Purely Unprofessional(MOVED)

Chapter 1: Unexpected Happenings

Warnings/Tags: Fluff - Angst - Trauma/Abuse - Any Warnings For A Criminal Minds Episode(Blood/Death/Gore/etc.) - Violence - Near-Death Experience - Descriptions Of Violence/Crimes

I couldn't help but squirm in my seat as I read over the case file. Despite being in the BAU for a little over a year, this was my first case with women, especially ones that were being beaten. It dug up that familiar sting in my chest, the knot in my stomach. With every photo of every bruise on these women, I could feel the anxiety building within me. I felt the guilt, the pain rising in me. I didn't even need a coroner's report to know what those bruises were from.

He wasn't just smacking them around, he was punching them as hard as he could. He was angry, very angry. With each picture, I saw I swore that I could feel each strike. These poor girls...

Everything gradually came back to me. All of those times I was in the hospital or skipping work because I had 'fallen down the stairs', or 'tripped over a table' a few too many times. All the times the landlord would bring up a noise complaint from all of the yelling. It built up pressure in my chest.

I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to remain calm and just keep my focus on the case.

I kept my head down, the music loudly playing from my headphones as I flipped through the case file. I hadn't even noticed my hands were slightly trembling. The rest of the team was busy talking with Garcia to get more details on the case. I never sat with them, preferring to read over the file by myself and let them fill me in on the unmentioned details when we arrived at the police station. We had been called up to Lansing, Michigan.

Multiple prostitutes had been found in alleyways where they had been beaten and strangled. By now there were already several bodies, the only connection between any of them was their line of work. The local police were having no luck, as they weren't exactly skilled at speaking with the women without scaring them off due to being, well, police.

I almost leapt out of my seat when I felt a hand on my shoulder, but I did everything in my power to hide it. Reaching up, I removed my headphones and tilted my head back only to see Hotch standing beside me. After he had my attention, he lowered his hand from my shoulder.

Hotch had always been very distant from me as if he didn't trust me. Due to the way he lacked smiles, and how cold he was all the time, it didn't seem like something out of the ordinary. However, after my first two months at the BAU, I began to notice he was much more open and fluid around the rest of the team. He tilted his head, breaking eye contact half a second after it was made. "We're landing in five minutes." His voice was cold as if I had done something wrong, almost like when he was interrogating one of our suspects.

Hotch paced past me, heading back over toward the group. It felt odd. He'd never come up to me. Usually, I'd know the jet had landed when everyone suddenly began standing up, or if I already had my headphones off. I set my headphones down onto the table in front of me, closing the folder and setting it down as well. Emily shifted in her seat, glancing back at me with a curious expression on her face. I could only assume it was because she had noticed the cold look Hotch had when he passed her. Emily stared at me for a few seconds, eventually turning around to continue talking to Derek. Judging by their now lowered tones, I could tell it was something about me or Hotch.

It wasn't too long before the jet landed, and we had set off to the police station. Spencer, Derek, JJ, and Rossi took one SUV, while Emily, Hotch, and I took the other. As expected, I ended up in the back seat while Emily sat in the front passenger, Aaron driving. The ride over was quiet, apart from Emily talking with Garcia over the phone to get the rest of the case details.