"I would always rather be happy than dignified." ~ Charlotte Brontë
The Doctor
The next morning we were all on the jet bright and early at eight o'clock. Well, all except one.
"Hey, where's Joy? Didn't we say eight?" JJ asked as she took to her seat. Seconds later her cell bleeped and we all sat a little straighter as she read the message with wide eyes and a parted mouth.
"What is it? What's happened?" I asked, my heart pounding.
"It's from Joy. She said she's making her own way back to Virginia and we've to have a safe flight." I frowned at this news and cast my eyes to Hotch who was taking this news particularly well.
"Did you know about this?" I spoke up clearly, irritation drenching my tone. He completely ignored me and got to his feet, heading to the dock to explain we were ready for take-off. "I can't believe this." I said shortly as we buckled up.
"They come and they go, kid." Rossi said as he sat across from me. I wanted to snap at him and tell him he had no idea what he was talking about; Joy wasn't just 'they' and she wasn't just 'going'. She was being pushed, and not even by all of us, and not even by a fair dismissal.
She could do more about this, and it was so unfair that she wasn't going to just because of Hotch's reputation and wishes. It wasn't her fault she was his child.
During the flight I stayed silent, staring out of the window and blocking everything - and everyone - out. I wondered where she was, how she was returning back to Virginia, and if she'd come by the BAU later to hand in her badge, or if she'd be at the briefing tomorrow morning.
The others were chatting animatedly among themselves as we made our way into the BAU after touch-down. I wasn't happy to be back; not at all, but I was looking forward to seeing Joy again. I figured I'd wait in the unit until she came back.
"Emily!" JJ's voice cracked as she entered the unit before the rest of us; the first one inside the bullpen. I heard her excited voice from the back of our group and effortlessly cast my eyes over their heads to see the brunette hugging JJ happily.
"How've you been? We've missed you so much!" She was saying excitedly as Emily and Morgan hugged next.
"I've been good, I've missed you all too." Prentiss claimed.
"Spencer," She grinned, turning to me last. "It's great to see you."
"Good to see you too." I nodded. She took a step closer to me but I took a step back, just nodding and smiling.
"Reid man," Morgan said from next to her. "It's not her fault." He said. I nodded at him, still smiling and turned to Hotch next to me.
"I know it's not her fault." I said pointedly whilst looking at Hotch.
There was an awkward silence for a moment as I cast my eyes down at my feet.
"So where is she then? My replacement? The newbie? I've heard plenty of wonderful things about her from Garcia," Prentiss' voice was drenched in anticipation and I couldn't stand it.
"Hey is it true she singlehandedly caught the Ratsweld Murderer last month? Cause that's incredible." Having had enough I decided to push through everyone and head to my desk, not willing to stick around for whatever excuse Hotch had to give.
I dumped my go-bag beneath my desk whilst everyone stood in awkward silence mere feet away, watching as I bent over my desk and gaped in awe as I realised what was different.
My neat and orderly desk had been rearranged entirely and on my desk sat Joy's badge and gun, and a simple note that read,
"SORRY X"
As I reached to pick up the badge my hand shakily nudged the computer mouse and the screen whizzed to life, showing a picture of Joy, Morgan and I. I hadn't changed my computer screen and so this was one passing ghost to Joy's memory with us.
"Look at this," I snapped angrily, turning with the badge and note in my hand to snarl at Hotch. "Look what you've made her do," I told him, storming over to the group in outrage. Morgan took a step closer but I simply stepped around him, dedicated to what I had to say.
"All she ever wanted was acceptance and you couldn't even give her that, could you?" Hotch was watching me with that same cold, blank expression of his and I wished he would at least blink so I would know his words were registering somewhere in his brain.
"But we could!" I exclaimed. "We accepted her and she was one of us! She loved it here and we loved having her here and you pushed her away! You couldn't handle the threat she imposed and you jumped at the chance to dismiss her! It's bullshit." I hated cursing but now was the time to do so.
"Reid." Morgan grabbed my arm but I shook him off.
"I respect you, Hotch, I do. But this?" I gestured to the note and the badge. "This is bullshit." I slammed them down on the desk next to Hotch and shoved past for the doors. I couldn't stick around with such hypocrisy.
The Daughter
Every day for a fortnight I wondered how they were doing, where they were going, who they were meeting without me. It killed me inside to think of them solving cases without me; entering abandoned buildings without me; arresting and interrogating criminals and killers without me; reuniting families without me. It was torture, every day, for a fortnight.
I felt jealous, had serious FOMO and was so disappointed that my dream had been snatched from me just as quick as I had received it.
The Leader
"Love you daddy."
"Love you too, Jack." Hotch turned the light out and closed the door behind him, sighing.
He'd never felt so haunted. For three months he'd watched his son in wonder and amazement, entirely lost in thought.
"What's going on with you?" Jessica asked curiously as he re-entered the living room after putting Jack to bed.
"I've been reluctant to tell you..." He looked over at Hayley's sister, stood in the middle of his living room preparing to leave, resembling his ex-wife in breathtaking ways.
"I'm unsure of how you'll react..." He explained honestly, sitting down on the arm-chair.
"What's happened, is something wrong?" She asked tenderly, lowering herself onto the sofa opposite him.
Hotch shook his head, holding his cup of tea in his hand without really thinking about drinking it.
"You're not ill are you?" She gasped in surprise but Hotch smirked and shook his head.
"No, no, Jack and I are both fine, nothing's wrong..." Jessica frowned in confusion, shaking her head absentmindedly.
"Then I don't understand... What's bothering you, Aaron?"
Hotch sighed and glanced at the ceiling as a final call for help.
"Twenty eight years ago I was working on a case with Scotland Yard in the UK. There was an officer there called Kate Joyner... We liaised together and a few weeks later I returned to Virginia, and that's when I met up with Hayley again after our time together in school. You know what happened after that..."
"Okay... So what's your point?" Jessica interrupted worriedly, desperately, clutching at the scarf around her neck.
"Please," Hotch said desperately in return, blinking at Jessica with wide eyes. "Let me explain properly," Jessica watched him for a moment before nodding her head, obviously unsure of whatever it was Hotch had to tell her.
"Three and a half months ago, I returned from a case to find a young woman in my office...
"She introduced herself as Brenda Joyner and explained how she was Kate Joyner's daughter and how she'd been transferred to my team. She gave a preliminary profile of our next case..." Hotch smirked and shook his head, his eyes glazing over as he remembered how startlingly accurate Joyner had been.
"She near-enough took my breath away with how precise she was and it was immediately apparent that she was a fantastic agent..." He heaved a sigh before continuing reluctantly.
"But then as I looked at her papers a little closer I discovered a DNA test. She claimed she'd been in the unit whilst we were working a case, and had managed to retrieve a DNA sample from my office..." Security had been tightened immensely since this revelation, and Hotch still couldn't quite believe how Joyner had been able to get into his office undetected. Although, knowing what an amazing agent she was, he shouldn't have been too surprised.
"Anyway, she'd run the tests through the FBI and had it confirmed that she was my daughter," Jessica audibly gasped and Hotch nodded his head heavily, unable to meet her glassy eyes.
"I obviously didn't believe her but I could see it, Jessica. She was so similar to both Kate and I that it was almost impossible to ignore it..." Hotch looked up at his late wife's sister at that moment and gulped the lump out of his throat.
"She has my eyes and Kate's face and hair... She sounded similar to Kate but spoke just like me, and it was clear she had my skills too.
"I tried to ignore it and block her out, which was a little hard with her on the team but we needed her - more than what I realised-"
"You had her on the team, Aaron?!" Jessica gasped in awe.
"She'd applied to the unit through Strauss, who had authorised the transfer upon seeing the DNA results. She thought it'd make more sense to transfer family before 'outsiders'. I couldn't refuse the Unit Chief," He explained reluctantly.
"She helped us solve more cases and put away more criminals at such a pace I never thought was possible. She sped us up and improved us, and it's been a long time since I've felt the team progress so quickly. I didn't realise we were in need of a re-vamp until she came along..."
"A lot of things have happened in recent years that have taken it's toll on all of us. Having B-B... Having Joyner there made us forget about everything we'd been through together and gave us an entirely fresh feeling, like we were a completely different team; better and younger...
"I can't explain how I felt around her - awkward and tense and... generally negative. Every second I spent around her I spent looking over her shoulder, watching what she was doing, listening to what she said; just waiting for the second she slipped up so that I could use it against her to have her removed..." Jessica was shaking her head disappointedly, the tears dripping from her cheeks.
"...And when she didn't..." Hotch heaved a sigh, knowing he was just going to disappoint Jessica even further with his next words. "I took her for the only thing she had against her... the tattoos on her arms. I used that to my advantage and transferred her back to her old office in the FBI building on the other side of town," Hotch sighed again.
"So I used it as an act of mistrust, that if she could hide this from us, what else was she capable of? It was enough to throw doubt into her character, and so it's been a couple of weeks since I done that and every day I spend it finding myself wondering what she would've done on each case, how she would've seen it, what she would've said, how she would've proceeded.
"I find myself looking at Jack and wondering how he'd react to the knowledge of him having a big sister, wondering what it'd be like if they knew about each other or even if they met. The other night I caught myself imagining the pair of them at dinner together, and just there I wondered what it'd be like to have her there when I tuck Jack in at night.
"There was a reason I was attracted to Kate Joyner all those years ago; and that was due to the striking resemblance she held to Hayley. The similarities were uncanny; the bone structure, the hair, the eyes, the tenacity, the habits. If I didn't know any better I'd say they were related," Hotch scoffed and so did Jessica, frantically wiping at the tears on her cheeks.
"Having said that, there are features of her that not only remind me of Kate, but remind me of Hayley also. And knowing that Hayley and I will never be able to have another child, but that I do have a daughter out there who holds even the smallest of similarities to her... It... I don't know... It makes me think, and it makes me consider all possibilities... And I'm just wondering of what could be..."
Hotch was silent as he stared down into his tea cup, the silence enveloping him as he allowed his ex-sister-in-law to soak up on all of his words.
"Your daughter came to you almost four months ago and you didn't think to tell me?" Hotch blinked from his tea to Jessica and his mouth hung open as he gauged her angry expression.
"I thought you'd be hurt... And angry, I don't want you to think bad of me." He explained honestly.
"Think bad of you?!" She echoed, her voice raising slightly. "Aaron, I think bad of you for not telling me!" She insisted exasperatedly.
"You have a daughter!" She cried, grinning excitedly with shining eyes. "You have a big sister for your son, who would be thrilled to know he has a sibling!"
At the thought of Jack discovering this Hotch almost smiled, imagining how it could be.
"You have a daughter that you have unfairly dismissed and denied all knowledge of having for the past four months. Isn't it enough that you've ignored her for twenty eight years-" Hotch tried to interrupt but she continued on nevertheless.
"Whether you knew about her or not, you were out here living your life with your family while she was parentless, feeling nothing but neglect and rejection. Don't tell me that doesn't break your heart to think of..." Jessica's voice cracked. "Imagine it was Jack!"
Hotch winced and shook his head.
"I would never..."
"Well then!" She gasped. "Isn't it clear what you have to do?!" She exclaimed. "You have a daughter, Aaron. For God's sake don't abandon her."
The Daughter
I'd been out of the shower for a while; in a cut-off vest and leggings, my hair dried naturally and a little frizzy.
I was sat on the sofa with a tub of ice-cream watching daytime TV when my buzzer went. Frowning I looked behind me at the intercom hung on the wall by the hallway.
I got up off the sofa, strolling to the hallway as I sat my cat Milky down on the floor.
I was surprised by what I found on the camera on the intercom.
I picked up the phone and buzzed them through without saying anything.
It took them three minutes and forty seven seconds to enter the lift and travel to my front door, Reid knocking lightly after beating Morgan across the landing. I chuckled as I watched them bicker outside my door.
I unhooked the chain, dropped the snib and unlocked the door, pulling it open slightly and leaning against my doorframe.
"My, my, my, what will my neighbours think when they see two handsome fellas like you both on my doorstep?" I smirked, folding my arms across my chest as I appraised the two beautiful humans in front of me.
Both Morgan and Reid exchanged grins and I chuckled, pushing back off the doorframe to step back and let them inside.
"C'mon in," I told them, closing the door behind them before leading them down the hall, lifting Milky on my way. "Excuse the mess, I wasn't expecting guests."
Reid frowned as he took in my apartment.
"What mess this place is as clean as a whistle."
I shrugged and smiled.
"Work treating you rough, Reid?" I asked, nodding to him. "It's been so bad you've avoided hairdressers."
Morgan chuckled and Reid smirked, rubbing the top of his head and shrugging.
"Yeah I've never really gotten around to it..." He said in a quiet voice.
"So what can I do you gentlemen for? I hope I'm not your latest suspect." Morgan chuckled and shook his head.
"Actually, no," I gestured to the sofa for them both to sit down and sat down opposite them on the armchair, allowing Milky to hop down and scurry nervously from the room; hating new people as always.
"We're here as a favour," Morgan continued. "For Hotch."
I frowned and picked up my phone from the coffee-table, glancing at the home-screen and nodding as I realised that nope, no missed calls and no new messages from my ex-boss slash ex-father.
"What does daddy-dearest want now? Is the other side of the city still too close for him? Does he wish to have me deported back to England?"
Both Reid and Morgan frowned at me but all I done was arch an eyebrow, pursing my lips even further to show them I was being serious.
"He wants you back." Morgan said simply.
"We all do." Reid added desperately in a sad tone. I smiled slightly at him before turning back to Morgan.
"What d'you mean Hotch wants me back? He sacked me, remember?" Morgan nodded his head.
"That isn't something any of us could forget, Joy." Reid said carefully in a small voice.
"He's been different these past couple weeks since you left," Morgan began. "He's missed out on a couple cases and been detached a lot of the time. He's thoughtful and he's missing a lot of things... Now we all know what that means," Morgan explained.
"His mind is on other things, or thing, that thing being a who, being you. He spoke to us all yesterday and gauged the thought of you coming back. We were all of course over-the-moon at his suggestion and Prentiss is excited to meet you." I arched both eyebrows at him this time.
"So Hotch wants both Prentiss and I working on the team simultaneously?" Reid and Morgan nodded. "But I thought there wasn't need, room or money for the both of us?"
"Oh trust me there is," Reid said, nodding his head desperately. "The team doesn't function the same without you. We got used to having you around in such a short amount of time. We really need and want you back, B." I smiled at him tearfully.
"B?" I echoed and he nodded.
"Yes, I've dropped the Joy." I laughed and sighed, looking down at my lap and rubbing my forehead.
"Look, you don't have to come with us today," Morgan said matter-of-factly. "But we're heading to New York in half an hour, and we didn't want to waste any time. You don't have to make a decision right away, but I know for a fact you still have your go-bag packed and ready, just incase." I looked up at him with my mouth slightly open.
"Thirty minutes?" I enquired after a long and silent pause. Reid glanced at his watch before saying,
"Thirty-three minutes and twenty-nine seconds." I blinked at him rapidly, my mind working overtime, trying to come to a decision.
"But w-what about my badge and gun?" I stuttered uncertainly, trying to think of everything. Morgan looked blatantly at Reid who nodded and smiled as he reached into his satchel and brought out my badge, expertly tossing it over to me. I caught it and glanced at it with an emotional smile.
"Don't worry I'm not about to throw a gun at you." Reid chuckled, setting my gun down on the table.
I sighed as I looked from them to my gun to my badge and back to them.
"Fine," I sighed after a while of thought. "I'll come back for today's case. But I want an apology from Hotch. Or at least a thorough explanation." Reid and Morgan exchanged elated expressions.
"You have yourself a deal." He said, grinning happily.
"And I'm gonna need five minutes to get ready."
The Doctor
I watched her back as she disappeared into the other room before I turned to Morgan with a massive grin.
"I know, kid. I know," He nodded as he pressed his cell to his ear. Moments later he was talking. "Hey Hotch it's Morgan. Yeah she's decided to come back, but she's wanting an explanation, or an apology, and none of us can give it to her bar you..." He paused and nodded his head.
"Okay, I'll tell her. Yeah, we're leaving in five." Hotch said something else on the other line before Morgan ended the call.
"What did he say?" I asked, nodding to the phone.
"He said she wouldn't be his daughter if she wasn't demanding an apology," We both chuckled and Morgan sighed, getting to his feet. "And he said I've to tell her he'll talk to her before we take off." I looked at Morgan with surprise written all over my face.
"So soon?" I asked and Morgan shrugged.
"I suppose there's no time like the present."
"It would be awkward if he delayed it further I s'pose." I reasoned before the door Joy disappeared behind opened and she came out in her trademark black skin-tight jeans and boots, a tight long-sleeved black blouse emphasising her shape. As for her wild hair, well that was tamed back in a slick pony tail.
"What the Hell?" Morgan gasped upon seeing her totally ready with her go-bag and satchel packed.
"What can I say, I'm fast." She shrugged reasonably, pouring cat-food into a pink bowl on the floor and turning the kitchen tap on slightly.
"What'll happen to her?" I asked, nodding to the snowy-white cat rubbing itself against the kitchen counter.
"I'll ask my neighbour to feed her." Joy replied matter-of-factly, taking a key from the top of one of the kitchen cupboards.
"I wouldn't tell Garcia you have a stranger as a cat-sitter. She'll be over here before you can say cat-nip."
The Daughter
"Allow me." Reid said politely, taking my go-bag from my arm as I pulled the front door closed behind him and Morgan.
"Oh," I smiled. "Thank you." I felt my cheeks heat up as Morgan smirked knowingly at Reid while I locked up my door.
Unfortunately, nothing could escape Helena and as soon as she heard my door close, her own front door cracked open.
"Brenda dear is that you?" She said in her withering voice.
"Yes Helena, it's me. I'm going away again for a while." I explained in a clear voice with a broad smile. Helena had a heart of gold and a nose of steel. I still swore she had a sensor that alerted her as to whenever I was leaving the house.
"Do you need me to look after Malky?" She offered. I sighed.
"It's Milky, Helena," I corrected her and Morgan and Reid started chuckling behind me. "And yes that'd be perfect thank you." Helena nodded her head and peered over my shoulder at the two men behind me while I approached and handed her my spare key.
I wasn't going to willingly introduce them and simply stood staring at her until she worked up the courage to ask me outright. She didn't and so I smiled and waved awkwardly before thanking her and stepping back when the elevator doors pinged open.
As soon as they were closed behind us Morgan turned to me,
"Whenever you want that cat-sitter just say the word."
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Cat-nip." I said in a defeated tone.
Reid allowed me to ride shotgun as Morgan drove us over to Quantico and the pair released their continuous questions at me about my 'new' job; which really consisted of everything I used to do before I was transferred to the BAU.
"That sucks." Morgan said matter-of-factly as we all climbed out of his SUV.
"Tell me about it." I sighed, reaching for my go-bag in Morgan's trunk.
The Blonde Bomb
Rossi, Prentiss and I were pressed against the plane's window when Morgan's SUV came into view. Garcia was waiting on the tarmac outside with Hotch and I could practically hear her squeal as they pulled up.
"Is that them?" Prentiss rhetorically asked, jerking her chin in the direction of the SUV. My grin widened as I watched Joy's excited expression as she animatedly spoke with Reid as they climbed out of the SUV, Morgan shaking his head at whatever they were talking about.
"Awe," Prentiss cooed as Reid passed Joy her bag from the trunk and Morgan stood there, abandoned at the back as Reid ignored him and continued talking with Joy. "Look at how adorable they are!"
We all laughed and Rossi turned to me with a proud smirk,
"I told you he was smitten."
"She's in it just as much as him, don't kid yourselves." We cleared our throats and straightened up as they approached the stairs of the jet.
"They've been talking stats since we got here, please make it stop." Morgan groaned as he pushed inside the jet.
The Daughter
My palms were sweating and my throat was dry. The words I'd last said to my father and boss were echoing in my head as I approached the jet to see him standing there like a solider, poised and ready next to Garcia.
"It's so good to see you my English butterfly!" Garcia gushed, throwing her arms around me as we approached. Morgan and Reid pushed up the steps of the jet and I felt my heart beating loudly in my chest.
"Likewise, Garci, likewise." I laughed nervously, patting her back and avoiding Hotch's intense stare.
"You'll do great, sweetie," She whispered in my ear before pulling back with a wink. "Anyhoo, I'll let you guys get on, stay safe!" She wiggled her fingers and Hotch and I before quickly retreating towards the building.
"Agent Joyner," Hotch said in a light voice, taking a step forward and extending his hand to me.
I gulped and refrained from rolling my eyes as I slid my hand into his and shook firmly.
"It's great to see you again," He admitted and I nodded, dropping my hand back to my side and refusing to agree as I gave him a small smile. "Thank you for coming back in such short notice, I can't say it's not a surprise," I nodded my head, my eyebrows slightly arching.
Where was he going with this?
"I believe I owe you an incredible apology," He said in a small voice, suddenly unable to meet my eyes as he dropped his hands by his sides.
"What I said to you was cruel and what I done to you was unfair as well as cruel. No Agent should be unfairly dismissed in the way you were, and no child should be treated the way you have been by their father,"
His words took my breath away and my mouth parted in surprise. I could tell it was rather obvious I was shocked by his words, but there was no way I could be expected to maintain a poker face after he said that.
"I admit that I didn't take your announcement in the best of ways and I am incredibly ashamed by my actions and I am sincerely sorry for that. I understand that no amount of apologies or words will be able to make up for the way I have treated you, but I promise that I will find a way to make this better,
"I appreciate the fact that you are a very skilled Agent, and I am proud of the work you do, as your boss and as your father. I now accept the fact that you are my daughter, and I promise to work on that. I cannot guarantee that it will be effective immediately. It will be extremely difficult for us both, but I would like to at least try... If you'll let me...?"
His statement droned off into a question and slowly he blinked a small smile at me while I stood there in front of him, gaping.
"I-I uh..." How could I respond to that? I cleared my throat and blinked rapidly to clear my eyes of the tears that had pooled there.
"I don't know what to say..." Hotch smiled at me. He actually smiled! "Thank you...?" I asked uncertainly.
"For finally giving me the chance, I suppose. The fact that you're finally beginning to accept me is all I could hope for." Hotch nodded his head.
"We will make this work, Joy." He said carefully and I smiled broadly at him, knowing that whatever he'd been doing this past fortnight, had certainly paid off in my favour.
The Doctor
"I hope she's alright." I mumbled to JJ as we heard Hotch and Joy take to the stairs.
"She'll be fine, Spence." JJ said softly, giving me an encouraging smile just as they came into view.
Hotch was already briefing her on the case as they entered the jet and Rossi went to tell the pilot we were ready to fly.
I turned to Joy a little while later as everybody settled down after take-off.
"You okay?" I asked her quietly and she turned to me with a broad smile.
"I'm great." She admitted truthfully and reached under the table, patting my knee lightly. I grinned at her and turned back to my files, blushing slightly.
I didn't need to be looking up to see JJ and Morgan looking at me with suspicious eyes and arched eyebrows, my expression was bashful enough.
The Brunette
I sat opposite Joy on the jet and watched her expression as she flicked through the files, briefing herself as we all settled down. It was clear she and Reid had some sort of connection; it was kind of beautiful to see. Reid was so happy being around her; that much was clear.
I thought the team had been exaggerating when I'd returned a fortnight ago to the news that I'd replaced the girl Reid was smitten for. He hadn't really spoken to me much since I'd returned, and I couldn't say that I blamed him.
But, I considered him to be one of my close friends, and as I watched he and Joy smile at each other repeatedly during the journey, I knew I'd do pretty much anything to see that happiness stay on his face.
"Okay," Hotch's voice rang clear and as I looked up at him I noticed that he too seemed more relaxed; like the weights he'd been carrying on his shoulders had finally been lifted. I was overwhelmed to see that Joy's presence affected the team in such positive -and physical- ways.
"Three auburn teenagers, all abducted outside their school in the space of three weeks, all dead after seven days captive, all malnourished and tortured. No signs of sexual assault and no apparent connection between the three. What're we thinking?" We all looked from Hotch to our files and Joy cleared her throat.
"Well I think it's nothing other than a violent hate-crime," She said matter-of-factly. We all looked up at her in surprise as she said this. "Auburn hair is rare, more so to child abductors. More paedophiles are obsessed with the idyllic blond-haired, blue-eyed. It's sort of cliché that red-headed kids are often bullied at school and deemed as 'different' than the others." We were all nodding; this much was true.
"Aren't most red-heads of Scottish descendant?" Morgan asked from behind JJ and I.
"Actually that's untrue," Reid said matter-of-factly. "It's commonly misunderstood that all redheads are Scottish. We tend to view different nationalities by the typical stereotype which has developed throughout history. For the Scottish culture, most people view them as greedy and aggressive, protective and frugal with typically highland heritage and auburn hair. In some - evidently cruel - cases it has been said that the Scottish - red-heads in particular - have been deemed as soulless, which of course is heresy." He explained defensively.
"I can vouch for that," Joy agreed, nodding her head with a smile. "British stereotypes, in general, are inaccurate, let alone the Scottish ones. Scotland hasn't really had it fair."
"Do these victims have Scottish blood?" I questioned curiously, flicking through my files.
"Yes my dear they do indeed," Garcia piped up from the laptop opened between Joy and I. "I've been working like a trooper all morning trying to establish a connection between the victims, and it would seem that all teenagers have a Scottish relative on their father's side."
"Is that immediate fathers Garcia or is it further back on the father's side?" Rossi asked in a clear voice.
"Nope, all with the fathers." She answered.
"Okay, so we are possibly looking at a hate-crime." JJ nodded at Joy who was chewing on her bottom lip absentmindedly.
"If we are looking at a hate crime, why wouldn't they just go for the fathers? Attack the bloodline where it began?" JJ asked rhetorically.
"Because they're wanting to ensure the gene isn't passed on." Joy said, staring at the crime photos.
"Alright," Hotch began. "Morgan and Prentiss I want you interviewing the victim's friends, we need to establish if these victims were being stalked or met any suspicious acquaintances in the past few months,
"Garcia I want you to dig up any local information on anti-Scottish cults, or even Scottish supporters in the local area, along with a list of potential victims," Garcia nodded her head enthusiastically at Hotch before clicking off.
"Joy and Reid I want you to visit the bodies and go to the abduction sites, establish any connections or unusual patterns; this Unsub has a signature, we just have to establish exactly what that is,"
Reid turned to Joy and the pair of them - adorably so - smiled at each other enthusiastically, closing their files. I quickly averted my eyes and bit my lip to hide my smile.
"Rossi, JJ and I will set up at the station and start interviewing the families. It's important we get this dealt with ASAP before another teenager goes missing."
The Daughter
When we touched down in New York Reid and I climbed into an awaiting SUV; ignoring the excited glances from the rest of the team.
"Okay," I sighed as we strapped up and I started the engine. "What's went down while I've been away?" Reid frowned at me in confusion as I pulled away from the airport; the first car to leave.
"What d'you mean?" Reid asked in that overly-innocent tone of his. When I snuck a glance at him I realised he looked a little too innocent, a blush beginning to creep into his cheeks as he avoided my eyes and blinked rapidly out the windshield.
"Well, the fact that the whole team are sneaking glances and whispering behind our backs makes me think I missed out on something while I was away." Reid shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I chuckled and shook my head.
"That's alright Doc. I'll find out eventually you know."
"So how many cases have you solved in my absence?" I asked conversationally as we climbed out of the car and squinted up through the sun at the massive building before us.
"Not enough," Reid said in a passive tone. "I think we've all been a little distracted." I nodded my head in understanding as we entered and approached the elevator.
"That's understandable," I claimed. "Me leaving was a big surprise, even for me."
"You didn't even say goodbye." He said in a hurt tone. The elevator doors closed behind us and I turned to see his wounded expression. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I hadn't expected him to look so lost and innocent and hurt. Surely I hadn't offended him that much by avoiding the awkwardness of goodbyes?
"Reid..." I began, thinking of something to say that wouldn't even come. He shook his head and avoided my eyes by chewing on his lip and looking at his feet. I reached out for his arm but the doors opened at the basement and he jolted forwards, away from my touch.
Sighing I followed him into the Morgue and removed my badge from my pocket. Hurriedly I followed him along the corridor with my heels clicking in hot pursuit.
"Hi I'm Doctor Reid this is Agent Joyner, we're with the FBI." Reid introduced as we flashed our badges at the man at the end of the corridor.
"We're here to see Kelly Daniels, Rebecca Kerr and Toni Bridge." I said, consulting my notepad.
"Of course, right this way please," The man led us along the corridor to the examination room. "Detective Carr called ahead and said you'd be coming." He explained, pulling the sheet back from the face of the first girl on the first slab.
"This is Kelly Daniels," The man told us. I tried not to gasp as I took in the skeletal looking girl laid out on the slab. Immediately Reid began observing the body, sighing and humming to himself as he took in things I couldn't fathom.
I watched him work in silence, knowing that whatever he was doing he was onto something, knowing I couldn't disturb him by talking.
I wanted to talk him so badly though; wanted to apologise for leaving, wanted to apologise for not saying goodbye. He had to know that none of this was my fault.
The Leader
As soon as they entered the station they were greeted by Sergeant Marshall.
"Agents," He said with a broad smile, approaching them with an outstretched hand. "I'm Sergeant Marshall, welcome to New York."
"Thank you, Sergeant. I'm Agent Hotchner, and this is Agent Rossi and Agent Jareau. Where can we set up?"
"I've readied everything you requested in the conference room, I thought that'd be the best place for you all."
He explained, leading them over to the room where a clear board already had each of the victim's pictures pasted with names written above them along with the date and time of their abduction, death and discovery.
"Sergeant Marshall," A voice sounded at the door. They all turned to see a scrawny looking officer pointing to a nearby desk. "Detective Carr called, there's been another abduction."
The Daughter
"Joyner." I answered my call, stepping out of the morgue where Reid was scouring the man for answers.
"Joy there's been another abduction," Hotch said sternly down the phone. "Prentiss and Morgan are already on their way to the scene but I need you and Reid to go interview the family."
"Alright, we'll leave right away." I stuck my head back through the door and gestured for Reid to come with me. He quickly thanked the man and hurried after me as I set off down the corridor.
"Have you discovered anything at the morgue?" Hotch asked. I turned to look at Reid who was still avoiding my eyes.
"It's probably best if Reid tells you..." I said in an unsure tone.
"Has something happened?" He asked, picking up on my tone almost immediately. God, sometimes I really hated profilers.
"No no, we'll be with you soon." I told Hotch before ending the call and entering the elevator alongside Reid. Unfortunately, there were a couple of other people in the elevator with us, so I didn't get the chance to talk to Reid until we were back in the car.
"There's been another abduction," I explained as I started the car. "Hotch wants us to interview the family," Reid nodded his head but otherwise said nothing.
"Okay Reid," I began aggressively. "Talk to me, what's going on? Are you angry at me?"
Reid looked at me with blinking eyes.
"I..." He shook his head and blinked rapidly, licking his lips as he tried to come up with a reply. "I-I'm not angry at you, B..." He said quietly. "I'm just..." He sighed.
"Okay, so, when I think of how you left, I was angry, but I'm not anymore. I'm glad that you're back... It's just difficult for me to believe how you just left without saying goodbye."
I sighed at his reply; happy he wasn't angry with me but disappointed that I'd made him angry in the first place.
"I'm sorry I didn't come to say goodbye..." I apologised with my eyes glued to the road ahead of me. "I don't deal well with goodbyes... I'm an awkward person, I don't like the thought of saying goodbye to people, especially when I've learned to trust them..." I risked a glance over at Reid who was already watching me with wide eyes.
"You didn't say goodbye because you thought it'd be awkward?" He asked in surprise.
"No, I didn't think it'd be awkward at all... I just didn't want any of us to be emotional... I'd learned to trust you all, and I felt like I was really a part of the team, I didn't want my departure to be harder than it had to be." I explained with a sigh, following the directions on the GPS.
"Well, I'm just glad you're back... is all." Reid said in a quiet voice after a long silent pause. I turned to look at him with a broad smile.
"I'm glad to be back, Doc." I said with a smirk. He turned to me with bright eyes.
"So is that your new name for me then?" He asked curiously. "Doc?" He repeated and I chuckled.
"Hmm..." I thought. "Maybe, I haven't made my mind up yet," I teased. "I suppose you're just going to have to stay on my good side to find out."
"Wait," He paused. "You have a bad side?" He said the last words in a low sarcastic voice. I chuckled and pulled up outside the house with the media and the police in the front garden.
"Just what we need," I hissed. "The bloody paps."
"JJ should have that covered." Reid nodded as we climbed out of the car.
One of the officers made his way over to us hurriedly, a few of the reporters turning to see where he was going.
"Are you the FBI?" He asked and I nodded. "Right this way please." He said, leading us across the front garden and pushing through the paps, leading us inside the front door.
"Mrs. Langley," The officer spoke up. Immediately my eyes rested on a brunette man stood at the window, a sorrowful looking brunette woman sat on the sofa next to the window, her hands clasped between her knees as a female officer got to her feet and left the room at our presence.
"This is the FBI, they're with the Behavioural Analysis Unit and they're going to help find your daughter." I smiled at the officer in thanks and he left.
"Mrs. Hilda Langley?" I asked, slowly approaching the woman as she nodded through her tears. "D'you mind if I call you Hilda?" She nodded her head and sniffed.
"I'm Agent Brenda Joyner but you can call me Joy," I said in a soothing voice, taking to the seat next to her. "This is Dr. Spencer Reid, and we're going to help find your daughter."
"And just how are you going to do that? You haven't caught the guy who killed those other girls, so how can we trust you to find our baby?" Mr. Langley snapped from the window.
"Mr. Langley we've only been in town for a couple of hours, we haven't had much time yet to establish any leads." Reid explained.
"You mean you don't even have any suspects? This guy has killed three girls!" Reid and I exchanged worried glances and I looked at Mr. Langley.
"Sir why don't you show Dr Reid your daughter's bedroom? There's a lot we can tell from where a person sleeps, it could help us establish why he's taken your daughter." I explained in a reasonable voice.
After a long pause, he sniffed and nodded his head, mumbling under his breath as he led Reid out of the living room. He looked at me questionably before he left and I nodded my head, turning back to Hilda.
The Doctor
"Have you found anything?" Her voice came from behind me and I turned with a smile before it disappeared and I shook my head.
"No, nothing as of yet. Ursla seemed like such a normal kid." I explained reasonably, looking at the pop-star posters on the wall.
"Are you the FBI?" A small voice came from a door in the corner. Turning immediately to the doorway we realised it was a joining entryway into a room next-door and we shared equal expressions of surprise.
"I thought that led to a bathroom." I mumbled under my breath as Joy made a bee-line for the small brunette girl in the doorway saying,
"Yes, we are," She crouched down in front of the little girl and smiled warmly at her. "But you can call me Joy... What's your name?"
"I'm Emma," The little girl said. "Are you going to find my sister?" Joy nodded her head.
"We're going to do our very best to find your sister. Do you know if she had any strange friends?" Emma shook her brown pigtails with a small frown.
"I liked all of Ursie's friends, they gave me candy..." I smiled and Joy gasped with a big smile for the little girl.
"Did they? Wow that's lovely," She admitted and I grinned watching her with the little girl. "Were you with Ursla when she disappeared?" The little girl nodded her head and looked down at the doll in her hands.
"He offered me candy but I didn't want any, Ursie's friend already gave me some at the fance and I didn't want to take anymore."
"Who tried to give you some sweetie?"
"The man who took Ursie."
*
"Okay Emma, I'd like you to close your eyes and go back to the end of school today," Joy said in a clear voice, Emma's hands in her own as the pair sat facing each other on the bed; their legs tucked under each other.
Hilda was standing next to me on the other side of Emma's bedroom, the pair of us watching carefully.
"The bell has just gone and you're on your way to meet Ursla... How are you feeling?"
"Sick." She answered quickly.
"Why are you feeling sick?"
"Mrs. Robert gave us candy at the end of class for doing our homework on time. It was really warm and I ate it too quickly because I didn't want Ursie to take it off me."
"Okay... So you're feeling sick and it's really warm outside... Tell me what happens when you've left the classroom."
"I've got my bag and I can see Ursie with her friends at the gate... Annie saw me coming and told Ursie and then she started to walked away. I got upset because she wasn't waiting for me, so I started running to try catch her, but Annie stopped me and gave me some candy so I wouldn't go after her or say anything."
"So you wouldn't say anything about what?"
"About the car Ursie got into."
"What colour was the car, Emma?"
"Annie didn't want me to say..." The little girl whined.
"That's okay, Emma, Annie won't be angry. You're going to help us find Ursie, okay Emma? We need to know what colour the car was... Can you remember for me sweetheart?"
"It was green."
"Okay, was it dark green?"
"Yes... It was small, like a Barbie car." The little girl giggled.
"Okay, small like a dark green Barbie car..." Joy repeated and I nodded, typing this into a text for Garcia. "So what happened once you walked through the gate?"
"There was a man in the car and he called me over to the window."
"What did he say, Emma?"
"Ursie was shouting at him, telling him not to... I think she was crying."
"That's alright Emma, we'll find her, what did the man say to you?"
"He said I wasn't to tell anybody about him and tried to give me more candy."
"What did you do?"
"I took the candy and threw it on the ground because mommy told me not to take candy from a stranger. But then Annie came over and told him she'd take me home."
"And did she?"
"She walked me to the end of the block and told me not to tell anybody."
"Okay, now what did the man look like Emma?"
"I can't remember..." She whined, clearly growing tired.
"That's alright, you're doing so well... Just try to think back to when he gave you the candy... What did he look like? Was he old?"
"Yes."
"Old like me? Or old like your mummy?"
"Old like mommy." She said with a firm nod.
"Okay, now what colour was his hair?"
"It was like Ursie's," She giggled. "It looked like an orange!" She giggled and Joy joined in slightly to keep the little girl on her side.
"What colour were his eyes, Emma? Were they dark like yours or light like Ursies?"
"They were the same as Ursie's."
"Exactly like them?"
"Exactly. And he had dots on his face to match his hair."
"Okay Emma, that's fantastic thank you so much sweetheart."
"Are you going to find my sister, Joy?" The little girl said sweetly, opening her eyes and squeezing Joy's hands in her tiny little ones.
"I'm going to try my very best, little one, I promise." There was a moment where nobody said anything, and then the little girl threw herself at Joy; her tiny arms wrapping around Joy's neck enthusiastically.
"Thank you Joy, thank you, thank you, thank you." Joy turned her head to look at me, panicked, clearly not knowing how to deal with the little girl.
"Okay you," I chuckled, approaching the bed and untangling the little girl from the FBI agent, setting her on the floor beside the bed. "We have to go catch the bad guy now, okay?" She nodded her head excitedly and smiled up at her mom.
"Thank you so much for helping us, though." I said with a grin as Joy swung her legs off the bed and pulled her boots back on.
"Maybe one day you'll be an agent just like us." Joy suggested, tugging on the little girl's pigtail gently.
"Oh wow mommy did you hear that?" The little girl gasped up at Hilda, who nodded her head with shining eyes.
"Yes baby, an agent." It was clear she was trying her hardest to keep up with appearances, and we could only imagine how difficult that was for her.
The Daughter
Reid and I pushed through the station and spotted the team all gathered in the conference room, sat around the table with the Sergeant and Detective.
"What've you got?" Hotch asked as soon as we were through the door of the conference room.
"Joy is fantastic with kids." Reid said as he smiled and took to one of the empty seats at the table. I scowled at him and ignored the looks JJ and Prentiss shot me.
"We believe that Ursla Langley was adopted from our Unsub in Scotland at a young age. The abduction and murder of the teens are to get back at the parents, a sort of representation for the anger he feels towards the Langley's for taking his daughter from him."
"Adopted?" Morgan echoed. "But Garcia didn't come up with any adoption papers." He said matter-of-factly.
"That's because she wasn't looking for them." Garcia's voice piped up from the phone in the centre of the table.
"Is it possible you could've missed them?" Prentiss asked in a surprised tone.
"If it was an under-the-table adoption, there won't be any formal documents on record as such, but maybe a vast money transaction in the first few years of Ursla's life or maybe even- whoa."
Garcia cut herself off mid-sentence and I leaned forward, leaning on the table to get subconsciously closer to the phone.
"What is it, Garci?" I asked in hope.
"Okay, here's the thing, the Langley's transferred five thousand pounds to an unknown bank account when Ursla would've been three. During this time, Mr. Langley was working overseas as part of the Scottish oil offshore platforms.
"As soon as the transaction was processed he handed in his resignation and Mrs. Langley accepted a redundancy payment of three thousand pounds before they up-sticks and immigrated to the States and moved in with Mrs. Langley's parents.
"That's when Ursla was registered as Langley in the American deed-poll. Ten years later, Mrs. Langley had little Emma after being told thirteen years previous that she'd never be able to conceive..." We all look at each other expectantly.
"So all of this has been a build-up to the abduction of Ursla?" JJ proposed and we all nodded.
"Ursla is the Unsub's daughter." I confirmed with a firm nod.
"Now all we need to establish is who Ursla's birth father is." Rossi said with a sigh, slapping his file down on the table.
"Well..." Reid got to his feet and marched to the board I'd turned to face. He removed the map of New York City and dropped it on the floor before removing something from his satchel. Frowning in thought and watching him, I folded my arms and observed.
He unfolded the piece of paper until it was a large map, as big as the one of NYC. He pinned it up on the board and took a marker from the bottom of the board.
"So the Langley's lived and worked here, right?" He said, drawing a large dot in the top right of the map. "And the Daniels' lived and worked here..." He said, drawing a dot in the bottom left of the map. He went through all of the victim's families, drawing four separate dots before joining them all with thick red lines.
"This is evidently the Unsub's comfort zone," He explained and I began nodding. "So all we need to do now is-"
"Move our profile to this area of Scotland and cross-check that with people who moved or worked in the comfort zone within NYC." I agreed, nodding my head excitedly.
"Exactly." Reid said proudly, recapping his pen and turning to the others who were staring at us a little open-mouthed and blankly.
"How did they get to that?" The Sergeant mumbled to the Detective and I smirked bashfully, turning to sneak a glance at Reid who was still smiling broadly.
"Okay I have it!" Garcia shrieked from the phone. "Troy Jamieson, thirty-eight, lives three blocks away. His address is on your GPS' now."
The Doctor
"Great work today," Hotch said to Joy as we all entered the jet. "It's good to have you back." He added with a small smile and I tried not to act too shocked by this.
Hotch was smiling!
At Joy!
"Thank you," She smiled, nodding. "It's great to be back," She admitted.
"I never imagined I'd miss work so much." She chuckled, sliding into her seat with me closely sliding in after her.
"Yeah this team can do that to you," Hotch chuckled. "Once you're a part of it, it's kind of hard not to be anymore."