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THE BLACK Wolves had been in hiding for a few weeks now. No banks had been robbed by them, no casualties caused as a result. It was as if everything had gone... quiet.
Many would see this as a good thing — more lives were being spared, less money stolen — but the BAU had a slightly different opinion. See, they were rather caught up in a situation that had occurred weeks prior to the Black Wolves sudden disappearance. That being the seemingly 'little' threat that appeared oddly like a hit, which Kai Walker had so kindly bestowed upon them.
To say tensions were running high in the BAU would be an understatement. Everyone was on edge, specifically JJ, who had sent her children away for the time being, doing her best to remove them from harms way. She didn't know what she would do if anything was to happen to them
Astra was tense too, but in a more subtle approach. She pretended to be level-headed, and solely focused on finding the Black Wolves, with the intent to imprison the lot of them. But that's not how she really felt. No, because behind closed doors, she was there, scheming, planning, marking down every potential place in which the Black Wolves may be hiding. Although she felt this little piece of information wasn't on a need to know basis with the team, and so, she didn't tell them. ( it's not as if she knew anything they didn't, anyway ) Not even as their relationships grew stronger.
Hell, she didn't even mind JJ, Hotch or Rossi now ( she knows, it surprised her too ) Like, she actually purposefully talked to them ( who would've thought, right? )
As for Spencer, he spent his time thinking over his and Astra's conversations, the odd feeling that he had missed something still remained within his mind. But how could he do such a thing? He's literally got a fucking eidetic memory, there was no chance he wouldn't be able to remember an important fact that could potentially relate to the Black Wolves.
Garcia spent her time searching for abandoned warehouses, apartments — basically anywhere that the Black Wolves could potentially be. While all attempts so far had been futile, Garcia never gave up. Especially not with the cute little drinks Astra had been bringing her every single morning — they seemed to add a sense of happiness, especially during the dull days.
Hotch didn't sleep. Not because he didn't want to — be because he just fucking couldn't. His mind was constantly running. What if Jack was hurt? What if he was hurt, and Jack was left with no real parental figures? To say Hotch was stressed, was an understatement. And unfortunately, Astra knew exactly how that felt, to be plagued by potential nightmares she had no control of ( well, to be honest in her case, her nightmares became her reality but let's just pretend that hadn't happened — god knows Astra does ) which was exactly why she gave Hotch a few of her sleeping pills, and offered him friendly advice every now and then — which, surprisingly, he actually took? Who would've thought, right?
Emily was one of the only agents who remained level-headed. She and Astra met every morning at Astra's favourite coffee shop ( the same place she bought Garcia's drinks from — thanks FBI budget! ) to discuss what their next move on the Black Wolves would be. And while the conversations generally led to no progress at all, they were still nice to have. It turns out Emily is just as cool as she seems ( genuinely, Astra wants to be her )
Rossi and Astra still fucking hated each other.
No, she's kidding. The old guy was actually alright ( she was still planning on making his friendship bracelet a gross colour though — but as of now, she's swaying in the direction of shit brown rather than piss yellow — it's a good upgrade, in Astra's opinion ) plus he only got annoyed the first two times she broke into his house to steal flour, sugar and eggs ( she's not going to lie, most of her budget is spent on coffee ) for a cake she was making — for the team though, so Rossi allowed it ( by the way, the cake tasted disgusting — Astra can't cook for the fucking life of her )
As for Derek Morgan, well, he'd been doing what he always does — working out — when one day, Astra came up to him, an 80's looking workout outfit on ( yeah, he means the headband, the leg warmers and all the rest of that neon shit ) declaring that she wanted to go to the gym with him. Well, of course he took her ( somehow she didn't find her outfit choice embarrassing at all — and neither did the constant swarm of people, who kept fawning over her look, saying how much they absolutely adored it. He actually thought they were taking the piss until a bunch of random people asked for her photo and then posted them on Instagram ) anyway, the whole Astra wanting to get fit thing managed to stick? — yeah, Morgan's surprised too. But it's fun, hanging out with Astra, she's better than he originally thought she was. Some may even say he took a particular liking to her.
So, to sum up, the BAU had been doing relatively well. Their morale was being boosted daily through little acts they did together as a group.
Astra found it nice, feeling as though she was a part of something good for the first time in her life,
And as she grew closer to the team, the more she decided that... maybe there was no mole? She hadn't heard from Phoenix since he broke into her apartment, did that mean he was lying? Or did he genuinely believe he was telling the truth? Either way, she was beginning to think the whole 'someone's selling you out' thing was just a set up, that Kai coerced Phoenix into acting out.
Speaking of the Black Wolves, and trust him, he knows — it's shocking that no-ones heard from him yet, especially since he's the one that inspired the whole Astra's betrayal of the Black Wolves situation. But Enzo? Well, he was doing absolutely shit.
His generally sound mind — that usually only consisted of partially murderous thoughts — was morphing into a place filled with screams of agony and desperation. Whether they're from him or his victims — he's not quite sure.
In fact, Enzo wasn't certain of anything anymore.
Had he tortured that guy last week?
Were Kai and Dylan plotting his death?
Why did he ever hate Astra Hart?
Should he warn her about what will soon happen?
His brain was playing tricks on his every thought, morphing them into montages that caused endless paranoia to run through Enzo's slowly deteriorating mind.
His thoughts were rollercoasters, wreckages, utter disasters.
Since everything he thought was true, was now uncovered to be an endless string of lies.
All because he was told something that he sure as shit shouldn't know.
So, sure. Many may say that Enzo Clarke is going mad.
But then again, hadn't he always been?
authors note. i'mdishing out updates like there's no tomorrow. 6 chapters left everyone ! if you're getting stressed by these constant updates please let me know lmao it's just that i'm trying to write and publish while I still have motivation for this book
