No-one had seen Annabel Bradey in a decade, that was until she resurfaced in SSA Aaron Hotchner's office in Quantico. She was carrying scars both physical and mental, but wouldn't share her story. Or at least not until everyone she loved was in dang...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Everyone on the plane was trying to occupy their minds, trying to forget the undesirable way that the last case had ended. To say that they had been disappointed with the outcome would have been an understatement; the result had left the team feeling devastating and deflated. The knowledge that there was still a paedophile roaming the Appalachian Trail was creating a heavy atmosphere in the plane, that caused discomfort to each of the BAU agents. No matter how much they tried to ignore the collective pit in their stomachs, they knew that there was a chance that they would hear from the UnSub once more.
Every member of the team was playing back every decision they had made since they landed in Pennsylvania the precious day, wondering if they could have prevented the escape of Shane Wyland. While there had been no obvious mistakes made during the investigation, they still felt as through they had failed in extreme proportions. Each team member wanting to talk, to discuss the case, but none of them wanted to be the one to draw the attention back.
However, after moments of silence, Emily shook her head, speaking from a place of reassurance, "Shane must have seen the police presence and just taken off. It was easy for him."
"Our attention was fixed elsewhere," Annie sighed, leaning into Aaron for comfort. She looked across at each of the other agents as she asked rhetorically, "How do you make the decision between saving a child and catching a killer?"
There was a silence among the group once again, none of them knowing how to respond to Annie, out of all of them she had been hit the hardest. The original team had partaken in countless cases where the outcome had vastly countered what they had hoped would happen. However, this was the first time a case had ended badly for the newest member. Until that case, she had lived in an optimistic bubble of understanding regarding the job. While she had known that not every case could end with little collateral damage, she had never imagined an UnSub slipping so quickly through their fingers.
Derek had noticed the way that the silence was a barrier in the overall recovery of the team. Leaning forwards, he thought aloud, "Robert's a tough kid."
"Knowing he fought back will help him get through this." David replied, looking at the despondency that was apparent on the face of his friends and colleagues. "In my entire career, I've only brought back a handful of kids to their parents after the 24-hour mark." As he spoke, he noticed the inability of the agents to meet his gaze. "This is not a loss in my book."
"Before now, nobody knew that there was a paedophile hunting on the trail." Aaron explained, causing Annie to look up at him from her position of comfort. "Now we know who he is and what he looks like."
Nodding along with Aaron, David caught the team's attention once more, stating, "His photo's been sent to all the Ranger stations."
Beyond Annie, Derek was the most effected by the knowledge that Shane Wyland was still a free man, but he didn't let it show. Derek held his discomfort and worry as close to himself as possible, not wanting the team to ask the questions he knew they would had he have let the impact of the case become apparent. Instead, he simply kept his gaze to the ceiling as he asked, "Do you really think he'll go back there?"
