𝒙𝒍𝒗𝒊. birthdays and burning itches

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CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: BIRTHDAYS & BURNING ITCHES !

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: BIRTHDAYS & BURNING ITCHES !

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      CASEY WALKED AROUND THE ROUNDTABLE, PLACING INVITATION CARDS IN FRONT OF ALL THEM, EARNING CONFUSED LOOKS. "What is this?" Morgan perched up, reading the group's minds.

"An invitation to Christopher's 1st birthday party. Next week. I expect all of you there." Casey tells the group as she sits down. "Let me guess, we're the only ones you invited?" Morgan jokes as Casey narrows her eyes at him. "Who else is going?"

"Well, I was hoping Will and Henry would make an appearance," Casey turns over to JJ, who nods. "Along with Jack. A few couples we met in Lamaze class with their children. It's gonna be a fun day!" Casey encourages, exhaling normally with a fake smile plastered on her face.

The team read her face like a book. "You're stressed out, aren't you?" JJ asks as Casey smacks her head down face first on the roundtable. "It's his first birthday. It has to be great." Casey says muffling into the table. Spencer stands next to the woman, rubbing her back soothingly to express his concern for his stressed fiancée.

"You know, not all babies remember their first birthday." Vivian tells, trying to assure Casey that whatever she's doing is okay. "I did," Spencer stated. "I had a big party, although I'm not entirely sure if it was my imagination but at least that's what my mom told me." Casey thinks to herself: "I guess I should be grateful I don't remember what happened with mine."

       Hotch then walks in with Garcia, ready to go over their newest case. "Bone up on your manners and your vitamin C deficiencies, crime tigers, because we are going to the peachtree capital of America — Atlanta, Georgia." Garcia says.

      "What's in Atlanta?" Spencer asks curiously as he sits down. "Local PD has invited us in for an equivocal death investigation." Hotch informs.

      A picture of a man comes on-screen as Garcia presses the remote. "This is Albert Stillman. He is an investigative journalist for a local paper. Three days ago, he disappeared on his way to talk to a source for a story, and last night he was killed wandering into traffic."

     "Wait. Equivocal death means we help determine homicide versus suicide, right?" Kate asks. "Or death by misadventure." Rossi tells. "My point," Kate says. "So what happened to Mr. Stillman was tragic, but what's to equivocate? I mean, he had some sort of mental break, end of story."

     "Except that he had no history of mental illness." Hotch stated the kicker. "None whatsoever?" Vivian asks. "Could this have been drug induced?" JJ asks. "Maybe. One of his most recent stories was an expose on an inner city drug ring, and he received death threats for that one." Garcia informs.

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