Sergeant Abigail (Abby) Laurens transfers to the BAU after an operation in Iraq goes horribly wrong and she loses the one man she's ever truly loved. Desperate to escape her guilt she throws herself into her new position but when someone comes back...
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abby has never had a way with words. The only way to describe the paralysing fear that washed over her body when Hotch uttered those words twelve hours ago was: her heart fell out of her ass.
Again, she never had a way with words.
Abby had faced psychopaths and serial killers, terrorists and conflict; she had stared death in the face and seen the worst that humanity had to offer and twelve hours ago she was told the epitome of all of the horrors she'd encountered was free.
"Abby, you're going to have to say something because you're starting to scare me now."
"I-I, I need to sit down."
As she breathed out those few words her legs caved beneath her. Hotch's hands caught her elbows and picked her up to stand vertical again. She could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment but the terror in her chest that began to circulate around her body with each beat of her heart like it was infused with her oxygen and in her bloodstream, overwhelmed any frivolous feelings of shame for collapsing in front of her boss.
"Abby!" Spencer called, clearly watching the last few seconds of their exchange. He ran over to Abby and Hotch, the latter passing the former gently into the arms of Spencer with the same care and gentleness but also the same tentativeness as though he was passing a baby to their parents. The rest of the team had slowly started to direct their attention over to the food table but, having missed Abby's 'faint' and, of course, the reason for her doing so, they were not aware of the severity of the situation.
Abby's hand grasped weakly at Spencer's purple casual-dress shirt, her fingers grazed the buttons and clasped pathetically around the material, only to shake themselves free seconds later. She was acutely aware that she needed to say something soon - anything.
She settled on an excuse. "S-sorry. God, I'm so sorry. I, uh, I-I think I've had too much to drink. Spencer can you take me home, please?" Abby managed breathlessly.
Spencer held her closer, glancing over at Hotch for reassurance. He sensed something was wrong with Abby - and more than just intoxication as, if his mind wasn't so clouded with concern, he would've realised that Abby had not had a single drop of alcohol. Yet, he trusted his boss and his guidance.
"Reid, why don't you go and find Abby a chair and I'll stay with her whilst you get the car ready? Abby, did you drive?"
Abby was focusing on regulating her breathing, as it appeared in the past two minutes she had forgotten entirely how to breathe. Her stare was glazed and distant but attentive enough to appear that she was aware of what was happening around her.
