Criminal Minds- Chealsee Ellwood: Chapter 2

Over the next few weeks I got to know my team members a bit more. It was mostly because Of our "tight knit" desk accommodations. I was getting a little disappointed that I'd been working at the BAU for 3 weeks and we hadn't gotten a case the entire time. "How often do you usually get cases?" I asked Rossi one day. "Well kiddo," he began, using my newly found pet name I'd acquired from him, "We usually get cases about every 3 weeks or so. It shouldn't be long now. You'll get your chance don't worry." My day lightened up right at that moment. I wanted to work a case so bad. I'd actually been waiting since day one. It was then that Reid walked through the door, and after he sat his stuff down at his desk he went to get his usual coffee. "Hey Reid." I said to him. He didn't even give me a sideways glance. It seemed like Reid would be the friendliest person in the room…but he wasn't with me. He'd either make a snooty remarks when I said hello to him, or he would say nothing at all, like just now. "Hey Rossi, do you happen to know why Reid seems to not like me?" I asked. "Actually no I don't. He seems to be a bit snooty around you come to think of it. I don't know kiddo." Rossi answered. I sighed. I didn't know how I could possibly be hated by a guy I hardly knew. But then something wonderful happened. "Everyone to the briefing room we have a case." Hotch said as he heads there himself. My day lightened up.

Once we got into the briefing room, JJ started to explain the case. She explained that a 2-year-old had been kidnapped from her home in Denver Colorado and found dead in a dumpster two days later. My heart completely sank as she showed us the pictures. Nobody around me even flinched. I'm sure they all felt something…but they were more capable of holding it back than me. However, I ignored the stinging in my eyes and the lump in my throat and just discussed the case like everyone else. "Maybe the unsub had something against the family?" Morgan suggested. "That's actually highly unlikely considering she was killed quickly and not ransomed. If he wanted to inflict pain he would've led them to believe she was still…" I didn't mean to, but I cut him off by saying, "Well maybe he just wanted to cause them the pain of seeing her alive. After all one of them would have to identify the body." The whole team directed their attention to me. "That's really good point." Hotch said. I could feel Reid's glare on me as Hotch said it. I knew then that I'd messed up bad.

While on the jet, after we'd gone over the case a little more, thought about that poor little girl. She must've been so scared. I thought. Then, just like that, all my emotions came out. I started bawling. Nobody noticed at first until Rossi came to sit next to me. "Hey are you alright Kiddo?" He asked. "Yeah…no…I'm not sure." I said. I was trying not to make a scene but just like that everyone was over by us, wondering what was going on, asking if I was alright, everyone except Reis that is. He simply said, "If you want to be in the BAU you should learn to be a little more self controlling than that Chealsee." Everyone looked at him. He went back to his seat and sat down. So did everyone else. I went to the restroom we had tom the jet and tried to compose myself before we got to Denver.

When we finally got there, I was better, but wanted to cry again when we interviewed the parents. They were in hysterics over loosing their baby. Hotch told me to take a minute so I went to the restroom and washed my face. JJ came in about five minutes later and said, "Hey Chealsee…are you alright?" I nodded and said, "I just didn't expect my first case to be so bad. I never considered the children…just the adults." JJ put her arm around my shoulders, almost in a motherly way. "We all have the ones that really get us. And don't worry we understand you needing to take a bit to compose. Just never let the family see you break down." "Okay. Why did Reid jump on me on the jet?" I asked her. "I don't really know. To be honest Reid and I have a very brother sister type relationship. He's never acted like that towards me before." She said. I kinda got mad then rather than grief stricken like I had been. "What makes me, in his mind, the person he needs to hate then?" I asked. "Oh…Chealsee, I'm sure he anything but hates you. But maybe you intimidate him a little bit." She tried to explain. "I intimidate him? He shouldn't worry he's way smarter than anyone I've ever met." I told JJ, trying to figure out still what the heck was so bad about me. "Well I'm just guessing. I'm gonna go back with the rest of the team, you come out when you feel better okay?" I nodded at her and she left. I could tell it was going to be a long day.

All day we raced against time to find this killer before he struck again, but at the end of the day, we were all way to exhausted to look anymore so we went and got hotel rooms. We had to share rooms. Morgan shared with JJ, Hotch shared with Rossi, and I somehow got stuck with Reid. So I walked up to the room, and Reid followed. Not a word was spoken between us on the way there. Once we got into the room, we bothe just sat down on the opposite beds and were silent. I decided to take a shower, and when I returned Reid was gone. Oh well. Guess he really can't stand me. I thought. I went to bed then, hoping to escape the torments of the day. But, nightmares consumed my thoughts as I slept. I saw the poor little girl getting taken and I tried to run to her but it seemed like she just got farther and farther away. "NO!" I yelled as I watched a masked person grab her and drive away. Then I felt a hand on my arm and a voice saying, "Chealsee! Chealsee wake up!" My eyes shot open and I gasped. I was all sweaty and hyperventilating. I looked up to see Reid standing next to my bed. "Are you…alright?" He asked. "Um…yeah…yeah I'm good. Just a bad dream." I told him, amazed that he'd care enough to come wake me up and ask. "You just sounded distressed…" He said in almost a shy way. "Oh…well thanks." I said to him. He turned to go back to his bed, then turned and said. "Hey I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I know everyone has cases that bug them." "It's okay." I said, giving him a little smile. Then, just like that, the conversation was over, and we both went back to bed.

The very next day, we worked as hard as we had the day before. We analyzed everything possible, contacted Garcia at least 5 times, and eventually caught our guy. He turned out to be a neighbor of the family whom they'd thought was harmless. He'd even been in the search party that looked for her. Never the less we got him to confess, and headed home to Quantico. On the way back, Reid still didn't talk to me. Our little chat had been a one time thing apparently. So I just laid my head back, and went to sleep.

To Be Continued…Very Soon