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It had been a very long few days at the BAU, they’ve been chasing a sadistic sociopath who goes around murdering families in the dead of night, making the children watch before killing them last and up till today they haven’t had any leads until they found her.
A little girl probably no older than 7, hiding in the kitchen cupboard of the latest crime scene. Now back at the bullpen Emily and JJ have been trying everything they can to get the young girl to talk but absolutely nothing seems to be working. She's scared to death of every small noise and bump making her hide, she won’t eat or even drink water she just sits and stares at the ground silently.
JJ softly whispers to Emily, “I don’t know what else to do Em, we can’t get anything from her while she's in this state and I don’t feel comfortable handing her over to child services.”
Emily hums her gaze never leaving the small girl, “Unless she says anything we have to honey.”
The blonde sighs running a hand through her tangled hair, “I know it just doesn’t feel right, what if we-” she's cut off from her phone ringing, she looks down and smiles seeing its Theodore and she softly picks up, “Hey honey I can’t talk right now we’re in the middle of a case.”
Theodore quickly responds, his smooth southern tone apologetic, “I’s sorry sugar I’s just checkin’ on you and Em.”
JJ goes to respond but pauses noticing the small girl looking at the phone, she looks over at Emily seeing if she notices as well and the brunette nods. The blonde then puts the phone on speaker testing something. “We’re doing alright, we just ran into a bit of a brick wall.”
His deep hum sparks through the phone softly responding, “I's sorry darling, hopefully it clearin’ up soon.”
As soon as his voice hits the air the little girl comes out from hiding her gaze still glued to the phone and JJ smiles looking at Emily. She then takes the phone off speaker before exiting the room. “Theo are you doing anything right now?”
He quickly responds, sensing something is wrong, “Nawh, what ya needin’ sugar?"
JJ smiles, “Could you possibly come to the bureau? I think you are the answer to our problem.”
Theodore hums a bit of confusion lacing his tone, “Uh yessim i’s bein’ ‘ere ina chunk sweetheart.”
The blonde grins before responding, “Thank you honey I'll explain when you get here, I love you.” She receives a quick “Love ya too sugar” before she hangs up and she immediately gathers the rest of the team and tells them the plan.
After receiving sceptical approval from Hotch and telling Emily, they bring the young girl into JJ’s office since it's a bit quieter.
Theodore quickly arrives walking into the bullpen and Emily pulls him just outside JJ’s office and tells him about the young girl.
He listens intently before softly asking, “An y’all thinkin’ she talkin’ ta me? What if I’s mindin’ her of ‘ere killer an’ that why she perkin’ up?”
The brunette quickly shakes her head, “No she would’ve reacted badly if that were the case, I think your voice resembles someone she knows. Are you willing to try?”
The younger man nods slowly, "I’s willin’ ta try.” Emily then softly kisses him before leading him into JJ’s office.
They see the young girl hiding behind the small couch watching JJ wearily as the blonde sits behind her desk. JJ looks at Theodore smiling and nodding towards the girl, he takes a deep breath before sitting on the floor just next to the couch and softly smiling at the young girl.
“Hey ‘ere sugar pie.” The young girl peaks out from behind the couch, her body language seemingly shifting from its high alert state.
Theodore smiles softly before continuing to speak, “I’s Theodore but you’s can call me Teddy, it's what my mama an’ sissy do.”
The girl slowly makes her way out from behind the couch and crawls over to Theodore stopping a few inches from him and just staring at him, taking in his soft welcoming green eyes and bright tattoos that cover his skin.
He notices this and smiles, “You know all’em havin’ a story er meanin’ ‘hind ‘em, you’s likin’ colorin’ an’ art?”
The young girl slightly nods her head and both Emily and JJ cover their mouths silencing their gasps, this is the first time she has responded to anything.
Theodore holds out his arms softly letting the girl see the artwork adorning them, “I’s also likin’ colorin’, ya wan’ know somethin’ cool?”
The girl nods again more confident this time and the young man grins, “I’s designin’ all’em, I’s ‘fessional artist, pretty cool right?”
The young girl's eyes widen in awe and she quietly whispers a strong southern accent adorning every word, “You’s made all ’em yerself Teddy?”
Theodore feels his heart melt at the small words and he nods smiling, “Yessim you’s wantin’ me ta draw you’s somethin’?”
The little girl hesitates, then nods again, small, careful, like she’s afraid the movement itself might break something.
“Alrigh’,” Theodore says softly, keeping his voice low and steady. “How ‘bout you’s tellin’ me yer favorite animal, sugar pie.”
She thinks for a long moment, eyes flicking once toward Emily and JJ, then back to him. “Horses,” she whispers. “My daddy… he used ta take me ridin’.”
Theodore’s smile doesn’t falter, but Emily sees the way his jaw tightens for just a split second. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pen, then gently taps the carpet. “Mind if I’s drawin’ righ’ ‘er?”
She scoots closer, close enough that her knee brushes his arm, and shakes her head.
As he starts sketching, the lines quick and confident, he talks, about growing up, about learning to draw on napkins and any pieces of paper he could find, about his Mama and Taytum. His voice fills the room without crowding it, wrapping around her like a blanket.
Slowly, impossibly, the girl settles. She sits cross-legged now, leaning forward to watch the picture take shape.
When he finishes, he turns the page toward her. A horse mid-stride, mane flying, eyes kind.
Her breath catches. She reaches out with one finger, tracing the lines without touching the ink. “She’s runnin’,” she murmurs.
“Mhm,” Theodore hums. “But she ain’t runnin’ scared now. She runnin’ free.”
The girl swallows. Her shoulders slump, just a little, like she’s finally tired enough to stop holding herself up.
After a quiet moment, she asks, “You’s promise you’s ain’t gon’ be mad at me?”
JJ freezes. Emily’s heart drops into her stomach.
Theodore answers without hesitation, his voice cracking slightly. “No, ma’am. Ain’t nothin’ you’s tellin’ me that makin’ me mad at ya. Not ever, ya hear.”
Silence stretches. Then quietly, “She makin’ me watch,” the girl whispers. “Said if I’s scream she hurt my baby brother.” Her hands twist in the hem of her shirt. “She smellin’ like gas, an’ flowers. An’ she hummin’ when she did ‘erythin’.”
JJ feels herself fill with rage as the little girl continues to describe everything that happened, about how she watched both her parents and then her little brother be slaughtered in front of her; how she only escaped because she vanished into the cupboard.
Emily steps closer to the door, signaling Hotch that she was opening up.
Theodore stays perfectly still. “You’s did real good,” he says gently. “You’s was real brave, ya hear?”
The girl finally looks up at him, tears spilling over now. “Is she gon’ come back?”
“Nawh, sugar pie,” he says, voice firm but kind. “My doneys ain’t gon’ let that happen.”
She leans forward suddenly, pressing her forehead into his shoulder. He wraps his arms around her without thinking, holding her like she weighs nothing at all.
Behind him, JJ wipes her cheeks, already relaying details into her phone. Emily watches Theodore, her Theo, grounding this shattered little soul with nothing but patience and warmth.
Later, when child services arrives and the girl, Grace, is finally drinking juice, clutching the drawing like a lifeline, JJ pulls Theodore into a fierce hug.
“You were perfect in there Theo,” she whispers. “She just needed to feel safe, and you did exactly that.”
Emily takes his hand, squeezing it hard. “You did more than that, you made her feel like she was going to be okay.”
Theodore exhales, emotion finally cracking through his calm. “She ‘mindin’ me of Taytum,” he admits quietly. “Same eyes, same quiet strength.”
Just before child services takes Grace away she breaks free and barrels into Theodore clutching onto him tightly. “Will I see ya ‘gain Teddy?”
He feels tears leave his eyes and he quickly wipes them away and leans down to her level, “Anytime sugar pie.” He then takes his business card out of his pocket and hands it to her.
She takes it carefully and smiles brightly, hugging him again before whispering in his ear, “Thank you Teddy, yer Doneys ‘er special just like you.”
Theodore smiles softly and whispers back, “Holler an’time ya hear.” He feels her nod softly against him before she pulls away and walks back to the child service worker.
As they watch Grace leave, walking a little steadier than before, Emily rests her head against his shoulder and JJ rubs his arm gently.
The case isn’t over yet, but for the first time in days, hope has finally found its way back into the bullpen.