Home Invasion: Chapter 8
Title: Home Invasion: Chapter 8
Author: ficdirectory
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters JJ, Prentiss, Garcia, Hotch, Morgan, Reid, Rossi
Spoilers: N/A
Words: 9,657 - Chapter 8/11
Summary: The BAU is caught unaware on a night off, and find themselves victims of a home invasion.
People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
- Joseph Fort Newton
The BAU is different without all of them here.
Reid is still out. And there's no telling how long.
Garcia has only just made it to work today. She isn't the same. There are no silly nicknames. No smirks across the table. No witty comebacks.
Prentiss moves slower now. All Hotch's efforts to keep her behind a desk have resulted in nothing good. She is on edge, but who is he kidding? They're all on edge.
JJ looks over her shoulder all the time. Has a hand on her neck when she's nervous. Her nerves also show in her mood. She's testy.
Hotch is steady, but checks his phone for calls from home.
Rossi is ready to work, but checks his phone for calls from Reid.
The psych eval is easy enough to pass. Derek feels confident that he is ready to come back. He's back at his place. The same place where it happened. If he can be there. Sleep there. Feel safe there with the help of a state of the art alarm system then he knows he belongs out on the field.
"Annapolis, Maryland," JJ says and an image comes up on the screen. A body beaten bloody.
Emily tips her chin defiantly at the image, like it cannot beat her. Derek doesn't flinch. JJ doesn't look directly at it.
"Home invasion. Third woman in three weeks. The women are shot at close range and the children always end up missing." she says, her voice clear and calm. But Derek notices how she holds onto herself - both arms crossed - fidgeting with one hand. He has seen her wear that posture before. Most recently at Haley's funeral.
"So, why take the kids?" Rossi muses.
Derek sits back in his chair. He has a different question. Why do some people make it out, while others never have the chance?
--
Before he leaves, before he grabs his go bag, before he boards the jet, Derek stops by to see Garcia. She has been distant. Quiet. Serious.
"Knock knock," he calls, tapping on the door. He has her favorite coffee in his hand. He watches as she minimizes a window on her computer screen but not before he reads Support Group at the top of the screen. In a second, her screen is filled with the picture of an off the chain good flourless chocolate torte.
"Hey."
"Hey, yourself. I gotta go. But I wanted to drop this off," he says, leaning down to press a kiss into her hair.
When she moves away, he lets her, setting the cup down.
"I'll see you when we get back, okay?"
"Yeah," she responds, sounding distracted.
And it's that. That's what gets him. It's not that Garcia is dressed all business, not a speck of fun or color anywhere on her. It's not even that she won't tolerate affection but it's the distance.
Slowly, he walks out the door, shaking his head, knowing the truth:
He sees it, but he doesn't have a clue what to do about it.
Author: ficdirectory
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters JJ, Prentiss, Garcia, Hotch, Morgan, Reid, Rossi
Spoilers: N/A
Words: 9,657 - Chapter 8/11
Summary: The BAU is caught unaware on a night off, and find themselves victims of a home invasion.
People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
- Joseph Fort Newton
The BAU is different without all of them here.
Reid is still out. And there's no telling how long.
Garcia has only just made it to work today. She isn't the same. There are no silly nicknames. No smirks across the table. No witty comebacks.
Prentiss moves slower now. All Hotch's efforts to keep her behind a desk have resulted in nothing good. She is on edge, but who is he kidding? They're all on edge.
JJ looks over her shoulder all the time. Has a hand on her neck when she's nervous. Her nerves also show in her mood. She's testy.
Hotch is steady, but checks his phone for calls from home.
Rossi is ready to work, but checks his phone for calls from Reid.
The psych eval is easy enough to pass. Derek feels confident that he is ready to come back. He's back at his place. The same place where it happened. If he can be there. Sleep there. Feel safe there with the help of a state of the art alarm system then he knows he belongs out on the field.
"Annapolis, Maryland," JJ says and an image comes up on the screen. A body beaten bloody.
Emily tips her chin defiantly at the image, like it cannot beat her. Derek doesn't flinch. JJ doesn't look directly at it.
"Home invasion. Third woman in three weeks. The women are shot at close range and the children always end up missing." she says, her voice clear and calm. But Derek notices how she holds onto herself - both arms crossed - fidgeting with one hand. He has seen her wear that posture before. Most recently at Haley's funeral.
"So, why take the kids?" Rossi muses.
Derek sits back in his chair. He has a different question. Why do some people make it out, while others never have the chance?
--
Before he leaves, before he grabs his go bag, before he boards the jet, Derek stops by to see Garcia. She has been distant. Quiet. Serious.
"Knock knock," he calls, tapping on the door. He has her favorite coffee in his hand. He watches as she minimizes a window on her computer screen but not before he reads Support Group at the top of the screen. In a second, her screen is filled with the picture of an off the chain good flourless chocolate torte.
"Hey."
"Hey, yourself. I gotta go. But I wanted to drop this off," he says, leaning down to press a kiss into her hair.
When she moves away, he lets her, setting the cup down.
"I'll see you when we get back, okay?"
"Yeah," she responds, sounding distracted.
And it's that. That's what gets him. It's not that Garcia is dressed all business, not a speck of fun or color anywhere on her. It's not even that she won't tolerate affection but it's the distance.
Slowly, he walks out the door, shaking his head, knowing the truth:
He sees it, but he doesn't have a clue what to do about it.