Chapter Eleven / Beachwood's Addiction

Season One / Episode Thirteen Pt 1

     Birthdays were always a fickly thing to Monica Choung. She often blamed it on the fact that most of her childhood was spent in the shadow of her identical twin, the popular and well-liked version of herself. It was bound to bring the isolation as all of Veronica's friends would cheer wildly for their friend, and then give scarce claps for her sister. It's not like she minded at the time – Veronica was still her best friend despite their subtle differences and that was all that matter to her. There were things that she knew that Monica would tell no one else. Heck, Veronica even saved her for their yearbook photos. Monica had slept in, attempting to juggle an after-school shift, extra studies, and a training course at the hospital for wannabe doctors. Veronica, seeing the effort her twin was putting in, did not wake her up but instead packed another outfit just so Monica could get the hours of sleep she so desperately needed. The Choung twins would forever love each other. But it didn't mean that birthdays were bad and often ended with her crying in the bathroom while that group of girls played some party game. That was just the normal for sixteen years of her life. Luckily for her due to her academic knowledge, she was able to graduate high school and move to college at sixteen with the permission of her parents. Since that moment, birthdays impressed ever-so-slightly but not enough for it to become a major deal.

     She awoke on the day of her birthday, luckily been given an extra hour to sleep in from Hotch because the team stayed late due to a case. Her day went as usual; Sudoku while having a smoke and the music from the radio played in the living room. The only difference was the cardboard box on the kitchen bench, a birthday parcel from her twin in Billings, Montana. Monica placed it on top of her bed as she got dressed for work, reminding herself to open it when she got home. When she arrived at Quantico, her coffee was on her desk as usual from Anderson yet with a small pink box aside it. Monica furrowed her eyebrows as she sat in her chair, bringing the sweet coffee to her lips as she held up the box. Happy Birthday with a little heart was drawn onto a sticky note, and when she lifted the flap up, she saw a bakery cupcake. Opening it up quickly, Monica smiled as she dipped a finger into the icing and licked it off her finger when she heard the tapping of heels behind her. By the time she turned around in her chair, she saw Garcia waving her over. Confused, Monica trailed after her down the halls to her technology-filled office.

     "Okay, so I don't want you to think I am creepy because I am not." Garcia started off, a wide grin on her face that made her cheeks flush red and eyes crinkle. She looked like an angel as she fiddled with a fluffy pink pen, "But I stalked your file and everything when you joined our team, it's like... My job, okay?! But I noted down your birthday and so – Tada!"

     Garcia stepped to the side, allowing Monica to see the desk. Resting on a white plate was a lavender cake, white icing swirled perfectly to write happy birthday on top. Monica smiled until her cheeks hurt, pulling Garcia into a tight hug. The blonde gave a giggle as she wrapped her arms around the doctor, squeezing her tightly, "Happiest of birthdays to the newest member of the BAU!"

     "You're way too sweet for this world, Penelope Garcia." Monica mumbled into her ear, not letting go of the embrace. Perhaps Monica missed her sister too much because she typically was not a hugger. Yet, it was fine because they were torn apart by a knock on the door from Grant Anderson. A brief look between the roommates, and Monica instantly knew what was happening, "We have a case, don't we?"

     That's how she found herself sitting at the round table in the conference room, watching an interview between a detective and a father who had beat his son into a coma. Perhaps not the greatest birthday present one could ask for, but she paid little attention to the day now. The interview was a brief introduction into the case; the father having been drugged sometime before the crime took place, though he had no memory of anything since the drugging. The detective shed insight into the crime however, stating that he had taken a tire iron from the trunk and began beating his son.

     Hotch paused the video with the remote, turning around in his seat to look at the team, "This happened two days ago in Beachwood, New Jersey. Mr. Fisher had ingested LSD one afternoon and didn't come down until eighteen hours later."

     "The hospital reported six other patients who ingested LSD in the last 24 hours." JJ added to their Unit Chief, a frown on her face as she read from the file. She looked up, adding as a side thought, "The hospital called the CDC. The CDC called us."

     Morgan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, looking towards Elle who sat beside him, "So, a bunch of people got spiked. What makes it a BAU case?"

     "They each received 10 to 20 times the normal dose." Hotch grumbled bitterly.

     "That's enough to kill a small child."

     Elle looked across the table at Reid after his statement, "Or cause a grown man to kill one with a tire iron."

     "Of the seven victims, there was one death and one coma." JJ explained, quickly wanting to change the subject at Elle's poor attempt at a joke. Hotch handed her the remote for the TV, clicking an arrow button to change slide to a new video, "This from hospital security footage the same night Fisher lost it."

     When the video began playing, the room was instantly filled with loud conversations overlapping each other. Patients crashed into one another, attempting to be seen by a doctor before each other. The clamouring on screen in the hospital made Monica shake her head, a scoff in her voice as she said:

     "I don't miss working those days." Morgan looked over to her in confusion as the video stopped, the rest of the team paying attention to the brief conversation, "Working overtime is guaranteed in this line of work, but sometimes what you deal with... Well, it's not worth it."

     "It is if they were poisoned." Gideon whispered. Monica redirected her gaze to the senior agent, his eyes meeting hers and she gave a nod of her head in agreement.

     Half an hour the team all met at the BAU plane, Ajay already waiting for them with his co-pilot. Monica was having a small conversation with him – wanting to keep peace with her roommate's boyfriend when the rest of the team arrived. Five minutes later they were in the sky, each taking their own spot across the interior as they went over theories with the files in their laps. An old woman had been killed due to the dose of LSD; the drug making her delusional and she rushed into traffic. A young girl is in a coma, however the doctors at the point in time have limited knowledge of if she will make it or not. After a three-hour trip to get to Beachwood with the hour and a half plane ride to the hour car ride, Monica was bursting with energy to go to the hospital with Hotch and Gideon.

     As they walked through corridors, brief understanding thanks to the doctor, a man in a suit and a police badge on his belt began hurrying over to them. Hotch shared a look with the two other people in his chosen trio as the man held his hand out to him, "Detective Hanover, Beachwood P.D."

     "Agent Hotchner." Hotch responded, shaking his hand firmly. Pointing to the trio, he introduced them as Hanover held his hand out for them to shake, "This is Agent Gideon and Doctor Choung."

     "Thanks for coming down on such short notice." Hanover told them with an authoritative nod of his head, gesturing for them to follow him as he walked down the hospital corridors, "Doctors said he may have permanent brain damage. I've never seen anything like this."

     Hotch's face pulled into a frown, breaking from its relatively neutral expression, "Well, let's hope we can help."

    "Have you had a chance to review the victim's files?" Hanover quizzed the group, looking over his shoulders at the trio.

     "We're especially interested in talking to the boy's father." Gideon spoke up, the detective nodding his head in understanding. Gideon then pointed towards Monica, a firm smile on his face, "Choung, here, will talk to the mother."

     "We'd like to get a sense of why he turned violent. While the lab analyses the specific nature of the LSD he was dosed with, we'd like to get our own sense." Hotch justified when he noticed the growing confusion on the detective's face. Monica listened with interest, eyebrows raised at the almost Reid-like characteristic of information dumping, "Was it the drug itself or was it something else going on? And hopefully that can give us a little bit of a window into the motive of the offender."

     Hanover furrowed his eyebrows as he looked towards the doctor, "What's the mother got to do with it?"

     "She knows the man well enough to marry him. Whatever insights he doesn't give us into his lifestyle, she will have the answers too. Especially since the divorce." Monica explained, shrugging her shoulders in a casual motion before folding them over her black fitted shirt as she picked up her pace, "Besides, I believe she needs a little comfort right now. She has just lost her entire family."

     There was a moment of silence as Hanover thought over what Monica had just said, a look of sadness wavering over his face. She forgot how much harder it was for the police force – especially in a town where everyone seemed to have knowledge about everyone. When they reached the patient's room, Hanover stopped and pointed towards the two men, "Your suspect is in the psych ward."

     "Yeah, we'll keep it short." Gideon nodded his head thoughtfully, before looking towards Monica and giving her a reassuring smile, "Good luck, Choung."

     Monica Choung watched as Hotch and Gideon followed detective Hanover to the psych ward to talk to the father. She took a moment to watch them disappear from view before she turned around to look into the patient's room. The bed was positioned upright, giving a full view of the oxygen and IV lines connected to the little boy. His mouth was propped open with an oxygen tube, his eyes closed due to the comatose state. Bruises and wounds were scattered across his face from where the tire iron must have made contact. Monica felt her heart ache at the terror the boy must have felt as his father hit him repeatedly with a weapon – unaware of what truly was going on. The mother had a sombre look on her face as she clutched her child's hand tightly, staring at his face for any sign of life. She had hope, and Monica was glad she did.

     When she entered the room, the mother gave her a look of confusion until she viewed the FBI identification. A look of anger flickered across her face, until she sighed in defeat. Monica sat across from her, and after a few prompts to discuss her former husband, the doctor realised that the mother would not speak. Instead, Monica let her tell the story of Eric. A story of the little boy's life. Perhaps it wasn't the way she had wanted to spend her birthday, but as she heard little misadventures of the boy's life the more that Monica found herself smiling. It felt as if she was catching up with an old friend, that Eric was not even five feet away from her in a coma and a low chance of survival. When she got a vibration in her back pocket of her dress pants, Monica knew that it was time for her to go. As she got to her feet, the mother stopped her and gave a soft thank you. No words came from the doctor's mouth, none that would bring comfort as she went to find her team. She often wondered how she spent so long working in a hospital as her thoughts while with the FBI was nothing but pity.

     The entire BAU was waiting in the hallway next to a water fountain when Gideon came down to them. It appeared that Hotch did not sit in with Gideon for the interview, something about pressure and authority might make him snap. Gideon was frowning as he folded his arms, "He's raw, broken and seriously pissed off. Get anything from the mother?"

     "Nothing." Monica shook her head at the question, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at the senior agent, "But I am guessing he didn't hurt the son just to get back at her."

     "Not consciously, no. The rage was real, but understandable." Gideon trailed off, his eyebrows knitting together as he remembered the interview and every tiny piece of important details for the case. Monica would never cease to be amazed by the work persona of Jason Gideon, "And he never apologised. When he lost control, he didn't even say, 'Eric, I'm sorry.' He said, 'Eric, why'd this happen to you?' He never even confessed to hurting the kid."

     "So, the drugs tapped into the rage, but didn't cause it." Hotch said, slightly confused and Monica wondered if he meant to ask it as a question rather than a statement.

     Reid spoke up, raising his index finger to draw the conversation to him. Monica turned to face the young man, a look of interest on her face, "That's consistent with information we just received from the lab tox screens. They didn't find any trace of PCP or any other drug indicating the UnSub was intentionally trying to make people violent, but they did find traces of Rohypnol in all the victims."

     "When I worked in E.D. just out of med school, we dealt with a lot of cases that used Rohypnol." Monica grumbled in annoyance as memories of those late nights came through, yet she was forever grateful that her medical experience often seemed to have some insight into cases they were working. It made the doctor feel more useful than she thought she would, "It's a central nervous system depressant, mostly used as a date-rape drug. Those women who were drugged don't remember how it happened. One of the main side effects can be amnesia, which then would explain how none of our patients knew how they were poisoned."

     "We compared notes on the victims that we talked to. So far, there doesn't seem to be any pattern as to who got hit." Morgan explained from his experience working the case, leaning against a wall. He took a quick sip from the white plastic cup always found in hospitals, grimacing at the cold water before continuing, "Maybe the drugs themselves can explain what type of offender we're dealing with. A lot of kids are using LSD and Rohypnol these days. Fisher's a high school teacher."

     "So, it may be a prank after all."

     Hotch looked at Gideon, frowning once again, "Yeah, one that went horribly wrong."

     "You know what, I'm going to get a list of students from Fisher. Monica, want to come?" Elle said out of the blue as the BAU fell into silence. She slipped on the jacket she had taken off, eyeing the woman hopefully. When Monica nodded her head, the two women left the group with Elle calling over her shoulder, "See you later."

     Apparently getting a list of students for the high school was harder than expected even when they showed their ID to the man. It took minutes of convincing in vague words the importance of receiving a list from him, but he simply stared at them with a frowning face. Monica stood behind the seated Elle with her arms cross, before deciding to use the tactic of being teammates with Gideon to ease him into trust. It seemed to work, because when Elle received a call from Hotch explaining some new information they had gotten, Fisher was scribbling down a list of students who he has taught. About half-way through the list, Elle came back into the room with an apology and said they had to go. Monica, not knowing what else to tell Fisher, told him to continue finishing the list and she will collect it sometime today.

    The drive around Beachwood was pointless, Monica realised as she tightly gripped the steering wheel. They first went to the high school to check if Danny Wallace was in his class, yet the lady in reception (much to her annoyance, as she refused to share this knowledge with them for ten minutes) told him he wasn't at school today. Their next stop was the Wallace residence, where his father opened the door with a look of confusion to why his son was being searched for by FBI agents. Yet, Mr. Wallace just said that his son was in school. Monica shared a look with Elle, bid a goodbye before going to their final chance.

     "Hotch, we checked the high school and Wallace's house, but he is nowhere to be seen." Monica told her boss into the phone, her shoulder pressing the device into her ear as she used her hands to lock the rented SUV. She gave a quick glance around the area, "We're at his girlfriend's house right now."

     There was silence on the phone before a crackly, "Be careful."

     "With Elle around, we're safe. We will call you back if we get anything." Monica joked weakly before hanging up the cellphone, trailing after the named woman as she rang the doorbell. A few seconds past before the wooden door open, leaving the screen-door as a safeguard between the inside and outside world. It was a teenage girl, peering through the crack of her door with a look of confusion on her face at the two agents.

     "Samantha? We are with the FBI, can we come in to talk to you for a minute?" Elle spoke softly, in a similar tone to how she does with children. The two ladies held their identification cards up, holding it long enough for the teenager to read it. Hesitantly she unlocked the screen door, stepping to the side to let them in.

     Monica sat herself down on the furthest couch, while Elle sat aside Samantha. The girl pulled her legs onto the couch, curling herself into a ball as she ran the pendent over her necklace back and forth in front of her face. An anxiety trait. Monica looked around the area, giving her a soft smile as she asked, "Where are your parents, Samantha?"

     "Work." She responded quickly. Samantha bit her bottom lip, dropping her necklace as she looked between the two, "What do you want?"

     "Well, you didn't go to school today and neither did your boyfriend." Elle explained lightly, looking at her with a pity.

     "I'm sick." Samantha said almost too quickly, her hand subconsciously moving to her neck. Monica followed the movement as she rubbed at the skin, pulling down her sweater slightly to reveal the bruising. The doctor frowned as she looked over to Elle, but it did not take a genius to understand that Elle had pieced it together already. Her previous unit was the sex crimes unit, she would have seen things like that, every other day. Sure enough, Elle had a more determined expression on her face as she straightened herself.

     "Can I ask you something personal?" Elle asked, her head tilted to the side. Samantha shrugged her shoulders, "I think that something might have happened to you. You want to tell me about it?"

     "I don't know. I don't remember." Samantha lied easily, adverting her gaze from the two women.

     Monica frowned, "What do you remember?"

     "He took me someplace on his motorcycle." Samantha said after a pause, sighing as she looked back at the agents. Her fingers moved back to twiddling with the necklace – perhaps a gift from her boyfriend, "I remember waking up. I was naked, I was all beat up. And he was there, above me... Holding me down."

     "Who was?"

     "Danny." She responded to Elle's question gently. Samantha went to say something else but the faded yellow landline aside the couch broke the conversation. All three turned to look at it, and the teenage girl gave an apologetic smile, "I called the doctor earlier. It could be her."

     As she answered the phone, her body posture suddenly became more tense. Monica was the first to pick up on it, mouthing a question to the teenager which caused her to nod. Danny Wallace had called, and through the muffled noises she could hear he was in the area. He seemed to have an understanding people were at her house. Monica half-listened to the couple's relationship as she walked over to the window, pulling back the sheer curtains to get a glimpse of outside and potentially their suspect. She turned around to Elle, giving a gentle shake of her head while Samantha acted surprised at the hung-up call with her boyfriend.

     "Come with me." Elle told the girl, holding her hand out as she pulled her to the hallway where she was hidden from the windows. Turning to face her, the woman placed her hands on either shoulder and squeezed, "You're going to call 911 and as soon as I leave you lock the door behind me."

     Monica pulled out her phone, pushing the digits to the phone number she has since mesmerised since how often she had to call him, "Hey Hotch. Danny is near us."

     She could hear the confusion yet sense of urgency in his tone as he asked, "Where?"

     "Hillcrest and Maple and..." Monica walked outside the house, knowing that Elle was behind her due to the click of her heels against the concrete path. She let out a soft curse, "We can't see the other cross street from here."

     "We will get Garcia to track your location. Hang tight." Hotch told her firmly, and before Monica could thank him there was the sound of an engine revving in the driveway. Not even a second later Monica had hung up on her boss, pocketing her phone with hand while pulling out her handgun with the other. Elle gave her a nod of her head as the pair walked behind the caravan, their guns raised before taking a step into the opening. Danny Wallace was sitting on the bike, his helmet on but the visor up so he was able to see clearly. Monica did not lower her gun as Elle shouted:

     "Danny Wallace. Stop! FBI!"

     Monica could see the panic in his body as he turned around, hoping to get out the way where Monica was standing. Raising an eyebrow she hissed, "Put your hands on top of your head and get off the bike. Now."

     Elle walked over to the teenage boy, pocketing her gun as she pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Monica didn't lower her gun just in case as Elle taunted "This isn't what you had in mind when you skipped school today, is it, Danny?"

     Half an hour later, Elle and Hanover were in an interview with a cuffed Danny. They had been picked up due to Samantha's 911 call, the detective having a look of confusion on his face at the fact FBI agents were already on scene. Yet, Monica now stared through the tinted window with a frown as she listened to the conversation. The male members of the BAU stood behind her, lounging on furniture as they listened in. After a moment, Monica Choung grumbled, "He is right. Date-rape drugs and LSD don't create a good mood, why even give her the latter. What does he get out of that?"

     "This boy seems too scared not to be telling us the truth." Reid admitted weakly, looking towards Gideon for conformation.

     Hotch ran a hand over his tired face, "So, Samantha was just the eighth victim and the boyfriend working at the café was just a coincidence."

     "But even so, there may be an explanation of why the two drugs." Gideon offered, trying to keep the spirits of the team up. Monica looked over her shoulder at the senior agent, "LSD to hallucinate and Rohypnol to forget."

     Morgan rolled his eyes at Gideon's comment, "Forget what? What they were hallucinating?"

     "No. How they got dosed." Gideon quietly whispered, looking towards the man. Morgan stared back, before shaking his head and frowning. Monica wondered how long it was going to take for Morgan to trust Gideon's evaluation despite the fact he was cleared to work with them again.

     "And the UnSub's covering his tracks." Hotch added, folding his arms over his suit. His tie tightened around his neck, forcing him to adjust it with two fingers that Monica found her zoned out mind watching, "That's much too organised for a high school prank."

     After a pause, she looked away from the tie of her boss and cleared her throat, "And no ransom demand has been made, which rules out the Extortionist."

     "The lack of any cult and religious groups in this area also rules out the True Believer." Morgan told them, sighing as he lent back on the table. Monica nodded her head in agreement.

     Reid bit the inside of his cheeks, "And leaves us with the Avenger."

     Hotch straightened himself up, looking back into the interview room, "We can give them a profile."

Kai's Notes !
I will never get over how i can give moni monthly updates. its scary (i say having written this chapter today aka the last day of sept) but who cares bc it means we have a moni update!! i split this episode into two parts bc otherwise it would be like a... 10/11k update in one chapter and i couldnt do that to you guys even if it is moni's bday. the fact no one but garcia and anderson said happy birthday to our girlie cause she hates birthdays 😻 i project into my characters 😻