Lead the Way - 103 - Meeting the Parents
I am surprised. I admit it. I expected you guys to groan and demand I post more often than twice a week once we got to the Cooper case. I remember that I didn't ge tout of my chair for a week until it was all done. I couldn't have stopped even if I wanted to. Kudos to your restraint!
Oh and please let me know how you feel about Will after this chapter ;)
Lead the Way - 103 - Meeting the Parents
Emily is panting. Sweat is streaming from her pores. She has blood all over herself and her hair is undone. To JJ she has never looked sexier.
“What were you saying?” Emily asks, as if stabbing a pedophile to keep him from going after Henry was a normal occurrence for them.
“I knew you’d protect us.”
“Always, JJ. Always.”
JJ looks into her eyes and sees it’s the truth. Somehow she finds the courage to ask once more. Emily’s smile grows wider. So wide it stretches across her whole face and then she opens her lips and her head falls off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily hung up the phone in disbelief. Not that the sheriff of Tyler hadn’t been polite, it was more what he said than how he said it. Apparently no one had bothered to tell the BAU that the arresting officer of an escaped sociopath had gone missing around the time of his escape.
To think that they could have done something about this, maybe even prevent the whole situation… Emily was torn from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw:
“Will!”
Morgan looked up as well.
“Hey, man.”
“Hello Derek.” Will looked as distraught as Emily felt. Unshaven, in a dirty shirt and bloodshot eyes he looked like he came from a twenty-four hour stakeout.
“How is she?” Emily got up to face him.
“We don’t have confirmation that he has her yet, but he has her cell phone and highway patrol found JJ’s car abandoned by the side of the road.”
“Was there…?”
“No sign of struggle or accident. As far as they could tell she left the car willingly.”
“Prentiss.” Morgan hissed quietly and Emily followed his eyes. A chubby little man with brown hair and a lean blonde, both in their late fifties had come off the elevator. She looked at Will who nodded. These were JJ’s parents.
Without a word Will had put his hand on the small of her back and Emily knew what he meant. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine. It was the first time she understood what JJ had seen in him. However, it didn’t undermine her new found confidence that lesbians could indeed have long lasting happy relationships.
Will took his hand back and hugged both of JJ’s parents before saying:
“Frank, Andrea, this is Emily.”
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Welcome to the BAU. I thought we could set you up in interrogation room B, it’s the most comfortable we have.”
“We just want to know.”
“I understand, but I think it would be best if we sit.”
“Alright then, we’ll follow you.”
Emily led them to a room two floors down that looked nothing like the cold interrogation rooms they had seen on TV. It looked like a living room. Cozy furniture, a child’s play pen in the corner, there even was a TV.
“This is where we interrogate victims.”
They all nodded and took their seats.
“What’s happening?”
“On her way home JJ was abducted by a man named Gerald Cooper. He was on death row in Tyler, Texas where we went to interview him for our profile database. He escaped in February.”
“Where is he now?”
“We’re working on that. He knows all the members of the BAU and we suspect that wherever he is he will have made sure to keep everyone out.”
“What does he want? We don’t have much money, but…”
“He doesn’t want money. He knows he won’t get out of this.”
“Then why did he contact you. If he wanted to…”
“You’re right. His goal isn’t to harm JJ or Henry.”
“What does he want, then?”
Emily breathed in and held the air in her lungs. She had thought about this question, dreaded it, trying to come up with an answer that was the truth but didn’t reveal that it was all her fault. This wasn’t the time to make nice though. If it was about Henry she would want to know.
“He wants to hear me ask him to kill her.”
There was heavy pause before Andrea asked: “Why would he think that you would do that?”
“I’m not sure you need to know the details, Mrs. Jareau.” Her husband took her hand in his and squeezed. She looked at him and nodded.
“Say what you will. They do a hell of a job.”
Emily looked at Will. How could he be so supportive? Was it just an act to put the Jareaus at ease, or did he actually mean it?
“I’ll get some coffee, what do you think?”
Absentmindedly Frank and Andrea nodded.
“Sure.”
Will left the interrogation room and Emily got up to follow him. When she was halfway by the door, she stopped and turned around. She felt tears in her eyes and swallowed hard.
“I’ll bring them back. I promise.”
To her surprise Mrs. Jareau got up and walked towards her. She expected a slap or maybe even a punch. She expected to be spat at or at least yelled at. After all she had just confessed to them that JJ was in danger because of her. Because a serial killer had a bone to pick with her their daughter and grandson were in mortal danger.
Andrea put her hands on Emily’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. Suddenly she threw her arms around her and pulled her into a hug. After a few seconds she let her go. It looked as if she was going to say something when the door was opened and Garcia came in.
JJ’s mother looked at the young woman with the enormous flower in her hair, the skirt with huge pink dots, the neon green bracelets and said: “You must be Penelope.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Ma’am.”
“Call me Andrea. And this is Frank.”
She walked over to him and pointed to a telephone hanging on the wall.
“If there is anything you need, a hotel, airplane tickets for JJ’s siblings, anything at all, you just pick up this phone and dial 615. That’s my extension, okay?”
He nodded and Andrea thanked her. Emily followed her back to the BAU.
Oh and please let me know how you feel about Will after this chapter ;)
Lead the Way - 103 - Meeting the Parents
Emily is panting. Sweat is streaming from her pores. She has blood all over herself and her hair is undone. To JJ she has never looked sexier.
“What were you saying?” Emily asks, as if stabbing a pedophile to keep him from going after Henry was a normal occurrence for them.
“I knew you’d protect us.”
“Always, JJ. Always.”
JJ looks into her eyes and sees it’s the truth. Somehow she finds the courage to ask once more. Emily’s smile grows wider. So wide it stretches across her whole face and then she opens her lips and her head falls off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily hung up the phone in disbelief. Not that the sheriff of Tyler hadn’t been polite, it was more what he said than how he said it. Apparently no one had bothered to tell the BAU that the arresting officer of an escaped sociopath had gone missing around the time of his escape.
To think that they could have done something about this, maybe even prevent the whole situation… Emily was torn from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw:
“Will!”
Morgan looked up as well.
“Hey, man.”
“Hello Derek.” Will looked as distraught as Emily felt. Unshaven, in a dirty shirt and bloodshot eyes he looked like he came from a twenty-four hour stakeout.
“How is she?” Emily got up to face him.
“We don’t have confirmation that he has her yet, but he has her cell phone and highway patrol found JJ’s car abandoned by the side of the road.”
“Was there…?”
“No sign of struggle or accident. As far as they could tell she left the car willingly.”
“Prentiss.” Morgan hissed quietly and Emily followed his eyes. A chubby little man with brown hair and a lean blonde, both in their late fifties had come off the elevator. She looked at Will who nodded. These were JJ’s parents.
Without a word Will had put his hand on the small of her back and Emily knew what he meant. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine. It was the first time she understood what JJ had seen in him. However, it didn’t undermine her new found confidence that lesbians could indeed have long lasting happy relationships.
Will took his hand back and hugged both of JJ’s parents before saying:
“Frank, Andrea, this is Emily.”
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Welcome to the BAU. I thought we could set you up in interrogation room B, it’s the most comfortable we have.”
“We just want to know.”
“I understand, but I think it would be best if we sit.”
“Alright then, we’ll follow you.”
Emily led them to a room two floors down that looked nothing like the cold interrogation rooms they had seen on TV. It looked like a living room. Cozy furniture, a child’s play pen in the corner, there even was a TV.
“This is where we interrogate victims.”
They all nodded and took their seats.
“What’s happening?”
“On her way home JJ was abducted by a man named Gerald Cooper. He was on death row in Tyler, Texas where we went to interview him for our profile database. He escaped in February.”
“Where is he now?”
“We’re working on that. He knows all the members of the BAU and we suspect that wherever he is he will have made sure to keep everyone out.”
“What does he want? We don’t have much money, but…”
“He doesn’t want money. He knows he won’t get out of this.”
“Then why did he contact you. If he wanted to…”
“You’re right. His goal isn’t to harm JJ or Henry.”
“What does he want, then?”
Emily breathed in and held the air in her lungs. She had thought about this question, dreaded it, trying to come up with an answer that was the truth but didn’t reveal that it was all her fault. This wasn’t the time to make nice though. If it was about Henry she would want to know.
“He wants to hear me ask him to kill her.”
There was heavy pause before Andrea asked: “Why would he think that you would do that?”
“I’m not sure you need to know the details, Mrs. Jareau.” Her husband took her hand in his and squeezed. She looked at him and nodded.
“Say what you will. They do a hell of a job.”
Emily looked at Will. How could he be so supportive? Was it just an act to put the Jareaus at ease, or did he actually mean it?
“I’ll get some coffee, what do you think?”
Absentmindedly Frank and Andrea nodded.
“Sure.”
Will left the interrogation room and Emily got up to follow him. When she was halfway by the door, she stopped and turned around. She felt tears in her eyes and swallowed hard.
“I’ll bring them back. I promise.”
To her surprise Mrs. Jareau got up and walked towards her. She expected a slap or maybe even a punch. She expected to be spat at or at least yelled at. After all she had just confessed to them that JJ was in danger because of her. Because a serial killer had a bone to pick with her their daughter and grandson were in mortal danger.
Andrea put her hands on Emily’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. Suddenly she threw her arms around her and pulled her into a hug. After a few seconds she let her go. It looked as if she was going to say something when the door was opened and Garcia came in.
JJ’s mother looked at the young woman with the enormous flower in her hair, the skirt with huge pink dots, the neon green bracelets and said: “You must be Penelope.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Ma’am.”
“Call me Andrea. And this is Frank.”
She walked over to him and pointed to a telephone hanging on the wall.
“If there is anything you need, a hotel, airplane tickets for JJ’s siblings, anything at all, you just pick up this phone and dial 615. That’s my extension, okay?”
He nodded and Andrea thanked her. Emily followed her back to the BAU.