asked, hopeful.
Hotch and Rossi exchanged glances, seemingly having a silent conversation with only eye movements and head tilts. Finally, Hotch gave in.
"Lu's dead."
Blinking, Tara was a little stunned. That certainly wasn't an update she was expecting, but at least one of the bastards was gone.
Spencer cleared his throat, fully tearing his gaze away from the windows. A sense of satisfaction swelled in his chest. "Do we know how he died?"
"Or who killed him if he was murdered?" JJ added, picking up on the apprehension among the eldest men.
"His body hasn't been found, but it's been reported that he died due to blunt force trauma to the head. Possibly suffered from a fractured skull." Hotch shared. That was the conclusion he and Rossi had come to and what they told Marvinhill yesterday. They and Cara had sat down with the Captain and made an official report on the incident. It wasn't going to be documented in any servers as a safety precaution and Cara wouldn't be charged with anything. From what she told them, it was self-defense and the men were inclined to believe her.
Blake's forehead creased. "I'm sorry, reported?" she questioned, unsure what that meant.
"How do we know he's dead if his body hasn't been found? Did someone call in an anonymous tip to the police or something?" Morgan asked, perplexed.
"Not exactly," Rossi replied.
Now the entire team was really confused.
"I... I'm not following," JJ said, and Tara nodded in agreement.
Rolling back his shoulders, Hotch maintained his stoic nature. "Cara killed Lu."
Time seemed to slow down as his words gradually sank in.
Cara Valentine killed Hennessy Lu. Cara Valentine killed Hennessy Lu.
"It was an act of self-defense," the Unit Chief continued, taking in the mixed emotions etched into each person's face. "It happened sometime after Lu murdered her father. Lu was taking Cara's clothes off and she was trying to stop him. She kicked him twice and he slipped in a pool of blood. He hit his head on the ground and Cara tried to resuscitate him. It was too late. Matthew Johnston was the one who found them."
Immediately, Spencer's eyes widened and his head rotated so he could peer through the window blinds again. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. Cara had killed Lu and willingly told them this soon?
"Valentine confirmed that Hennessy Lu was the one who murdered her father?" Blake double-checked. Out of all her old colleagues, she was the only one unfazed. What happened during Cara Valentine's capture was none of their business as far as she was concerned. Unless the woman wished to share details with them, Blake wasn't comfortable asking questions or acknowledging that time period without verbal confirmation that it was all right with Cara. She also wasn't in the business of speculating and theorizing about what happened.
"Lu slit Ross Valentine's throat," Rossi grimaced at the mere thought of Cara having to witness her father's execution. He couldn't and wouldn't imagine.
Tara frowned. "That's awful," she muttered, averting her stare to her shoes. The horror Cara faced was incomprehensible.
"Did Valentine say if she knows where the other Founding Fathers are?" Morgan knew that Cara likely hadn't, but he wanted to be sure.
Shaking his head, Hotch upturned his chin. "No. I don't believe she knows. If she did, she wouldn't feel as safe as she does."
"Did she share anything else?" JJ asked, rubbing her forehead. It felt like a headache was headed her way.
"We're not at liberty to say," Hotch responded. "All I can say is that Cara is grateful for this team and everything we've done. She's safe and alive because of our hard work and she doesn't want anyone to forget that. Neither do I."
𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 ─── ❪ CRIMINAL MINDS ❫
act two: 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙳 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚂𝚂, ²
╱ ✹ ▬▬ ❛ © CARDIIAC 2023. ❜
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𓄹 ━━━ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓! ࿐ ໋₊ ˖
hey everyone!! i hope you all enjoyed the fiftieth chapter!
this is the shortest chapter since chapter eighteen and chapter thirty-six. i'm so sorry, but the next one will be longer!
i love the team's love for cara, it makes me happy.
PLEASE READ BELOW!!
MAJOR UPDATE/NEWS: this is the last chapter that is taking place post-season eleven. beginning in the next chapter, the story will be jumping ahead one year and eight months. BEFORE ANYONE FREAKS OUT, PLEASE CONTINUE READING!
by jumping ahead for a total of 20 months, we will be skipping season twelve and heading into the back half of season thirteen. the spencer-going-to-prison storyline is NOT canon in this book nor is hotch leaving and emily replacing him as the unit chief. (don't get me wrong, i love emily prentiss. i am so down bad for that woman, but for the sake of the storyline i have planned, emily being part of it does not work. she's in the book again at the very end, though!)
for those who may have blacked out seasons thirteen to fifteen or don't remember most of it like myself, here's what you need to know: luke alvez and matt simmons are part of the team, the mr. scratch and cat adams storylines are not canon for this book, spencer did not go to prison, and hotch stays.
LASTLY: i know some people might be upset over such a large time jump, but this book only has 60 chapters + an epilogue. i'm not going to spend the last ten chapters with cara only in recovery. there is so much that has to be wrapped up, answered, and revealed. not to mention the development between cara and spencer's relationship will be coming to a head. (the slow burn is soooooo worth it, i promise you. it truly is.)
the recovery process will be discussed and there will be flashbacks! things are not going to be perfect just because there's a huge time jump. a lot has happened and time does not change that!
i'm very excited about these last chapters. they are some of my favorites and i'm proud of them. i hope everyone is excited!
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˒⠀𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹. . . ▬⠀⤸
Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to comment on this story. It means a lot and helps the story be spread to a broader audience &&& allows me to grow as an author. All I ask is that people vote on each chapter, please. As a creator, it takes time to write and develop stories. Especially ones such as this that take a while to write and dedicate time to. So please, vote on every chapter. It means a lot more than I could ever express.
Don't forget to vote & comment!
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˒⠀𝑪𝑶𝑷𝒀𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻. . . ▬⠀⤸
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