Alexis sat in the quiet of the room, her fingers hovering over her phone as she typed out a message to her mother. She hesitated for a moment before hitting send.
"Sorry, Mom, but I'm not going to be able to come home and make dinner tonight. I'm really sorry."
She let out a sigh, feeling a bit of guilt settle in her chest. She knew her mother would be disappointed, but Alexis had so much going on that she couldn't be there as much as she wanted to.
Just as she put the phone down, a new message popped up. It was from Steve, her stepfather. The tone was cold, harsh.
"Typical. Always busy, huh? Maybe if you didn't spread yourself so thin with all your nonsense jobs, you could actually help out for once. But I guess that's too much to ask."
Her heart sank as she read the message, the words cutting deeper than they should have. She stared at the screen for a long moment, the sharp sting of frustration and hurt flooding her. Steve had a way of making her feel small, like nothing she did was ever enough.
She took a deep breath, feeling the anger bubble up but knowing it wouldn't help. She didn't want to engage with him right now, so she set her phone down again, focusing instead on the tasks ahead of her, trying to push the negativity out of her mind.
Her stepfather's words lingered, though, like a heavy weight on her chest. She knew she had to keep moving forward, but sometimes it felt like she was always fighting battles—some she couldn't avoid and others she couldn't win. The next morning, Alexis woke up early, the adrenaline of the previous day still coursing through her veins. She had barely slept, her mind racing with the details of the case, the sniper they were hunting, and the team's next steps. She quickly got dressed in a simple yet functional outfit, ready for whatever the day would throw at her.
Her blue eyes caught her reflection in the mirror for just a moment before she looked away, brushing her brown hair back into a ponytail. She was tired—physically, emotionally—but the determination in her eyes was clear. She wasn't going to let her own struggles get in the way of solving this case.
After a quick breakfast, Alexis met the team in the bullpen. Everyone was already gathered, ready to head out and track down the unsub. Aaron, Derek, Spencer, Elle, and the rest of the team were all present, prepared for another day of investigating.
Aaron gave her a nod. "Ready, Alexis?" he asked, his tone steady but encouraging.
"Ready," she said, her voice calm, though inside she was bracing herself for the work ahead.
The team split up, combing through the area and interviewing witnesses. Alexis, despite her physical pain and exhaustion, threw herself into the search, her mind working on overdrive as she pieced together the scattered clues.
It wasn't long before they finally had a breakthrough. Spencer, with his sharp mind and ability to make connections others missed, found a pattern in the victim's locations and times. Alexis, sensing the same connection, added her own insights into the suspect's behavioral patterns, helping the team form a clearer profile of the unsub.
"We've got him," JJ said, her voice tight with satisfaction as she looked over the evidence. "We know where he'll be next."
The team moved quickly, knowing they had to act fast before the unsub could strike again. Alexis's heart pounded in her chest as they approached the location, each step drawing them closer to the conclusion of the case. They'd tracked him down, but now the real challenge was taking him into custody safely.
The tension in the air was palpable, but when they finally cornered the unsub, the arrest went smoothly. The team had done their job, and they had stopped another dangerous predator before he could hurt anyone else.
