Battlecry | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 10

~Present Day, May, 2010~

I wake up long before the alarm is set to go off at 7:00. It's the middle of the week, and we have work in a few hours. But there's something I need to do first.

Elle's arm is thrown around my waist. I roll over to face her, admiring her features in the dim light sneaking through the windows. I brush her hair from her face, waiting for her to wake up.

When she does, she hardly looks at me. She keeps her eyes closed as she folds into my arms, burying her head in my chest. I return her embrace, resting my chin on her head.

"Too early," she mutters.

I smile. "Elle... there's an errand I have to run this morning. Is it okay if I meet you at work?"

She picks up her head and searches my eyes. "An errand?"

I hesitate. She notices. "Yeah," I tell her. "It won't take long."

Elle takes a long time to respond. Finally, she says, "I don't like it when I'm not with you. Not now. Not since..."

"I know," I whisper. Elle hasn't left my side since the car accident. Hotch has made sure to keep us together at all times when handing out assignments. And I'm as grateful as she is—I can protect her, I can make sure she's safe when she's with me. Truth be told I don't want to leave her alone this morning. I don't want to even consider what could happen. But I need to do this.

Elle looks away. "You're going whether or not I'm okay with it," she says.

I don't respond. Because I don't know how to.

She rolls out of my arms. "I'll see you at work," she says flatly.

I'm glad she can't see the hurt on my face. I lean closer, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple. "I love you," I remind her. I keep reminding her. I can't let her forget how much I'm in love with her.

She doesn't offer a response. I climb out of bed and dress quickly, tucking my hair beneath a baseball cap and wrapping an oversized jean jacket around me. At the top of the stairs, I hear her faint voice calling from under the covers.

"I love you too," she says.

────

I take my time walking through the park, casually glancing over my shoulder to "adjust" my baseball cap. When I find the right bench, across from the Reflection Pool, I take a seat and a deep breath. A newspaper sits there. I pick it up, flip it open, and cross one ankle over my knee. The burner phone falls into my lap. I scoop it up, pretending to take it out of my pocket. It rings right away.

"I don't have long," I say first.

"We won't take up too much time," Andrew responds.

I allow a fleeting smile. "We?" I repeat.

"Good to hear your voice, Carli."

"Janelle," I sigh in relief. "I... it's good to talk to you." I force away the smile. It's been years since I spoke with my friend.

"We have updates for you," Andrew goes on. "He's landed in the city."

My entire body grows stiff. "When."

"Last night. Private transportation, by the time we got the hit he was underground."

"He's here," I repeat. "He... god, I left Elle alone—"

"She's safe, Carli," Janelle cuts in. "There's no evidence that he knows about her."

Her words do little to calm me down. I pull out my real phone, my finger hovering over her contact. "I shouldn't leave her alone."