Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 14

TW: bombings mentioned

Thud

My fist connects with the punching bag, the chains jingling as it swings.

Thud

Jab, cross, long hook.

The bag swings back towards me.

Front kick with my left, spinning around into a back kick with my right.

The chains clink as they collide.

I'm facing the bag again, my fists flying in my white gloves.

Jab, jab, cross. Right hook. Slip left. Right thrust, left short hook.

I'm in the FBI Academy gym. First floor of our building. The room is empty and quiet, save for my heavy breathing.

I hear the shrill sound of a ringing phone from my duffel. Breathing deeply, I stop the swinging bag with my hands. Pulling my right glove off I pick up the phone and flip it open. "D'angelo," I say as I try to catch my breath.

"It's me."

I pull my other glove off. "Hey, JJ. Don't tell me."

"Yeah," she says with a sigh. "Florida."

"Oh, great," I say sarcastically.

I hear her laugh softly on the other end. "Be here in ten?"

"I'm downstairs, I'll be there in five." I say goodbye and hang up.

I throw my gloves into the bag and open my phone slightly so it's hooked on my waistband, then grab a towel and my water bottle as I debate whether or not I should change. 

Nah, I'll wait until after the round table. Can't be late.

Packing my things, I clip my badge next to my phone. I leave my holster in the duffel and stick the gun in the back of my waistband. I'm wearing a black, sleeveless, high-neck crop top that exposes about four inches of my abdomen. My leggings are black with grey stripes running down the sides. I spar bar foot, now bending down to tie on my silver sneakers.

As I exit the gym I sling the duffel over my shoulder and pull my hair out of its ponytail. I brush it back with my free hand as it falls into my face.

I look up to see a young woman watching me. She wears an FBI Academy track jacket and her light brown hair is pulled back in a braid. My gaze climbs up her body until I reach her eyes. Light blue. We both smile and she looks away, blushing.

I approach the elevator and step inside, the button labeled 6 glowing after I press it.

When the elevator arrives at the floor I walk towards the office, pulling open the glass doors. I drop my bag at my desk before entering the conference room. JJ, Morgan, Reid, and Elle are already there.

"Hey," I say casually, dropping into one of the chairs.

No one answers.

"Um, hello?" I look up to find all of them looking right at me. I smirk. "What."

Reid quickly looks away as JJ goes back to distributing the files. "Nothing," she says with a shrug and a smile.

Elle just stares. I don't mind.

I'm leaning back in the chair with my feet up on the table, my abs fully exposed. The file in my hands rests against my knees. I don't bother moving as Morgan's eyes pass over my body.

"Hey, hot shot. You okay over there?"

He finally brings his eyes up to meet mine. "Want a sparring partner?" he asks with a lopsided grin on his face.

I smirk. "Come on, Morgan. I would put you on the mat."

"Only one way to find out."

I laugh. "Next time."

He moves to sit down in the chair across from me.

Elle's still standing on the other side of the room, her eyes on my body. Well, not my body. She's looking higher than that. Just beneath my eyes... my lips. She's staring at my lips. In response, I bite my bottom lip and pull it between my teeth as color rises in her cheeks.

She breaks out of the trance as Gideon and Hotch enter the room. Walking around them, she sits to my right.

Upon entering, Hotch looks at me and raises an eyebrow. "We catch you at a bad time?"

"Not at all," I reply.

He looks at my feet on the table and then back to my eyes. My mouth forms a sideways smile as I pull my feet down and sit up in my seat, putting the file in front of me.

"JJ?" Hotch asks.

We dive into the case.

Three bombs. Suburban neighborhood in Palm Beach, Florida. One woman killed, two men injured.

"They've found most of the bomb and are sending it over. It should get here soon," JJ says.

Hotch looks across the table. "Morgan, I want you on that. You'll be staying here while the rest of us go south."

Morgan nods. "Skipping out on the heat and getting to stay here with Garcia? Sure thing."

I smile slightly at the grin on his face.

"There's something else," Hotch continues. "The bombs haven't been reconstructed, but they share similarities with the work of a previous unsub. Adrian Bale."

I look up quickly. "He's in prison," I say, an edge to my voice.

"Yes, he is," Gideon sighs. "We've got a copycat."

---

We wrap up the briefing and plan on taking off in half an hour. I grab my go bag and head to the bathroom to change out of my workout clothes. Elle follows me into the room.

"Hey, D'angelo?"

I turn, surprised, not noticing she was behind me. I frown inwardly when she uses my last name. Then immediately tell myself to get a grip.

"Yeah, what's up?" I sit my duffle bag next to the sink as I stand beside the counter, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Who's Adrian Bale?" she asks curiously.

Oh. Right. I take a deep breath, unsure how to start. "You know how there was an opening on the team?"

She nods.

"Do you know why there was an opening?"

This time she shakes her head. "I just assumed someone left."

"Not exactly." I turn to face the bathroom stalls, my hips leaning against the counter. Elle moves to stand beside me.

"This guy, Adrian Bale. Our team took him down. Specifically, Gideon. They set up a strike in Boston. Everything was going well—they talked him down, arrested him. Agents were sweeping the house when the bomb went off."

I take a deep breath, hints of vanilla and lavender in the air sending my head spinning. "We lost six agents. One of them was Daniels, who was on our team. I'm not sure Gideon ever really recovered."

"That's why there was an opening." Her voice is somber, soft.

I nod, even though I know it wasn't a question.

I feel her arm shift as she reaches for my hand, then decides against it. "Were you close?" she asks instead.

"Not really. But losing that many agents..." I trail off as I shake my head. "But it's in the past now. And the plane is leaving in twenty minutes, with or without us," I try to crack a smile.

She stands there watching me for a few moments before realizing that I meant to change. "Oh, sorry. I'll just, uh, I–"

"I'll see you on the plane, Elle," I say with a light laugh.

She smiles before turning to leave. She reaches the door and hesitates. I know I'm staring at her, but I don't care. She leaves without another word.