Unexpected Circumstances part 3
Title: unexpected circumstances part 3/?
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Emily/JJ
Archiving - passion and perfection if you would like it let me know layla
Summary - Emily and JJ find a case hitting too close to home for both of them, in more ways than one.
Rating - could get to R
Disclaimers: I don't own Criminal Minds, except my own
part 1
part 2
Emily took an extra moment while texting JJ to steel her resolve before she went back to finishing up this interview. She needed to take some deep breaths and actively remind herself that regardless of this guy’s beliefs he had recently lost his sister to a violent end. It was important that she focus on that aspect over everything else because she knew if she didn’t she was likely to end up facing some sort of disciplinary action for beating the crap out of him.
Calm and collected Emily re-entered the living room where Gregory Michaels sat sipping his ice water and seeming intently focused on the family photos on the table. She took this moment to observe him unnoticed. So much of profiling was in the tiny minutiae of people’s lives. Not just their personalities but their surroundings; what they displayed, what they didn’t display, how they arranged things. It was all a sort of psychological feng shui. Her gaze traveled to the pictures; they seemed to all be of his mother except for the largest one in the center that featured an intensely stern looking man that she could only assume was his father.
“I apologize again for the interruption, Mr. Michaels.” Emily was employing her best professional yet sympathetic tone. With what seemed like a great deal of effort he took his eyes off the pictures and stood turning to face Emily as she continued to speak. “If you think of anything else that might be helpful please don’t hesitate to call.” She produced a business card from the inside pocket of her suit jacket and handed it to him.
“I doubt I will have anything to provide, but I’m sure if something comes up you will be hearing from me.” It was obvious by his tone that he was as finished with this interview as Emily was. They politely shook hands in that quick perfunctory way that makes it obvious neither party wanted to have any sort of prolonged contact.
Immediately upon closing the door behind her Emily unclipped her cell and dialed Garcia as she headed to her SUV. The feeling in her gut as she left Gregory Michaels’ house was too intense to ignore. There was something off about the guy; it may just be his ignorance getting under her skin but it could be something more. Either way she had to look into it.
“You have reached the Goddess of all Things place your offering on the altar and your question shall be answered,” Garcia’s voice came over the line.
“Hey, Garcia,” there was always something happy about talking to Garcia in nearly any circumstance. Emily thought maybe it was the image of pink fuzzy pens and tiaras that accompanied her in the mind’s eye. “I need some information.”
“You have come to the right place my dear. Whatcha need?” As she spoke the tech goddess wheeled her chair into position to find the necessary information as soon as she was given the go-ahead.
“Anything you can find about Gregory Michaels. He’s the brother of the first victim Erin Michaels. Something about him makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.” Emily knew if there were any skeletons in that closet Garcia would find them. Though she still had a vague feeling of lingering unease she did feel slightly better as she climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door. Putting something solid and mobile between her and Gregory Michaels seemed like an excellent idea.
“All will be yours, I’ll let you know when I have something,” Garcia’s fingers were already flying across the keyboard. This was always the moment she waited for, she may not be a profiler but she knew full well, as did the rest of the team, they couldn’t do the job without her.
“Excellent. Talk to you soon, thanks, Garcia.” Emily hung up the phone and pulled out into the street. As she began to drive she turned her thoughts to the next interview. She knew it would be an entirely different sort of emotional ordeal than the last one but somewhere within her she knew it would be easier. The rational part of her mind that she was so accustomed to dealing with would be able to sort through the grief and pain for clues. The emotional part of her would remain safely untouched. Except for the part that would draw solace from the presence of a certain blond agent, but Emily didn’t think about that part. That compartment remained safely and quietly unacknowledged.
______________
JJ sat behind the wheel of the obligatory black SUV waiting for Emily. She looked up the street thinking this particular vehicle couldn’t possibly stand out more in this neighborhood. She had squeezed into a parking spot between a Prius and a Subaru that looked like it hadn’t seen the better side of 100,000 miles in a decade. She found the whole FBI image fascinating and wondered what the profiles would say about a group that spent so much energy on cultivating an image of strength and mystery yet drove vehicles that were so obviously overcompensating for something.
Besides, contemplating cars while she waited guaranteed she would not start entertaining ideas about things that she really shouldn’t be thinking about. Maybe it was just this case and her own frustrated emotions but her mind kept conjuring up images of Emily any time JJ gave herself an idle moment. Or maybe JJ had just been single for way too long. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship since college and had barely had a real date in longer than the blond agent even wanted to contemplate. Lately it seemed that she wasn’t even that interested in dating, she had plenty of fun on girl’s night out with Emily and Garcia. Besides the last time a woman had hit on her JJ had found herself thinking that, of all things, her eyes were the wrong color; sort of a greenish hazel not unpleasant just not - JJ jumped half out of her skin at the knock on the passenger side window and then forgot her surprise as she met deep brown eyes.
JJ rolled down the passenger side window and Emily crossed her arms on the edge of the door and leaned in slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said as a soft smile touched her dark lips.
“No, it’s fine. I should have been paying more attention,” JJ said not wanting to dwell on where her thoughts had been traveling with Emily this close by. “So anything I should know before we start?”
“We are headed to the second house from the corner. Jesse Aldridge is the partner of the most recent victim, Lisa McKinna. According to the police report she reported her missing when she didn’t come home from work. The police traced her steps and determined Lisa was abducted after getting off at her usual train stop about eight blocks from here.” As she finished speaking she leaned back out of the window, allowing JJ to roll it back up and exit the car. Emily didn’t embellish the facts from the report. It was too easy to focus on the fact that this woman had been so close to home in her own neighborhood where she felt safe and relaxed all of which probably made it easier for the unsub to catch her unawares.
JJ came around the front of the SUV and the two of them walked in silence toward the house. This interview was going to be difficult and both of them knew it. As they walked JJ had to suppress the impulse to reach out and take Emily’s hand to give and perhaps gain some comfort from the touch. They had held hands precisely one time; while they waited in the hospital after Garcia had been shot. JJ could still remember the feeling of peace that had flooded through her as the warm strength of Emily’s hand had settled into hers. In a part of herself JJ rarely allowed to surface she longed to feel that again.
In moments when the physical space between them was so minimal Emily always marveled that the feeling of not touching JJ was almost as intense as the feeling of touching her was. There was a part of her that knew how natural it would feel to slip her hand into JJ’s as they walked. She remembered all too vividly how it felt to have the other woman’s delicate yet remarkably strong hand firmly in her own. Luckily that train of thought was derailed by their arrival at the doorstep of the house.
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Emily/JJ
Archiving - passion and perfection if you would like it let me know layla
Summary - Emily and JJ find a case hitting too close to home for both of them, in more ways than one.
Rating - could get to R
Disclaimers: I don't own Criminal Minds, except my own
part 1
part 2
Emily took an extra moment while texting JJ to steel her resolve before she went back to finishing up this interview. She needed to take some deep breaths and actively remind herself that regardless of this guy’s beliefs he had recently lost his sister to a violent end. It was important that she focus on that aspect over everything else because she knew if she didn’t she was likely to end up facing some sort of disciplinary action for beating the crap out of him.
Calm and collected Emily re-entered the living room where Gregory Michaels sat sipping his ice water and seeming intently focused on the family photos on the table. She took this moment to observe him unnoticed. So much of profiling was in the tiny minutiae of people’s lives. Not just their personalities but their surroundings; what they displayed, what they didn’t display, how they arranged things. It was all a sort of psychological feng shui. Her gaze traveled to the pictures; they seemed to all be of his mother except for the largest one in the center that featured an intensely stern looking man that she could only assume was his father.
“I apologize again for the interruption, Mr. Michaels.” Emily was employing her best professional yet sympathetic tone. With what seemed like a great deal of effort he took his eyes off the pictures and stood turning to face Emily as she continued to speak. “If you think of anything else that might be helpful please don’t hesitate to call.” She produced a business card from the inside pocket of her suit jacket and handed it to him.
“I doubt I will have anything to provide, but I’m sure if something comes up you will be hearing from me.” It was obvious by his tone that he was as finished with this interview as Emily was. They politely shook hands in that quick perfunctory way that makes it obvious neither party wanted to have any sort of prolonged contact.
Immediately upon closing the door behind her Emily unclipped her cell and dialed Garcia as she headed to her SUV. The feeling in her gut as she left Gregory Michaels’ house was too intense to ignore. There was something off about the guy; it may just be his ignorance getting under her skin but it could be something more. Either way she had to look into it.
“You have reached the Goddess of all Things place your offering on the altar and your question shall be answered,” Garcia’s voice came over the line.
“Hey, Garcia,” there was always something happy about talking to Garcia in nearly any circumstance. Emily thought maybe it was the image of pink fuzzy pens and tiaras that accompanied her in the mind’s eye. “I need some information.”
“You have come to the right place my dear. Whatcha need?” As she spoke the tech goddess wheeled her chair into position to find the necessary information as soon as she was given the go-ahead.
“Anything you can find about Gregory Michaels. He’s the brother of the first victim Erin Michaels. Something about him makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.” Emily knew if there were any skeletons in that closet Garcia would find them. Though she still had a vague feeling of lingering unease she did feel slightly better as she climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door. Putting something solid and mobile between her and Gregory Michaels seemed like an excellent idea.
“All will be yours, I’ll let you know when I have something,” Garcia’s fingers were already flying across the keyboard. This was always the moment she waited for, she may not be a profiler but she knew full well, as did the rest of the team, they couldn’t do the job without her.
“Excellent. Talk to you soon, thanks, Garcia.” Emily hung up the phone and pulled out into the street. As she began to drive she turned her thoughts to the next interview. She knew it would be an entirely different sort of emotional ordeal than the last one but somewhere within her she knew it would be easier. The rational part of her mind that she was so accustomed to dealing with would be able to sort through the grief and pain for clues. The emotional part of her would remain safely untouched. Except for the part that would draw solace from the presence of a certain blond agent, but Emily didn’t think about that part. That compartment remained safely and quietly unacknowledged.
______________
JJ sat behind the wheel of the obligatory black SUV waiting for Emily. She looked up the street thinking this particular vehicle couldn’t possibly stand out more in this neighborhood. She had squeezed into a parking spot between a Prius and a Subaru that looked like it hadn’t seen the better side of 100,000 miles in a decade. She found the whole FBI image fascinating and wondered what the profiles would say about a group that spent so much energy on cultivating an image of strength and mystery yet drove vehicles that were so obviously overcompensating for something.
Besides, contemplating cars while she waited guaranteed she would not start entertaining ideas about things that she really shouldn’t be thinking about. Maybe it was just this case and her own frustrated emotions but her mind kept conjuring up images of Emily any time JJ gave herself an idle moment. Or maybe JJ had just been single for way too long. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship since college and had barely had a real date in longer than the blond agent even wanted to contemplate. Lately it seemed that she wasn’t even that interested in dating, she had plenty of fun on girl’s night out with Emily and Garcia. Besides the last time a woman had hit on her JJ had found herself thinking that, of all things, her eyes were the wrong color; sort of a greenish hazel not unpleasant just not - JJ jumped half out of her skin at the knock on the passenger side window and then forgot her surprise as she met deep brown eyes.
JJ rolled down the passenger side window and Emily crossed her arms on the edge of the door and leaned in slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said as a soft smile touched her dark lips.
“No, it’s fine. I should have been paying more attention,” JJ said not wanting to dwell on where her thoughts had been traveling with Emily this close by. “So anything I should know before we start?”
“We are headed to the second house from the corner. Jesse Aldridge is the partner of the most recent victim, Lisa McKinna. According to the police report she reported her missing when she didn’t come home from work. The police traced her steps and determined Lisa was abducted after getting off at her usual train stop about eight blocks from here.” As she finished speaking she leaned back out of the window, allowing JJ to roll it back up and exit the car. Emily didn’t embellish the facts from the report. It was too easy to focus on the fact that this woman had been so close to home in her own neighborhood where she felt safe and relaxed all of which probably made it easier for the unsub to catch her unawares.
JJ came around the front of the SUV and the two of them walked in silence toward the house. This interview was going to be difficult and both of them knew it. As they walked JJ had to suppress the impulse to reach out and take Emily’s hand to give and perhaps gain some comfort from the touch. They had held hands precisely one time; while they waited in the hospital after Garcia had been shot. JJ could still remember the feeling of peace that had flooded through her as the warm strength of Emily’s hand had settled into hers. In a part of herself JJ rarely allowed to surface she longed to feel that again.
In moments when the physical space between them was so minimal Emily always marveled that the feeling of not touching JJ was almost as intense as the feeling of touching her was. There was a part of her that knew how natural it would feel to slip her hand into JJ’s as they walked. She remembered all too vividly how it felt to have the other woman’s delicate yet remarkably strong hand firmly in her own. Luckily that train of thought was derailed by their arrival at the doorstep of the house.