Shots In The Dark

Chapter One: Target Practice

The shiny elevator doors ding open and I throw my still half full coffee cup in the bin. I crack my knuckles anxiously, I haven't been in this department for years or worked with the occupants. I take a deep breath and open the large glass doors in front of me. I stride silently across the room well aware of the eyes that are looking at me. My face immediately lights up as I see Blake walking towards me, sudoku in one hand as usual. "Alex!" I smile at her before wrapping in her in a hug, she was one of the ones who persuaded me to come back to the BAU after all these years. "Gemma!" She wraps her arms around me before letting me go. "Come on, we're supposed to be meeting in the conference room, new case. Much more exciting then terrorism I'll bet." She teases and I roll my eyes while smiling. "It's like I wasn't even gone, already on a case." I laugh while walking into the conference room. A small group of people, some of whom I already know and care for. Dave kisses my cheek and pulls a chair out for me. He was a friend of my parents years ago and when I joined the bureau we automatically formed a friendship. I sit down in the chair and Dave pushes me in politely. I put my wrists down on the table and Aaron nods at me curtly. I was friends with Haley and we haven't spoken since the funeral, I have no idea if he's happy to see me or not, you can never tell with him anyways.

I look up to the screen expecting to start but everyone is just gaping at me. "Are we not going to introduce the new recruit, Hotch?" I turn my head to the speaker and recognize her immediately, JJ. We were never introduced but we both worked in terrorism. I look expectantly at Aaron waiting for him to introduce me but he seems frozen. I clear my throat and stand up, "I am special agent Gemma St. Pierre, I am glad to be back and to meet all of you." I smile warmly at them all before sitting back down while picking at my fingernails that are painted red to contrast with my dark hair and green eyes. It's nerve wracking to be here again, especially after what happened last time. "Wait, the Gemma St. Pierre?" JJ asks and I lower my head sheepishly and in embarrassment, I know she's thinking of my terrorism reputation. "I'm Derek Morgan honey, welcome back to the BAU." The dark skinned man down the table smiles charmingly at me and I wink back teasingly. "I'll keep that in mind, sweetheart." I smile coquettishly before leaning back in my seat trying not to laugh. "I like her." Morgan laughs before I tune back into JJ's conversation with the man next to her, "She's famous in the terrorism department." She says and Dave mouths to me "You're a hit kid." I stifle a snicker as what the man next to JJ says catches my attention. "And In The BAU too, she quit in 2004 right before most of us started because of-" I stand up and look at the young man speaking, Doctor Reid. "After I requested a transfer." I cut him off and he looks confusedly at me. Before he can start talking again Aaron cuts in. "ENOUGH, All of you we have wheels up in 20." He says before storming out of the room and I flinch, what's happened to him?
*****
An hour later I sit on one of the couches alone on the plane trying to catch up on the case in the paper file I requested. Pretty typical, serial killer killing people with high risk lifestyles, homeless, prostitutes, Etc. However, he's branding them on their stomachs with some kind of symbol. I turn the photo over to get a better look of it, the branding resembles some kind of birds flying, maybe representing freedom? I jump and my hand reflexively goes to my holster. "Woah cowgirl, it's just the good guys here." Morgan smiles at me and takes a seat next to me and looks over at the case file. I let my hand relax, if they knew half the things I've been through on planes they would understand. "What do you think about the branding?" I turn my head to him as he picks the picture up to study up. "It could be mercy killings, he's setting them free in his mind." He says and I can see him thinking hard. "Great, A rich serial killer." I say sarcastically and he laughs before heading back to sit with Reid who he calls 'Pretty boy' and I go back to reviewing the case.
*****
I stand in an alley with Reid looking at the blood spatter on the ground, it's a hot mess. Hotch assigned me to work with him and go examine the crime scene. "I'm sorry about earlier, I-I didn't mean to upset you." Reid says I look up at him from the ground and I sigh internally, I don't want to get into this, go back to the past but he looks incredibly sorry. I stand up and stick my hand out for a handshake. "We got off on the wrong foot, It's ok Spencer." I smile at him warmly, he didn't know, he was just saying what he read. He gives me an awkward smile before crouching down and looking at the spatter on the wall. I notice he's squinting like he's trying to see something that's not there but at the same time looks like he's in pain. "How did she die?" He asks and I recite it from memory. "Two stab wounds to the abdomen, branding is postmortem." I crouch down next to him. There's no way this much blood can come from that, this is more like an artery being severed. That means- "The unsub is hurt or there's another victim." He says and I look at him gravely, "Or both." I try to stop the bleeding, "Where are the ambulances?" I scream while covered in blood, Everyone is just looking at me. "Someone do something!" I screech putting more towels over her wound. Aaron looks at me with a somber face, No, no, I won't lose her. I look down at her pale face and her eyes are glazed over. I come out of my memory and find myself backed myself against the wall while biting my lip. "Gemma? Are you ok?" Reid is next to me with his hand close to my shoulder and I'm barely processing what he's saying, it's the first time I've heard him call someone by their first name. "I'm fine, We have to get back to the station." I shake him off and walk towards the suv, I can't lose another one, not this time.
*****
We walk into the room where everyone is meeting, they already have a comfort zone for him. "The unsub is holding another victim." I say and put my hands on the table, trying to get my knuckles to crack. "What?" Everyone turns around towards us, we need to save this person, we can't just sit here. "He has another victim, the last victims, Lana Mosley's friend probably, she was abducted from the murder scene." Spencer says and I nod vigorously. I see Aaron press a button on the phone sitting in the middle of the table and a peppy voice comes out of it. "Penny G, the most fantastic tech wizard at your service." I hid a smile at the peppiness of her voice, we could use more people like her in our line of work. "Garcia, see if any of Lana Mosley's associates have been reported missing in the last two days. See if Agent St. Pierre is correct." Aaron says and I look at him in disbelief, I've known him for years and now I'm back on the team I can't be trusted. "Ohhhh is she the new recruit Morgan was talking about? Is she nice?" She says in a hurry and I'm surprised she can still breathe at the end of her sentence, "I mean I hope I am." I laugh and the line goes dead silent. "Oh my goodness, I didn't know-I will get those records for you right away. And, no, no one has been missing that knew Lana." My smile drops off of my face "damn it." I curse under my breath and walk out of the room to go and get some coffee, this girl could be in danger and we aren't doing anything! I kick the coffee machine when nothing comes out of it. "Are you alright?" I turn around to find Spencer behind of me. "Based on the aggression with you're kicking that machine it's obvious something personal is bothering you." He says, putting his hands in pockets awkwardly. I let out a chuckle and I push the hair out of my face that's been slowly falling out of my bun all day. "It's because of that case that made you quit isn't it?" He asks and my head snaps up towards him before letting it fall, what's the use anyways, he already knows all about it anyways. what's the use? I nod my head silently, "Want to talk about it?" He asks softly and I look back up at him. "I just don't understand why we aren't we doing anything to help this girl?" I put a hand on my forehead. "We don't even know that there is another girl missing, he's always just done everything at the crime scene so far." He says but I just shake my head, I know there is, I feel it. "Thank you Spence, I appreciate you helping me." I say and walk back to the conference room leaving him behind at the machine. 

*********

After giving the profile we get a match and immediately start going out to the farm where the man lives, Gary Kelly. His wife died two months ago from a disease she contracted working in a homeless soup kitchen. "Are you ready?" Alex turns her head to me as I finish loading my gun. "He can't be worse then what I've seen." I say dryly before getting out of the SUV. Aaron gestures to me and Alex to go along the side of the building. I tread carefully in front of her before coming upon a cellar, I keep my gun trained on it as she opens it. When no one pops up I go down into the dimly lit cellar with Alex close behind, I shine my flashlight in the room and see no one. "Cle-" I start to stay before I feel something plunge into my shoulder and a weight on my back, I start to struggle with the man on my back and push him against the wall before I hear a gun go off and he slumps against the wall dead. "Not as bad as the others?" Alex teases before holstering her gun before walking over to me. "All clear, We got him." She says as the others appear in the doorway looking at the wound in my shoulder "Anyone got a band-aid?" I joke.

*******

I sit in the corner of the plane curled up with "The Scarlet Letter" when Rossi comes over and sits next to me. "How'd you like your first case back?" He asks and pats my knee and I smile at him, he's been a father figure to me since my parents died along with a friend. "You have a great team, I really like them all." I look around at the people on the plane who I consider my new friends and smile. "He's different since Haley died." My heart pangs in sadness for her and Jack, I haven't seen him in forever either. "It's in the past, I'm going forward now." I look around and  smile at Alex and Spencer sitting together. "I'm not going to go back to then."