After Me (Criminal Minds)

Chapter One

‘I need their help more than anything right now. I didn’t know what they would do though. Would they turn me away because of how I look or because some random girl is coming to them and asking for their help? Maybe…Maybe they’ll help me?’ All these thoughts were racing in my head as I stepped into the elevator and pressed floor 6.

I looked around the elevator while it was moving. So far it didn’t seem very much like an FBI office but I guess that’s the point, keeping it a secret. I looked down quickly. They’re going to think I’m crazy. My clothes were ragged and torn up. All I had was a band T-shirt and some basketball shorts on. I looked terrible. My wrists had cuts and dry blood all over them and I had bruises everywhere. I looked like I was just in a fight with a professional fighter. My blond hair was soaking wet and I was most likely turning blue from being outside in the cold for the long amount of time I was out there.

Before I knew it the elevator dinged and opened and there I was. I was finally at the BAU. I hesitantly looked around and stepped out of the elevator and into the little hallway there. I looked around nervously. They’re not going to help me, I know they're not. I walked slowly over to where all the people seemed to be and struggled to open the heavy glass door.

The first thing I noticed was the cubicles with the people working. I saw many different people. People in suits and people with everyday t-shirt and jeans on. I looked around and saw a bunch of people sitting at a round table looking a television screen in a room above all the cubicles. I looked for about a minute before the dark hair lady looked up and saw me; her eyes went wide in shock and and I saw her lips move, she was talking about me.  

As soon as she said something, everyone at the round table turned in their seats and stared at me. I could see all different kinds of emotions on all of their faces; anger, shock, confusion, disgust. I saw the scary looking man with dark hair say something the buff man sitting next to him and the girl who looked a little too colorful to be working in the FBI.

The buff man quickly stood up, still staring at me and made his way over to the door, the colorful lady on his heels. When they made their way out the entrance of the room, they started coming towards me. They looked angry and I thought they were going to hurt me so I cautiously backed against the wall, sliding down it while shaking and putting my hands above my face. I learned the hard way that your face gets the most damage when you don't protect it. 

I heard and felt the two people coming to a stop and standing next to me. I was still shaking furiously when I heard a kind voice. “Hey Sweetie, are you okay? What happened to you? Why are your arms bleeding? Where are your parents? Are you cold? You look cold. What’s your name?” The kind lady's voice was asking questions too quick and I couldn’t understand a thing she was saying.

All I could do was tuck myself into a ball and look at the ground. He was coming after me and I needed to tell them, I needed to warn them.

“Baby girl, you need to calm down and talk slower, you’re scaring her.” I mentally thanked the dark skinned buff guy. I heard him crouch down next to me and I curled up even tighter. I heard him hesitate but finally asked "what are you doing here, do you need help?"

I let out a shaky breath, gathering all the courage I had. I knew I had to do this, it was now or never. I uncurled myself a little and stuttered out quietly “h-hello, I-I’m Lexie. I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I need help, I have no one to turn to. Everybody laughed at me and told me I was crazy, but I'm not, I'm not crazy, He killed them. He’s after me, I know he is. My friends...they didn't have to die, but they did…they died because he wants me and he’s killing everyone off to get to me." 

When I finished telling them why I was there, all I heard was silence. 'This is it', I thought, 'they're going to tell me that i'm stupid and wasting their time and I need to leave. I can't leave, I have no where to go where he will not find me'. Not hearing them say anything for a while, I looked up, scared and anxious at their reactions.

They both looked at me with serious faces. The girl who the man called Garcia looked at me with horror written all over her face and the man looked downright pissed. I looked at them questionably, why weren't they saying anything? Did I make a mistake in coming here? The man must have read my mind or saw something on my face because he softened his facial expression and looked at me kindly. When he opened his mouth to speak, I got scared, thinking this is it, he's going to make me leave, he is going to send me back out there by myself to get killed. The man must have seen the panic in my eyes because he held his hands up like he was surrendering, but that did little to calm me down. I looked away and bravely asked them who they were. The man smiled widely and introduced himself, "I am Special Agent Derek Morgan and this pretty lady next to me is our technical analyst Penelope Garcia, we're not going to hurt you, we just want to help you." I nodded as I looked back down to my cut up arms and hands and remembered the note that he left on my best friends’ body that I found when I discovered her. I reached and took it out of my back pocket and handed it to them with my hand shaking. Now is not the time to be scared, I need to be brave, I need to be brave for him.