𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 - criminal minds

two

(Pls don't be silent readers, you can comment if something is badly written or help with any mistakes I make, I'm always trying to improve. Don't be mean tho, I'm sensitive 😘🥰😫)

I puffed out my cheeks, moving the air from one side to another, staring down at the light wooden table covered with papers, urgency, and death. Everyone was quiet sitting in their chairs, the suspension slowly eating at their brains; the young girl we were looking for seemed to keep escaping through our hands. Guilt floated in the air, if we didn't find her and the millions of others, there would be another rope of disgrace tied around our throats.

"What about this?" Derek spoke, holding a yellow slip in his hand.

"Hm?" I nodded at him, silently asking the man to continue.

"As we all know she used to go to violin lessons each Saturday right?" He paused, getting everyone's attention. "And it was from ten to eleven, but the bus she used to get home only came at twelve, so what did she do for a full hour each week?" He talked about Emilia, a fourteen-year-old girl who disappeared in the same way three others did five years ago, it's suspected to be connected to a trafficking ring, yet every time I prayed it was a mistake, that they all just got lost and soon would return home, it never happened, most never come back.

"That could be something" Hochner muttered under his breath, looking at Lena to see if she agreed.

"Yes definitely, I think one of yours should go talk to the teacher," She replied dryly. "Vera you as well." She looked at me with glazed eyes to which I could only nod back.

"Morgan you wanna go?" The dark-haired man looked at Morgan, raising his brow.

"Let's go on a trip," He replied, winking at me and getting up from his seat.

"fun," I mumbled doing the same.

We walked to the elevator, silently stepping in and clicking the the right floor making the machine move downward, my stomach dropping at the action. I bit my lip, looking down at my hands, staring at one of my rings, a simple silver band with a star cut in it, a diamond filling its spot, rust crept in at the edges, leaving sharp sides that kept cutting in between my fingers.

"How long have you guys dealt with this case?" I looked up as he spoke.

"Five years" I replied, looking everywhere but his face, his stature made me nervous, and I bet a profiler knew that very well.

"Do you know why it got sent to us?" Morgan tilted his head at me. Walking out of the elevator and to the parking spots.

"We," I paused, "messed up, and made the wrong call," I played with the hair that had jumped from my ponytail, sitting loosely on my shoulders.

"Everyone does" he replied calmly, almost comforting what we both knew was hurt in my voice.

"Do you enjoy working here?" He asked, changing the topic, "With the kids and everything," He mumbled, starting the car up.

I thought for a moment, as the faces of each child lost rolled in front of my eyes, forcing me to remember each name, because if someone remembers them, they are never really gone,
"I do,"

He nodded at my answer, driving out, and into the street. "Do you enjoy yours?" It was now my turn to ask the question.

"Yeah I do as well," He glanced at me before looking back at the road, "It obviously gets hard, but it's worth it in the end," Morgan concluded.

A buzzing came from my pocket tearing me away from him.

"Lena?" I voiced as I answered the phone that sat neatly in my hand, cold to the touch.

"We got a lead, you guys need to come back," She said quickly, urgency in her voice.

"Okay," I replied as Morgan turned the car around, forcing the tires to squeal as he did.

We stepped back into the room, where everyone had gathered around a laptop, watching a video of a girl sitting in some dark room. water dripped near her, filling the floor with puddles.

"What is this?" I said as they turned back to look at Morgan and me, terror in their eyes.

"Garcia got in contact with a trafficker, we think that's Emilia," Hotch said blankly, as Reid wrote something behind him on the smartboard.

"Do you guys see those tubes behind her?" Reid noted, zooming to the background on the computer. "Aren't those the central heating tubes," We all nodded to his words.

"Yes," Lena breathed, a little bit of relief could be heard in her voice.

"Okay I need Garcia, Raid, Emily, and Vera to stay back, I need location, description, and anything you could possibly find, got it?" Hotch voiced, getting ready to storm a place, "The rest are coming with me," He finished walking out, getting his phone out to call someone.

"You heard him," Lena said, before walking up to me, "We might do this Vera," She cracked a smile, grabbing my hand and squishing it before rushing off.

I sucked in air, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out, calming my beating heart before rearranging the next steps in my brain.

"Vera," I turned to see Emily, this being the first time we were left alone since we saw each other two days ago.

"Yes," I whispered. I thought about this moment many times yet I never expected it to be so quiet, so non-existent.

"It's good to see you again," She smiled slightly.

"You too," I replied, leaving open-ended replies.

"How have you been?" Emily asks me, leaning back with her hip, relaxing a bit to the conversation.

"I've been good, you?" I answered once again.

"Same here," She looked down at her feet, breathing in heavily, "Would you like to visit me in Washington?" she said quickly, getting a shaky breath out.

Do it.

I thought to myself, making a pros and cons list in my mind, "Actually yeah, I would," I slipped a smile, feeling something heavy lift from my chest.

"Good," She smiled in return, nodding at me before letting me stay back before Reid and Penelope walked back inside with their coffees, Reid holding on to two uncomfortably.  

"You do plain black right?" He asked, getting closer to me and setting the cup in my hands.

"Yes actually, how'd you know? I smiled at the sweet gesture.

"I noticed," He shrugged his shoulders and sat down back to work.

"Garcia, could you pull up the underground water system in this city?" I asked, also getting back to work, we had one priority and we will do it well. 

Authors note:

I am officially just spewing bs 🫡

Whatever as long as yall like it then I'm okay with my horrible story-building 😫💋

that's tea.