And in the end, we were all just humans, drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness.
Published: August 5, 2019
Completed: April 15, 2020
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Victoria was wired on caffeine by the time they landed. While everyone had taken a long nap she had been wide awake making sure they reached their destination and didn't crash. She took a few small breaks to refill her coffee mug. Of course autopilot had come in handy in those moments.
After landing the aircraft and docking it she grabbed her duffle bag that had been sitting under the copilot seat and slung it over her shoulder. She exited the cockpit and entered the cabin to find the team gathering their things.
Rossi was the first to notice her. "Everyone, meet Agent Hayes," Rossi announced. "This is Jennifer Jareau aka JJ, Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, Dr. Spencer Reid, and Penelope Garcia our technical analyst."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," she politely said.
Aaron gestured for the team to get a move on as they all got off the plane and immediately drove off in the police SUVs that had been prepared for them. Victoria was left behind with Aaron.
"Guess it's just me and you Agent Hotchner. I believe you should drive. A sleep deprived person is as bad as a drunk person."
Her statement prompted him to ask, "How long have you been awake?"
"36 hours give or take," she shrugged as they got into the car.
"That's unhealthy. You should rest. My team can handle this case," he scolded her.
"I'm perfectly fine," she protested. "I'm not a stranger to all nighters and sleep deprivation. Hell, Rossi stayed awake three days on end when we worked a case in Nevada during the winter."
"Okay, but if you start to feel too exhausted I want you to take yourself out of the field. Don't push yourself too hard."
She chuckled as she remembered her university days and pulling all nighters almost daily. "I will. Don't underestimate me."
"Now let's get setup with the authorities. Security so far can confirm that the boy is still in the mall."
It was now morning and the child was still missing. The clock was at nine hours and counting. Victoria was seated in the security room with Garcia analyzing footage.
"We've checked out local sex offenders and crossed referenced then with the mall security footage. We've come up with nothing. What's worse is that in the surveillance footage you can't see the unsub's face. Could you run it through your software to get height measurements?"
"Of course I can my mysterious queen. He's a Caucasian male, approximately 5' 10" with brown hair. I need more parameters. There are hundreds upon hundreds of people who fit that description."
