Gifted | | A Criminal Minds Fanfic

2.) BAU

Melanie

One Week Later

It has been a week since the move and I was already getting settled into our new, temporary home. Rossi said we could stay for as long as we needed to, but my grandma assured him that we wouldn't be staying long. She didn't want us to overstay our welcome or whatever BS she was trying to say. I honestly think she was just nervous to be living with Rossi, seeing as how she's had a crush on him for years. Definitely making a mental note of getting them together soon.

"What are your plans for today?" Rossi asked me, as I looked through a college brochure.

"Probably going to sign up for some online classes. Well...once I figure out what I want to major in." I sighed. I seriously thought I'd never get the chance to go to school or even live a regular lifestyle, but now I was starting to think that there was an actual possibility.

"Why don't you come to work with me today?"

"Seriously? Can I do that?"

"I mean...it's not ideal, but I'm sure my boss won't mind. Besides...your grandmother is out for the day, and I think a day out of the house will help clear your mind." He said. He did have a point.

"Okay, let me get dressed and we can go." I said, heading upstairs. When we first arrived in Virginia, it never dawned on me that I had little to no clothes. Sure, I was living out of a duffle bag for the last few years, but I never noticed that I didn't have any clothes. Thankfully my grandma had some money saved up, allowing me to do a little shopping, and expand my wardrobe.

Arriving at Rossi's job, I followed him quietly, as he showed me around his workplace.

"Welcome to the B.A.U." He smiled, holding his arms out. "My home away from home." It was an extremely fast paced environment. People walking around in suits and well dressed clothes, drinking coffee, and reading over case files. Definitely something you'd see on TV. I followed him into a room, where a group of people were sitting and talking.

"I don't mean to sound cocky, but no woman can resist the Morgan charm." I heard someone say. He was tall, dark, and handsome...literally. Bulging muscles and a smile that would make anyone melt. Inside and out.

"Now tell me...what about that sentence wasn't cocky?" The woman sitting across from him asked, smirking and shaking her head. She had shoulder length, black hair, and pretty dark eyes.

"The only person who can't resist the Morgan charm is Garcia." Rossi chuckled, as everyone greeted him. "Everyone, this is Melanie. She's here today as my protege, so be nice."

"When aren't we nice? Hi, I'm Emily Prentiss." She reached over and shook my hand.

"Hi, nice to meet you." I smiled.

"What's up, baby girl, I'm Derek Morgan." He said, grabbing my hand. He gave me a smoldering look, which made me laugh a little.

"Are you attempting to use this so called Morgan charm on me? If so, you should try a new tactic." Everyone started laughing, even Derek.

"Dang, maybe I am losing my touch."

"It's a first time for everything." A gorgeous blonde woman laughed, approaching me. "Hi, I'm Jennifer, but everyone calls me JJ."

"Nice to meet you." I said.

"Sorry I'm late, I..." I heard from behind me, as I turned around. I instantly locked eyes with a tall, skinny guy, who started gawking at me. "I...I ran into traffic."

"You having some suicidal thoughts there, Boy Wonder?" Derek questioned, in a joking manner.

"Ha ha, very funny."

"No worries, we haven't started yet." JJ laughed. "This is Melanie, Rossi's protege. Melanie, this is Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Hi." I waved, feeling myself blush.

"Hi." He responded, looking down at my gloved hands. "Gloves in seventy degree weather?"

"I'm a bit of a germaphobe." I lied. Call me a black, modern day Elsa or whatever, but I wear gloves everywhere I go. It was something my Mom made me do, when she realized that no matter what I touched...I saw something.

"Where's Hotch?" Rossi questioned. I'm not sure if he was genuinely concerned or if he was just trying to change the subject, but whatever it was...I was just happy that nobody else questioned why I was wearing gloves.

"He's taking a call in his office." JJ told him. "In the meantime, we have a new case, and this one is quite disturbing." Rossi motioned for me to sit down in the back, just as another man walked into the room.

"Sorry I'm late. Have you started already?" He asked.

"I was just about to." His eyes then landed on me.

"You must be Melanie. Rossi's told me about you, I'm Aaron Hotchner."

"Nice to meet you." I said. I swear...I needed to expand my vocabulary, when it came to meeting new people.

Sitting quietly in the back, I listened as JJ talked about the case, and I had to admit...I was highly intrigued. Random suicides, happening to teenagers, all within two week periods. Sounds weird right?

"Could just be a group of emo kids. I mean, we've seen it before, haven't we?" Derek spoke. He was skeptical about the case and he was letting it be known.

"Emo kids or not, this is an unusual pattern." Emily voiced. "And you can tell by some of these photos, that most of these kids aren't emos."

"That is correct, Kassidy Anderson and Lauren Davis were both cheerleaders, while Michael Sanders and Peter Johnson were jocks." JJ explained.

"So it's like two people from different cliques that are committing suicide?" I asked, instantly covering my mouth. Everyone glanced at me, which instantly made me nervous. "I'm sorry...I was thinking out loud. Please ignore me."

"No, that's exactly what's happening. Two cheerleaders, two jocks, two drama students."

"That's definitely not a coincidence." Rossi added.

"No, it's not. I know this isn't one of our usual cases, but it doesn't hurt to see what's going on. Wheels up in twenty." Hotch said. Everyone stood up, except for Rossi and Hotch, who turned and looked at me once everyone was gone.

"It seems that you have a knack for this. Have you ever considered being a profiler?" Hotch asked me.

"Oh...the thought never crossed my mind, until now anyways. I mean...I wouldn't even know where to start, plus I'd be in school for God knows how long."

"Well you have been looking for something to major in, so who knows? Maybe you'll like this line of work, but no pressure. In the meantime, you should text your grandmother and let her know that you'll be with me for the next few days." Rossi said, as he stood up from his seat.

"The next few days?" I questioned.

"Yeah, this case is in Michigan, and we never know how long it's going to take to solve it."

"I didn't realize that I was tagging along. I wouldn't want to be in the way."

"You won't be. Besides...you're my protege for the day, so just think of this as a ride along." He smirked.

"Agreed. You might be more useful than you think." Hotch added, giving me a look, before he turned and left the room. Okay...weird?

"If you don't want to come, I can have someone take you home."

"No, I'd love to come. But only if you're one hundred percent sure." I said.

"I'm sure. Now let's get going, we have a case to solve." He said, as I followed him out of the room.