𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 | hotchniss

Looking for you but you're right here

This case turned out to be SO long so I had to shorten it and remove some dialogues and case details I felt were boring so if it's sound more unrealistic than normally I'm sorry lol
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JJ called them in, informing them they have a case - one victim and one missing woman. The first victim was discovered two days after being reported missing, and after the second woman had disappeared, the police gave up and called the team. They tried to find the missing woman themselves, but since it was supposed to be the last day to find her and they had no new leads, they didn't want to take any risks with waiting anymore and they called the team.

The strange staging of the scene that looked almost ritualistic and the way their unsub placed their victims made them understand it wasn't a normal crime.

Candice Hill, 31, was the first victim. She was reported missing by her mother when she never showed up for dinner. Her mother said it never happened, especially not without sending a message or calling.

The missing woman was Abigail Green, 36, reported missing by her husband when she never came back from her walk.

The victim and the missing woman were brunettes with brown eyes, and Aaron and the rest of their team found themselves involuntarily with their eyes on Emily. The resemblance made them uncomfortable, despite it not being the first time.

Aaron didn't regret it happened, and while the rest went back to look at JJ or the crime scene photos, he kept his eyes on her. She was flicking through the files and staring at them, but Aaron could notice she wasn't actively reading, and if she was, she wasn't acknowledging the words in front of her. He was certain she didn't even realize they looked at her - if she did, she would roll her eyes at them, annoyed by the unnecessary attention, but she didn't.

She has been like this lately, and he was worried. He was waking up to see she was already up and ready to work, and he wasn't even aware it happened. He started to believe she wasn't even sleeping.

This time, Aaron saw the signs - every little warning sign and indication she intentionally or perhaps unknowingly gave him. He knew she was struggling, and he was afraid of being unable to help her and just wait until she leaves him again.

The thing was, he was familiar with her acting like this. It was her way to slowly drift away from him. She did it when she first broke up with him, and she was doing it now.

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Aaron called Emily into his office just before they were set to leave.

"is everything alright?" He asked once they were alone, away from the rest of the team. "I'm fine, Hotch" she answered, as he had expected.

He wished he could remove those words from her vocabulary, longing to hear something different from her - something that would make her less predictable.

His lingering gaze on her hands made her cross her arms defensively. "What?" she asked, hiding her hands from his sight, knowing he had already noticed the state of her nails.

"This case, with the victims I understand if it's getting to you" he offered, providing her with an explanation she could use to ease his concerns. He was desperate for her to take the opportunity, even though he knew her behavior wasn't solely a result of this particular case.

"We've seen worse, Hotch, and it's not the first time we've worked on a case involving brunettes" she replied with an impatient sigh.

He kept quiet for a moment before replying "Okay" he said, just as JJ entered the office. "Hotch, they found her" she said sadly, before turning and leaving to gather the rest of the team.