Trash Panda Fiction

30+ | Christian | Illinois [[18+ content warning.]] (Masterlist for Mobile.)

[trashpandafiction]

*blows dust off my blog*

Hey.

So I had a lot happen IRL including a move, I kinda got into a writing slump, and then I realized the other day that I lost my whole outline for 'Safest Place to Hide' when my laptop crashed last year. I am still going to try and truck forward with that and see where I'm at with my other stories too because the writing bug has bitten me again.

So here I am again! Let's hope I don't vanish again for months at a time.

[trashpandafiction]

Apologies!

Remember when I said I was going to try and get updates out and then I just...didn't? That's my bad.

It has been a hectic couple of weeks, there were some personal things, and then my mom decided to share her cold/virus with yours truly. I've pretty much been useless for days and I am fairly confident that anything I might have written would have made zero sense.

I know that when I started this blog back up again, I told myself I wouldn't pressure myself to update but I still feel bad.

So here's to hoping that my brain starts functioning like normal again!

:D

[trashpandafiction]

Hoping to get some updates going here! It's been a hectic couple of weeks and I don't want to force something out that I'm not confident with.

Thank you for your patience! <3 I truly hope you're enjoying the stories!

[trashpandafiction]

We Survive (12)

Summary: What happens when the Behavioral Analysis Unit comes across a situation they weren’t trained for? When the dead begin to roam the Earth, it challenges the BAU to something they’ve never dealt with before: the apocalypse. Along their journey for survival, they come across Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. Among the survivors is Jocelynn Russo, who thinks that the new group could be helpful to them. Things seem to go well until an unexpected enemy appears. Will Negan and the Saviors be the one thing to break the groups, or will they be able to defend themselves? All anyone knows is they have one common goal; to survive. Pairings: Rick Grimes/OFC; Aaron Hotchner/OFC Word Count: 2,385 Warnings: None A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this! If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Twelve - Adjustments

          The next morning, the council met and agreed to let Emily, David, and Derek stay in Alexandria, and offered a second house so they could be a little more comfortable. Spencer, Hotch, David, and Derek all took the extra house and the girls stayed in the first house. They had all talked about what had happened, and while Hotch and JJ hoped it would ease the tension, it only seemed to make it worse. Everyone understood why JJ said they were dead, but it didn’t make them feel less betrayed or hurt. Hotch was getting some short responses because he was the one who had the group move on. Emily, David, and Derek were trying to keep the peace, but they all had their own frustrations and reservations about a whole new community and group of people.

          After lunch, Emily was helping Maggie on a guard tower, David was in the armory with Glenn cleaning weapons and counting ammo, and Derek was doing a perimeter check with Michonne, while Penelope, JJ, Spencer, and Hotch took up their usual shifts. Everyone was friendly with the new members, and they managed to get the hang of things quickly.

          Jocelynn had offered to take care of Judith for the afternoon, so she was sitting on a picnic blanket with her outside of Rick’s house. They had eaten lunch and now were drawing pictures. As they colored, Hotch walked by, stopping when he heard a small giggle. He looked over at Jocelynn and Judith and smiled a bit, watching them coloring.

          Jocelynn looked up and smiled when she saw him. “Hey.”

          “Hey.” He said and walked over to where the two were seated. “What are you two up to?”

          “We are currently coloring pictures of…” she looked at the papers and hummed. “I think that might be Carl…maybe.” She laughed softly, looking up at him. “How’s your day going?”

          “Uh, it’s going alright.” He said with an unconvincing smile.

          “I’m not an FBI profiler or anything, but I think you might be fibbing just a bit.” She said and smiled some.

          “You might be onto something.” He said with a small shrug.

          “Do you wanna talk about it?” she asked, letting Judith climb into her lap to continue her picture.

          He hesitated a moment before walking over and sitting across from them. “I think I’ve got a few minutes to talk.”

          Judith continued to color while Jocelynn nodded at Hotch’s words. “Shoot.”

          “There’s just been some tension in our group since yesterday. I’m hoping it’s a temporary thing and that we’ll all adjust, but I guess time will tell.” He said.

          She wanted to ask what he thought about them being reunited with people that they were all led to believe were dead, but she wasn’t even sure how to bring it up. “I think it’ll take a little time to sort of un-grieve them. When all of this started, Carl and his mom were told that Rick was dead, but he found them and it was a bit of an adjustment for them, and for his friend that told them Rick was gone.”

          He nodded, smiling as Judith held out a crayon for him. He took it and scribbled with her, continuing his conversation. “I know JJ has a lot of guilt, and Reid feels lied to. Garcia wants to keep the peace, and the others are trying to adjust to a life here.”

          “And how do you feel about it all?” she asked, smiling at him joining in on the coloring.

          “I don’t know. I think trying to focus on everyone else has kept me from thinking about how I feel.” He handed the crayon back to Judith and smiled when she handed him another one, then got back to scribbling.

          “Well, if you need someone to talk to about anything, my door’s always open. I’m not great at advice, but I can listen.” she offered.

          “Thank you, I appreciate that.” He replied, attempting to draw a flower.

          “You know, if your other shifts here don’t work out, you could be an artist.” she teased.

          “I don’t want to make anyone jealous of my scribble skills.” He chuckled. “Anyway, I should probably go see how everyone is and see if there’s anything else I can do.”

          “I’ll make sure we frame this beautiful collaboration.” She teased, watching him stand up.

          “I appreciate that. Maybe we can put it up in city hall.” He teased back. “You two enjoy the rest of your day.”

          “Thank you.” She said and looked at Judith. “Can you say bye to Aaron?”

          Judith waved at him with a smile before getting back to coloring.

          “Bye, ladies.” He smiled and waved back before heading off to check on the rest of his team.

          Once he had left, Jocelynn looked down at Judith with a smile. “Are you tired yet or are you still coloring?”

          “Dada!” she smiled, pointing ahead.

          Jocelynn looked up and saw Rick coming over with a smile. “Hey Sheriff.” she smiled.

          “Thought I’d come over and see how things are going.” He replied, picking Judith up as she got up and walked over to him. “Hello, sweetheart.”

          “Just planning world domination as usual.” Jocelynn teased, getting the coloring pages and supplies cleaned up and put into the bin they were kept in.

          “Exactly what I expected.” He teased back. “I saw you talking to Hotch, is everything alright?”

          She looked up at him and nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” She stood up and held the bin on her hip. “I guess things have been a little awkward since yesterday, but he’s pretty sure it’ll be fine.”

          “Well, they were all under the impression that their friends were dead, so to see them walking in here probably messed them up a little.” He said.

          “Yeah, I can’t imagine.” She shook her head. “Do the new guys seem to be handling things well?”

          He nodded, swaying with Judith slightly. “They’re picking things up quickly, but you can see they’re all a little hesitant. Hotch and the others were the same way, so I’m sure they’ll be more comfortable as time goes on.”

          “You’re probably right.” She nodded.

          “I’m always right.” He smirked.

          “Okay, I think it’s time for you to go get some humble pie.” She teased, holding her arms out for Judith. “And I think it’s nap time for a certain someone.”

          Rick chuckled and handed Judith back to Jocelynn. “If you need anything, you know how to find me.” He leaned in and kissed Judith’s head gently. “Love you, sweet pea.”

          When he leaned in, Jocelynn’s stomach fluttered, calming down when she realized what he was doing. “Don’t work too hard.” She smiled some.

          “I never do.” He teased, patting her shoulder as he headed off.

          Jocelynn walked Judith back inside and got the coloring bin put away and Judith down for a nap. She ended up staying at Rick’s for dinner, and after they ate and cleaned up, she headed home. She was almost there when she heard Hotch calling her name. She turned and saw him, walking her way.

          “Hey.” She smiled, coming to a stop.

          “Hey.” He replied, stopping when he got to her.

          He looked like he needed to talk to someone, but she didn’t think he was the type to outright say it. “Out for a post-dinner walk?” she asked him.

          “Something like that. Heading home?” he asked her, knowing it was a ridiculous question.

          “Something like that.” She smiled softly. “Is everything okay?”

          He hesitated a moment, trying to think of the right thing to say. “You said I could come talk to you about anything?”

          “Of course. Do you wanna walk and talk? Or we could go inside.” she offered.

          “I don’t want to impose.” He said, knowing that she had roommates.

          “You won’t be. We can sit on the porch and chat if that would make you more comfortable.” She compromised.

          “Yeah, that sounds great.” He agreed.

          He walked with her the rest of the way to the house and when they got to the porch, they both sat down on the porch swing. It was quiet for a few minutes before Jocelynn spoke up again, “What’s on your mind?”

          “The team is having a hard time with everything, and instead of making it better, I feel like everything I try makes it worse.” He started. “You were in the cabin that day. What did you see?”

          She tried to put her words together before speaking, but she figured since his friends really were alive, she wouldn’t have to spare details. “The door was on top of the coffee table, and there was a pile of walkers on top of it.”

          “Were there any bodies underneath the door, or in the kitchen?” he asked.

          “No, just a lot of blood.” She waited a moment before taking a breath. “Hotch, can I be honest?”

          He looked over at her and nodded.

          “The bodies that were there weren’t…you could tell that they had been out there for a long time. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I could tell that those walkers weren’t fresh.” She explained carefully.

          “If you could tell that they weren’t there, then JJ would have known. She checked the scene after you did?” he asked.

          “Yeah. I went in first so if it was bad, I could give her a warning.” She looked at him and bit her bottom lip gently. “I didn’t want to make any assumptions, and I’m sure she had her reasons for saying they were there. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner.”

          “You had no reason to. You didn’t know us, and accusing JJ of lying would have complicated things with Rick and the group.” He said simply. “I understand why she did it, she’s explained it over and over again, and we’ve had to keep things from each other one time or another when we were working.”

          She nodded and looked at her hands until he started speaking again.

          “What happened with Rick’s friend? The one who said that he was dead.” He asked her.

          “Things were a little weird for a while, but they started to level out. That wasn’t exactly a fair example though, Shane was…he tried to kill Rick after some time. Glenn was actually presumed dead after a run went badly, but he showed up here and things have been fine since.” She said and looked over at him. “I don’t see JJ randomly trying to kill anyone, so it’ll probably be the latter outcome for you guys.”

          He nodded, looking at his lap before looking back at her. “I know it’ll be okay eventually.”

          She cocked her head to the side slightly, “Then why are you worried?”

          He looked at her a moment before answering, “I don’t think it’s worry; I think it’s guilt.”

          “What are you guilty about?” she asked him, turning slightly so she could face him better.

          “I think the anger and hurt towards JJ should be aimed at me. We could have gone back to the cabin to help them out, I was the one who said we should push forward and assume the worst.”

          “You guys didn’t have the ammo to take them all out on your own.” She reasoned.

          “The three of them were able to escape on their own, if we would have just waited and come back later, we could have found them.” He shook his head.

          “Or there could have been more walkers and you could have been outnumbered. You can’t dwell on the ‘what ifs’, or the ‘could haves’, or it’ll drive you crazy. You did what you thought was right, JJ did what she thought was right, and now you’re all here and safe. It’ll take some time to adjust, but I’m sure everyone will be back to normal in no time.” She said, putting her hand on his arm. “It’ll work out.”

          The hand on his arm caught him off guard, but he didn’t pull his arm away. It felt calming in a strange way. “You’re probably right.”

          “I usually am.” she teased, wanting to lighten things up a little.

          He smiled some and nodded. “Humble too.” He teased back.

          “Always.” She smiled.

          “Thank you for talking some sense into me and listening to me.” He said sincerely, putting his hand on hers. “It means a lot.”

          She ran her thumb along his hand and smiled. “Anytime.”

          He squeezed her hand gently before letting go and letting out a breath. “I suppose I should head home.” They both stood up from the swing and she walked him to the porch steps. “You know, this goes both ways. I know it’s hard to open up to people you haven’t known for long, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me anytime. You can probably come to anyone on the team, really.”

          “I appreciate it. Just give it some time, and don’t blame yourself, okay? Easier said than done, I know.” She shrugged.

          He looked at her and smiled a little. “Seems like you’re speaking from experience.”

          She gave him a tight-lipped smile, “A story for another time.”

          He nodded, “Understood.”

          “Get home safe, okay? There could be weirdos out there.” She joked.

          “Besides you?” he asked, trying to hide a smirk.

          “Ouch.” She laughed softly.

          He laughed with her and hesitated before pulling her into a hug. “Thank you.”

          She didn’t expect it, but it was nice. She hugged him back and smiled. “You’re welcome.”

          He pulled back and looked down at her. “Night, Joce.”

          “Night, Hotch.” She smiled.

          She watched him walk back to his house, making sure he was okay. As she turned to go inside, she noticed Rick on his porch, looking towards her. She waved at him, which he returned, before heading into his house. Had he been watching her and Hotch the whole time? Maybe he went out for some air. He didn’t have any reason to worry about Hotch, so it had to be the latter. She headed inside and went up to her room to try and get some sleep, but her mind kept trying to wander to the little touches from Hotch on the porch. That wasn’t anything big, right?

[trashpandafiction]

Safest Place To Hide - Four

Summary: Avery McCall witnesses a murder that is linked to one of the biggest crime organizations in New York, and when she helps the FBI identify and catch the bigger players, she becomes a target. Being the key witness for the upcoming trial, she's forced into hiding at a secluded upstate cabin with her appointed guardian, Jubal Valentine. It's not the ideal situation, but as they spend more time together, they don't mind it nearly as much, and even start to enjoy their time together. With the looming trial and growing feelings between Jubal and Avery, an open-and-shut case becomes a little more complicated. Pairings: Jubal Valentine/OFC Word Count: 2,498 Warnings: Mentions of violence. A/N: Winged it with the FBI stuff, but that's not why we're here. We are here for the Jubal/Avery stuff, let's be honest. Hope you like it! If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Four

          Once they had gotten to the field office, Avery was taken to an interview room to wait while the team got briefed about the case, the newly uncovered groups, and the plan. She sat at the table and bounced her leg underneath it, her nerves taking over. The room was freezing and since she was told to stay put, she didn’t think it would be a wise decision to walk out and look for a blanket. Every sound outside of the door made her tense and pause to see if the door was going to open, but it didn’t. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep until this went away, but she knew she couldn’t. She didn’t even have her phone to keep her occupied since Maggie had taken it so it could be scanned and searched.           So, she crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them while she tried to think of anything she could to busy her mind.

          In one of the meeting rooms, Jubal, Maggie, and OA were finding out about the groups that were being found that were connected to Maroni. It wasn’t just an issue in New York, it was an issue nationwide, and that meant that the bosses of the bosses were now involved.

          John Coleman, one of the agents from the DC office cleared his throat. “We need to keep things close to the vest until the trial is over. If any of Maroni’s connections get word about this, they could run. We can’t put Ms. McCall into witness protection until after she testifies, but we can put her in hiding.”

          “The trial could take months, if not longer, are we really going to ask her to live in a hotel that whole time?” Maggie asked.

          “Are we even sure she’s still willing to testify?” another agent, Nick Cooper, asked.

          “She’s willing to testify. She doesn’t want these guys getting away with it, she won’t back out now.” Jubal added.

          “In my opinion, and in the opinion of the bureau, we think it would be best to record her testimony and statement and put her into protection immediately.” Coleman continued.

          “You don’t think she’s been through enough? Cutting her off from everything and everyone she knows and not letting her face these guys doesn’t seem fair.” Maggie argued.

          “She’s right, we have a willing witness who wants to cooperate with us, hiding her away seems counterproductive.” Isobel Castille said as she entered the room.

          “Well, what would you suggest?” Cooper asked her.

          “A safe house. We have plenty, there’s one upstate that she could go to and be monitored until the trial. She’ll be in our custody without anymore trauma and once the trial is over and these guys are put away, we can go from there.” She suggested simply.

          “You want us to put a civilian in a safe house by herself? We’re just supposed to trust that she’ll be safe there and won’t do anything stupid?” he asked.

          “She’s not going to do anything stupid.” Maggie said.

          “She wouldn’t be alone; we could station someone there with her and do weekly check-ins.” Isobel said.

          “You want to put her in a safe house with a federal babysitter?” Coleman asked.

          “Obviously having officers taking shifts didn’t work, and if you want to keep this close to the vest, then have one person stay there with her instead of rotating agents.” She shrugged.

          “It’d be cheaper than the hotel bill she’d wrack up.” OA chimed in.

          Coleman and Cooper looked at each other and then at Isobel. “You’d be willing to put one of your agents in a safe house for an unknown amount of time?” Coleman asked.

          “She’d probably do better with someone she trusts.” Maggie said.

          “I don’t know how I feel about running this plan by the higher-ups, Castille.” Cooper said with a sigh.

          “Then I’ll do it, it was my idea. I’ll give them the plan and we can get things going by morning.” She shrugged.

          “If this works out, which one of your agents gets to draw the short straw?” Coleman asked.

-----------

          Avery was sitting in the chair with her legs brought to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees. When the door opened, she nearly jumped out of her skin, only relaxing when she saw Jubal walking in. She wanted to ask for an update but when she saw that he was holding a sweatshirt in his hand, that was her only focus.

          “It’s probably gonna be a little big on you.” He said and handed it to her.

          She pulled the sweatshirt over her head and wrapped her arms around her knees again. “Big or not, it’s warm.” She mumbled. “What’s going on?”

          He sat in the chair across from her and let out a breath. “Maroni’s group is just a small branch of a bigger crime group, and he’s on very good terms with some bigger players.” He started.

          “Okay.” She shrugged some.

          “If we shut him down, we lose contact with those bigger players who could lead us to the top of the food chain. If we can let him think he’s getting away with more than he is, he’s gonna get cocky and that will make him sloppy.” he explained.

          “So, he just gets released?” she asked him.

          “No, I don’t think so. The trial is still going to happen, but it won’t look like as big of a deal as it is. Then once we can get his other contacts and find these other groups, we can get him on more charges and throw it all at him at once.” He said.

          She listened to him and took a breath. “Okay, well where does that leave me?”

          “It’s harder to keep things lowkey while needing to take stronger precautions towards your safety, so we had to figure something else out.” He started.

          ‘Great.’ She thought.

          “You’ll be moved to a safe house upstate, you won’t be able to contact your family or friends, but you’ll have anything you need or want, and you won’t be alone.” He continued.

          “I don’t know if I trust another security detail, no offense.” She said.

          “We didn’t want to put you in that situation again either, and we want to keep trips there and back to a minimum if we can, so they’re letting us send one agent to room with you while you’re there.” He replied.

          “Someone’s gonna babysit me? Who?” she asked him.

          “Yours truly.” he said with a crooked grin. “We thought it would be better if it was someone you’d worked with before.” he added, trying to gauge her reaction.

          “You’re going to sit in a safe house with me for weeks? Wouldn’t you rather be doing something more important?” she asked him softly.

          “Your safety is important, Avery. Besides, I think I’m getting the better end of the deal anyway. Relaxing at a safe house instead of dealing with cocky criminals and sometimes running?” He teased some, trying to keep things light.

          She smiled some and nodded. “Right.” She said and took a breath. “So, I can’t go home?” she asked.

          “Not for a while. Everything’s getting finalized now so hopefully we can get you to the safe house by morning if nothing gets held up. Once they have a solid plan, we’ll know more about the details.” He explained and stood up from the table. “Do you need anything while you wait?”

          “No, I’m okay.” She said. “Oh, can I get my phone back?”

          He gave her an apologetic smile, “Not just yet. I’m gonna see how things are going and as soon as I can, I’ll bring it to you.”

          “Thank you.” she said softly.

          He nodded and headed out of the room to see where things stood so far.

          It was a lot to take in. She had tons of questions, but also no questions at all. She was tired, she was cold, she was nervous, and she was frustrated that she had to do all of this because of some thug.

          An hour later, Jubal and Isobel walked into the room, the latter holding a file folder. Avery looked up and put her feet back on the ground, not recognizing the woman, but feeling like she must have been a boss.

          “Avery, this is Isobel Castille, she’s the boss and the one who set this arrangement up.” Jubal said.

          “Hi.” Avery said, shaking her hand.

          “It’s nice to meet you, Avery.” Isobel said and sat across from her, Jubal taking the seat beside her. “So, Jubal told you the basics, do you have any questions so far?”

          “Um, I guess I just wanna know the rules.” She shrugged.

          “You’ll be taken to a safe house with Jubal, and you’ll stay there until the trial starts, and possibly until the trial ends. The only people who know the location of the safe house will be us three, the bureau chiefs, Maggie, and OA. Those two are going to be coming to the house every two weeks or so to bring you groceries, medicine, clothes, anything you might need.” She explained.

          “Can I get more stuff from my apartment?” she asked.

          “Not right away. You can have your phone with you, and any laptop or tablet you might have, but the service will be blocked. We’ll have a phone and a laptop to use for communications with us, but they won’t have normal services outside of emergency services. The house is secure, and there will be a team that monitors the perimeter of the area, but you won’t see them, so you don’t have to worry about them.” She continued.

          “What do I tell my family?” she asked softly.

          She glanced at Jubal and then back at Avery before answering, “It’s best that they don’t know. We’ll take care of that though, and we’ll take care of your job too. All the logistics will be taken care of the only thing you have to do is stay put and then when you’re needed at the trial, we’ll prep you for that too.”

          She bit her bottom lip gently, taking everything in. “When do we leave?” she asked.

          “As soon as we get the okay, you’ll be taken to the safe house. We hope to have you guys settled by morning, but paperwork can sometimes hold things up.” She stood up and looked at the file, “Oh, this is information on the house you’ll be going to, different phone numbers and procedures. I’ll make a copy of it, and you can look it over when I’m done, okay? Hang tight.” She gave her a small smile and headed out of the room.

          It was quiet in the room before Jubal spoke up, “Are you processing all of this?”

          Avery looked at him and shrugged, “I guess. It’s not how I expected my night to end up.”

          “I wish it didn’t have to be like this.” He said sincerely.

          “It could be worse, I guess.” She shrugged. She could have been killed by these people. “We’ll just have to make the best of it.” She smiled some.

          “And we will.” He nodded with a small smile.

          It was almost three in the morning by the time the paperwork had gone through, and everything was settled. They were loaded into an SUV and had a two-hour drive to a secluded cabin in a wooded area upstate. Avery had dozed off in the backseat, exhausted from everything. Once they pulled up to the house, Jubal got out of the car and opened the back door, touching her arm gently.

          “Rise and shine.” He said softly.

          She stirred awake and looked around some, then looked up at him. “Are we here?”

          “Yeah, we are.” He nodded and stepped to the side.

          She climbed out of the car and stretched, looking up at the cabin. It was a lot nicer, and much larger than she expected it to be. The driver carried their bags into the house and set them along the wall in the living room before doing a sweep of the house and then handing the keys to Jubal.

          “Thanks.” He said and watched as the agent got back into the car and drove down the long driveway. He looked over at Avery and gave her a small smile, “Welcome home.”

          She followed him inside and looked around. It was fully furnished and there was plenty of space. She slid her shoes off and left them by the door before walking in to look at the full living room and the kitchen.

          “There’s four bedrooms, so whichever one you like best, it’s yours. Do you want the verbal tour or the physical tour?” he asked her.

          “Verbal’s fine.” She said and came back into the main area.

          “Bedrooms are all upstairs, you saw the kitchen and the dining room, this is the living room. The two master bedrooms have attached bathrooms, and there’s a third bathroom too. There’s an office upstairs, there’s a den down this hallway.” He explained, pointing towards the hallway beside the stairs. “The basement is fully finished and has some rec stuff down there too I think.”

          She listened to him and nodded, taking a deep breath. “You think?”

          “I’ve only been up here once and that was years ago. They’ve remodeled a bit since then.” He explained, putting his hands on his hips. “The fridge and pantry are stocked already too.”

          “Okay.” She nodded. “I think I’m gonna go lay down. I’m a little tired still.”

          “Sure. Do you want me to take your bags for you?” he offered.

          “No, I got it. Thank you though.” She said and got her bags, then headed up the stairs.

          The upstairs seemed bigger than the downstairs, and it was easy to tell which bedrooms were the masters. She peeked inside each of the bedrooms and picked the smaller master bedroom with a bench in the window. She set her bags on the armchair in the corner and then went to the window to look out at the backyard. It was large and led right back to the lake behind the house. Trees surrounded the area and it felt like she was in a different world here. Maybe this wouldn’t be bad after all.

          She pulled the FBI jacket off her and set it with her bags, then crawled into the huge bed and underneath the covers. Her head was on the pillow for two minutes before she was asleep.

          Jubal double checked the doors and windows before grabbing his bags and heading upstairs. He took the bedroom closest to the stairs, in case of emergency, and set his bags at the end of the bed. He sat back on the bed, leaning against the pillows and letting out a breath. This was definitely going to be an experience; he just hoped it was going to be a good one.

[trashpandafiction]

Safest Place To Hide - Three

Summary: Avery McCall witnesses a murder that is linked to one of the biggest crime organizations in New York, and when she helps the FBI identify and catch the bigger players, she becomes a target. Being the key witness for the upcoming trial, she's forced into hiding at a secluded upstate cabin with her appointed guardian, Jubal Valentine. It's not the ideal situation, but as they spend more time together, they don't mind it nearly as much, and even start to enjoy their time together. With the looming trial and growing feelings between Jubal and Avery, an open-and-shut case becomes a little more complicated. Pairings: Jubal Valentine/OFC Word Count: 2,995 Warnings: Mentions of violence. A/N: Sorry for the delay in an update here! Now that the story is picking up a bit, I'm hoping to be more consistent. Also, I was completely winging it with the FBI processes and took some creative liberties here. It's fiction, and we're all here for the Jubal/Avery content, not accurate FBI processes and stuff. If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Three

          Monday morning after the line-up, Avery was at the courthouse for the arraignment of Val and his men. She wanted to be there to make sure that they were going to be locked up, and that they saw that she wasn’t going to be scared off. She sat in the last row between Jubal and Maggie as they went through the list of cases. Her leg bounced gently as she waited for them to be called up, her eyes focused on the large emblem hanging behind the judge.           Maggie glanced at her and then at Jubal, wondering if having Avery in the courtroom was such a good idea. He gave her a nod and then looked ahead as Valentin Maroni, Ryan Vecchio, and Michael ‘Mikey’ Whittle were brought in to be arraigned.

          Avery did her best to watch, the lawyers’ words sounding like a blur until one sentence brought her back in.

          “…Also, for the attempted murder of Damian Hubbard, who fled the hospital after being checked out.” The lawyer said.

          Her blood ran cold, “Damian’s alive?” Avery asked softly, looking over at Jubal.

          He looked down at her, up at Maggie, and then back at Avery. “He was left at the hospital and took off from there.” He explained softly.

          She barely waited for him to finish her sentence before she stood up and walked past him, out the back doors and into the hallway outside of the courtroom.

          Maggie and Jubal followed behind her, the former speaking up, “Avery, we wanted to wait until after the arraignment to tell you.”

          “He’s alive? Why isn’t he in jail? It’s his fault that Dom is dead.” She said, her arms crossing her chest.

          “The responding officers assumed he was, but Maroni dropped him off at the hospital after giving him a good beating. He fled on foot, and we’ve been trying to locate him.” Jubal explained.

          “So, he’s just out there living it up? What if he comes after me?” she asked.

          “We don’t think he’s going to. It would be too risky for him to come out of hiding just to come after a witness that he doesn’t even know is alive. If we thought he was a credible threat, we’d take care of it.” Maggie assured her.

          “It’s more likely that he’s in the wind and will lay low until the trial is over so he can’t be found by Maroni’s men.” Jubal added.

          It sounded plausible. Damian was a coward; he wouldn’t risk getting arrested or caught by Maroni’s goons just to come after her. For all he knew, she was dead in the store before he was driven to the hospital. She took a breath and nodded some, looking at the floor.

          “Come on, we’ll go back to the office and go over everything, get some food, and then take you home.” Jubal said, nodding towards the elevators.

          Avery followed him and Maggie to the elevators, got on, and rode down to the main floor. They walked out of the courthouse and down the front steps.

          “I’ll go get the car.” Maggie said and gave a small smile before heading down to get the car and pull it up for them.

          After a moment, Avery spoke. “Sorry I reacted like that.”

          Jubal looked down at her and shook his head, “No apology needed. This is all a lot to handle, and you’re probably one of the calmer victims we’ve had.”

          It was strange to be called a victim. It didn’t offend her, she knew that’s what she was, but it was strange to admit that she was one.

          His phone rang and he checked the screen. “I gotta take this.” He said and took two steps off to the side to answer the call.

          She put her hands in her jacket pockets and looked around at the people passing by, waiting for Maggie to pull the car up.

          A younger man in dark clothes walked up to her with a smile. “You look pretty good for a dead girl.”

          Avery looked at the man and made a face, not recognizing him at all. He must have known about the case because how else would he know that she was presumed dead by anyone? “You’ve got the wrong person.”

          “No, we have the right person. You’re on borrowed time, sweetheart.” He said with a smug grin.

          Jubal had seen the man approaching and came over, putting himself between him and Avery. “Lost? Courthouse is that way, pal.” He told the man.

          “Nah, man, I found what I was looking for. Just passing along a message to your little friend here.” he answered, not taking his eyes off Avery.

          “My eyes are up here, man.” He said, moving to block the man’s view. “Why don’t you pass the message the old-fashioned way?”

          The man looked up at him and smirked. “Great idea. Maybe I’ll drop it off personally. You still on the eighth floor, sweetness?” he asked a little louder.

          Avery felt her body stiffen. Whoever this guy was knew where she lived and knew more than he should have known.

          “Threatening a woman in front of a courthouse, and in the presence of an FBI agent isn’t a smart move, pal.” Jubal warned, looking at the man. “Should we continue this little rendezvous at the station?”

          “No need.” He said and started walking away. “See you soon, gorgeous.” He told Avery as he did.

          Avery and Jubal watched him walk down the stairs.

          Maggie had pulled the car up and came up the stairs as the man was walking away. “What was that all about?”

          “He knew where I lived.” Avery said softly.

          “We’ve had surveillance on the building since the incident, we’ll up the security there to be safe. Chances are, it’s just some lackey who wants to impress the boss.” Jubal explained, leading them to the car.

          “By knowing my address?” she asked.

          “He could have gotten it from the phone book or public record. We’ll keep an eye on things and check it out.” He assured her, opening the back door for her. “I promise, we’re not gonna let anything happen.”

          Avery got into the backseat and looked up at him. “Okay.” she said softly.

          She was quiet on the drive back to the FBI building. She kept thinking about what the man said, and Damian being alive and out there somewhere. Was he the one sending the threats? Or was it Maroni? The idea of someone coming after her terrified her, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to prove that she wouldn’t let anyone silence her. When they got inside, she went to one of the conference rooms with Jubal and Maggie so they could go over the next steps of the trial process and what to expect. Avery sat down at the table and took a breath, looking at the files and pictures spread out on the table. She felt like she had seen it all a hundred times already, but they still made her uneasy.

          “Alright, what do you guys want for lunch?” Jubal asked, sitting down in the chair across from her.

          “I’m not picky.” she replied. She wasn’t even sure if she had an appetite.

          “There’s a pretty good diner down the street, I can get a little bit of everything.” He offered.

          She nodded and looked at the pile of papers in front of her.

          “I’m gonna go check in with OA about the security detail.” Maggie said. She got up and walked into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

          Jubal put the order in and then set his phone down on the table. “It used to be that all we could get here was pizza or Chinese, but now with the delivery services, we have some more options.”

          Avery nodded some. “So, it really was like the TV shows then?”

          He gave her a half-smile and nodded. “Yeah, some of it is.”

          She looked at the papers and then leaned back in the chair. “Do you really think a security detail on my apartment will be enough?”

          “It’ll be enough. A lot of these lower-level cronies are all bark and no bite, and since he was stupid enough to approach you in front of a courthouse, that tells me he’s new at this or doesn’t get to do this very often.” He explained.

          “So, it’s like criminal peacocking?” she asked.

          “Haven’t heard it put like that before, but yeah.” He nodded with a crooked grin. He looked at her for a moment before speaking again, “If it’ll make you feel better, we can put you up in a hotel for the night.” He offered.

          She shook her head some, “No, it’s okay. I don’t want them to think I’m afraid of them.” She said simply. “And if you say a detail will be fine, then I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

          “We’re doing everything in our power to keep you safe during all of this. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, you just tell us at any point.” He assured her.

          “I will. I appreciate everything you guys are doing.” she said honestly.

          “That’s our job.” He said with a shrug.

          She played with her sleeve gently and stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke up again, “I never thought I’d be involved in anything like this.”

          He looked at her and smiled some, “I don’t think any witnesses plan to be. But you’ve been damn good at it so far.”

          She smiled some and nodded, “I just don’t want them to get away with it. Guys like that think they can scare people into doing what they want and that’s how they keep getting away with what they do to people.”

          His smile grew slightly as she spoke, and he nodded again. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. I’d be afraid of you if I was them.” He teased some.

          “I don’t think I’m that scary.” She laughed softly.

          Maggie knocked on the door and then opened it, coming inside with the bags of food Jubal had ordered. “Lunch is served, and OA has the detail sorted out.” She said, setting the bags on the table.

          “That’s what I like to hear.” Jubal said before he started getting the food containers out and sorted.

          Avery ate with him and Maggie, and they talked about what the next steps for the trial would be. The more they explained about the process and what she needed to do, the less nervous she was. By the time they had finished eating and talking, she was ready to show up in court and help take these guys down. She got a ride home and had the security detail explained to her on the way. She didn’t feel as scared as she had on the courtroom steps, but that was probably due to the number of cops sent to watch her.           When she was home, she just wanted to relax. She took a shower, did a hair mask, and then got her favorite pair of flannel pajama pants on, along with her favorite old t-shirt that she had bought on a vacation even though it was a bit baggy and worn now. Breakfast for dinner in front of the TV, with her favorite movies on; that was her plan.

Back at the office, Jubal and Maggie were headed for the elevator, ready to go home for the night. Before either of them could hit the button, OA stopped them both.

“Hey, you guys need to come see this.” He said before leading them back towards the main floor.

They looked at the large monitors where the courthouse thug’s mugshot and rap sheet were on display, along with a few surveillance pictures they had captured from the courthouse confrontation. “We found the guy. What’s the problem?” Jubal asked.

“Two officers caught him at a gas station and brought him in for questioning.” OA started.

“Right, and did he give you anything?” he asked.

“Nothing, but they think they spooked him enough that he won’t try anything like that again. He’s a petty criminal and couldn’t handle a month in jail, I can’t imagine he’d risk a longer term.” OA continued.

“Why is this something we need to see then?” Maggie asked.

“The short version is that we got word from a UC that there’s a hit out on Avery. Damian wants her out of the picture to save his own ass, and Maroni wants her out of the picture because she’s the key witness.” He replied.

“Well, we figured that much.” Jubal said. “We have a detail on her apartment, they’ve been giving updates on the hour.”

“It’s not just Maroni. He’s not the biggest fish in the sea, but he’s the golden child of some of them. When he wants something, he’s got enough pull to get it. It’s not just Maroni’s gang that knows about her, it’s all of the gangs in his network. Some we’re still investigating.” OA explained.

“We should get her into protective custody then, right? It shouldn’t take long to figure out the other groups involved and get them under control.” Maggie shrugged.

“These are bigger hitters; they have people on the inside and the outside. In Maroni’s gang alone, there are dirty cops and lawyers, and when we ran the names, a few of the arresting officers at the murder scene came up. We’re running the security detail next.” OA had barely finished his sentence when Maggie’s phone rang.

“Bell…What...When?...We’ll be right there. Don’t let anyone in or out of the building and get someone outside of her door until we get there.” She said and hung up. “One of the detail cops failed the color of the day and still tried to get up to Avery.”

“It’s bigger than Maroni’s group.” OA said again.

“Run the names of everyone in that precinct and everyone we have listed for the detail. Find out what you can about these groups and find out about protective custody, call me the second you find out.” Jubal said, heading to the elevators with Maggie.

--------------------

          Avery had just finished the dishes and was heading towards the couch for her next movie when she heard a loud knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice.

          “Avery, it’s Jubal and Maggie.” His voice carried from the other side of the door.

          She felt her body tense slightly as she walked over and opened the front door. “Hey…”

          “You’re okay.” Maggie said, rather than asked.

          “Yeah, why? Did something happen?” she asked them, letting them inside and shutting the door.

          “No, we caught on in time. Has anyone tried to come in since you got home?” Maggie asked.

          “No, just you two, unless someone tried to come in while I was showering earlier. What’s going on?” she asked.

          “I’ll check the windows.” Maggie said and headed into the apartment to check the windows, any other doors, and to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary.

          “What’s going on?” Avery asked again, hoping that she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt.

          “We got some information about a threat, and someone posed as an officer downstairs to try and get in here.” Jubal explained.

          “A threat? What kind of threat?” she asked.

          Maggie reappeared from the hallway, “Everything’s clear.”

          Jubal’s phone rang before he could answer either woman, then he stepped away to answer the call.

          “Maggie, what’s going on?” Avery asked softly.

          She took a breath and tried to figure out how to condense everything down and not completely panic her in the process. “We think that there’s a hit out on you.”

          Her face fell and her entire body felt tight and light at the same time. “Someone’s trying to kill me?”

          “We’re not gonna let it get to that point, that’s why we’re here.” She explained.

          Jubal hung up the phone and came back over to the women, “That was OA, the boss wants us back at the office.” He said to Maggie before turning his attention back to Avery. “I need you to pack anything you’ll need for a weekend trip.”

          Avery didn’t hesitate, she headed into her bedroom and grabbed a suitcase and a backpack, filling them both with clothes, toiletries, chargers, anything she would need. She assumed it would be a weekend in a hotel somewhere and that everything would be figured out in a few days. It had to be.

          “Are we taking her to a hotel?” Maggie asked softly.

          “Not exactly. The groups involved in this whole thing aren’t people we want to underestimate, so we’ve gotta do a bit more than usual.” He explained.

          “Like what? Witness protection? She can’t enter before testifying, can she?” she asked, furrowing her brow.

          “They’re getting a plan together; we’ll know more when we get back. I hope.” He said with a sigh.

          Avery came back into the room holding her suitcase in one hand and the backpack in the other. “Can I take my phone with me?” she asked.

          “Yeah, I think so.” He nodded.

          She got her phone, slid it into her pocket and pulled on her boots. “I’m coming back here, right?”

          Maggie gave a look to Jubal who gave Avery a small nod. “I hope so.” He said honestly. He couldn’t promise her anything at that moment. “Let me take those for you.”

          He took her bags and led her and Maggie out of the apartment, to the elevators, and down to the lobby. She kept telling herself that this was just for a few days, she’d be back here in no time, and all of this would be a memory. Telling herself that this was all temporary was what was keeping her sane through all of this, so she kept it up as she got into an SUV and was driven to the FBI building. It had to be temporary.

[trashpandafiction]

We Survive (11)

Summary: What happens when the Behavioral Analysis Unit comes across a situation they weren’t trained for? When the dead begin to roam the Earth, it challenges the BAU to something they’ve never dealt with before: the apocalypse. Along their journey for survival, they come across Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. Among the survivors is Jocelynn Russo, who thinks that the new group could be helpful to them. Things seem to go well until an unexpected enemy appears. Will Negan and the Saviors be the one thing to break the groups, or will they be able to defend themselves? All anyone knows is they have one common goal; to survive. Pairings: Rick Grimes/OFC; Aaron Hotchner/OFC Word Count: 2,827 Warnings: None A/N: Dun, dun, DUN. If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Eleven - An Unexpected Arrival

          Jocelynn stood in city hall with Maggie, JJ, Michonne, Rick, and Hotch discussing the run happening that day.

          “You’re sure you three will be okay?” Rick asked, leaning against the back of the couch.

          “It’s because we’re women, isn’t it?” Michonne asked with a quirked brow.

          “No, I would be more scared of you three than anything else I’d face out there. I just know sometimes you need some extra hands.” He answered with a smirk.

          “We’ll be okay, really.” Maggie assured him. “Joce are you sure you wanna sit this one out?” she turned to look at the younger woman.

          “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll find someone to pester.” She joked.

          “Okay. We should be back in a few hours, but we won’t be out past dark.” She said, hugging Rick, Jocelynn, and Hotch. JJ and Michonne hugged the other three next, then headed out with Maggie to go out on their run.

Hotch looked over at Jocelynn and gave her a small smile. “If you’re looking for someone to pester, you could always help Reid and I with inventory today.” He offered.

“Three people on inventory?” Rick asked.

“Yeah, two people doing the work and one to supervise.” Jocelynn replied with a smile.

“Right.” He nodded at her. “Hotch, if she gives you too much trouble, just lock her out.” He teased, standing up so they could all leave the house.

“I’ll be sure to do that.” The other man said with a nod.

They all said their goodbyes before heading off to their different tasks. Jocelynn followed Hotch to the inventory house where they met Reid who was already getting the notebooks together so they could start their counts. When he saw movement, he looked over and smiled when he saw Hotch and Jocelynn approaching.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were on inventory today.” He said.

“I’m not, I’m strictly here to pester and supervise.” Jocelynn said with a wink.

“She opted out of the run today so I said she could come bother us.” Hotch added.

“I don’t think she’s capable of pestering anyone.” Reid said, handing the notebook to Hotch.”

“You flatter me, Spence.” She teased, moving to sit on the table in the corner so she was out of the way.

The two men got to work on counting everything and making some small talk with Jocelynn along the way. They talked about the supplies, different cases, and the weird things they had to eat since the world ended.

“Daryl has eaten squirrel I guess, but he said he did that before the apocalypse, so who knows?” Jocelynn shrugged.

“He seems like the type.” Hotch said with a chuckle.

“Out of everyone we’ve met, I think he’s the likeliest person to be prepared for something like this.” Reid added as he finished up the counts on one of the shelves.

“I think you’re right.” Jocelynn nodded.

“You’d think we would have been more prepared for something like this, but that’s not included in FBI training. Now, if you come across a serial killer or something like that, we’ll be in business.” Hotch joked.

“Well if you guys come across a restaurant that needs waiting, I’ll be in business.” She joked back.

“Is that what you did before this?” He asked.

“Yeah, mostly. I would nanny for a few kids in my neighborhood from time to time too.” She nodded.

“Were you in school?” Reid asked.

“I took some general classes at the community college but couldn’t decide what I wanted my career to be. I guess I should have been quicker to decide so I could have learned something before all of this happened.” She said and smiled some.

“What were you deciding between? For your career.” Hotch asked.

“It depended on the day, I suppose. Some days I was sure that I wanted to go into childcare full-time, other days I was sure that I wanted to own my own restaurant or bar or something, and then for a while I even thought about being a dispatcher for 911.” She said.

“Well, at least you gave yourself options.” He smiled. “If the world gets put back together, I’ll put in a good word at the BAU.” He teased.

 “You’d want to work with me around all the time?” she teased back.

“Technically, the dispatchers work in a separate wing of the building, so we wouldn’t actually see you that often during work hours.” Reid chimed in.

“Did I just get dissed?” she asked with a smirk.

“I think you might have.” Hotch teased.

“Dissed? Oh, no I was just…” Reid started.

“I’m just kidding, don’t worry.” She said with a smile.

“Right.” He nodded and gave her a tight-lipped smile before getting back to work.

Jocelynn continued to chat with the two men until they finished with inventory. When it was time for lunch, they invited her to join them, and they continued their chat through the meal. Once they finished, they headed towards city hall to check in with Rick. There really wasn’t much left to do for the day, so they figured they could just fill in wherever they may have been needed. As they approached the house, the gates opened and the truck pulled in with JJ, Maggie and Michonne in the cabin, and three people in the bed of the truck.

“Is that…” Hotch started, holding his hand up so he could block the sun and see.

Spencer didn’t wait before jogging over to the truck to confirm what he thought he saw.

“They found more people.” Jocelynn said. She looked over at Hotch who was now walking over to the truck after Spencer, so she followed him.

JJ, Michonne, and Maggie all got out of the truck before JJ walked around to the back and opened it up. Derek, Emily, and David all climbed out of the bed of the truck; a bit slower than they intended to. They were a bit banged up, but they were alive.

“We found them holed up in an old trailer. JJ said she knew them.” Maggie explained. “We’re gonna get them to the infirmary to be checked out before anything.”

“You’re alive.” Spencer said, sounding more like a question than a statement.

“You wouldn’t know by looking at us.” David said.

Spencer hugged Emily gently, not wanting to hurt her if she was hurt. Hotch came over and hugged David and Derek, and when Spencer moved to hug Derek and David, Hotch hugged Emily.

“I’ll have them brought over to city hall to meet Rick once they get checked over.” Michonne said, patting Jocelynn on the shoulder.

She nodded and looked at JJ who was taking in the reunion. “The infirmary’s this way, I can take you guys over.” She added.

Maggie joined her and led everyone to the infirmary house. They all filed into the house, catching Olivia off guard. Once they were all introduced, she got to work on checking all three of them and making sure that they were all bite-free.           Besides bumps, bruises, scrapes, and some dehydration, the three were cleared to go meet Rick. Instead of having them all go to city hall, Hotch and Spencer led them to the house to get cleaned up first while JJ and Jocelynn headed to get Rick.

“We went into this trailer to see if there was fuel and there they were.” JJ said, figuring she could stop the questions Jocelynn had before she asked them.

“Lucky find.” She said and walked with her. “I thought you said…” she started.

“I know.” JJ interrupted. “I was pretty sure that they were but…I’ve never been more thrilled to be wrong.”

Jocelynn nodded some and gave a half-smile. It seemed a little strange to her, but she wasn’t going to argue with her. The two women found Rick and gave him the rundown before they got to the BAU house so it wouldn’t be as awkward. Hotch let them all inside, then led them to the living room where everyone had congregated. They figured cleaning up could wait until they had met the leader.

David, Derek, and Emily all sat on the largest couch, and when Rick came over, they started to stand.

“You can stay seated.” Rick said, holding his hand up. “You’ve probably been through the wringer.”

They all sat back again before David spoke up. “We got the Reader’s Digest version of what happened, but we’re willing to answer any questions. I’m David Rossi, this is Emily Prentiss, and that is Derek Morgan.” He said, pointing to his other team members.

“I’m Rick Grimes, and this is Alexandria.” He said, leaning over to shake their hands. “JJ said that Maggie and Michonne gave you our little interview process at the trailer, is that right?”

“They interviewed us, patted us down, the whole nine.” Derek replied. “We understand it’s probably weird to have three extra people here out of nowhere.”

“We’re just glad that you all could be reunited with each other.” He said with a nod.

Before he could ask any other questions, the front door flew open, followed by Penelope’s voice. “Where are they?!”

Derek looked at her and smiled, “Hey baby girl.”

“It is true.” She said and came over to hug the rest of her team, tears in her eyes.

Rick smiled some and stood up. “We’ll let you all get situated and caught up for now and check in on you later.”

“We understand if you’ll need to do another vote.” Hotch said.

“Just worry about spending some time together today, and we’ll talk about a vote later.” He said, patting his shoulder.

“Thank you.” Hotch added.

Rick and Jocelynn headed out of the house and started towards city hall. Now that Hotch, JJ, Spencer, and Penelope had all proven themselves in the group, it was probably going to be easier to convince Alexandria to let the rest of the group stay too. Once they got inside, Rick let out a breath before sitting on the couch.

“Lucky break for them.” Jocelynn said, sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

“Really lucky.” He agreed with a nod.

“Are you gonna let them stay?” she asked him.

“If they’re like Hotch and the rest, I have no problem letting them stay. I can get the council together and talk about it.” He was quiet for a moment before he asked, “What do you think about all of this?”

She didn’t want to tell him that she was a little suspicious about JJ’s lucky mistake because she didn’t want to cause problems where there were none. “Stranger things have happened, I suppose.” She shrugged.

He nodded and toyed with his watch. “Yeah, they have.”

“They seem nice enough.” She added.

He grunted a response, running his hand over his face. “I’ll get everyone together before dinner and see what they think.”

Once everyone had showered and gotten fed dinner, they all filed into the living room to unwind a little bit and really talk. Penelope was doing her best to keep the mood up, so she talked about what they had been doing in Alexandria while JJ and Hotch stayed quiet. Spencer listened to the conversations, unsure of what to make of the whole situation, but still happy that they were alive. No one really wanted to address the elephant in the room; how were they still alive when JJ had confirmed they were dead?

“So how did you even get out of there?” Spencer finally asked.

“It was probably the closest call we’ve all had, even before all of this happened.” Emily said. “I honestly can’t explain it other than dumb luck.”

“Once they got the door down, we used the ammo we had and then used our knives to get the ones in the doorway. As they piled up, they created a barrier, so we had time to get out of there.” Derek added.

“The ones that were left outside sort of forced us into the creek and once we crossed that, we just kept going until it got quiet.” David said.

“We came back to the cabin after a couple of days, and then every so often we’d come back, but we started to think that maybe you guys had found a different shelter or another group.” Emily said.

“We wanted to look for you, but we weren’t even sure that you made it out of there.” Spencer said.

“I made the call to keep going.” Hotch said, not wanting anyone else to take the blame.

“Aaron, we would have done the same thing. We don’t blame anyone here, we’re just glad that we were able to find you all again.” David said.

The conversations started to die down a little bit and slowly, everyone started heading to beds and couches to sleep. Now that there were three more people, they’d probably need a second house, if they were allowed to stay. After everyone seemed to be asleep, JJ went to the kitchen to get some water. As she came into the dining room, she was surprised to see Hotch sitting at the table.

“Can’t sleep either?” she asked him, sitting in the chair across from him.

“Not just yet.” He answered.

“It’s been a long day, it’s hard to wind down from all of this.” She said and took a sip of her water.

“When you were at the cabin with Reid, did you fully search the cabin?” he asked suddenly.

She was caught off guard by the question, but she figured it would be coming at some point. “When I saw what was in the kitchen, I wasn’t sure that anyone could have survived that.”

“But did you check to confirm their identities?” he asked her.

She looked at her glass of water, trying to figure out what to say next. “Joce found Emily’s necklace in the pile.” She looked up at him.

“Jennifer.” He said, knowing the truth but wanting to hear it from her.

“You said we should assume that they didn’t make it. Hotch, we had this place where we could finally settle down and stop running, and I knew that if we thought there was the slightest chance that they had gotten out of there, we’d never stop looking. I didn’t want it to drive everyone crazy or risk them getting hurt in the process.” She explained.

“I did say that.” He agreed. “And I don’t blame you for trying to protect everyone, but why weren’t you just honest with us? Isn’t it worse to have everyone grieve and then undo all of it?”

“What was I supposed to do? You know if I told Spence that there was no proof that they were dead in there, he’d never stop.” She said.

“You knew they were alive?” Spencer spoke from the doorway of the dining room.

JJ and Hotch turned to look at him and JJ’s heart sank. “Spencer…”

“When we were at the cabin, you said that they were gone, that they were dead in there.” He said, his brows knitted together.

“I made an assumption because of what I saw in there.” She said, standing up.

“No, you chose to lie to us and say that they were dead.” He replied.

“I assumed they were, and I didn’t want you to see what was in there because you were already blaming yourself.” She reasoned.

“Don’t put the blame on me. Besides, this isn’t the first time you’ve lied by omission anyway.” He said, his voice dripping with defeat and hurt.

“Spence…” she said, reaching out to take his hand.

“Don’t.” he said and pulled away from her reach. He headed upstairs to his room and went inside, shutting the door and sitting on the makeshift bed he had on the floor.

JJ put a hand over her mouth and sighed. “This wasn’t my intention. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Hotch had stood up and walked over to her, putting his hand on her back. “You were doing what you thought was best. Just give everyone some time to take it all in.”

“He’s right, I’ve done this to him before. I knew about Emily and didn’t tell him.” She said softly.

“You couldn’t tell him, and he came around from that.” He said.

She nodded and wiped a few tears that had fallen down her cheeks. “I’m gonna try and get some sleep.”

Before he could say anything else, she had gone upstairs and into her room. He was torn because he knew where she was coming from, but he also couldn’t blame Spencer for feeling lied to. Truthfully, he felt a little lied to, too. He put the two glasses in the sink and gave Spencer a little time before going upstairs and laying in bed in their room. He was sure everything would blow over, especially if Rick allowed them to stay. At least he hoped it would.

[dreamyelectronicmusics]

[trashpandafiction]

Me with my Jubal fic, and the completely self-indulgent Hemlock Grove fic I'm arguing with myself about writing or not, and We Survive.

Me with anything I write.

[trashpandafiction]

Safest Place To Hide - Two

Summary: Avery McCall witnesses a murder that is linked to one of the biggest crime organizations in New York, and when she helps the FBI identify and catch the bigger players, she becomes a target. Being the key witness for the upcoming trial, she's forced into hiding at a secluded upstate cabin with her appointed guardian, Jubal Valentine. It's not the ideal situation, but as they spend more time together, they don't mind it nearly as much, and even start to enjoy their time together. With the looming trial and growing feelings between Jubal and Avery, an open-and-shut case becomes a little more complicated. Pairings: Jubal Valentine/OFC Word Count: 1,949 Warnings: Mentions of violence/blood, guns. A/N: A wee bit shorter than the first one and a bit of a filler? I hope you're all enjoying it so far! If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Two

          A few days had passed before Avery was asked to come to the station to look at a line-up. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a baggy sweatshirt; her hair was in a low side braid, so it was out of her face. She slid on her sneakers and drove herself to the police station. She forced herself out of the car and walked up to the door, but when she got there, she felt sick to her stomach. She knew that the men who killed Dom and Damian were likely in this building, and she didn’t know if she could do this.           As she turned to go back to her car, she saw Maggie in the lobby, talking with one of the officers who had interviewed her. She just needed to walk in; one step at a time. She took a deep breath and opened the door, walking inside and over to Maggie and the officer.

          “Avery, hey. Do you remember Officer Calloway?” she asked with a small smile.

          “Yeah.” Avery nodded, putting her hands in her back pockets. “Am I late?”

          “No, you’re not late. Come on back with us and we’ll get you briefed.” Officer Calloway said.

          She went with them to the elevators and rode up to the main floor. When they entered the squad room, she saw Jubal talking with another one of the detectives who had interviewed her days ago. When he saw her, he gave her a warm smile before getting back to his conversation. Officer Galloway led her and Maggie into a small interview room, then spoke up,

          “We’ll come and get you when they’re ready.” He gave them a nod and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

          There were two large windows that looked out onto the squad room, so Avery sat in a chair that faced away from them.

          Maggie closed the blinds to the windows and moved to sit across from her.

          “Thank you.” she said softly.

          “You’re welcome.” She nodded. “How are you feeling?”

          “I’m here.” She said and smiled some.

          There was a knock at the door and when it opened, Jubal stepped inside. “Hey, thank you for coming.” He shut the door behind him and stood near the table that the women were at. “We’re trying to keep this as low-key as possible, and we figured doing a line-up at an FBI building might make that harder.”

          Avery nodded and crossed one leg over the other. “Is this gonna be like it is on TV?” she asked.

          “For the most part. When they’re ready, we’ll take you to the room with the big window and you’ll tell us which guys you saw, and then we can call go out for ice cream.” He said with a smile.

          “Sounds easy enough.” She said and looked at her hands.

          The door opened again, and Officer Calloway poked his head inside the room, “We’re ready.”

          Avery felt that sick feeling in her stomach again as she stood up and followed Jubal and Maggie out of the room. They walked down a couple of hallways and then were taken into a small room that looked like it could barely hold 10 people. The viewing window almost went wall to wall and on the other side of the glass, was the room where the men would line up. It looked like the ones from the movies, but it felt a lot more intimidating than it seemed on screen.

          “They’re gonna walk seven men into the room and they’ll line up against the far wall. There’s gonna be three different line-ups total, and if you need a break between any of them, you tell us.” Maggie explained.

          She nodded and toyed with her sleeve. “Not to sound too cliché, but they can’t see me, right?” she asked softly.

          “The only thing they’ll be able to see is their reflection.” Jubal said, moving to stand by the window.

          She nodded and took a breath. “Alright, let’s get it over with.”

          Officer Calloway left the room, shutting the door behind him. He headed to the other room so he could get the line-up started.

          The first group walked in and lined up along the wall like Jubal had said. They all turned to look at the window and Avery felt her body tense.

          “Do you recognize any of the men in that room?” Maggie asked.

          She looked at them all and furrowed her brow. “Um, a couple of them look like the third guy, but I only saw him from the side.”

          Jubal nodded and pressed a button on an intercom pad beside the window. “Turn to the right please.”

          Once the men turned to their right, Avery narrowed her eyes. “Number four.”

          “And where did you see number four?” Maggie asked.

          “He went into the back of the store and got Damian’s bag.” She said.

          Jubal knocked on the glass four times and then looked at Avery, “You’re doing great. Two more to go.”

          The men were led out of the room and the next group came in, lining up against the back wall. They barely had a chance to face the window before she spoke again, “Five. I’m positive.”

          “And where did you see number five?” Maggie asked her.

          “That’s Val. He’s the one who shot Dom.” She answered.

          Five knocks on the glass, and the group was led out of the room.

When the final group lined up along the wall, most of them looked bored or agitated; but number two was smirking and it made her feel sick to her stomach. She looked at the floor and took a breath, forcing herself not to bolt out of the room. She could feel his hands on her and his breath on her face, the ringing in her ears after he shot Dom and the blood spray.

Noticing her change in demeanor, Jubal hit the intercom button again. “You’re not posing for headshots, drop the expressions.”

Maggie touched her back gently. “Do you need a break?”

“No.” she shook her head. “Just…” she took another breath and looked back up at the line of men, right at number two. “Two. That’s Ryan Vecchio.”

“And where do you know him from?” she asked softly.

“He told me that if I stayed quiet, he’d let me live.” She replied before turning away from the window. “Is that all?”

Two knocks on the glass.

“That’s all. You did great.” Maggie said with a small smile.

“Why don’t you take her to get some water? I’ll go talk to Calloway.” Jubal said. He put his hand on Avery’s shoulder gently, “She’s right, you did great.” He knew that wasn’t going to make things better, but he wanted her to know that she was helping them.

Avery nodded and followed Maggie to the same room they started in, and she moved to the chair furthest from the door to sit down.

Maggie grabbed a bottle of water and gave it to her once she sat down. “Are you doing okay?” she asked, shutting the door.

“I feel like I’m either gonna pass out or throw up. Maybe both.” She replied.

“It’s not easy to face the people who hurt us or do terrible things in front of us. I know we already said it, but you did great, and this is a big step for the trial.” She explained.

Avery took a sip of water and then took another deep breath. The idea of a trial scared her, but she figured maybe it would be quick and they’d take a plea or something so she wouldn’t be needed anymore.

There was a knock and then the door opened, Jubal walking in. “We just need you to fill out two forms and then you’re free to go.” He sat at the table in the room and marked the places on the form where she needed to sign.

She scooted her chair closer to the table and looked at him, “Is this it?” She knew the answer, but there was still a naïve part of her that hoped they wouldn’t need to face those men again.

He looked at her and gave a slight shrug, “I can’t honestly say it is. These guys are unpredictable, sometimes they want to take a plea and be done with it, other times they want to go to trial because they think they can pay their way out.”

“What do you think they’ll do?” she asked him.

“In my experience, guys like that think they’re untouchable. But there’s a chance that they’ll turn on each other once they see the charges and the reality of things.” He slid the paperwork across the table to her and handed her a pen.

She nodded slowly and took the pen, signing her name on the lines that he had marked. She set the pen down on the papers and slid them back to him.

He thanked her when he took the papers and looked across at her. “We should know in the next few days whether we’re going to trial or not. We’ll be in contact with you if we do and we’ll let you know the next steps.”

“Okay.” She said and took another sip of water.

“Do you have any other questions or anything?” he asked her.

“None that I can think of. Do I need to do anything else today?” she asked.

“Nope, you’re free to go. I’ll walk you out though.” He said and stood up.

“I’ll take those forms to Calloway.” Maggie said, taking the papers from him. “You did great, Avery. Really.” She smiled softly and walked out of the room.

Avery followed Jubal out of the room and onto the elevator. She was quiet on the way down to the lobby, on the walk out of the building, and on the walk to her car. She looked over her shoulder a few times though, wanting to be sure that none of the men could see her. The looks didn’t go unnoticed by Jubal, and he tried to cheer her up a little bit,

“You know, the offer to go get ice cream still stands. Being FBI has its perks.” he said with a crooked grin.

She looked up at him and smiled a little as she unlocked her car. “I appreciate it, but I think I’m gonna head home and unwind a little bit.”

“Unwinding is a fair reward too.” He nodded. He opened the door for her and let her get into the car. “I know this is a lot to handle and deal with, so if you need anything, even just someone to listen, you’ve got my card.”

She got into the car and buckled up, looking up at him with a small smile. “I do. If I need anything, I’ll call. Who knows? Maybe you’ll regret giving me the card.” She joked.

“I guess we’ll see.” He said and nodded. “Get home safe, okay?”

“I will. Thank you.” She shut her door and started the car, then pulled out of the lot and headed home.

She took the long way, not wanting to go past the shop, or what was left of it. The windows had been boarded up and crime scene tape was still plastered around the building. She didn’t want the reminder of the murder, so the longer route was worth it.           When she got home, she changed back into a pair of joggers and a baggy t-shirt, curled up on the couch under her favorite blanket and turned the TV on so she could get lost in her favorite guilty pleasure show for the rest of the night.  

[trashpandafiction]

We Survive (10)

Summary: What happens when the Behavioral Analysis Unit comes across a situation they weren’t trained for? When the dead begin to roam the Earth, it challenges the BAU to something they’ve never dealt with before: the apocalypse. Along their journey for survival, they come across Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. Among the survivors is Jocelynn Russo, who thinks that the new group could be helpful to them. Things seem to go well until an unexpected enemy appears. Will Negan and the Saviors be the one thing to break the groups, or will they be able to defend themselves? All anyone knows is they have one common goal; to survive. Pairings: None in this chapter? Word Count: 2,124 Warnings: None A/N: Sorry for slacking on updates on this one! I truly hope you're enjoying it! If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Ten - Talks

          “So, he kisses you and then just walks out?” JJ asked, bringing two plates of food to the kitchen table.

          “Walks right out. He kept saying sorry and that we shouldn’t do this. What am I supposed to say to that?” Jocelynn asked her, thanking her for the plate.

          It had been a few days since Rick kissed her and things had been weird; there was no other way to explain it. They were civil to each other, but he only talked to her when it was necessary and if she didn’t know any better, it seemed like he avoided her. She wanted to confront him about it all, but she wasn’t even sure what she would say. So, she came to JJ to get her advice about it all over lunch.

          “It could be that he has feelings he’s not sure about, or maybe he was just caught up in the heat of the moment. He’s never made any moves or anything?” JJ asked.

          “Not really. I mean we joke around but I don’t think he’s looking for anything else after…everyone else.” Jocelynn said.

          “Does he have a lot of history or something?” she asked, taking a sip of her lemonade.

          “Not a lot, but it hasn’t been pleasant. His wife died giving birth to Judith, and then there was a sort-of-maybe thing with a woman who lived here but she died when a herd got in.” she explained.

          “That’s awful. I can’t imagine going through that.” She replied.

          “I can’t either. It kind of scares you off wanting any sort of relationship, you know? Losing a friend is hard but losing a boyfriend or husband is worse, I’d think.” She said, finishing up her sandwich.

          “I guess it works for some people. Glenn and Maggie seem happy anyway.” She shrugged. “What about you? Do you have any history?”

          Jocelynn looked at her and shook her head. “No, not after the end of the world anyway.”

          “And do you have any feelings towards Rick?” JJ asked carefully.

          “I don’t know.” She said with a sigh. “I mean, I kissed him back, but maybe I was just lonely or something.”

          “I’ve been lonely since all of this started, but I never thought to kiss one of my friends.” She said with a smirk.

          “I don’t know, I guess I’ve never really thought about it. I know that I care about him, and I enjoy being around him, and I feel safe with him.” She started, looking at her plate. “But I feel that way with other people too.”

          “Okay, but would you kiss those people?” JJ challenged.

          “Who are we kissing?” Penelope asked, coming into the kitchen.

          “Rick kissed Joce and has been acting weird since.” JJ said.

          “Rick as in fearless leader Rick? Suddenly making lunch isn’t my priority.” She said, walking over and sitting at the table. “Tell me all the details.”

          Jocelynn smiled some and told Penelope what had happened and where her and JJ had left off with their discussion.

          “Okay, can I be honest for a moment? It is so obvious that he has some feelings towards you, you can see it in the way he looks at you and acts with you. If I can continue to be honest, I think you may also have feelings towards him too, just based on what I’ve seen since being here.” Penelope said after getting the rundown.

          “I was gonna say the same thing, but I didn’t want to make you feel weird.” JJ admitted.

          Jocelynn looked at the two women and shook her head. “I don’t know about that. I mean, okay maybe I do have some feelings toward him but maybe he doesn’t feel the same way.”

          “He wouldn’t have kissed you if he didn’t feel the same way. Maybe he’s worried about the age gap. That’s the only potential downside I can see.” JJ shrugged.

          “It could very well be the age thing. Not that anyone cares about that stuff anyway, you’re both legal adults and it’s not like you’re freshly legal. I think you should talk to him about it. Then at least you’ll know where he stands.” Penelope said.

          “You’re probably right.” Jocelynn said and sighed. “If I get a chance, I’ll talk to him.”

          “Make a chance.” Penelope said, nudging her arm across the table.

          “Alright, I’ll make a chance.” Jocelynn laughed softly. “I should head back to my shift. Thank you both for listening to me ramble.” She stood up, taking her dishes to the sink.

          “Feel free to ramble anytime, it’s what friends are for.” Penelope smiled.

          She looked over at them and smiled. “The offer goes both ways.”

She hugged both women and headed out to finish up her shift, thinking about what they had said. She did have feelings for Rick, and the age thing didn’t bother her, but she didn’t want him to be uncomfortable if he even felt the same way. Plus, what would Carl think?           During the rest of the day, she had a few chances to talk to Rick, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had plenty of courage until she got face to face with him, and then it was all gone. When she was done with her work for the day, she started her walk home. As she passed the armory, she heard a familiar voice,

“Hey Joce.” Hotch said, coming out of the garage and shutting the door behind him.

She looked over at him and smiled, “Hey Hotch. Do they have you cleaning or counting today?”

“Both.” He said and came over to her. “I found out I’m a bit rustier with cleaning weapons than I thought.” He chuckled.

“Who knew we’d be learning in the apocalypse?” she teased.

“Are you heading home?” he asked, using a bandana to wipe his hands off.

“I am.” She nodded.

“Are you looking for some company?” he asked.

“I won’t turn it down, that’s for sure.” She smiled.

He walked with her down the sidewalk and towards her house. “How’ve you been doing since the run?” he asked her softly.

She figured that was coming. She hadn’t talked to him much since then and knew he’d be asking at some point. “I was a little shaken up that night, but I’ve been alright. It really wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

“No, it wasn’t, but it still happened and if it bothers you, you’re allowed to feel that way.” He said.

“Is that a profiler tip?” she asked and looked up at him with a half-smile.

“No, it’s a human tip.” He said, returning the smile. “I just noticed you seemed to be a little different the past few days and wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“That’s sweet of you, and I appreciate it. I guess I’ve been in a little bit of a funk but hopefully that’ll get better. How’s Reid?” she shifted the conversation.

“He’s doing fine. I think compared to what happened out on the road, that was a walk in the park.” He admitted.

“Did you guys have a lot of trouble?” she asked him.

“In the beginning it seemed to be a bit harsher, but as time went on, we only had two big issues. We ran into a bad group that couldn’t be reasoned with, and then there was the cabin.” He explained.     

“It’s crazy how different groups of people act so differently after the same event.” She said as they got to her house.

“It has to do with the leading individuals, I think. I’ll spare you the lecture though.” He said, walking her up to her door.

“I’d love to hear your take on it. We’ll raincheck the lecture.” She smiled.

“Just remember that you volunteered yourself for this.” He joked.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She joked back. “Thank you for keeping me company on my walk, and for checking in.”

“Anytime.” He smiled. “Have a good night, Joce.”

“You too, Hotch.” She said and headed inside, while Hotch headed home.

Jocelynn got through her shower and made herself some food for dinner since Glenn and Maggie were having dinner with Sasha, Rosita, Abraham, and Eugene. As she sat down to eat, she heard a knock on the door which caused her to sigh. So close to a warm meal. She went to the door and opened it, stiffening when she saw Rick at her doorstep.

“Hi.” She managed to get out. Last time he showed up at the house, things started getting weird and she wasn’t sure if this would make it worse or not.

“Hey, JJ said you had something you wanted to talk to me about.” He said.

She hadn’t managed to talk to Rick earlier, so apparently JJ had decided to lend a hand in making it happen. “Uh, yeah. Do you wanna come in?” she asked.

He nodded and came inside, shutting the door behind him. “Is everything okay?” he asked.

No, everything wasn’t okay. “Yeah, everything’s okay.” She said and leaned against the back of the couch.

He raised a brow and waited a moment before speaking up. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Okay, not everything is okay.” She sighed. “Rick, what’s going on? We were fine, everything was fine, and then you kissed me and now it’s like you can’t stand to be around me. If it was a mistake, then just say that and we’ll move on.” She shrugged.

“It wasn’t a mistake.” He started. “But I don’t think it’s something that can go any further.”

Why did she have a sinking feeling in her stomach when he said that? “How can it not be a mistake then? Just be clear with me.”

“It wasn’t a mistake because I chose to do it.” He explained.

“And I chose to do it back.” She added.

“I can’t lie to you and say that I don’t have feelings for you Jocelynn, but I don’t think we should act on them right now.” He said carefully, as if he was trying to find the right words.

She felt an ache in her chest when he said that which solidified to herself that she did have feelings for him. Hearing that he had feelings for her too, but didn’t want them to do anything about them, hurt more. “Okay.”

“That’s all you have to say?” he asked her.

“No. I feel the same way about you, but you’re probably right, we shouldn’t act on it.” She nodded.

He studied her features as she spoke. Her agreeing not to act hurt, even though he was the one to make the call. He didn’t want it to be this way, but he thought it was for the best, for them both. Knowing she felt the same way about him made him second guess that.

“I just want us to get back to normal. I miss giving you a hard time and getting a hard time in return.” She said and smiled some.

“We can.” He nodded. “Someone’s gotta keep your ego in check once in a while.” He said, attempting to joke with her.

“My ego? You’re one to talk, Sheriff.” She teased back with a small smile.

He laughed softly and nodded. “Right. Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Yeah, that’s all.” She nodded. “You promise we’re okay now?”

“I promise.” He said and looked at her.

“Pinky promise?” she asked and held her pinky out, trying her best to keep a straight face.

He looked at her finger and then at her, linking his pinky with hers. “Pinky promise.”

She unlinked their pinkies and nodded. “You should probably head home for dinner and stop goofing off with your neighbor.”

“Yeah, I probably should. I don’t know how I get anything done around here.” He smirked, heading out the door.

“I don’t know either.” She said and came over to the door. “Thanks for stopping by.”

“Thanks for having me.” He said and turned to face her. “Night, Joce.”

“Night, Rick.” She said and shut the door as he walked down her steps.

She let out a sigh before going into the kitchen and sitting down to eat her dinner. She managed to eat a couple bites before losing her appetite, putting the leftovers in the fridge, and heading up to her room.           She was glad that she and Rick were going to get back to normal, even if it wasn’t the outcome she was hoping for. She was going to do her best to push any feelings for him deep down so things could stay normal. If that’s what he wanted to do, that was what she was going to do.

[trashpandafiction]

Safest Place To Hide - Masterlist

Summary: Avery McCall witnesses a murder that is linked to one of the biggest crime organizations in New York, and when she helps the FBI identify and catch the bigger players, she becomes a target. Being the key witness for the upcoming trial, she's forced into hiding at a secluded upstate cabin with her appointed guardian, Jubal Valentine. It's not the ideal situation, but as they spend more time together, they don't mind it nearly as much, and even start to enjoy their time together. With the looming trial and growing feelings between Jubal and Avery, an open-and-shut case becomes a little more complicated. An AU!FBI Fic Pairings: Jubal Valentine/Original Female Character Warnings: Crime, Violence, anything that would be seen on a crime show. Status: In Progress

One || Two ||

AO3 | Discussion Tag | Musings & Inspiration

[trashpandafiction]

Safest Place to Hide - One

Summary: Avery McCall witnesses a murder that is linked to one of the biggest crime organizations in New York, and when she helps the FBI identify and catch the bigger players, she becomes a target. Being the key witness for the upcoming trial, she's forced into hiding at a secluded upstate cabin with her appointed guardian, Jubal Valentine. It's not the ideal situation, but as they spend more time together, they don't mind it nearly as much, and even start to enjoy their time together. With the looming trial and growing feelings between Jubal and Avery, an open-and-shut case becomes a little more complicated. Pairings: Jubal Valentine/OFC Word Count: 3,116 Warnings: Mentions of violence/blood, guns, drugs. A/N: Here's the first chapter! It's honestly a sort of "intro" chapter. I'm not 100% confident with it, it wasn't beta'd, but I want to get this story going. If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

One

          When Avery walked out of her apartment in the morning, she would have never guessed that by noon, she would be in a police station, her clothes covered in blood, and images that wouldn’t leave her mind any time soon. She was checked out by a paramedic at the scene, but the blood all over her wasn’t even hers.

THAT MORNING

          Avery McCall walked into her favorite convenience store, Dom’s. It was a nice, family-owned place that was only two blocks from her apartment. She stopped there before work, and sometimes afterwards if she had a rough day and wanted to curl up in bed with her favorite snacks. The owner, Dominic, was always kind to everyone who came in, even if they weren’t kind back. A few months before, Dominic started to have some health issues and couldn’t work as much as he had been, so he brought in his son Damian to help. That’s when Avery noticed a change in the customer base, but she figured it was just because Damian was probably bringing in his friend group.           She was happy to see Dom behind the counter when she walked in, since that meant he was having a good day. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at him,

          “Morning, Dom.” she said, waving to him.

          “Miss Avery! I was worried you wouldn’t come in today.” The older man beamed.

          “You know I’d miss you too much if I didn’t come in on my days off too.” She teased him. “How are you feeling?”

          “I’m still alive, and that’s about all I can ask for. But I haven’t had to use that stool so far today.” He said, pointing to the stool that he had behind the counter for when he needed to sit down.

          “That’s good. Hopefully you won’t need it at all.” She smiled, stepping aside as another regular came in to buy her lotto tickets for the week. “Think it’s too early for a slurpee?” she joked as she headed to the back of the store.

          “It’s never too early to make yourself happy, Miss Avery.” He replied, ringing up the lotto woman.

          As she looked at the snack aisle, she noticed Damian coming out of the back room with a pallet of boxes and crates of items he needed to stock. She gave him a polite wave and received a nod in return. She tried not to have too much conversation with him, and he did the same to the other customers.           She heard the bell at the front of the store, and then heard it again. The lotto woman had left and now someone else was entering, she assumed.

          “Morning, gentlemen.” Dom’s voice sounded from the counter.

          Two large men came into the store and split up, each going to a different aisle. Avery was looking at a bag of Chex Mix when one of the men walked past her. She glanced up at him and didn’t recognize him, but he looked like he was from the ‘Damian crowd’. Tattooed, buff, in an old leather jacket that smelled like stale ashtray. He gave her a wink before picking up a bag of Cheetos and opening it up eating a handful. She felt a chill when he did and she casually set the bag of Chex Mix down, then went down to the end of the aisle where Damian was stocking slower than he ever had, his eyes going from one of the big men to the other.

          The bell rang again, and Dom’s voice could be heard again, “Morning.” It didn’t sound like a friendly welcome; it sounded like an obligation.

          “Dommy. Where’s your son? I’d like to have a little chat with him if he’s around.” Another man spoke.

          Damian stiffened when he heard the voice and walked over to the counter. “I’m here, Val.”

          “There he is. Dommy, you can go ahead and finish stocking while I talk to your boy.” The other voice said.

          “We don’t have to do this here, man.” Damian said.

          Avery walked to the end of the aisle and peeked through the shelves to see the man talking to Damian. He was a little older than her, she thought, and he was tattooed and wore a leather jacket that was nicer than the other guy had on. As the man’s voice rose slightly, her stomach began to turn.

          “No, I think we do, Damian. It’s the only way you’re gonna get it through your thick skull that there are rules. I had to come here myself to make sure that it set in.” Val said, turning to Dominic again. “Did your little boy come in with a bag today?”

          “I’ll go get you whatever you want.” Damian said.

          Val kept his eyes on Dominic. “Would you do me a favor and go get that bag for me? It’s in the back, right?”

          “Val…” Damian started.

          “I’ll get it, just as long as there’s no trouble out here.” Dominic said. The sooner he could get these guys out of the store, the better.

          “No trouble.” Val smirked.

          Dominic came out from behind the counter and walked towards the back door that Avery could see from where she stood in the last aisle.

          When he got to the end of the aisle, Val spoke up again. “Hey, pops. One more thing.” It all happened so fast.

          Val pulled a gun from the back of his jeans and shot Dominic twice in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground, his head and shoulders landing in the aisle Avery was in. She dropped to the ground, putting her hand over her mouth so she didn’t scream.

          “Dad!” Damian cried out.

          Avery could hear a scuffle and an argument from the front of the store, but she wasn’t paying attention to the words. She crawled over to Dominic so she could try and stop the bleeding at least, but he was gone.

          “Please…don’t!” Damian cried again.

Four more shots rang out, and Avery laid down on her side, her back against the bottom of the shelf. There was some groaning, and another scuffle, then a voice.

          “Grab his shit and take care of any witnesses.” Val said before leaving the store.

          She laid still as the two men went into the back room. It felt like an eternity had passed until they emerged from the back. The first man walked straight to the door while the one who had winked at her turned, looking right at her.

          “Take care of witnesses, Vec.” The first man said before heading outside.

          Avery felt her entire body tense as the man came over to her, a grin on his face. “Please, I won’t say anything, please.” she said softly.       

          “You’re too pretty to beg.” He said, grabbing her by her hair and pulling her over to lay next to Dominic’s body, into the blood pool beside him.

          “No, please!” she cried, her hands moving to hold his wrist as he pulled her.

          “Shut up.” He growled, putting a hand over her mouth. “I’m doing you a fucking favor by not blowing your head off.” He aimed his gun at her, and then at Dominic, shooting him again.

          Avery flinched, whimpering against his hand as blood sprayed her face. It took everything in her not to scream.

          “See? I like you sweetheart, that’s why you’re alive. Now play dead, and don’t make me come back here.” He grinned.

          The man stood up and walked out of the store, leaving Avery on the floor. She didn’t move until she heard sirens, and when a police officer approached her, she burst into tears.

NOW

          After she had pictures taken of her, Avery was allowed to shower and change into a pair of sweatpants and an NYPD T-shirt that looked like it came from a gift shop. She was taken to an interview room where she gave a statement to two detectives, and then left alone for what seemed like hours. When the door opened the next time, a different man came into the room with a woman, both wearing FBI jackets.

          “Hi, Avery. I’m Maggie Bell, a special agent with the FBI. This is another agent, Jubal Valentine.” The woman said with a small smile.

          “The FBI investigates robberies?” Avery asked.

          “Not usually, but this is a special case.” Jubal said.

          “The men that you saw, you said you heard their names?” Maggie asked.

          “I heard a few names. Damian called one of them Val, and the one who left me alive was called Vec. I don’t know if it was a nickname or something else.” Avery replied.

          “The guy who owned the shop, his name was Dominic Hubbard, right?” Maggie asked.

          “Yeah, and his son Damian was there too.” She nodded. Maggie and Jubal exchanged glances which didn’t make Avery feel even more tense. “Was Damian involved in something?”

          “Possibly. I know you’ve already answered a lot of questions, but we’d like to ask you a few more and get a better picture of what happened. Would you mind coming with us to our station?” Maggie asked.

          “Do I really have a choice?” she asked, standing slowly and taking a breath.

          Jubal smirked to himself before nodding. “You always have a choice, but we’d appreciate as much help as you can give us.”

          Avery nodded and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll do what I can. Dom was…he didn’t deserve that.” She tried to cover the crack in her voice by clearing her throat.

          “We know you’ve had a tough day today, and we’re sorry for your loss; but we are going to do everything we can to get the guys who did this.” Maggie promised.

          “Thank you.” Was all Avery could think of saying.

          The drive from the police station to the FBI building was shorter than she expected, and when they got there, Maggie took Avery to a room that looked more like a meeting room than an interview room. There was a large table in the middle of the room with chairs around it, two large white boards at one end of the room, and a large monitor on the wall at the other.  

          “Go ahead and have a seat, do you want anything to eat or drink?” Maggie asked.

          “Just some water please.” Avery said, sitting down in one of the chairs. It was a lot more comfortable than the one at the police station.

          “Sure, I’ll be right back.” She nodded and walked out of the room.

          Moments later, Jubal walked into the room with some files under one arm and a cup of coffee in the other hand. “Did you want anything to drink or eat?”

          “Got it covered.” Maggie said, appearing behind him. She shut the door behind her and brought a water bottle to Avery.

          “Thank you.” She said and opened it, taking a small sip.

          “Of course.” she replied, sitting in the chair across from her.

          Jubal set the files on the table and sat beside Maggie. “Alright, so why don’t you start by telling us what you know about Dominic and Damian Hubbard.”

          “I’ve known Dominic since I moved here two years ago, and Damian I only met a few months ago when he started working at the store to help Dom out.” Avery said.

          “What did you think about him?” he asked, handing the folders to Maggie so she could get what they needed.

          She took a breath and shrugged. “To be honest, I didn’t like him. He was kind of standoffish and the people he would bring around seemed sketchy.”

          “Before this morning, had anything happened at the store before?” he asked, writing some things down on a pad of paper.

          “No, it was quiet there. I mean, I probably wouldn’t go in there late at night if Damian was working, but it was quiet.” She said.

          “Okay. You said you would recognize the men if you saw them again, right?” he asked, looking up at her.

          “Yeah, definitely.” She nodded.

          “We’ve got people working on some pictures for you to look at. In the meantime, is there anything else you can remember? Even if it seems small or unimportant, it could help.” He asked her.

          She thought for a moment and looked at the bottle of water in front of her. She took a shaky breath and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I told the detectives everything I saw and heard.”

          There was a knock at the door, and Maggie got up to open it, getting another folder from another agent and shutting the door again. She came back to the table and sat down, looking at Avery.

          “Are those the pictures?” she asked softly.

          “Yeah. When you’re ready, I’ll lay them out and you can tell us if you recognize any of them, okay?” Maggie said.

          Avery took a breath and nodded. “I’m ready.” She wasn’t sure if she was actually ready, but part of her worried that she’d forget what they looked like.

          She nodded and opened the folder, laying out some pages that each had six photos on them. “Take your time, and if you need a minute, just let us know.”

          She looked at the pages and leaned forward some to look at the pages. She looked at the first page and shook her head, sliding it back to Maggie. The second page had someone who looked similar, but wasn’t any of the men, so she slid it back to Maggie. On the third page, she looked over the pictures, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the fourth image. “This is Vec. I’m sure of it.” She said, pointing to the photo.

          Maggie grabbed the page and nodded. “Okay.” she said, exchanging glances with Jubal again before looking back at her. “Go ahead.”

          Avery looked at the next page and picked it up so she could look closer. Val had been a bit farther from her, but she was sure that he was the second picture on the page. “This one is Val.” She said, showing the picture to Maggie and Jubal.

          They both looked at each other and then at Avery. “Did you see the third guy at all?” Maggie asked.

          “I only saw him from the side, and it was a quick glimpse. Sorry.” She said, leaning back in her chair again.

          “No, you don’t have to be sorry, you’ve done great.” She assured her with a small smile.

          “Who are they?” Avery asked, toying with the string of her sweatpants.

          “Val is Valentin Maroni, a sort of kingpin drug dealer in the city. Vec is Ryan Vecchio, one of Maroni’s right-hand men. We’ve been investigating his gang for a few months but they’re hard to pin down.” Maggie explained.

          “They’re not usually so careless.” Jubal mumbled. “Damian was dealing for Maroni and was using the store as his own pharmacy.”

          “Val mentioned Damian breaking rules.” Avery said. “He didn’t say what rules, but he was mad at Damian for whatever he was doing.”

          “We think he was skimming his own supply and keeping more of the profits than he should have been. Since Maroni came to the store and killed Dominic himself, it was probably true.” Maggie said.

          “Dominic was killed because Damian was dealing in his store?” Avery asked.

          “Damian hasn’t been around because he was in jail for possession. He picked up right where he left off, but this time he got cocky.” Jubal said.

          “Why wouldn’t they just kill Damian then? Why take Dom?” she asked, her brows knitting together.

          “They wanted to teach him a lesson.” Maggie said carefully. “It’s not fair, it’s horrible, but these crime bosses don’t let anything get in the way of their business or rules.”

          She looked at the table and then back at Maggie and Jubal. “You guys have enough to get them now, right? All of them?”

          “We will, but we’ll most likely need your help, especially if this goes to trial.” Maggie said.

          “I’ll do it. Whatever it takes to get them off the streets, I’ll do it.” Avery said. She didn’t care about the consequences in that moment, she cared about getting justice for Dom and stopping whoever she could from doing this again.

          “It’s not gonna be easy.” she said softly.

          “But it’ll be worth it.” Jubal added.

          Avery felt her hurt and her sadness turning to anger. She wanted to put these men away for what they did to Dom. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

          After finishing a few things with her statement and getting things in motion, Jubal and Maggie drove her home to her apartment. They rode the elevator with her and walked her to her door to make sure she was alright, then walked inside to check and make sure her apartment was empty.

          “You guys didn’t have to do all of this.” Avery said softly. It seemed a little over the top to her, even with the circumstances.

          “We’d rather be safe than sorry.” Jubal said and gave her a small smile. “If anything else comes up or if you think of anything, you just give us a call.” He handed her a business card and put his hands on his hips.

          She took it carefully and nodded. “I will. Thank you for the ride.”

          “We’ll be in touch with you about the case and let you know what the next steps are. Don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything or if something comes up.” Maggie added.

          “I appreciate it.” She nodded.

          “You’re sure you’re gonna be okay here alone?” Jubal asked.

          “Yeah, I’ll be okay. I think I need some quiet time anyway.” She nodded.

          “Okay. Thank you again for your help. I know it’s not easy, but you’re doing a good thing.” He assured her.

          All she could do was nod and give him a small smile. When they left, she shut and locked the door and then went to her bathroom so she could take a real shower and changed into her own clothes. Avery didn’t know what the next few days, weeks, or months held, but she knew that she was going to do her best to be strong so she could get justice for Dom. At the very least, it would give her something to focus on instead of her feelings about what she had witnessed. She felt like she was in a daze throughout the shower, and when she changed, she laid in bed and at some point, she drifted off to sleep, too tired to dream.

[trashpandafiction]

But consider this.

A fic where OFC is forced into witness protection or some sort of protection and who has to babysit her? Jubal Valentine.

I think I have a problem.

[trashpandafiction]

This post got 2 notes so I'm gonna go ahead with this story, even if 2 people (and myself) are the only readers.

Gonna plan the plot a bit more and then begins my descent into Jeremy Sisto madness.

[trashpandafiction]

I started the fic. I literally decided to go forward when my post got 2 notes, but to my surprise, other people also liked it. :')

A fair warning: I am completely winging it on the crime/law stuff outside of anything I've seen on TV. I'm trying to be as realistic as possible here, but this is being written because I am trash and wanted a Jubal story. Please don't come for me.

Also, I discovered canva and I'm gonna make it everyone's problem.

Okay, so I'm trying to finish the first chapter tonight, but no promises. If you'd like to be tagged in the chapter updates, let me know and I will add you to a list!

:) Thank you for enabling me.

[trashpandafiction]

Does anyone else struggle with titles? Sometimes it comes naturally, other times I'm like...I have never titled anything ever.

[trashpandafiction]

Thank You - One Shot

Summary: (#30 on this prompt list. ) A rainy day with your roommate and best friend, Adam, turns into a bit more. Pairings: Adam Sackler x Reader Word Count: 1,250 A/N: I am terrible at summaries. This is purely self-indulgent because I am trash for Adam Driver and wanted to write something involving him.

Please do not repost or redistribute my work! Reblogs are welcome!

It had been pouring rain all day, so your plans to go shopping sounded less fun than they had when you made them. Instead, you threw on your favorite pair of joggers and a long-sleeve shirt that you stole from your roommate and best friend, Adam. Your plan was to order delivery, watch your favorite guilty pleasure shows, and maybe do something creative, but you’d only do it from the comfort of the couch.

          You had gotten situated on the large sectional and just grabbed the remote when you heard the front door opening, followed by a groan. Looking over, you saw Adam in a soaking wet jacket, his hair dripping, and a plastic bag in each of his hands.

          “Why didn’t you drive?” you asked him.

          “I did. This was just from the trip from my car into the building.” he replied, kicking his shoes off.

          “Why don’t you go get changed? I’ll put your clothes in the dryer.” You said, standing up from the couch.

          He set the bags he was holding on the counter and shrugged out of his jacket and jeans, right in the entryway. “Don’t look in those bags yet.” He said before going down the hall to the bathroom.

          “Noted.” You chuckled softly as you grabbed his discarded clothes and headed to the laundry room to get them in the dryer.

          Adam came behind you and put his jeans and shirt inside the dryer with his other clothes and a towel. “Have you eaten?”

          “Not yet, I was thinking about ordering something.” You replied, getting the dryer started. “What are you hungry for?”

          “Order whatever you want. Pizza?” he replied, slowly walking backwards out of the room.

          “Pizza’s good.” You nodded, following him out of the room.

          You followed him into the living room and sat back down on the couch, grabbing your phone so you could order pizza. It came about forty-five minutes later, and you both ate while watching a rerun of Law and Order. After you both cleaned everything up, Adam grabbed the bag from the counter and brought it over to the coffee table. He set it down and sat next to you, gesturing to the bag.

          “What?” you asked.

          “Open it.” He said.

          You looked at the bag and then back at him. “Is it gonna jump out at me or something?”

          “No, nothing like that, just open it.” He shook his head.

          You leaned forward and opened the bag, looking inside carefully. You pulled out adult coloring books, markers, colored pencils, and crayons. Then you pulled out your favorite snacks and two puzzles. “What’s all this for?” you asked, turning to look at him.

          “I know you said you were supposed to shop, but I know that whenever it pours like this, you like to stay home.” He shrugged.

          “Adam, you didn’t have to get me all of this.” You smiled.

          “I know. Technically it’s not all for you though, I already claimed this one.” He said, grabbing one of the coloring books.

          You watched him as he moved to the floor between the couch and the coffee table, wasting no time opening the markers and pencils. “You’re staying home on a Saturday night to color with me and do puzzles?”

          “Why’s that so hard to believe?” he asked and looked up at you. “Come on.”

          You smiled, shaking your head as you moved to sit next to him. “Adam, this is…thank you.” You nudged his arm gently.

          “You’re welcome.” He said and nudged you back.

          The two of you colored before switching to the sketchbook and trying to draw the strangest monster you could both come up with. While you did so, you chatted about a little bit of everything, joking, and discussing deeper topics. After finishing a page in your coloring book, you leaned back and watched him, he was taking his time with a drawing, and you couldn’t help but smile.

          He looked over at the pile of markers and noticed you watching him, so he looked at you. “What?”

          “Nothing.” You shrugged. “This just means a lot to me. I know it’s not a huge thing, but it still means a lot.”

          “Well, you mean a lot to me so making you happy is a mutually good time.” He said and picked up a marker.

          It caught you off guard. You both were close, and you were sure there were mutual feelings between you two, but neither of you acted on it. “You mean a lot to me too, Adam, and I love you.” You smiled.

          “I love you too.” He said and began coloring another spot on his coloring page.

          “I’m gonna find a way to pay you back for this, you know.” You said and started coloring a spot on your coloring page.

          “You already have.” He shrugged.

          “How?” you asked and looked over at him. You both did plenty for each other, that’s what friends did. He watched terrible horror movies with you, you took him to auditions and listened to his rants when they didn’t go well. Neither of you felt obligated to, you just did it. But this seemed like a special circumstance.

          “I had nothing to live for, but then you came into my life. So, thank you.” He deadpanned, looking at the markers to pick another one.

          You looked at him and smiled some. “Yeah right.” He said it so nonchalantly, you thought he was joking. “Are you serious?”

          “Yeah.” He said and looked over at you.

          He wasn’t joking about this. “Adam…”

          “I’m serious.” He said.

          You didn’t know what to say to him, so you pushed the coffee table back gently and knelt in front of him. “You never told me that.”

          “Well, I didn’t know how you’d feel about how I feel about you.” He shrugged.

          “What if I felt the same way about you?” You asked softly.

          He looked up at you, tapping a marker against your knee gently. “How do we feel?”

          “Like there’s something more than friendship here.” You said. Maybe it was the cozy feeling of the night, or maybe it was him being vulnerable with you, but it felt like the time to get everything out in the open. “Is that how you feel?”

          He sat up and put his hand on the side of your neck, his thumb running along your jaw. “I don’t have arts and crafts night with just anyone.”

          You smiled and leaned into his touch. “Aren’t I special?” you teased.

          “I guess.” He teased back.

          “Is this gonna make things different between us?” you asked him, your hands resting on his chest.

          “I hope so.” He nodded, leaning in slowly.

          “Me too.” You whispered, leaning in to close the space between you.

          He pressed his lips against yours, his hand moving to the back of your neck to bring you closer to him. You moved your hand to his collar, holding it gently as you kissed him back. It was like a weight had been lifted between you.

          You broke the kiss slowly to take a breath, smiling as he kissed along your jaw. “Thank you.”

          “For what?” he asked and looked up at you, his free hand moving to rest on your hip.

          You didn’t know how to put your feelings into words. “Everything.”

          He nodded and kissed you gently. “Thank you, too.” He kissed you again and then looked up at you. “I’m still gonna win our monster drawing contest.” He grinned.

[trashpandafiction]

But consider this.

A fic where OFC is forced into witness protection or some sort of protection and who has to babysit her? Jubal Valentine.

I think I have a problem.

[trashpandafiction]

This post got 2 notes so I'm gonna go ahead with this story, even if 2 people (and myself) are the only readers.

Gonna plan the plot a bit more and then begins my descent into Jeremy Sisto madness.

[trashpandafiction]

We Survive (9)

Summary: What happens when the Behavioral Analysis Unit comes across a situation they weren’t trained for? When the dead begin to roam the Earth, it challenges the BAU to something they’ve never dealt with before: the apocalypse. Along their journey for survival, they come across Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. Among the survivors is Jocelynn Russo, who thinks that the new group could be helpful to them. Things seem to go well until an unexpected enemy appears. Will Negan and the Saviors be the one thing to break the groups, or will they be able to defend themselves? All anyone knows is they have one common goal; to survive. Pairings: Rick Grimes/OFC Word Count: 3,288 Warnings: Mentions of blood and violence I guess? I never know how to warn things. A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this story! Sorry I've been slacking on updates. :) If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit intact.

Nine - The Run

          In the days after the group dinner, the BAU team truly began to feel like part of Alexandria. After a week, they were even helping on runs which made them feel like Rick was finally trusting them. Jocelynn felt even better about that because it meant that she had made a good decision to bring them in and that she could be seen as more of a co-leader than she had before. The group dinners even continued with alternating cooks depending on the night.

          Two weeks after the group dinner, Jocelynn sat in the living room of city hall with Rick, Eugene, Abraham, Hotch, Daryl, and Michonne to talk about what Eugene and Abraham had found on a recent run.

          “So, you’re saying you found a factory?” Rick asked, arms crossed over his chest.

          Eugene nodded. “Yes, a factory that would make our less than stellar ammo situation into an over-abundance of such. Problem is that factory owns the machinery needed to make more ammo, and it would be more than impossible to bring the machinery back to base camp.” 

          “Then there’s no point in going to the factory if we’ll just need the machines to make the bullets.” Daryl said.

          Rick ran a hand over the bottom half of his face, listening to both men. “The machines aren’t going anywhere. If we can get it running, we could just go to the factory and make the bullets there, then transport the ammunition we make back here, right?”

          “If it’s safe enough, we could make an outpost there to try and cut down on the back and forth.” Michonne added.

          “Another small pothole in the road to success is that I did not have the time to assess Ol’ Bessie to see if she was indeed in working order. I would need to go to the factory again and see what we’re dealing with.” Eugene spoke.

          “I told him it was a pointless trip, if the thing ain’t runnin’ then we wasted more man hours and resources.” Abraham added.

          “But if it is running, that would be a gold mine.” Jocelynn said. “We’d never have to worry about ammo again if it works.”

          “If the thing’s runnin’ are you even sure you could use it?” Daryl asked.

          “It seemed to be a simple enough set-up that one could most likely decode with some observation and perhaps trial and error.” Eugene answered.

          “We don’t have time for trial and error, doc.” Abraham scoffed.

          “How far is it?” Rick asked.

          “Ten to fifteen minutes tops. I believe, were I presented with a map, I could point out where said gold mine is.” Eugene replied.

          “It can’t hurt to check it out. How many people do you think you’d need with you?” Rick asked.

          “I would most enjoy having at least two people, one to keep watch, and one to help with any heavy lifting that may be involved.” Eugene shrugged.

          “With all due respect, I’m not interested in going on some fool’s errand.” Abraham said.

          “I’ll go with him.” Jocelynn said.

          Rick looked over at her, his instinct wanting to tell her no, but he knew that she could hold her own. “Who else would you take with you then?”

          “I’ll go with.” Hotch said, speaking up for the first time. “I could bring Reid too. He’s quick on his feet and has probably read a book or two about old machines.”

          “Daryl, you go too. Can’t hurt to have an extra pair of hands if this thing works.” Rick added. Having Daryl along would help him feel a little more at ease about letting Jocelynn go.

          “Fine.” Daryl agreed.

          “You can all go tomorrow morning then. Eugene, you can show Spencer the map and where this place is. Hotch, you, and Daryl can get any weapons you’ll need and then you’ll all be set.” Rick said.

          The men all agreed before heading out of the house to get their work done, leaving Jocelynn and Rick alone.

          “How come you didn’t offer to go with?” she asked him, standing up from the couch.

          He looked at her and shrugged, “I trust that you’ll all be safe.”

          “Uh-huh. Is that because you sent Daryl?” she asked him.

          “You don’t trust me at all, do you?” he asked with a quirked brow.

          “You’re gonna feel pretty ridiculous when we get back tomorrow and I’m completely unharmed.” she teased. She knew why he got so protective of her; it was the same reason she got worried about him when he was out. But it still got on her nerves at times.

          “Well, when that happens, you can tell me you told me so all you want, deal?” he smiled.

          “I’m holding you to it.” She smiled back.

          “Go get back to work and quit goofin’ off with your neighbor.” He said, trying to keep a straight face.

          “Quit distracting yours.” She quipped as she headed out the door to finish her day.

          The next morning, Daryl was on his bike waiting for the others to show. Eugene came next, followed by Hotch and Spencer, and Jocelynn was the last one to show up.

          “I’m thinking we can just take the sedan again unless anyone wants to share a ride with Daryl.” She joked, earning a look from the man.

          Eugene got into the passenger’s seat of the sedan while Spencer got into the back with Hotch. Jocelynn got into the driver’s seat and started the car up before pulling out of the gates with Daryl behind her. She listened to Eugene’s directions to the factory while having some small talk with Hotch and Spencer.

          “Turn left up here.” Eugene interrupted. “We have to park in the front and walk around the building to the backside where there is a sizable hole in the perimeter fencing.” He added.

          She parked the car behind an overturned semi-truck trailer and got out with everyone else while Daryl pulled up behind the car and turned his bike off. Everyone looked around to make sure no one else was around before Daryl spoke up.

“Lead the way.” He said, looking at Eugene.

          He led the group around to the side of the building where there was a fairly large gap in the chain link fence. “It’s through here, down the side of the building and in the back entrance. The door is rotted out in places from forces unknown, causing it to stay open.” He explained.

          Daryl ducked through the gap and then headed in, looking around a bit before looking back at the group and pulling the fence open a bit more. Hotch came in, holding the other side of the fence so Eugene could come in, followed by Spencer and Jocelynn. Daryl led the way down the side of the building and around the corner to the open door.

          “Stay out here.” He said to the group before heading inside. He saw an old bucket sitting on a counter, so he nudged it, causing a large sound. If any walkers were inside the building, they would be alerted and come towards the sound. After a few moments of silence, he looked out at the group and nodded.

          Jocelynn headed inside with the group and looked up at Eugene. “Where are we going now?”

          “The work room is on the other side of those large gray doors.” he said.

          Daryl led the way to the doors, opening them before looking inside at the large machines and the various shelves of supplies and tools. He did a sweep of the room and then looked at Jocelynn. “I’m gonna head upstairs and see if there’s anything else I can grab.” He said.

          She nodded. “Okay. Just be careful.”

          “If you run into trouble, signal me.” He said before heading up a metal staircase to look for more items they could use.

          Jocelynn looked at Eugene and Spencer. “Guess you two are up.” She said with a small smile. “Hotch and I will keep watch while you two do what you need to.” She said.

          Spencer nodded and walked around the large machines, making notes of how they were set up. Eugene followed suit, looking around to see how they could get the machines up and running. Jocelynn and Hotch stood at the entrances of the room to stand guard. After a few minutes, Eugene and Spencer had found the control panel for the machine.

          “Are we okay to get this up and running?” Spencer asked.

          Jocelynn looked up and walked over. “I think so. Any walkers that would be in here would have come out by now.” She said.

          Eugene gave a nod before trying to get it up and running. After a bit of groaning metal noises, silence filled the room again. “I suppose there could be a jam in the innards of the machine.” He said.

          Spencer walked around, making some mental notes. “Making the actual bullet shouldn’t require a machine; in fact, if we can figure out how to melt lead, and could get enough spent casings, we could do it ourselves.”

          “There is an oven in the first room we were in that, I imagine, is equipped with heat levels of the bullet making sort. If we can get that running, we’ll be hunky dunky.” Eugene said.

          Jocelynn looked at him and nodded. “Right. Then we can still set up an outpost and just use the oven and the bullet molds.” She shrugged a bit.

          Hotch looked at her, nodding after a moment. “Let’s check the oven first and then we’ll figure out where to go from there.”

          The group headed back into the first room and looked at the large machine in the back corner. Spencer and Eugene headed over to check and see if it was working. As they worked on it, Daryl looked at Jocelynn.

          “I’m gonna close that room up from the other side. I’ll find another way out to the lot so we can keep anyone else out.” He explained.

          “Okay, we’ll meet you back out by the car.” She said before he walked into the other room and shut the doors behind him.

          Hotch looked around the room and made sure that the room was clear before he headed over to where Eugene and Spencer were checking out the machine. Spencer looked at it and tried getting it running. After a few sputters, the machine fired up for a moment, but stopped shortly after. As he moved around to the back of the machine to see what could be causing the issue, he noticed three walkers, partially covered in molten metal, coming from around the back of the machine.

          “Walkers.” He said, wanting to alert the others.

          Eugene grabbed his machete and headed towards the walkers, only for his blade to make a loud CLANG against the walker’s head. He stepped backwards, the two walkers following him.

          Hotch came around and stood in front of him, kicking the walker so it stumbled back. With the metal casings on their heads, it was impossible to stop them for good before they could get to any of the group members. “Spencer, get what information you need, we’ll keep them back.”

          Spencer headed to the other side of the machine, assessing what needed to be fixed on the machine.

          Jocelynn made a quick decision, grabbed her gun, and shot the walkers in the legs. It wouldn’t kill them, but it would slow them down. “Hotch, get Eugene back to the car, I’ll wait for Spencer.” She said.

          Hotch hesitated before taking Eugene out of the building and getting him to the car where Daryl was running to his bike after hearing the bullets.

          “Where are they?” he asked.

          “They’re right behind us.” Hotch promised.

          It only took a moment for Spencer to get what he needed, and he immediately ran to Jocelynn and headed out the door with her. As they stepped out of the building, a walker from behind the building grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall face first onto the ground.

          “Shit.” She mumbled, trying to wiggle free as the walker began to pull itself towards her. She used her free foot to keep its face back so it wouldn’t be able to bite her.

          Spencer aimed his gun and when she had its head held still enough with her foot, he shot it in the head. He grabbed her hand and helped her up, “Are you okay?” he asked.

          “Fine. Those shots are drawing them out.” She said, taking his hand and running to the fence with him.

          The two made it out of the fence and to the car, shaken up, but alright.

          Daryl looked at them both, crossbow drawn, “Y’alright?” he asked.

          She nodded. “Yeah, we’re fine. We need to go; they’re coming for the shots.”

          Hotch got into the driver’s seat of the car while Daryl got onto his bike. Eugene was in the passenger’s seat and Jocelynn climbed into the backseat with Spencer. Hotch followed Daryl down the road back to Alexandria. Once they cleared the factory, he glanced in the mirror at Spencer and spoke up.

          “Did you get what you needed?” he asked.

          Spencer looked up and nodded. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll get things written up when we get back.”

          The drive back seemed to go by much quicker than the drive to the factory did, and it was much quieter. When the gates of Alexandria opened, Daryl pulled in and parked, letting Hotch pull in behind him. When the engine was off, everyone piled out of the car, still a little shaken up. As soon as Spencer and Jocelynn got out, she walked around to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

          He was taken back by the gesture at first but returned the hug.

          “Thank you.” She said and pulled back to look up at him. “You saved my life back there.”

          “You’re stronger than you think, you probably could have handled it.” He said, a bit sheepish about being called a hero of any sort.

          “Maybe I could have, maybe not. I’m just glad I didn’t have to find out.” She said with a small smile.

          “I should probably go write up the instructions. I’m glad you’re alright.” He replied before giving her a tight-lipped smile and heading off towards the BAU house.

          Daryl came over to make sure everyone was okay before heading off to find Rick. Hotch looked over at Jocelynn and smiled some.

          “He’s not used to compliments or being thanked.” He said.

          “Well, he should start.” She said and laughed softly.

          “Are you sure you’re alright? That was a close call back there.” He said softly.

          “Yeah, just a little shaky. I’m gonna go get cleaned up.” She said and looked down at her dirty jeans and shirt, and the scrapes on her hands.

          “I can walk you if you’d like.” He offered.

          “I’m alright, really. I think the walk home will clear my head.” She said and smiled some. “I’ll see you later.”

          Before he could respond, she was already walking to her house. When she got inside, she took her boots off and went to the kitchen to clean her hands up. She definitely needed a shower, and she figured the alone time would be good for her to clear her head but also to figure out what she was going to tell Rick. She had made it up two stairs when there was a knock, followed by the front door opening.

          “Joce?” Rick called before he saw her on the stairs. “What happened out there?”

          She turned to face him and shrugged as she stepped back down. “Nothing happened.”

          “Don’t lie to me.” He said.

          “It was nothing. We had some trouble with a few walkers and on the way out, one grabbed my ankle. Spence took it out and then we got out of there.” She shrugged. Saying it out loud made it seem like less of a big deal to her, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on Rick.

          “Daryl said you all cleared the place before you went in, how’d you have walkers?” he asked, his hands on his hips.

          She let out a sigh before she answered. “There were some inside that got covered in metal so we couldn’t take them out. I shot their legs so they’d slow down and that must have drawn some in from outside.” She explained.

          “You know the shots call them out, Jocelynn.” He scolded.

          “I’m not stupid, Rick. I made a judgement call and it worked, we all got out of there just fine.” She argued.

          “Then why did you make such a stupid decision? If Spencer wasn’t there...” He started, his voice rising.

          She stepped towards him as he raised his voice, “Well he was and I didn’t get bit, did I?”

          He matched her stance and stepped closer to her. “How am I supposed to feel comfortable letting you out on runs if you’re making stupid decisions?”

          “Don’t you dare think for a second that you control me or let me do anything. If you did control me, I’d never be able to leave this place, would I?” she asked.

          “Damn right.” He spat.

          She looked at him and shook her head. She didn’t even know what to say to him.

          He ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Joce, I’m not trying to control you or keep you prisoner here, I’m trying to keep you safe.”

          “You have a funny way of showing it. Why don’t you worry about anyone else as much as you worry about me?” she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

          “Because I care about you.” He said, putting his hands back on his hips.

          “You care about everyone else too so that’s not an answer.” She quirked a brow.

          “I care about everyone here but…it’s different with you.” he said, looking at the floor for a moment.

          “So, what is it then? Do you just not trust me?” she asked.

          “You know I trust you.” He said, looking back up at her.

          “Do you? You can’t keep treating me like I’m made of glass just because of one run that went wrong.” She countered.

          “It’s not just because of the run, Jocelynn.” He said again.

          “Then what is it?” she asked him, her hands moving to her hips.

          Instead of giving her an answer, Rick closed the gap between them, holding her face between his hands and pressing his lips against hers in a firm kiss. She was completely caught off guard at first, but she moved her hands to hold his wrists gently, returning the kiss. Having Jocelynn return the kiss ignited whatever he had been feeling towards her even more. He parted his lips, letting his tongue graze her lips, asking for permission. Her lips parted to accept the invitation, one hand moving to the side of his neck to bring him closer. The moment their tongues touched, something snapped in him and he pulled away from her, stepping back and putting his hand over his mouth.

          She looked up at him, a bit breathless and worried that she had done something wrong.

          “I shouldn’t have done that.” he said softly. “I’m sorry, Joce.”

          “What?” was all she could think of saying. Maybe he was caught up in the moment and didn’t mean to or want to kiss her.

          “We shouldn’t have done that.” He added. He rubbed the back of his neck before shaking his head. “I’m gonna go. I’m sorry.”

          “Rick…” she started, watching as he walked out of the house shutting the door behind him.

          What had just happened?