Hello! This is my very first Criminal Minds story. I love this show and I hope I capture the perfect balance of drama and crime. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!
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"Lies and secrets are like a cancer in a soul. They eat away what is good, and only leave destruction behind." - Cassandra Clare.
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"What was the first thing you remember after firing your weapon?" The personal psychologist David Turner asks as he watches his client.
"Rain." She closes her eyes and flashes of rain hitting the pavement and sounds of footsteps fills her sense.
"Foster." She opens her eyes quickly and looks over at Turner.
"What about the rain?" He asks trying to get her to elaborate. She shrill ring of her cell phone cuts her thoughts short.
"Agent Foster I really think-" She slides her phone screen to answer it, ignoring her shrinks pleas.
"Hotch." She answers. She listens to her boss before hanging up and looking at her therapist. He already starts to protest but she stands up.
"I will be here as soon as we get back." She grabs her jacket and holsters her weapon.
"Agent Foster." She starts to walk out and her therapist yells after her. "Mackenzie!" The door slams cutting off his yells.
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"Where's Mac?" Morgan asks as he sips his coffee and walks over to his chair.
"On her way, I just called her." Hotch answers as he walks into the room. Morgan looks at Hotch and Reid looks up from his crossword puzzle.
"She's been late almost everyday this week." Reid notes out loud and Morgan sits down and leans back in his chair.
"She probably has a life unlike some people." Prentiss points out and JJ smirks down at her tablet.
"Maybe she has a new boyfriend." Morgan says with a mischievous smile on his face and JJ looks up from her tablet and looks at Reid and Morgan.
"Maybe it's not your business." Mac says walking into the round table room. She walks past Morgan and takes his coffee from his hand and sits on the other side of him.
"You're late." Rossi accuses in a playful tone.
"I had a meeting." Mac says with a smile as she takes a sip of coffee.
"Mhm, where were you?" Morgan asks and Mac shrugs her shoulders.
"Good morning my modern day heroes, here is what we have.." Garcia stands up and turns their attention to the TV.
"16 hours ago, two boys were found. Jason Webber, and Jadon Faulker, were doing walking down the streets of Stowe, Vermont. Their clothes were too small, they were barefoot, dirty, and malnourished. But here is where it gets tricky." Garcia clicks to another slide. "Just hours after Jason and Jadon were found, two boys, Samuel Walker and Damon Stins, went missing from a local playground."
"How do we know they are connected?" Morgan asks looking up from his tablet.
"Other than the spooky timing, all four boys were taken from the same park, on the same day." Garcia answers.
"It's almost like the unsub exchanged the boys. Like he grew out of them." Mac speaks up and Reid looks at her.
"Or they grew out of his age preference."
"Garcia how old were the boys that were found?" Morgan asks.
"Oh right I'm sorry." Garcia says looking at her tablet. " they were both 12." Garcia answers.
"And the boys that were kidnaped?"
"5." Garcia says. Her voice betraying her as she tries to stay calm.
"Wheels up in thirty." Hotch says before standing up, effectively ending the briefing.
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"Where did you go this morning?" JJ asks as she approaches Mac on the jet. Mac rips open a sugar packet and looks over at JJ.
"I was handling some thing." She answers simply as she pours the sugar in her coffee.
"Is everything ok?" JJ asks. Mac pops the lid on her coffee cup and gives JJ a tight smile.
"Yup." She gently pushes past JJ, her hand lingering on JJ's waist before walking over to the rest of the team. JJ waits a second before turning on her heel and joining the rest of the team.
"This is weird." Morgan says looking down at the file in his hand. "The boys were hydrated. Electrolyte levels are through the roof. It's almost like he wanted to keep them healthy."
"But they weren't fed for days, keeping them alive but weakened must have been part of the fantasy." Reid adds on.
"Or part of the strategy. The boys were bigger than they were at 5, maybe the unsub was afraid they would over power him." Mac says before taking a sip of coffee
"Keep them from escaping before he found replacements." JJ says and Hotch looks up from his copy of the file.
"The boys have been missing for 16 hours. The first 24 hours are critical." Prentiss points out and Hotch nods his head.
"Well we do know he is keeping them alive but we don't know what he will do if the media catches wind of this." Hotch says and the entire team nods their heads. "Mac, you and Morgan go to the hospital and check on the boys that were found. See if they remember any thing." Mac and Morgan nod their heads respectively. "JJ, you and Prentiss go to the field office and start looking over the case files they have on the missing boys. Dave, you, Reid and I will head to the park where the boys were taken. Maybe there's something there they didn't see. Let's get these boys home safe."
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"So what's going on with you?" Morgan asks as they walk up to the hospital doors. Foster looks at him.
"Awe, worried about me Morgan?" Mac asks playfully and Morgan stops in his tracks and looks at her seriously.
"Actually I am." The seriousness stops Mac in her tracks and she looks at her partner.
Morgan takes her in for the first time today. Blue jeans, white v neck T shirt, red leather jacket, her usual attire. But something is different. She stands at 5'6, athletic build, long black hair, piercing green eyes, and beautiful light Carmel skin. She is a very attractive woman, but something is off about her and Morgan can't figure it out.
"I'm fine." Mac tries to reassure him.
"Really? Because ever since Milwaukee, you've been off."
"Are you profiling me?" Mackenzie asks and Morgan shakes his head.
"Come on Mac. You can't stand there and tell me everything is ok. You shot a boy." Morgan says and Mac shakes her head.
"Suspect." Foster corrects. "And I said I was fine."
"Look, I can understand why you wouldn't be ok, and I'm here for you." Morgan tries to reach out.
"We have a case to solve." Mac dismisses before walking into the hospital. Morgan watches her before shaking his head and following her inside.
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"Is something going on with you and Foster?" Prentiss asks as she and JJ flip through the files. JJ doesn't look up and keeps reading.
"We should keep reading. Unfortunately, I can't read as fast as Reid." JJ says and Prentiss raises and eyebrow.
"Avoiding the question?" Prentiss asks again, and again JJ says nothing but keeps reading. Emily waits a second before getting up and shutting the office door. She wipes her hands on her jeans and stands there before JJ looks up at her.
"What is it?" JJ asks her and Emily walks backs to her chair and sits down.
"I saw you, last night." Emily says, trying to be as vague as possible. JJ watches her before closing her file slowly.
"Emily.." Prentiss puts up her hand.
"Your secret is safe with me." JJ takes a breath and runs a hand through her hair.
"Wait a second. Safe." JJ opens the file. "That's how he's luring the boys. Look." She points to the statement taken by other victims, and the newest victims.
"He asked me if he could play, he knew a safe place I could hide." JJ read.
"It's like he knows buzzwords to get the boys to trust him." Prentiss says and JJ looks at her in horror.
"He's a teacher."
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"That was Prentiss." Morgan says, shoving his phone is his pocket. "They found a pattern and believe the unsub is a teacher." Morgan takes the coffee Mac offers him and Mac nods her head, taking a sip of coffee.
"It's almost like nowhere is safe." Mac says sarcastically and they sit down on a bench outside the hospital. After an emotional visit with one of the boys that was awake, Morgan decided they needed to decompress.
"So how was your date?" Mac asks crossing her legs.
"Fine." Morgan responds shortly before taking a sip of coffee. They sit in silence. Both taking small sips of their coffee. Mac picks at her cup before running a hand through her hair.
"I'm seeing a therapist." Mac says and Morgan looks at her.
"I thought you were cleared?" Morgan asks. He watches as the light breeze pushes hair in Foster's face.
"I am." Foster pushes the hair out of her face and looks at Morgan.
"But?"
"He was a child, Derek." Mac says, her voice breaking. Morgan finally realizes that she not talking to him as a fellow agent, but as her best friend.
"He survived. You know that." Mac nods and takes another sip of her coffee.
"Agent Morgan! Agent Foster!" Mrs. Webber comes running out of the hospital and both Agents stand up quickly.
"Where?" Mac asks, not needing the story.
"He went out the back!" She yells and Mac takes off.
"Mackenzie!" Morgan looks at Mrs. Webber.
"Stay here." He orders her before running after Mac.
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"Agent Hotchner." A uniform walks over to Hotch, who is talking to JJ, Prentiss, Rossi, and a detective.
"What is it?"
"Dispatch just called it in, two of your agents are in pursuit of a possible suspect."
"Who called it in?" Hotch asks.
"Agent Morgan." The uniform answers.
"Get Garcia on the line and have her track Morgans phone." Hotch starts to run towards the door.
"Mac." JJ whispers, worry evident in her voice.
"Stay here." Prentiss tells her before pointing to Reid. "He is going to narrow down a comfort zone, and when he does, someone needs to be there." Emily takes off running. She knows that's a load of bull but JJ will worry herself in front of a bullet unless she keeps her busy.
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"Stop!" Mac yells. Her weapon already drawn as she chases the suspect. She can here Morgan hot on her heels so she points down another block and Morgan takes a sharp turn and runs that way.
"Hey!" Mac slows down when the suspect comes to a dead end and point her weapon.
"FBI!" Morgan yells and Mac looks over at him.
"Put your hands on your head and get down on your knees." Morgan orders and Mac holsters her weapon and walks over to the suspect. She pulls her cuffs and start to cuff him before the suspect stands up quickly and elbows her in the face. Mac falls to the ground before she sticks out her leg, tripping the suspect. Morgan runs over and jumps on top of him, cuffing him successfully.
"Mac! You alright?" Morgan asks and Mac stands up, touching her hand to her nose.
"Fine" she responds and looks at the apprehended suspect.
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"Jesus." Rossi says looking at Mackenzie's face. It bruised fairly quickly and she has tape over the top of her nose.
"It's not broken." Prentiss says and Mac shakes her head.
"What were you thinking?" Prentiss asks after Rossi walks away.
"What are you talking about?" Foster asks.
"Apprehending a suspect by yourself, goes against every protocol ever written." Prentiss lectures. "But also you worried JJ." Mac looks at Prentiss.
"What did you just say?" Foster asks but Derek walks over.
"He's on his way to PD. We should head that way too." Morgan says and Mac nods her head.
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"Ouch." Mac says as she touches her nose in the mirror. Morgan tried all afternoon to question the man they arrested. After a statement from Mrs. Webber, they found out the man, more like boy, snuck into Jason's room and Mrs. Webber heard yelling, and saw He had a knife. He took off running and Jason isn't talking. She was now in her hotel room standing in her sports bra and lounge pants. She just showered and her wet hair was piled on top of her head.
"Don't touch it." She hears the voice behind her before she feels arms wrap around her waist. She looks in the mirror and looks at her beautiful blonde girlfriend. She's wearing one of Mac's discarded T-shirts. After a heated argument, and even more heated make up sex, Mac went to shower and JJ sat in the bed thinking about how worried she is about her girlfriend. After she heard the shower stopped she put on her girlfriends shirt and walked over to watch her. She noticed the haunted look on her lovers face and couldn't help but to walk over and hold her.
"Hey Jay." Mac greets with a half hearted smile.
"Hi." JJ kisses her back and pulls away and walks over to the bedroom. Mac takes a second before following her.
"I think Prentiss knows." Mac says before leaning against the bathroom door jam.
"I know she knows." JJ says and Mac raises an eyebrow.
"She told me she saw us." Mac looks at her questionably.
"Last night." JJ explains further. "In my old office." Mac finally realizes what she is talking about and nods her head in understanding.
"There goes keeping it a secret." Mac says walking further into the bedroom.
"It's been a year and a half. They are bound to find out. Some of the greatest minds surround us everyday." JJ says and Mac is about to reply when there is a knock at her door.
"Mac! It's Morgan." Mac looks at JJ who jumps up and looks around the room. Mac points over to the bathroom and JJ runs over and closes the door slightly. Mac waits a second before taking a breath and opening the door.
"Hey." Mac says and Morgan peeks around her room before looking at her.
"Have you seen JJ? She's not in her room." Morgan asks and Mac shakes her head before swallowing.
"No, why what's up?"
"We were all going to grab a drink. Wanted to invite her."
"Have you tried texting her?" Mac asks and Morgan shakes her head.
"Nope. I'll call." Morgan dials her number and A moment later Mac hears JJ's phone vibrate and starts to panic.
"You hear that?" Morgan asks and Mac shakes her head.
"No, nope. Have you tried the pool?" Mac asks and Morgan hangs up after no answer. "She was on the swim team maybe she's swimming laps, you know, blowing off steam."
"Swim team? That was you." Morgan says and Mac nods her head.
"Yea, me."
"What's going on?" Morgan asks but before Mackenzie can answer, JJ steps out of the bathroom.
"Hey." She waves and Mac pulls Morgan in her room and shuts the door.
"Hey what are you doing... whoa." Morgan says as realization hits him.
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Tell me what you guys think. Thank you so much for reading! Review, review, review.