꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎
after joining the bau, madelyn mortier's hazy past clears--allowing her a fresh start. she endevers in this newfound family but will the demons of her past seep back in to destroy it? can she start anew and put aside her ghosts to focus on...
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╭──╯ . . . . . VIOLENT DELIGHTS ܴೈ
✧.* ONEERTAXEA . . . . . ╰──╮
october 19th, 2009
the rain drummed steadily on the windows as i climbed the stairs to the bau. the cold, gray morning outside was exactly the kind of weather i liked—something about how the world seemed quieter, as if the rain was washing away the noise. still, today, there was a tightness in my chest. i walked up to hotch's office, knocking on the door.
"sorry to bother, sir, do you have a moment?" i asked, my voice steady even though my mind was anything but. hotch stood by the window, watching the rain like he was lost in his thoughts. he didn't turn right away. "sure, what is it?" he answered. i took a breath, fingers twitching at my sides. "a case just came in." "i'll be right there." he said, but he must've noticed something in my face because he paused. i hesitated. "actually, i wanted to talk to you about it. the case, it's in new york, uh, manhattan."
his gaze sharpened at that, finally meeting mine. "you're from over there, right?" i nodded, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "yeah, close to it." i looked down, suddenly fascinated by my nails. "i'd like to stay behind, help from the office." hotch frowned, clearly caught off guard. "why?" "it was a different life," i said, swallowing the lump in my throat. "one i'm not ready to go back to yet." there was a pause, and i could feel him studying me. after what felt like forever, he pulled out a file from his desk and handed it to me. "any other day, i'd say stay. but this came this morning."
i opened the file, and i scoffed. without another word, i followed him into the briefing room, the file still clutched in my hands. i toss it on the table in front of reid. we all sat down at the table, and jj started her rundown. "the body of ben vanderwall was found last night. multiple gunshots, close range. .22 caliber. his hands are missing." she paused, glancing at the file in front of her. "we found dna from his wife, heather, but she's been missing since the incident. presumed dead."
i tried to focus on jj's voice, but all i could think about was new york. everything i'd left behind, buried under years of pain and suffering, was now being pulled back into the light. "the mo matches two other victims," jj continued. "rita haslat from new jersey—found in a trash can, severely underweight, ligature marks on her body. and bill levington—missing his genitals." "all three victims show a signature," hotch said. "the question is, what?"
i glanced up as spencer picked up the file, analyzing it with that familiar sharpness in his eyes. spencer's voice cut through my thoughts. "what's this?" he asked, his tone curious. his eyes were locked on me. "you told me you were clear to fly with your injury," hotch said to spencer. "you lied." before he could answer, emily piped up with a teasing smirk. "naughty boy." spencer shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. "no, i didn't lie," he protested, his tone defensive. "i'm a doctor. technically, it wasn't a lie." "what was it, then?" garcia asked, leaning in from the doorway with a grin.
