Carli's POV
I spend Christmas with my dad and sister back home in New England. I try to put Elle to the back of my mind, ignoring the hollow feeling in my chest Christmas morning when I wake up and she's not there. I thought... I don't know. It's Christmas. Maybe she would call. Or text. Or anything.
But guess what? Even my shitty life gets a sprinkling of Christmas miracles.
When I get home a few days later, I pick up my mail downstairs like always. I sift through it on the elevator and what I find makes my heart stop. The doors slide open and shut again before I remember where I am.
I make my way to my apartment, my steps slow and sluggish. My eyes don't leave the envelope in my hand. I unlock my door after missing the key hole the first time and leave my suitcase abandoned in the entrance hall. I toss the rest of the mail onto the kitchen island and sit on the couch.
I stare at the paper in my hands. My name sprawled across the center in the uniform handwriting I've found on little notes in my jacket pocket. The lines curl into one another but portray a sense of neatness. My eyes travel to the words in the corner. I make a mental note of the address, but my eyes get stuck on her name.
Elle Greenaway
The letters slope sideways, the end of the y curling back up to the a.
Elle Greenaway
I whisper her name to myself, the words cold and unfamiliar on my tongue.
Elle Greenaway
I can't decide if the letters spell love or pain.
My head hurts. I try to take slow, deep breaths, but they keep getting stuck in my throat. I vaguely remember something Sarah told me. About listing what you know about a situation to try to clear the fog in your head. So I do:
1. She sent me a letter.
2. My apartment is cold and I should turn up the heat.
3. Her address is unfamiliar, some apartment in Queens.
4. My head fucking hurts.
5. My heart is pounding and I think it's because of the envelope in my hands.
6. She left me. Whatever's in this letter could hurt.
7. It'll hurt.
8. I miss her.
9. I don't want to get hurt.
My breathing slows to a pace I can manage. I run the paper through my fingers, making my decision. Silently, I get up and climb the stairs to my bedroom. I kneel down in front of my dresser, opening the bottom door. I place the letter on top of her t-shirt, and then replace her key on top of the envelope.
I close the drawer.
────
On New Year's Eve at eight o'clock I knock on the door to Garcia's apartment. I tap my fingers against my hip as I wait for her to unlock it. I'm not impatient, but the tapping has become a habit of mind. It gives my hands something to do, my mind something to focus on.
Penelope opens the door a moment later with a wide smile on her face. I can't help but return it. Tonight she wears a bright red dress with black jewelry. She pulls me into the apartment with a greeting and a hug.
"You look great, PG," I laugh as she holds onto my hands, nearly bouncing in her heels.
"And I see you dressed up for the occasion," she teases.
YOU ARE READING
Battleground | Criminal Minds (gxg)
FanfictionBlood and Battle: Book 2 /// Elle is gone. She left the BAU, the FBI, and Carli D'angelo in a pile of ruins. Running from the demons she can't control, she flees to New York and the only sense of familiarity she manages to scrounge up. Carli is lost...
