Criminal Minds Series Rewrite: Season Three

The Crossing: Part One

"No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities." - Christian Nestell Bovee

"How are you and Will doing?" you ask JJ when you enter her office the next morning.

She is sitting at her desk with folders displayed all around her, but that's not the thing you're focusing on. Her very flat stomach has a yellow glow to it, and there is only one reason why her stomach would glow like that.

She's pregnant.

Does she know? Does she want you to know? Does Will know? If you're going to talk about this to her, then you have to let her come to you.

"We're doing just fine," she smiles and fishes around her desk for something.

Either she doesn't know or she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Okay, what did you call me in here for? Not that I'm not happy to see you. I'm always happy to see you."

"I got this letter from someone who is meeting me in ten minutes. I want you to read it."

You grab the letter and read it quickly, your eyes widening in shock. This woman is claiming someone is stalking her, and that she believes she will die soon if she doesn't get help from someone. She has a dog and a husband that she can't fathom leaving behind. It's a powerful letter, you'll give her that.

"Wow. I can see why you'd want to meet with her."

"Agent Jareau?" There is another desk agent knocking on her office door. "Your appointment is here."

"Okay, just one minute."

JJ doesn't have a minute because seconds later, a red-headed woman comes inside her office with a look of determination.

"Hi. I'm Keri Derzmond. I'm the one who sent you the letter."

"Right. I'm agent Jareau and this is agent Y/N."

"I'm sorry to rush in, but when I got the message you'd see me this morning, I could barely sleep last night. That's nothing new, though. I haven't been able to sleep for about two years."

"I just read the letter you wrote to agent Jareau and the Silver Spring police," you say and hand JJ back the letter.

"Begging and pleading wasn't getting their attention. They needed to know I wasn't going away."

"So, you've been getting these notes for the past two years?" JJ asks.

"I used to live in Atlanta. I moved here six months ago, and then out of nowhere another note. I can't live like this anymore. I want my life back."

"What did the police tell you?" you wonder.

"The detective I met with was very sympathetic, but his hands are tied unless something happens to me. Then it will be too late. Will you help me?" she asks.

She's not begging and she isn't complaining. She is confident in what she wants, and you admire that about her.

"I'm presenting the case to our team this morning. I'll let you know what we decide."

Keri sighs and grabs a sticky pad off JJ's desk along with a pen. She starts writing names down while saying them out loud.

"Lou Evans, Ed Derzmond, and Ryan Scott. Those are the people who you'll be calling when you find me dead."

She's really adamant about this being a case, and you really hope Hotch and Rossi believe so as well. They aren't here right now, but you know if they find out you took a case without it being official, you can get into a lot of trouble.