loml, derek morgan

chapter one: seven seconds

FOR KAIA SIMMONS, her house had never felt like a home. So moving back into her childhood home at the ripe age of twenty-eight after her mother's death and an engagement gone wrong was a little bittersweet.

Part of her questioned why the house didn't go to her brother as she stared at the boxes crowding the already small living room. His life was all set up. It was picture-perfect. While he was on his first tour in Iraq, his wife excelled in real estate when she wasn't home with their five-year-old son who had a growing love for sports, and their three-year-old daughter who always had a smile present.

Kaia Simmons felt like she was back at square one only this time she had two degrees and two and a half years of experience at the New York field office for the FBI.

Everything happened so quickly that before she knew it she was requesting to be transferred to Quantico where she had been gracefully accepted by their section chief, Erin Strauss, and the unit chief, Aaron Hotchner, both of which she had yet to meet in person.

Right as she was about to start unpacking a box, she heard her phone start ringing from the room over. Quickly, she walked over to answer it, instantly recognizing the number as she opened her phone.

"Hello?" Slight hesitation in her voice, part of her worried she might've mixed up her start date even though she had read over her contract at least ten times.

"Kaia, it's Aaron Hotchner from the BAU, is there any chance you'd be able to start early? We've just got a case that I think we could use you on based on what I've heard from over in New York," He told her, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, for sure, where did you need me to meet you?" She asked as she walked over to her safe to retrieve her badge and gun.

"Potomac Mills, do you need the address?"

"No, it's close by. I can be there in ten maybe fifteen," and with that, he hung up not telling her anything else.

She grabbed her keys to lock up and got in her car, despite not knowing what the case exactly was, time was always of the essence regardless.

While driving she took notice of the SWAT and local P.D heading in the same direction and the number of vehicles practically doubled once she got to the mall.

Getting out of her car, she slid her gun into the holster and approached the door when someone stuck their arm in front of her, stopping her from entering.

"Sorry ma'am, no one in or out, only authorized personnel," the security guard instructed.

"Kaia Simmons, FBI," She held up her credentials.

"My apologies," he courteously nodded.

Entering the mall, it was a flood of organized chaos. As she walked across the mall floors she couldn't even hear the click of her boot's heel on the tile.

"Agent Hotchner," he turned to see who was calling before approaching her with haste, close behind were a blonde and brunette who followed him. "So, what's going on?"

"Missing girl, Agents Prentiss and Jareau can go over the details more in full, cameras show that she and her abductor are still here. We have reason to believe this may be related to an abduction just last week. If that's true it confirms that the abductor would still be here as well. And Hotch will suffice."

"Okay, yeah, where do you want me then?"

"For now you'll go with Prentiss and JJ, interview the family and we'll go from there."

Kaia had built a reputation for herself back in New York having solved a majority of abductions mainly by herself. Her additional degree in child psychology helps her to analyze the behaviour of the kids she's had to work with. It's part of the reason Hotchner so willingly agreed, in such little time she already managed to make a name for herself in this field.