#jackxclara

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

26 Years Chapter 2- Chapter 1 - 2x01, Lost Souls

Summary: It's been almost a year since Clara rejoined the IRT and things are back to normal and the team still oblivious of her and Jack's relationship (or so they though).

(as the title suggests this is set before/during/a bit after the season 2 premier aka "Lost Souls")

Author's Notes: Sorry I haven't updated in months but school events and exams got the better of me and got be bussy/forget to work on this chapter.

Anyways, this is gonna be the start of the story. I will just let you guys know that this fic will include/mention characters from CSI: NY, FBI (TV 2018), and Law & Order. When the jet lands it's around 6:50 PM on a Saturday and Isa had a group call for a class at 7:20 PM since her school is in the Philippines, so it would be a Sunday if we're talking Philippine time, and she's also gonna be studying online. This fic takes place during season 2 because it feels like this is when Jack and Clara's relationship finally gets revealed. After all, there are so many times I feel like they couldn't keep hiding and tell the team. But I'll take my time with that. I should also let you guys know that the first two parts of this chapter takes place right before the season 2 premiere. The dialogue is mostly taken from the episode/s itself and I might skip a few lines here and there. Starting from this chapter onwards will quotes used at the start of every chapter which would be the bookend quotes from each episode. I'll also at bits of angst here and there throughout out the story, so beware. The characters at times may feel OOC, but it's fanfiction, so I don't care. Any and all mistakes are mine.

WARNING: I DON'T OWN CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS, IT BELONGS TO ERICA MESNER AND CBS.

As usual gif credit goes to @shannyfishwriter bucause it's from their blog where I saved this gif. Also please consider this gif as a spoiler for what's gonna happen near the end of the chapter.

Little by little, a little becomes a lot. - Tanzanian proverb

Clara puts her mug in the cabinet and sighs. Another case is solved and she and the team are heading home. She's glad about that, especially since none of them's gotten a full night's sleep because they've been getting case after case since last week. She takes a seat on one the couch and sighs again. Then she hears someone approaching her.

"Though I might find you here." She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. She gave a small smile before replying "Can't really hide from you can I." she said turning to Jack.

To a normal person, it sounded like she was asking a question, but in reality, she was telling a statement. Jack chucked "Well I guess you're stuck with me SSA Seger or should I say SSA Seger-Garrett," he says taking a seat next to her. She gave a small laugh at that and slightly snuggled next to him.

They knew keeping their relationship a secret from the team was a bad idea, but neither of them ever dared to tell the team. They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes until Jack asked, "What's on your mind?" Clara gave a deep sigh and then said, "Nothing really, just ready to go home and finally get a full night's sleep." They once again stayed like that for a few more minutes until they both silently agreed to finish up the files on the table.

They worked in comfortable silence until they heard what sounded like Isa arguing with either Mae or Emma. When they came into view they realized that Isa was arguing with Mae about waking her up 25 minutes until the plane would land. Clara silently chuckled at the fact that Isa knows so much about aircrafts just by watching a TV series and that she makes a big deal that she's woken up 25 minutes before they land like it's that if she doesn't get into her seat 30 minutes before they land it's like she's gonna die. When the plane landed, the team packed up their bags and went home.

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When they get home, it was 6:50. Isa went to the room that she shares with Emma since her some of her classmates had a group call that was going to start, and Emma was with RJ working on their homework with a bit of help from Jack and Clara. After around 50 minutes, Emma and RJ are done with their homework, and they're talking about what they're going to have for dinner.

"What do you kids want for dinner?" Jack asks RJ and Emma. "I want to try this new restaurant I saw on the way home from school, I couldn't remember the name, but the sign had a chicken holding some kind of drink over the name of it," RJ said sadly. After a few beats, Emma spoke up "We passed by that restaurant on our way home right mom" she said enthusiastically "We did are you talking about this restaurant RJ?" Clara asked showing RJ a photo of the restaurant, "Yeah that's the one though it said that they're only serving take-out." Jack and Clara glanced it had been a while since they had take-out at home. "Okay we'll have JJ's tonight," Clara said, "Can either one of you two ask Isa what she wants for dinner?" she added.

"I'll do it, I need to head to my and Isa's room to grab my headsets anyway." Emma said "Okay Em but be quiet since I'm pretty sure that she's still in one of her classes" Jack replied after checking his watch. She nodded and headed to the room she shares with Isa.

She quietly opened the door, so Isa can't hear her and waves at Isa and mouths (grabbing my headsets) to her, and after she finds them, she asks Isa, who just removed her headphones "Hey mom and dad asked what you're gonna have for dinner since we're ordering take out from JJ's." Isa thought for a moment before saying, "Can you tell them I'll have the Adobo Flakes with the egg sunny side up and Sago't Gulaman." the only reply Isa got was "okay". Before she leaves, Emma asks her, "You guys already done or something? I saw you removing your headphones." Isa shakes her head and replies saying "Nah, we just took a quick break since this project's going to take longer than we expected." she simply replied "Okay, just curious" then she left.

A few minutes later, their order arrives. "Hey RJ can you give these to Isa," Clara asks, giving RJ a take-out box and cup with a straw and a spoon and fork. "Okay, mom" was the only reply RJ gave his mom. Later, when RJ comes back down, he eats with his family at the dinner table. After dinner, they cleared up the table, took a shower, and got ready to go to sleep, which Emma was relieved about. A few hours later Emma checks the clock in the living room to see it's a quarter to 11 which she knew was when Isa usually logs off and just does the rest of her homework in the morning. Emma enters her room to see Isa just about to shut down her laptop.

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The next day was a Sunday so Matt spent time with his family at the park, Mae and Monty were having brunch together, Isa was doing her homework, and Jack, Clara, Emma, and RJ went to mass. Later that day, the team got a case involving a Church group that went missing in Tanzania.

"We've got 23 missing Americans in Tanzania. They're members of the Brunswick Mission Church in Texas" Jack said as they boarded the jet. "They spent a week volunteering in villages before they disappeared. They were last seen en route to a rural retreat. Uh, the conductor had eyes on them about 2:30 in the morning, their time." Monty said giving them details about the church group and the case. "Well, That was 12 hours ago. A lot can happen between now and then." Simmons said, bringing up the time gap.

  "Have the local police searched the area where the train stopped?" Isa asked the question that was on all their minds. "That's the thing. They didn't stop." Monty replied. All of them were confused, how could 23 people vanish from a moving train. Clara decided to ask that question, "Well, you're... you're saying people vanished from a moving train?", "Yes, but all the employees insisted there were no stops, no commotion." Monty said in a matter-of-factly way.

"Then what's their explanation?" Mae asked, still not believing that 23 people disappeared from a moving train. "The Rapture." Jack said, reading from the case file in hand. All of them turned their heads towards Jack, shocked to hear the local's explanation. "Like... "plucked from the Earth and taken to Heaven" rapture?" Emma asked, not convinced it's the best explanation for how the Americans went missing. "The one and only." Jack confirming what she said.

"Yeah, well, we have to assume that it wasn't a miracle that took these people." Isa said, not believing that they were taken by the rapture. "How does an Unsub take 23 people?" Emma asked, still bewildered at this case, "Well, we can't figure out the how unless we know the who." Clara pointed out, "Who has the skills to pull this off?". "It'd have to be an organized group who's done this kind of thing before." Matt said, "And I bet they're heavily armed." Isa said trying to make sense of everything. "Well, criminal gangs and rebels have surged into Tanzania to escape their own unrest. I mean, travelers are easy prey." Clara said thinking that they could be looking at a criminal gang or rebels who took the Americans.

"Monty, any luck on getting us the passenger manifest?" Jack asked the analyst, "No, because most tickets were purchased in cash. However, I am trying to figure out how many more passengers there were on the train by going through the background in social media posts." Monty said to his boss. "The Americans posted these on their way to the retreat, before the cellphone service went out." he added, showing the team a video of the Americans having fun on the train. "Do all the missing have active social media accounts?" Mae asked, "No. About half of them. Why?" Monty replied, not sure where Mae was going on this, "Because their loved ones are gonna be expecting an update soon." She replied. "Yeah, we should get ahead of this, reach out to their families." Clara said, agreeing with Mae.

"Monty, we need to control what gets out, so it's best they come to you. That's a lot of people. Maybe the B.A.U. can help." Jack said, knowing that he might need help with the families. "Both governments have agreed to wait 24 hours before releasing a media statement. The clock starts when you land." Monty said, letting them know they have a day until the American and Tanzanian governments would release a statement. "Well, a day doesn't give us much time to find 'em." Clara said a bit grimly. "Well, let's hit the ground running. Local police have started a search, but the area is so vast, they need us to help narrow it down. These people were out to help others. I'm not about to let them get punished for it." Jack replied.

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"Some things to keep in mind... avoid touching people of the opposite sex since this could upset some people." Clara told them as they drove to the station where the train that the missing Americans rode is located. " And always keep your left hand to yourself, since it is considered dirty." she added. Almost all of them glanced at Isa who said jokingly, "Hey, I can only control myself, not how others respond to me. And before anyone asks, yes that was a direct quote from Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders: The Reboot episode Harvested where the team went to India." they all laughed at her since they all know how much she loves the show. For the rest of the drive, they talked about a lot of other things until they reached the station.

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When they got to the train, they saw a man they assumed was their liaison. They got out of the jeep and approached him. "Inspector Polino" the man introduced to them offering his hand to Jack. "Unit Chief Garrett. This is my team... Agents Simmons, Seger, Rubirosa, Jarvis, and Garcia." Jack said, introducing himself and the team. "Agents, please come this way." Inspector Polino gestured for them to follow him. "We saw no forced entry, and it looks like the belongings of the Americans are still on board." he relaid to them as they walked next to the train.

"We need to speak with the employees who discovered this." Jack said, "I hope you get more out of them than I did." Inspector Polino replied, "Are they cooperating?" Isa asked, silently hoping that they wouldn't give any of them trouble. "Yes, just insistent on their beliefs. But I believe there's someone responsible." was the reply of Inspector Polino, "Does this look like the work of any militias or rebels around here?" Clara asked, wondering if her theory on the jet was right. "There are legends out there... men who go beyond just stealing what they can and leaving tourists stranded, ones who want to punish." said Inspector Polino. "Can you lead us to these men?" Matt asked, "They are who they are because we cannot catch them. They attack and move on. They are the most dangerous ones." replied the Inspector. "We understand that, but right now, they're our best lead, so we need to track 'em down." Emma said, trying to figure out how to track them down.

"Clara, Emma and Mae, you start on victimology from what's left on the train." Jack said, "Simmons and Isa, the two of you should look at routes and talk to the conductor who found the empty car." he added. Turning to Inspector Polino he said "Inspector, I'd like to talk to the search party." the Inspector replied saying "They are gathering here soon. I also have officers searching the route, but they are overwhelmed. The train traveled overnight, no stations between. Where do we begin?" Jack, understanding they have a lot of area to cover, said, "Well, give us an hour. We'll have a starting point."

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Emma, Mae, and Clara got on the train and were going through what the victims left. "So the youngest is Nicholas... 7 years old. Son to single mom Rebecca." Clara said, while also going through some photos on a tablet, "That's brave to bring him all this way." Mae responded, "Well, yeah, but they were traveling with their church, so it's essentially an extended family." replied Emma from the far end of the train car they were in.

Mae looks around the train car and notices something "That's weird" she said. "What is?" Clara replied, looking up from the tablet in her hands. Mae looks around the train car again to make sure her suspicions were right "If this has anything to do with money, it's strange the UnSubs didn't take any of the valuables." she answered as Clara approached one of the seats "This attack was quick and efficient. They prioritized." she added to what Mae said.

"Maybe they were holding out for something more, like ransom." Emma suggested as she rejoined Mae and Clara. "Yeah" Mae said as she turned to face one of the seats and notices something. "Also forensic countermeasure" she added, then held up one of the phones to Clara and Emma. "There's no reason for us to track the GPS, since their phones are right here." Emma then checked one of the windows then said "And like the inspector said, there's no sign of forced entry."

As they continued to look around the train car, Mae notices something then proceeds to approach the door of the train car, "The only thing is this door." she said as she picks up a screwdriver that was on the floor near the train car door. "Maybe the UnSubs were on board." Clara said as she turns around and walks to Mae. "Yeah, but a jumping would have caused a lot of injuries" Mae countered, bringing up the fact there was a lack of a struggle. "Unless this is an inside job." Emma suggests as she looks out one of the windows. Mae and Clara walk towards Emma and also look out the window. "Yeah, this would make sense if one of the employees was in on it." Clara added, agreeing to what Emma was implying.

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While Emma, Mae, and Clara were going through what's left of the train, Matt and Isa along with Inspector Polino went to talk to the conductor who found the train and look at routes the train could have traveled.

When they approached the conductor, Inspector Polino spoke first saying something in Swahili neither Matt nor Isa could understand. "Yes, Gervas." the man replied. "And I speak English." he added. "Thank you for helping us. So were you the last one to see the Americans?" Matt asked. "I did rounds at 2:30. Everything was fine." Gervas replied. "And you arrived here at... at 6:30 this morning" Matt said. Gervas simply replied with a simple, "that's right". "So somewhere in the span of those four hours, the Americans disappeared. Do you know what happened?" at that question, Inspector Polino turns to look at Gervas while Isa carefully watches him.

"I think it was the Rapture." Gervas said simply. "They were delivered to Heaven." he added. Isa, who wasn't convinced, said "You think they were the chosen ones?". "I do." was his reply. "But you were not." Inspector Polino said equally, if not more, unconvinced than Isa. At that Gervas turned his head to look at Inspector Polino and said "It's okay. I have many responsibilities here. ". "Do you have children?" Matt asked. "Yes. Do you?" he replied. "Yeah." was Matt's reply, "And I keep thinking about those parents are going through back in the United States." at that Gervas walked to the side of the table separating him and Simmons and said, "They should be happy. Their loved ones are with God."

When Gervas said that Isa and Inspector Polino getting a little irritated which made Isa snap and say "You cannot prove that". At that, Gervas backs away a bit from Isa. Matt intervenes by stepping a little in between Gervas and Isa, then he turned to face Gervas and says "Listen... I can't do my job unless I look at all sides. The thing is, we do believe they were chosen, just not in the same way you believe in. And whoever took them was watching and waiting for them to be vulnerable. We think they're organized, and patient, we also believe that they needed help from the inside to pull this off." at that Inspector Polino was glancing between Matt and Garvas while Isa was giving him a mild glare. Though that glare might have been more intense than she was projecting since it was enough to scare him. "Now you're saying the train never stopped." Matt asked, hoping to finish this soon before Isa's temper gets the better of both herself and Gervas. "That's correct." was all he said.

Matt knew that the next question might be hard, but he knew he had to. "Well, forgive me for asking, but if someone were to threaten your family, would you do whatever it took to protect them?" to which Gervas simply replied "Of course". "Would you stop a train, so they could kidnap Americans?" Isa asked in a bit of a harsh tone, harsher than she was hoping for, if was being honest. At that Gervas backed away more then said "Listen, I swear on my children's lives that did not happen. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" in a bit of a half panicked, half defensive tome. "Look, if I'm lying, my children will be damned to hell. Look, I had nothing to do with this. I swear to you, I did not do anything. Please..." he added.

Matt, trying to calm him down said "Okay, okay, okay." with that Gervas release a sigh. "Alright. I believe you. I need your help. You've worked this train for years, right?" Matt asked. Gervas simply replied a simple "yes". "Alright" Isa responded. Though she didn't mean it, her response came out a little sarcastic, which she internally winced about. Then everyone goes to the table where Matt asked Gervas "So there's 400 miles between when you last saw then and when you arrived here in Arusha." to which he simply nodded. "Can you us any terrain where you may have slowed down, even a little bit?" Matt asked. "Yeah, I can do that." Gervas replied, then proceeded to do as Matt asked.

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Jack was waiting for the search party to arrive when he saw Clara, Emma, and Mae getting off the train, "What did you guys find out?" he asked. Clara the first to get off said "Well the UnSubs were definitely on boar and like what the Inspector said there's no sign of forced entry. We... Aaahh" though she wasn't able to finish what she was saying because she lost her footing and trip. Thankfully, Jack was able to catch her before she fell flat on her face. "Better watch your step next time, Clara." he said, helping her straighten herself out. Clara rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah".

"There were also no signs of any resistance, so it could be an inside job." Mae said being a bit more careful as she got off the train. "If this was an inside job, was one of the employees in on it too?" Jack asked her. Emma was getting off shrugged then said, "We won't know until Isa and Matt get back. And there's no chance of us using GPS to track them, since they left their phones on the train". "I also noticed that the door was jammed from the inside with a screwdriver." Mae added, to which Jack nodded then said "That could strengthen your theory that it's an inside job". "Yeah, and the UnSubs also didn't take any valuables, which told us the attack was quick and efficient and that they also prioritized." Clara added. "Which mean they could be holding out for something like a ransom demand." Jack concluded.

Emma turned her head a little then exclaimed, "That's what I thought ". Just then the search part came, then Jack left to address them. Almost instinctively, Clara followed in suit.

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Jack quickly scanned the small group of people who had come to help them. "First, I want to thank you all for volunteering your time. We believe we're dealing with a specialized abduction, requiring many offenders. They're confident, organized, and have the means to hold 23 people hostage. They likely have access to encampments, vehicles, and weapons. We're narrowing down a starting point for the search and can begin to canvass as soon as we confirm. Thank you" then Clara who was standing to his right said "Asante tena (Thank you again)."Just then they saw Isa and Matt jogging up to them. "Hey guys, we got a possible point of attack." Isa said, slightly panting. Jack made a quick glance at Clara as he said, "Let's go."

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As they exited the vehicles they saw a trellis to which Matt pointed out saying "So the train slowed down here to get over this trellis." Jack added to this, saying, "This could be the snatch-and-grab point, but it's doubtful they kept them here". "There's not much around. They were definitely exposed." said Emma as she commented on the lack of vegetation. "And look over there." Clara said, pointing towards the hill right next to the trellis. "They must have come down that hill". "The footprints... they were all scattered." Inspector Polino said as he pointed to the many footprints on the ground. "It would have been chaos, but they gained control." Isa said.

There were a few seconds in between when Isa asked, "Which way did they go?" and Mae calling out saying, "Guys, I got something here." then gestured for them to come to where she was. Which they did, and she said, "It looks like one of the leaders... Jacob Ross". Jacob was covered in blood with what looked like multiple stab wounds to his abdomen, bloodied knuckles, and blunt force trauma to his skull just to name a few.

After a while, they seemed to notice that they were being watched. "They've got eyes on us, up on the ridge" Jack said, looking up to a camp at the top of the ridge, then asked Inspector Polino, "What do you know about those rebels?". "The flag is a Somali rebellion that's wreaked havoc all over the continent." he answered then added saying, "They are at odds with everyone". "If the Americans are held hostage inside that camp, I'll lead the negotiation. I'm not calling in armed forces. Their presence could inflame the situation." Jack said then Clara responded saying, "Yeah, but we do have one thing on our side." she elaborated on it by saying, "In Somali culture, there's something called "kobigana ukiketi" which roughly translates to "fighting while seated." Those at odds can be civil, unless they're on the battlefield". "Okay, then. Simmons, Polino, and I will approach. Clara, you, Isa, Mae, and Emma lead the search party. We found one body. There could be more." Jack said to Clara.

A while later...

"What did you find up there? Do they have the Americans?" Clara asked them as they rejoined the rest of the team. "Well, it wasn't those guys. I mean, they're horrible, but they haven't got the space to hide anyone there." Matt responded. "And they're not organized enough for a mass abduction." Jack added, then turned to Mae and asked, "What have you got?" to which she replied saying, "Looks like Jacob Ross suffered multiple contusions from multiple sources. Put up a hell of a fight. He has defensive wounds all over. The C.O.D. is still undetermined, since I can't properly examine the corpse out here, but right now, I'd say it's a tie between the blunt force trauma to his skull or the stab wounds in his abdomen".

After hearing what Mae said, Isa asked, "Overkill anyone?". "The UnSubs may have taken the whole group, but I think that the target of their rage was Jacob." Mae said, to which Emma responded saying, "Well, he and a handful of others has volunteered in Tanzania before. Maybe they made enemies". "We should look into their previous trips, see if there's any other conflicts." Jack said. "Well, they were organized enough to plan forensic countermeasure, like dumping Jacob's body near the Somali rebel camp." Isa said, trying to get into their UnSubs head. "Well, the overkill tells us there's a personal connection, and they want them to be punished. Killing Jacob is proof that they mean what they say." Matt added. "We should look for secure locations where they could keep 22 people." Inspector Polino suggested. Clara, however, was a little doubtful and said, "Yeah. Problem is, if they have vehicles, they could be long gone by now."

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"When we looked at the things left behind on the train, women were the only ones who had personal items. The men traveled light." Mae said as she joined everyone else. "That sound stereotypical." Matt replied. Just then Emma's phone ringed telling her she got a message, she pulled the device out and said "Except it gets weirder." as she read the text. "Monty said he's only been able to get a hold of the missing women's families because they all had social media accounts". "But none of the men had any social media presence at all." Clara added, "Zilch." Emma confirmed.

"Go ahead, Monty" Jack said with his phone on speaker with Monty on the other end. "So Jacob's estranged wife is here, and she got really anxious when I mentioned the church and, more specifically, Elijah Ward. She said that Jacob would follow Elijah anywhere, and actually referred to him as a "loyal subject."" Isa scrunched her eyebrows then said, "Well, that's an interesting choice of words". "So they're not the partners that we thought they were. Elijah's the leader." Mae said, a bit stunned. "And Jacob was killed by someone he knows." Clara added. "Let's focus on Elijah." Jack said, as they got to work on a profile.

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"Elijah started this devout group, initiated Jacob as his right hand, and then 11 more men joined over the next few years." Mae said as she circled Jacob, Elijah, and 11 other faces in a group picture. "Elijah and his 12 disciples" Jack commented. "And then he slowly recruited nine more women, including Rebecca Moore, who brought along her son." Clara added. " According to their loved ones, all these women struggled with abuse and were searching for help." Monty informed them over the phone. Then Emma realized something, then said, "Which would make them easier to manipulate." which in turn made Isa realize she's on to something. "You think these women were taken against their will?" She asked her. "Yeah, I mean, they were far from home, which gives Elijah the ultimate power and control over them. They'd be too afraid to revolt." she replied. "We were looking in the wrong direction. The UnSub's on the inside." Matt concluded. "This is a radical cult, and Elijah is their charismatic leader." Isa continued. "He groomed these women to trust him. He used their faith against them." Jack added, then he finished by saying, "We can't let him get away with this". "So... where would Elijah take them." Matt asked as he placed a map on the table they were using.

A while later...

Jack rejoined the team with Inspector Polino and said, "Our initial profile was correct. This is a mission-oriented group, but Elijah is their leader". "And it took years for him, years for him to plan this." Clara continued. "Everything he does, he does for a reason. He chose all of these villages." Isa added, pointing to different parts of the map, then asked, "Do they have any meaning to you?". "These spiritual leaders are extremists." Inspector Polino replied. "Probably recruited those men to help set up the commune." Emma suggested.

"Elijah suffers from a religious psychopathology referred to as a "Moses complex." He doesn't think he's God, but believes he speaks for Him." Jack said. "And he believes he was chosen by God to lead his people to the promise land." Clara added. Then Emma got a text from Monty, then she said, "Hey guys, Monty just sent this. "Elijah was born and raised by a delusional young couple" who believed that he could speak to God". "And they named him accordingly. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet in both books of Kings and in the Old Testament." Isa said trying to remember a lesson is her CLF class. "His parents were arrested "for severe abuse to their other children." All were taken away, but it was too late for Elijah." Emma said as she continued reading Monty's text. "He was driven to make his parent's belief his life's mission." Clara concluded.

"He wasn't afraid to kill for it. Jacob's murder unleashed a homicidal rage. And if he's showing signs of euphoric stress, it could fuel him to take more risks and hurt more people." Matt said. "What were his sibling's names?" Jack asked. "He was the youngest of eight. Kids were Ezekiel, Isaac, Ruth, Caleb, Miriam, Rachel and Samuel." Emma replied as she finished reading Monty's text. "Why" Inspector Polino asked. "All names from the Old Testament. It was drilled into his head. He planned the train ride to get them close to the Olduvai Gorge." Jack answered. "And historians believe that's the original Garden of Eden." Isa said remembering it from a one of show she watched. "I know a shortcut." Inspector Polino said promptly. Then they all swiftly left the room and quickly got on the road.

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As they arrived near the Olduvai Gorge, they all quickly got out of the jeeps all geared up, with a few people already having their guns out and with flashlights in hand. There they saw what looked like a school bus. Jack was about to check it out when Mae spoke up and said "Jack?" then motions to the path in front of them. "They'll be protective and convinced we're attacking. We don't want another Waco. We go as a peaceful negotiation." Jack said, addressing the team and the backup force they had. Then they slowly walk to the path which would lead them to Elijah and the other Americans were.

[in the building where Elijah and 21 other people are]

They slowly enter the building, with Jack taking the lead. Then they saw Elijah and the other people turn, almost as if on instinct. "Who are you?" Elijah asked. "My name is Jack Garrett. I'm with the FBI." Jack answered, which made Elijah sate flatly, "You don't belong here, Jack." to which Jack countered by saying, "Neither do these people". At that, Elijah turned to fully face them, and everyone who was armed drew their guns. "We are on our own path. It's not for you to judge." he said. "I'm not judging. I'm protecting those who didn't choose to be here." Jack answered to which Elijah reasoned saying, "Every choice they made has brought them to this very spot." then Jack took a few steps forward and said "Maybe that's true, but if anyone's here against their will, that's against the law".

At that, Elijah addressed the members of the church group and asked them, "Brethren, do you recognize Jack?" he continued on saying, "He is the serpent that wants us to deny our truth!" to which Jack replied saying," I'm only advocating free will. We both believe in that. Does anyone want to leave?" at that, everyone who had their guns drawn tighten. "No one is in danger here, but your souls will be if you run back to the life you know, to darkness, to demons! We can start over here. I have built a safe place for you. Remember why we left! This is our destiny! Don't let them scare you." Elijah said, trying to convince the church group members to not go to the IRT and local police. "God's work is to spread the light, not hide it away from the world." Jack said then added, "Why would you hide everyone away?" to which Elijah replied saying, "Because the world isn't safe. And It's my fate to help others".

Jack took a few more steps towards him and said, "I know how you feel. Sometimes, I... take a leap of faith. Other times, I deal with hard facts, like in this case. You tricked the women to join you here." to which Elijah said, "No, I'm saving them from the abuse they have suffered". "Have you told anyone what happened to Jacob Ross?" Jack asked. At that, everyone turned their heads to face Elijah. "He was brutally murdered. It's the way he was killed that told us the most. It was personal. He showed signs of fighting back... bloody knuckles, skin under his fingernails." Jack continued then asked Elijah "Who did that to your face?" then he responded "Why would I kill Jacob?". "He threatened your leadership, and you punished him for it. Then you sacrificed Jacob to lead the investigation away from your paradise." Jack said, then added, "You're a false prophet and a murderer". Jacob, getting a little defensive said, "How dare you come in here and spill those lies?" then Jack quickly countered saying "All you men are trusted disciples. How much longer before he kills you?"

"I'm scared." Nicolas said, then ran to Jack. Then one of the armed men nudged Rebecca to do the same, then both her and Nicolas ran to Clara, who guided them out. "Free will, right?" Jack asked. As soon as Jack said that, all the women from the church group ran towards them, with Mae telling them reassuringly, "Come on. This way. Okay. You're safe now. Come on, come on".

Then, when they thought they were able to talk Jacob down he grabbed one of the armed men's guns and points to Jack, at the same time he draws his own gun and points it to Elijah. "You've ruined everything." then Jack replied, saying, "Don't you see? This was their fate". At that Elijah points his gun to his head in response to this, Jack said, "See if that's yours." Elijah replied, saying, "My blood will be on your hands. You will have sinned".

Jack slowly walked towards Elijah to try and make him let go of the gun, as he did so he said, "All you ever wanted was power and control. You have that now. Now go ahead. Be a martyr. Killing yourself makes you a sinner in the eyes of your followers, and you don't want that. Elijah, give me the gun. Let go of the gun". At that, Elijah lets go of the gun and surrenders.

______________________________________________________________

The case was finish, and they were on the way back home, everyone was asleep except for two certain agents. Clara took a seat in her usual chair at the wooden table and release a heavy sigh, then said, "That was one hell of a case". Jack hands her a mug of tea then took a seat right next to her and replied saying "Yeah, I have to agree with you on that." Clara then releases another heavy sigh before she took a bug gulp from her tea, then said, "It's always the ones you don't expect." Jack responded half teasingly, and half lovingly said, "That would be you sweetheart".

At that, Clara chuckles then with a smile on her face said, "Same with me, the last person I expect to do something is always you." her smile however disappeared as she turned to look intro the dark pool of her tea then back to Jack and said, "Do you think we should tell them?" finally addressing the elephant in the room. "About us, I mean." she clarifies since Jack was looking at her questioningly then he asked, "Where'd you get that from?" to which Clara replied saying, "Well ever since the accident at the train station I was almost 10% certain Mae was eyeing us".

At that, Jack sighed then said, "I feel like we should since there're gonna find out sooner or later." Clara nodded in response then said, "Yeah, I also feel like our luck is running out and something's gonna happen that'll be a factor for us telling them". Soon after saying that, Jack chuckles, then asked her, "What are you now, a psychic?". Clara herself couldn't help but let a laugh out and somehow managed to nudge him then said, "Hey, I'm just saying..." she wasn't able to finish what she was saying because a yawn escaped her lips then said, "You know what, I gonna head to the bunks and get some sleep before we land. You coming?". At that Jack nodded and said, "Yeah, I think we both deserve it, especially after the case we just had." Clara quickly left to return the mug she used to the cabinet and quickly came back to see Jack still there. As they walked to the bunks, she felt his arm wrapping around her waist.

______________________________________________________________

As Jack was headed towards the elevator, he saw his sister. Before he could ask what she was doing there, she said, "I saw the news. I thought you could use a hug sooner than later." then gave his a reassuring embrace with Jack simply saying "Thanks."and Karen replied saying, "Thank God you found them". As they parted, they saw Clara and Emma join them. Clara greets her with a smile and says, "Hey Karen." then said as they parted, You know, some of them didn't want to leave. They devoted their lives to that man." she responded, shaking her head, and said, "I have to believe they'll find a safer place to live".

When they heard footsteps, they turned to see who it was. They turned to see Ryan, who said, "I saw you guys landed. Great job." then patted Emma on the shoulder to snap her out of her 'trans'. At that, Emma smiled and looked up at her older brother and said, "Thanks". "Are you headed off?" Jack asked, to which Ryan simply said, "Yeah" at that Clara said, "Like father, like son". Ryan smiled at his mom's comment, then said, "I guess this case means R.J. doesn't stand a chance for his Dominican Republic trip." Karen turned to her nephew a little surprised then asked, "He hit you up, too?" to which he nodded then said,"Yeah. For what it's worth, he is way more driven than I was at his age, and he is a smart kid".  Jack nodded and said, "Yeah, I know. Guess I have, uh, have to have a little more faith that he'll be all right." the second she heard that, Clara turned to her husband and asked, "Is that a "yes"?" Jack replied saying, "He's brave. I'm the one who's scared, so I can't let that get in his way. ". "Nice, Dad. He's gonna be stoked." Ryan replied.

After a few beats, Karen looking questioningly at her brother and nephew asked, "Did you two make calls? You have connections in the Dominican Republic." as Jack responded simply saying "yeah" as the five of them entered the elevator, then added saying, "Well... we know a few guys." to which both Karen and Clara nodded as the elevator doors closed.

______________________________________________________________

IRT fam (without mom and dad)

11:57 p.m.

Mae: hey guys

Monty: wtf Mae it's almost 12 am

Isa: Sheesh Mae couldn't you chose anytime but you chose NOW

       when almost everyone in the gc is suppose to be sleeping and when I'm suppose to be reviewing.

Mae: melodramatic much

Isa: {Florida and Louisiana; woooooooow.gif}

Mae: uuuummmm sorry?

Emma: Mae why are you messaging in this gc when it's almost a quarter past 12 anyways?

Mae: oh hey Emma

Emma: don't

             what do you even want to talk about that is so urgent yet don't want dad and

Isa: Em what is she talking about?

Monty: Mae me and Isa are clueless about what you're talking about

Matt: uh guys why are you talking in this group chat at quarter part 12 in the morning

Isa: Oh hey Matt. To answer your answers, first Mae started this crap, second we have no freaking clue why she did or even what the heck she's talking about.

Emma: uuuummmm Mae?

Mae: yeah?

Emma: are you talking about what happened at the train station?

Mae: YES

Monty: uuuuhhh what are you guys talking about I'm clueless

Isa: Same but I have a feeling this happened while me and Matt were talking to the conductor

Matt: Mae just spill it so we don't have to play the guessing game

Mae: okay fine

            so as Isa guessed this happened while she and Matt were talking to the conductor and me, Emma, and Clara were getting off the train after we finished on victimology.

            Clara got of first and as she was taking the last step and trip

Matt: was she okay?

Emma: she's fine thankfully dad caught her before she could fall right on her face

Isa: Oh.My.Gulay is this why you're chatting us this late Mae?!

Mae: I would've asked how you mean that but I've known you long enough to know now

Monty: can we get back on track please? I really want to get this over with and go to sleep

Mae: sorry

            anyways to a normal person it wouldn't have seen more than a friend helping another friend

Isa: buuuut

but as a profiler you/I see more than that

Emma: WTF MAE

            ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT MY DAD AND AUNT CLARA ARE TOGETHER

Mae: uuuuuummmm yes???

Isa: Okay that's it I'm out. I don't wanna handle this crap anymore. I just wanna go to sleep.

Emma: same

Monty: yes please

Matt: yeah

Mae: ouch

Isa: MAE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF CHIKAHAN DON'T. WE CAN PICK THIS UP TOMORROW.

______________________________________________________________

Aaaaaaand that's the end of the chapter. I decided to add the group chat thing as I was supposed to finish editing this fic but I got inspired by the fic "Sibling Chats" by JWritesFanAccount on AO3 and decided instead of making it an entire other fic I decided to add it to the end of each chapter and have the rest of the team (Isa and Emma included) talk about Jack/Clara or as I'll start referring (maybe) to them Jara (I know bad but it's the only thing I got rn). As for why Emma addressed Clara as "aunt" and not just buy her first name or accidentally slip and say/type "mom" while talking with everyone (minus her parent) is because technically they're off-duty and that's all I'm gonna say.

I would also like to add that from now on I'd like you guys to know that updates will be irregular because I'm still a student.

#criminal minds beyond borders #jackxclara #jack garrett #clara seger #mae jarvis #matt simmons #emma garrett #isabella “isa” eleanor garcia (oc) #alternate universe #canon divergence #the IRT as a family #the IRT was never disband #family #friendship #flash backs to season 1 #but mainly set in season 2 #re-writing CMBB #missing scenes #cross posted on fanfiction.net and ao3 #before/during/after 2x01 #aka Lost Souls #aka the ep where they went to Tanzania #bring back criminal minds beyond borders #fanfiction #fanfic #cmbb

[affixal]

Is it just me or does Jack have way more (intense) chemistry with Clara than Karen (his wife)

#CMBB #criminal minds beyond borders #jack garrett #clara seger #jackxclara #gary sinise #alana de la garza

[itsclaravalencia]

texting... jackxclara

Clara: Hey Jack! Sorry for being a little MIA. Want to grab a bite?

#t; #t;jackson

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

INCORECT CMBB QUOTE BASED ON ONE OF MY HEAD CANONS

Mae: When are you going to ask him out?

Clara: What? Who are you talking about?

Mae: I'm talking about Jack. It's obvious that you like him. Everyone can tell.

Clara: ... Mae, Jack and I are married

Mae: You're what?

Clara: We've been married for the last 26 years!

Mae: WHAT!

Later that day

Mae: Did you know Clara and Jack are married?

Matt: Ummm... yeah? I was there when they told the team. *point to Mae* You were there too.

Mae: I swear I have zero memory of this

#incorrect cmbb quote #jackxclara #clara seger #mae jarvis #matt simmons #criminal minds beyond borders #bring back criminal minds beyond borders

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

26 Years - Chapter 2: 2x02, The Devil's Breath

Summary: The team is called in when Colombian authorities discover an American tourist dead in the alley behind a hotel room. Someone is using scopolamine - the "Devil's Breath" - to put tourists into a trance, force them to clean out their bank accounts, and then kill themselves to prevent them from talking to the authorities.

or

The IRT investigates the apparent suicide of an American in Colombia who emptied his bank account prior to his death. While Jack and Clara are struggling to find a way/the courage to tell the team (minus Emma and Isa) about their relationship.

Author's Notes: Wow, it's been 8 months since I've updated time flies. Okay I have to admit there was a time I forgot this story existed but then again I've had so much happen since posting the last chapter from graduating to starting a new school year, some relatives visiting, getting sick, and exams. Hopefully, the next few chapters won't take as long since while writing the draft for this chapter I also wrote drafts for the other chapters it just needs a bit of editing.

WARNING: I DON'T OWN CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS, IT BELONGS TO ERICA MESNER AND CBS

GIF credit belongs to @butterfly-resources since that's where I saved the GIF.  Also please consider this gif as a spoiler for what’s gonna happen near the end of the chapter.

Poverty does not destroy virtue, nor wealth distill. - Colombian proverb

A few days after the case in Tanzania, everything was more or less the same as before. The only difference was that the team, more specifically Mae, was starting to get hints that there was more to the two most senior agents of the team than meets the eye and had been slyly suggesting it to the rest of the team, much to their slight annoyance. It doesn't help that the ME's also been trying to get insight from Emma and Isa or see if she can get Jack or Clara to tell her the truth, though more slyly with the former than the latter. But to her credit, the others were also attempting to do the same, though they were not as obvious as her.

Mae's latest attempt happened while she and Clara were having a cup of coffee, or in Clara's case, tea, since coffee gives her migraines. While they were enjoying their beverages while catching up on a few things, Mae slyly brought up the events of the previous case by saying, "Sooooo... Will you finally explain to me what happened in Tanzania?" then rested her chin on her hand while her friend was playing with the string of her tea bag while trying to keep a straight face and hide the bit of blush that's creeping up her cheeks, then said after a few beats of silence, "I have no clue what you're talking about." The ME gave the linguist an 'Are you serious' look then clarified "I'm talking about what happened between you and Jack at the train station near the start of the case". At that moment, Clara knew what her friend was trying to do and managed to get an "Oh, that." before looking down at her tea, then back to Mae and adding, "That was nothing." She then took a large sip of her tea, a little too quickly, to try and move this topic along. Though her friend wasn't that convinced, she replied, saying, "Oh, really, since from what I saw it wasn't, nothing. Is there something going on with you two or something?"

Thankfully, before Clara could respond, their phones buzzed, informing them they've got a message from Monty telling them they've got a case, saving Clara from trying to explain to Mae that nothing was going on between her and Jack when there most certainly was; they're freaking married, for crying out loud. As she looked up from her phone, Mae joked, "I guess you're safe for now, Seger. But let me tell you this: We'll get to the bottom of this and when I mean "we" I mean me, Matt, Isa, Monty, and Emma." then gets up to leave, to which Clara chuckles, knowing that Isa and Emma know what's going on with her and Jack and that her real surname is Seger-Garrett, not just Seger, then stands up to leave closely behind her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

While Mae was trying and failing to get Clara to let the cat out of the bag, the two youngest agents were listening to a podcast about events in Philippine history while one was working on a short essay and the other was simply doodling on a notepad. As the last episode of the first season started, Isa groaned and leaned back into her chair, then Emma paused the episodes and gave the Filipina a questioning look, to which the slightly older girl pouted. Just then, Matt walked up to them, unsure what was going on, and spoke up, slightly shocking the two young agents: "Hey guys. Uh, what's going on?" to which the bronde replied "Isa wants to skip an episode of a podcast we're listening to," which made the brunette slightly annoyed, then explained, "I want to save my sanity and blood pressure. Plus, do you want me to go on a rant that could last who knows how long about how the whole Martial Law in the Philippines BS was and still is propaganda made by former President Marcos Sr.'s enemies and people who hate him?" to which Emma simply said, "Heck no."

At this point Matt was still unsure what was going on turned to Emma and asked "What podcasts exactly are you two listening to right now, and what's so bad about one of the episodes that Isa wants you to skip an episode?" to which the younger girl replied "We're listening to "Yugto: Get Mad About Filipino History" and the episode in question is titled "Death of a Politician: Ninoy Aquino" and I have no clue why Isa wants to skip it." at this Isa answered making things sound obvious "It's about Ninoy Aquino's assassination, which sparked the first EDSA Revolution." upon hearing that Matt understood what's happening but confused, so he asked "I don't see what's wrong with that, it sounds interesting. So what's the problem?"

At that young Filipina blew out a sigh, then went into a short rant about Martial Law and something about Marcos Sr., then huffed and quietly exclaimed "Sometimes it drives me insane how tanga  Pinoys can be sometimes". As she finished, Emma decided to change the topic by speaking up and asking, "Okay, so are we gonna listen to the remaining episodes?" to which Isa firmly replied, "Ay, hindi. All the remaining episodes are about presidential elections, since we already listened to the episodes about the athletes, and I don't like political crap." At that, the slightly younger girl nodded, though she doesn't look up from her notepad, which is now covered in doodles, and replied "Sooo what podcast are we gonna listen to now, and please don't say "Sounds and Stories of the Philippines"; we've listened to that a couple of times now, though can we still stick to events in Philippine history". "How about LAGIM or Philippine History Z?" Isa suggests after a few moments of silence, then Matt speaks up after a couple of beats, "What's the first one about since the second one seems self-explanatory?" And for the first time since Matt walks up to them, Emma looks up from her notebook, slightly interested in the first podcast Isa suggested, then says, "Yeah, what's the first one about? It sounds interesting".

"LAGIM is a Filipino true-crime podcast about infamous and not-so-well-known cases in the Philippines."  Isa responded, reading the podcast description, then adding, "It also kinda helps that lagim means dread/terror/fear in Tagalog, and yes, they include gory details, at least some do since some of the cases that are talked about are murders, but some are not, like the episode of the Michael Meiring Mystery, aka the Evergreen Hotel Explosion". Emma nodded in acknowledgment, then said, "I like that one though, can we skip the ones that sound too brutal?" Isa replied with an unsure "okay," which made the bronde giver her an 'are you serious' look, which made the brunette clarify, "I'd rather play it safe, so if I had to pick, I'd go for Philippine History Z. Plus, I'm still kinda shaken from the 2021 Bloody Sunday Calabarzon Killings episode, and I listened to that a few weeks back." At that, Emma gives in and mumbles, "Ugh, fine, you win, Iz. We'll listen to Philippine History Z, but after we finish it, we'll be listening to LAGIM." Isa counters, saying, "Okay, but one of your siblings or parents should also be there." Emma gives a quick nod, then simply says "Deal".  At that moment, their phones buzz, informing them that they've got a case. "Well, it looks like you two will have to check out that podcast another time." Matt said as he read the message on his phone, and then as the two youngest agents gathered their stuff, they said simultaneously, "DANG IT!" Then all of them left and headed to the jet.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

While the rest of the team was up to their usual antics when they didn't have any cases, two of their members decided to hit up the shooting range.

As they exited the elevator and compared his and Monty's paper targets, Jack said, "Look at that. Well done, Monty. Tied again," to which the tech analyst replied, "Well, I did have a good teacher." The unit chief chuckles at that and then offers, "So, how about returning the favor and coming out on a case with us?" Monty quickly counters his boss and friend, saying, "You know my weapon of choice is a computer," as they round a corner. At that, Jack asks, "You sure that has nothing to do with the fact that you hate to fly?" The younger man asks, "Emma told you, di..." Knowing the answer, he chose to vow, "That's the last time I’m letting her and Isa play “Never Have I Ever” with me and Mae.” The senior agent replied, "She can put 'em away," with Monty adding as he grabbed his phone, "And hustle you in cards." Jack simply replies, "That's my girl." Then he asks, "What is it?" The tech analyst answers as he reads a message on the phone, "IRT just received a request from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá." The unit chief simply says, "Let's go," and the two of them leave for two locations: Jack to the team's jet and Monty to his office.

"One Drew Dafaoe, 28, of NYC, was found dead in the alleyway behind his hotel in Bogotá, Colombia. There was no sign of a struggle, so local police ruled it a suicide." Monty said the team was en route to Bogotá, and they were having a briefing about the case, with the tech analyst communicating with the rest of his team via web video. Clara then said, half-asking, half-suggesting, "But someone doesn't think it is." The tech wiz confirms, replying "Correct-o, Drew's girlfriend is a native of Bogotá and says he has no reason to take his own life, so she filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy, suspecting there was foul play involved".

"There's nothing in his medical record to suggest that Drew was in poor mental or physical health." Mae said as she went through the vic's medical record, then Isa spoke up as she read a file in hand "Drew claimed on his visitor's declaration form that he was in possession of an engagement ring." She then turns to face the others, all of whom are in varying states of shock. Clara, whose shock wasn't evident in her face but was barely evident in her voice, concludes the Filipina's statement by concluding it with the four words, "He was gonna propose."

The youngest agent then asked as she took a seat next to Clara, visibly confused, "That doesn't sound like somebody who's about to take his own life." Matt then added as he looked through some crime scene photos, "Unfortunately, from these photos, I can't really tell what happened. I mean, he could have jumped or been pushed." Monty then informed them, saying, "True, but what is clear is that in the hours leading up to Drew's death, his behavior was very suspect. After exhausting his ATM withdrawal limit, he then went to a local bank and cleared out his account," to which Emma asks, "So where's that money?" The tech analyst simply replied, "Missing, as is the ring."

At that, Isa raised her eyebrows, then took a seat next to Emma and said, "And here I thought Colombia was cleaning up their act." Clara then clarifies, "Well, it is. And because of it, more Americans have visited Colombia in the last two years than they have in the previous 20," to which Jack counters, "Mm, but like anything, it takes time, so crime is still a big problem for them. Tourists are always the easiest targets," the ME adds, "especially when the perception is that all Americans are rich," to which the unit chief further adds, "which explains why 75 Americans have been targeted in Colombia in 2021." Matt then concluded, saying, "And most of those were express kidnappings." Clara then countered, saying, "Yeah, but after the victims are taken at gunpoint, go to the ATM, withdraw the money, they're usually immediately released." Isa agreeing with the linguist, added, "And these types of criminals are highly organized, mobile, and experienced, but not usually violent." At that, Emma concludes, "So, if this is an escalation, there's no telling what dangers more Americans might find themselves in."

As the team arrived at the hotel, Drew stayed with a bunch of street kids, who flocked around them as they exited the 4x4. Then, out of the blue, a woman wearing a floral blue blouse and baby pink suit came and started yelling at the children, "iFuera de aquí, ratas! iAntes de que llame a la policía! iTodos vamos! iVamos!" She then says some other things at them, as Clara clarifies ""Gamines," or "throwaway children". It's a remnant of Colombia's recent civil wars. The unemployment, poverty, and lack of housing have left their parents struggling and the children abandoned. So they live on the streets and join gangs to survive, to which Isa asks, "What's the Colombian government doing about this?" Then the woman from earlier cuts in, saying, "Not enough. I'm sorry about this vermin. They're a stain on our county."

Then a man in a dark gray suit walks up to them and introduces himself as he offers a handshake, "Agent Garrett. I'm Detective Benavides." Jack accepts as he says, "Detective, thanks for having us." He then introduces the rest of the team, "Agent Seger, Garcia, Jarvis, Rubirosa, and Simmons." The detective then says to the team, apologizing, "I'm sorry that you had to fly all the way down here for this... how do you say... open-and-close case." The unit chief answers, "Oh, it certainly looks that way, but..." to which Detective Benavides cuts in, "It is. This is no longer the land of Pablo Escobar. It hasn't been for a while now. Colombia has taken its place in a new world, and we hope that its neighbors to the north will trust that we can police our own backyard." At that, Emma politely answers back, "Well, no disrespect intended, Detective Benavides, but when a formal complaint is filed with our embassy, we take that very seriously."

The detective reluctantly gives in to Emma's statement and asks, "Fine. How can I be of assistance?" to which Jack answers, "We'd like to see the deceased's hotel room." The detective then turns to the woman, who turns out to be Rosa Fernandez, the hotel manager, and they have a quick exchange. He then turns back to the team, informing them, "Unfortunately, that's not possible. Because we didn't declare this a crime, we've removed the deceased's belongings and released the room back to the hotel." Fernandez then cuts in, adding, "Which we then rented to a new guest. We're very busy, and the Chicó Reservado district is very popular with tourists, but I can show it to you if you'd like." Matt answers, saying, "If the room's been cleaned and occupied, then all the evidence has been compromised." to which Jack replies, "Agreed, so, Detective, can you instead escort Agents Jarvis, Rubirosa, and Simmons to the alleyway where the body was found, so they can take a look?" the detective simply replies with an "of course," then Jack turns to the rest of the team, "Mae, can you check out the alley while Simmons, you, and Emma take a look at the roof?" to which the former Army vet replies, "You got it, boss." as the three of them leave with Detective Benavides. Jack then turns to Clara and Isa and says, "Let's go have a chat with Drew's girlfriend. Paola," The three of them leave to talk to her, where they learn that she and Drew had a run-in with a halcón with the Los Primos cartel.

As they walked to the nightclub Paola and Drew went to before he died, Clara noticed that Isa's lost in her thoughts and asked her, "You alright, Isa?" which brought the Filipina back into reality and made her jump slightly, but then she mumbled, "Sorry. Paola just reminded me of the helplessness that my sisters and I felt when we lost mama and papa." to which the linguist replied empathically, "Of course. I've been there too, y'know. When I lost my brother." This made the girl look at her and give a thankful smile, then say with a bit of determination, "If we can find out who did this to Drew, it's gonna give her closure and allow her to move on. I hope we can do that". "We will," Jack said as they entered the nightclub.

Inside, there were only two people: one guy at the bar, and the other was behind the bar. "No, no, no. Cerrado. We're closed until 6," the guy at the bar said. Jack responds by showing his badge and saying, "FBI, I was hoping you might be able to help us out." The guy picks up a glass and says, "I doubt that." Isa gives a small scoff, then replies sarcastically, "Let's give it a try anyway." She then showed a photo of Drew's passport and added, "Either of you saw this man last night?" The man looked at the photo and then simply said, "I don't know. We see a lot of people." The three agents didn't seem convinced by that, and before Isa could make a witty remark, Jack asked, "All those people end up dead?" Instead of replying to the unit chief, the man turned to the guy behind the bar and said, "No dar papaya.”

Confused, Isa turns to Clara and asks, "Don't give the papaya?" The linguist clarifies, "It's a local saying. It means..." The man at the bar cuts in, saying "That it was probably the guy's own damn fault for walking in yesterday, being gringo, and flashing cash". "And maybe you helped him out with that?" Jack asked, to which the men laughed and said, "¿Yo?, You Americans are always putting your noses in Colombian business and just making everything worse." That made the most senior agent slightly agitated and ask, "Why don't you stop deflecting and answer my question?" The man then turned to the guys behind the bar and said, "Ohh... Mira." then turns back to Jack and says, "Tough guy with his gun and his badge." He then stood up, which made him a few inches taller than the unit chief.

Jack responds by first removing his gun and badge and handing them to Clara who along with Isa becomes slightly concerned, then says to the guy "Now I'm just a tough guy. But a little piece of tin doesn't seem like it would be a problem for you." the man responds saying "Hermano... you don't want any of this." Jack replies, saying, "Big guy like you doesn't have many real fights. Your game is intimidation. Most people back down before a punch is ever thrown, but I'm not one of those guys." the unit chief then takes a step forward and adds, "So... you have anything to do with this man's death?" At that, Clara seriously wondered how this was the same guy she married and had kids with, while Isa concluded that her friend and colleague got her attitude of diving head first into most things from her dad.

The man then sits back down and says, "Okay. Yeah, okay? Look... I tried to talk to his lady. That's it... Hmm? I was here all night into the morning, working." this doesn't convince the three agents, so he adds, "You don't believe me? Ask him" gesturing to his friend behind the bar. "Doesn't mean you didn't get on your walkie and call one of your buddies to take care of him." Isa replied wittily, which made the guy respond, "I am just... whoa." Jack instinctively reached for his gun, though it was not even real, which made the guy say, "Suave. It doesn't even work. It's not even loaded. I am just a security guard." He then showed the three agents his fake walkie-talkie, which made Clara conclude, "The walkie and the gun are a ruse." Jack examines the fake walkie then adds, "So... If people think you're part of a drug cartel, they think twice before doing anything stupid." The guy simply laughs and then says, "Welcome to Colombia," which makes Isa think, "Yeah, we feel very welcomed." as the three of them exchange looks.

After a while, the team hasn't made much progress as they've now got a second victim whose wife is currently missing, and searching their hotel room has raised more questions than answers, one of which is who owns the glittery purple lipstick on a champagne flute and the red hair in the shower. Mae was doing the autopsy with a local coroner on the jet just as Isa headed there, as she might have gotten a lead, while Matt and Emma, along with Detective Benavides, went to a nearby shop.

While all of that was going on, Jack walked up to Clara, who had just called the US embassy, and informed him, "Hey. I just got off the phone with the embassy. They're issuing a travel warning to all Americans in Bogotá and warning other embassies to do the same for their citizens," he replied, "Good. Simmons just called. He found a person of interest using the Hulses' credit card. It turned out to be Mrs. Hulse herself. Seems she had breakfast with her husband this morning before she went on the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral tour, while he came back to the hotel to rest." Baffled, Clara concludes, "So, whoever it was must have known that she'd be occupied."

Just then, Mae calls, to which Jack answers and says, "What do you two have, Mae?" The ME answers "Well, the original medical reports said that the victims were not drugged, when, in fact, they were". "With what?" Clara asks, "It's called scopolamine, a.k.a. "The Devil's Breath" the ME replies." Still bewildered, the linguist then asks, "So, why didn't the original labs catch it?" At that, Isa cuts in, clarifying "Well, scopolamine metabolizes into the bloodstream so quickly that standard toxic panels don't detect it". "It also grows only here in Colombia, so it's specific to the region," the unit chief adds. "Bingo," the Filipina said in response, then added, "Now, scopolamine is like a Mickey on steroids. It's odorless, it's off-white in color, and it can be blown into someone's face or just passed through touch." as Mae takes over and continues to explain, "And once that happens, the victim is turned into a mental zombie, and while they're under the influence, the victim is easily controlled by suggestions or verbal commands to perform unspeakable acts, which is why all of our victims have been emptying their bank accounts... Because they were told to." At that, Jack comments, saying, "And the person giving the commands is usually very close by." Isa concludes the explanation by saying, "And once the drug has worn off, the victim has no recollection of what happened or what they did under the influence. They can't even identify the people who gave them the drug in the first place."

The last part slightly puzzled Clara, which made her ask, "Well, then why have them kill themselves if they can't remember anything, anyway?" Mae suggests, "Unless these crimes of opportunity are also a way to fulfill a lust to kill." Jack replies, saying, "Sounds like you guys are on to something, Mae. Get back to the hotel as soon as possible, and we'll regroup." then ends the call then turns to Clara, "The last time I heard of scopolamine, a bunch of working girls were using it to roll Johns in Guatemala." the linguist makes a 'that makes sense' gesture then replies, "Well, a lady of the night would explain who was drinking the champagne." the unit chief then adds, "And who took the shower in a country where running water is not always a given."

Clara agrees with this but finds something that doesn't add up, so she says, "Yeah, but neither of these victims look like the kind of men that would pay for sex." Jack nods slightly at her point and then suggests, "Agreed, but maybe they didn't pay for it, and these women followed them and found the right opportunity to dose them." Clara replies, "All right, so where do we find this working girl?" Jack answers, "That's the easy part," as he calls Matt and Emma, then, as they pick up, says, "Simmons, Emma, meet us at the Wall." as the two of them leave to meet them at the Wall.

The four agents arrive at the Wall with Jack and Clara riding the 4x4 while Emma and Matt road his bike, which, though she won't admit it, moderately scared Emma. As they either hopped off or exited their respective vehicles, Matt said, "The Wall is infamous for prostitution," and as they walked around, Clara spotted a girl that fits the vague description of their working girl and said, "There she is. Redhead, purple lipstick. Check." Emma then commented, "Nice ice on her finger," as she observed the girl show a raven-haired girl a ring, which made her dad reply, "I think we just found Drew's lost engagement ring... and our killer."

All of a sudden, shots were fired and everyone there either ducking for cover or running away. The four agents were able to duck behind a probably abandoned car, while the redheaded girl ducked behind an old, rusty trash can. As a few more shots are fired, Jack tells the others, "I don't have a shot. There are too many innocents downrange." Just then, the redheaded girl runs away, which Matt notices and then says, "There she goes." Jack then says to Clara and Emma, "I'll get his attention. As soon as I draw his fire, you two get the girl," to which the mother-daughter duo replies simultaneously with 'copy' and 'gotcha' then the unit chief addresses the former army vet and says, "Simmons, you get everyone else to safety." Matt simply replies, "Done."

Then Jack gave the go signal, and all four agents did their assigned orders. After a while, the gunman suddenly runs out of ammunition, and Jack says to him, "Jack Garrett, FBI!" Matt then asks, with his gun drawn, "What do we got, Jack?" The more senior agent replies, "He's on a drug called scopolamine. It's like you're under hypnosis, so whoever gives it to you has a lot of sway over your actions," he says as he reaches for the gunman's gun and is handcuffed.

Meanwhile, the mother-daughter duo continues to chase the redheaded girl. At some point during the chase, Clara yells, "FBI! Stop!" But after a bit more running and a few people shoved out of the way by both parties, the mother-daughter agent duo caught up with the redheaded girl, with Emma tackling her down and Clara cuffing her.

Back with Jack, Matt, and the gunman, Matt asks, "How'd he know where to find us?" while holding on to the gunman Jack spots something on the ground and picks it up. "The UnSub is watching," Jack replies as he shows the other agent a Polaroid.

After Clara and Emma took the redheaded girl into custody, they went in to interview her. There they learned that her name was Canela and that both Drew and Tim hired her, but she wasn't the one to dose either of them with scopolamine. She said that neither of the victims wanted sex or anything, but they instead fed her, told her to take a shower, and then paid her for the whole day, so she didn't have to work anymore. She also said that Drew gave her the ring. When Emma asked what the gunman wanted, Canela replied saying that she had never met him and that when he came to the Wall and started shooting, that was the first time she saw him.

After the interview, the mother-daughter duo met up with Jack near the hotel lobby where he informed the two "Mae, Isa, and Simmons are interviewing the shooter. How'd it go with the working girl?" getting straight to the point, Clara replies, "She says she's innocent." her husband and colleague simply answered, "Of course". Emma replied "We believe her, dad" The last word was said so softly that both her parents barely heard it. Her dad then asked "Why's that?" her mom answered for her saying "Well, because when people lie, they tend to minimize, you know, to conceal their degree of involvement, but Canela has admitted to everything, including things that would cast doubt on her story, like the fact that they paid her extra money or that Drew gave her the ring." the young agent then added "Yeah, her only crime is growing up on these streets and trying to survive." agreeing with his wife and daughter Jack concluded "So if she didn't do it... whoever our UnSub is has a soft spot for her."

Clara then nods at Jack's conclusion and replies, "Agreed. And they want her washed, fed, and off the streets." Emma finds something confusing questions, "But it's a conflicting motivation. Greed versus romance?" the unit chief answers "We could be dealing with a schizophrenic, someone of two minds, on the one hand, driven by logic... on the other, driven by emotion." the youngest agent, starting to get why the motivations were so conflicting, adds "Which could be a blessing. I mean, the emotional side of our UnSub is driving them to take risks that they normally wouldn't take." Jack then replied, "Exactly. Which could be their undoing." Clara then suggests "Or their common thread. Canela asked us, "Who cares for prostitutes in Bogotá?"." to which her husband concluded, "Someone else who's been thrown away."

While the familial threesome was talking, the remaining three members of the team who were on the team talked to the gunman, whose name they learned was Bob Cosgrove. When Matt asked what was the last thing he remembered before he was drugged he replied that the last he remembered was that he decided to take a walk from his hotel down to the marketplace and while there he heard a song specifically "Redemption Song" and that he placed some money into the musician kid's hat then suddenly everything went dark. At that, a lot of things started to fit into place for the three agents as they shared a glance at each other. Later, the team regroups with Detective Benavides, and they look over the marketplace from a hotel balcony.

"Music," Isa said simply. "The polaroid of Jack" Simmons continued then Clara added "The marketplace... it's what all the vics had in common." then she continued "The Chicó Reservado district is very popular among tourists. They walk through here every single day." then Jack concludes, "And finally, the kids. They're everywhere. The poor and homeless are often invisible". "Yeah, that's why this crime was so hard to figure out," Matt said as he turned to the others. "We underestimated them," Emma said, finishing the former army vet's statement. "Yeah, because you don't want to believe that kids are capable of such a thing." Clara said agreeing with her teammates, though her statement made the two youngest agents glance at each other as if saying to each other 'if only they knew some things we did' as they're a bit mischievous at times and most times an adult figures out what they did, but there are a few times they don't. Jack then counters the others "Doesn't mean he's our UnSub." Detective Benavides points to the musician kid and says "He looks like the ringleader to me." the unit chief decides to give the detective the benefit of the doubt and replies "He just maybe, but let's kick the tires on this and be sure. Our UnSub is targeting tourists."

Mae then adds, "These are crimes of opportunity, but there's a sadistic element to them. Robbery should have been enough, but these murders are extra." Isa then says slightly, stuttering a bit, "This person wants control and craves power. I-it's not just about money, but also making his victims be punished." Matt then continued "This is someone who's angry at tourists or foreigners." as Clara added to the profile "Yeah, a domineering personality, someone who takes pressure in... in making their victims helpless." Jack then replied, noticing a contradiction between their profile and the musician kid, "This kid doesn't fit the profile." the detective then asked, slightly confused, "So what? He fits the crime." to which Matt pointed out, "See, look at the way he checks around. See? See right there? Before he gives the kid the money". Emma then concluded, "They're afraid of someone". This still confuses the detective, so he asks "So he's got nothing to do with this?" to which Jack replies, "He might not be our UunSub, but he's most definitely our Romeo."

Isa then listed and occluded "Strawberries, champagne, and a shower. Only a kid on the street who lacks these things is gonna know their value." this still confuses the detective as he asks, "How is that possible? Whoever is tied to this girl is most likely the person who did all of this." Jack then gives another option they never thought of until now, "Unless we're looking for two people... one Alpha and one Beta." to which Clara replies, "Which is why our profile was so conflicting." Isa then concluded with a tone of disgust, hurt, and sympathy for the kids "These kids are just puppets." just as Matt added, "Someone else is pulling the strings, giving information from afar." Emma then concludes, "So we're not looking for a Romeo. We're looking for a Cyrano." which makes Detective Benavides ask "So, how do we find this Cyrano?" to which Jack replies "First, let's get these kids off the street and to safety."The team and Detective Benavides go to do just that and the musician kid notices them then yells "¡La policía! ¡Corran! ¡Corran!" and all of them run or at least try to since they're caught by the team and other officers. Jack then said to the musician kid, "Hey. FBI. ¿Hablas Inglés?" to which the kid simply replied "Sí." which made the unit chief ask "Where'd you learn to speak English?" the kid replied as he was being searched "Where else? American music." as he's finished being searched, Detective Benavides informs Jack "He's clean." to which the musician kid says "Which means I'm free to go. Gracias." then tries to leave but is stopped by Detective Benavides saying something to him in Spanish, then turns to the unit chief and says "They're all clean. One of the other kids must have gotten away with the scopolamine." Jack then turns to the musician kid, "I'm not interested in you going to jail, but I am interested in who your boss is." the kid simply replies with an "I'm the boss" to which the agent responds "I think you're just a kid being manipulated." the kid takes a step towards the agent as he says "You don't know anything about me or my friends or my family." Jack then explains to him, "Well, I know whoever you think your friend is, isn't. They're using you and all the others to do bad things so that, if you get caught, you all go to jail, not them." the musician kid then turns to the other kids then simply said "The FBI likes to lie." which the agent quickly dismisses saying "I promise you, we're not lying. Let me help you. I know you're just trying to take care of your friends." the musician kid then replies, "We're okay. We'll take care of ourselves. Gracias. ¡Vámonos!" then he and the other kid leave and as 6 agents and a detective watch them leave, the detective asks "So, what now?" to which the most senior agent replies "We follow them".

As the team and Detective Benavides follow the kids, they follow them into an alleyway with flashlights in hand. "Well, they can't have escaped that quickly," Isa remarked as they looked around to see how the kids had gotten away so fast. After looking around for a while, Matt finds a vent from which the kids could've used and then says "Got 'em." he then removes some metal bars from the vent looks in, and adds "Yeah, they can fit in here, but we can't." Which made Jack say, "We Need to find another way in. They're probably meeting with their leader now".  "I'm pretty sure this leads under the hotel. Maybe there's a way in from there." Detective Benavides replies as they leave.

As she followed closely behind the rest of the team, Emma suddenly heard someone take a sharp breath behind her and made her turn around to see Isa struggling to breathe. As she walked towards the slightly older girl she asked "You okay Isa?" the other girl grabbed her friend's arm which she had extended then simply said "Asthma." still struggling to get oxygen into her lungs.

Hearing footsteps behind her Emma turns around to see her parents walking up to the two of them who noticed the two younger agents weren't behind them. Her mom then asked with concern on her face "Isa are you alright?" the Filipina nodded and then replied still struggling to breathe "I'll be fine… it's just my Asthma. I'm pretty sure… it's the stuffiness… of the alleyway… or… the dry air… that triggered it." Jack responds, "I think you should head back to the hotel and sit this one out." Emma nodded and then said "I agree with dad." her mom then added "So do I. I'm not so sure if it's the best idea to have you on the field if you’re having an Asthma attack."  to which Isa responds with a nod then says still having a hard time to breath "Okay, I’ll… sit this one… out". Emma then turned to her parents and said "I'll stay with her." this made her parents glance at each other then turn to their daughter and nod, and she then told them "Okay, We’ll see you guys after this is all over I guess" then adds "And please be careful." to which her dad replies "We will." and her mom said at the same time "Always." then the four of them leave the alleyway then part ways with the two young agents head to the hotel while the older two agents join the others.

While the two youngest agents were back at the hotel, the rest of the team and Detective Benavides went to the basement part of the hotel to see the hotel manager, Rosa Fernandez, pointing a gun at the street kid. Then suddenly Jack and the others enter, then say "FBI! Drop the weapon!" Fernandez clocks the gun and doesn't drop it, so the unit chief says "I said drop the weapon!" to which Fernandez says "Que asi sea." then gets shot by Jack before she pulls the trigger and falls to the ground. Then, as Clara walks over to Fernandez to see if she is dead or not, the others walk over to the kids check on them, and calm them down.

The next day, while the kids were with most of the team and some local officers, Detective Benavides was talking with Jack and Clara and informed them a bit of Fernandez' background "Her real name was Gabriella Muñoz, an ex-street kid and prostitute with a long criminal record and a history of extreme Colombian nationalistic views," which made Clara ask, "So, how did she become the hotel manager?" to which the detective replied, "Rosa Fernandez was an alias that she must have stolen and used to get the job. The kids say she had been planning this scam for a while". "A hotel manager's a perfect cover if you want to rip off some tourists." Jack comments, then Clara replies "Yeah, and being surrounded by them must have triggered her resentment towards all the foreigners," which made the unit chief add "And suddenly, it wasn't enough to just steal from them... she needed to kill them, too".

After a few beats of silence, Detective Benavides quickly says, "I owe you and your team an apology. I thought there was nothing here. You were right. There was," to which Jack replies, "Well, this is one of those times I wish I was wrong." Then the detective responds, "Hopefully, in the future, we can do more?" as he and Garrett shake hands, then adds, "Thank you." Jack then asks, "So what about then?" as he gestures to the kids, then adds, "What happens now?" to which Detective Benavides replies, "Although they were part of a criminal activity, I've spoken to my superior on their behalf, and he's taken into account their circumstances. They've been cleared of any wrongdoing," to which the unit chief responds, "Well, I'm glad to hear that because I found someone who can help us. I have a friend who runs an orphanage." as a bus approaches them.

As the bus stops, a woman with short, kinky hair steps out and walks over to them and says, "Hola, Jack," to which the unit chief replies, "Thank you for coming, Ramona." As he and the woman share an embrace, he adds, "The kids are over there with the rest of my team." Then he gestures to the others, to which Ramona replies, "I'll go introduce myself, and then we can take them to their new home." Then she walks over to the rest of the team and the kids. This makes the two agents and detective glance at each other, and the two agents exchange a smile.

After a while, Detective Benavides asks, "What would you have done if we decided to press charges against them?" to which Jack retorts, "I guess we'll never have to find out," which made the detective and Clara chuckle as the kids got on the bus. Clara then spots Paola, then turns to Jack, and says, "Um, I'm gonna be right back." She then walks over to Paola, and after they exchange greetings, the linguist says, "I, uh... I have something that belongs to you." as she hands the engagement ring to Paola, which made the woman's voice break as she said, "Oh, my God." as Clara tells the other woman, "Drew wanted you to have this." then adds, "It's perfect." Then the two women exchanged hugs. As the two women have their exchange, Jack turns and sees the exchange and a small smile forms as the four other agents rejoin them, and they wave goodbye to the kids on the bus.

Once the team returned to the US and finished writing their case reports which took almost the whole day, they were all able to get a day off. On the way back home, the two youngest agents were jamming to the Hamilton soundtrack for the hundredth time, much to the two older agents' annoyance. After a while, Clara started to stare off into the road ahead, lost in her thoughts. Jack quickly glanced at her before turning most of his attention back to the road and saying, "I can hear your mind racing, you know," which made his wife chuckle softly. He then replied, "I was just thinking of what Mae told me before the case," to which he silently told her to go on as the woman added, "She told me that after the slip-up at the train station, pun not intended, she and the other are starting to pick up what’s going on between the two of us." As they stopped at a stop light, Jack carefully placed a hand on hers and said, "We’ll figure out a way to tell them. It might take some time for them to get used to the idea or for us to tell them, but we’ll figure out a way," which made Clara give him a tight-lipped smile while Isa and Emma fake gagged from the back seat of the car, which Clara saw from the rearview mirror and gave them a raised eyebrow. Before either girl could respond, Emma's phone buzzed, which made everyone in the car jump slightly and made Clara involuntarily let go of her husband's hand, then give him a small sheepish smile.

IRT Fam

9:30 p.m.

Mae: hey guys

does anyone have any suggestions for a good tv show

Emma: jeeeez Mae a little warning next time will you?!

            But yes I know a few good tv shows

Isa: A lot

      Why?

Mae: because I just finished catching up on Chicago med

Clara: of course you watch medical dramas

Mae: okay ouch but anyways

now I have no clue what to watch on Peacock

Isa: Pretty sure you can watch the rest of the shows on the One Chicago franchise

Emma: or the L&O franchise

Monty: wow guys one moment I was just peacefully watching Dr. Who the next my phone’s being bombarded with messages from this chat

Mae: hi Monty

Isa: Ay-ayatenmikayo a Monty 💜

Monty: Isa please for the love of languages speak no wait type in English, please

Isa: *sends a gif*

Mae: damn Isa

that’s bold

also Clara calm this kid that’s been stayin with you down

Clara: At this point, I’ve given up

Monty: quick question Clara

Clara: Go for it Monty

Monty: how are you texting while driving?

            hello?

Mae: Clara you there?

Clara: I’m carpooling with Jack and Emma

            And yes Isa’s also here

Mae: riiiiiiight

Clara: What’s that about?

Mae: nothing

Monty: anyways where’d Emma and Isa go?

Clara: they fell asleep in the back of the car

Mae: With just pure silence

damn

Clara: No they were playing the Hamilton soundtrack

           And speaking of people being inactive, where's Matt?

Mae: Knowing him he’s probably lurking behind his phone reading these

Matt: you’d be right Mae

Mae: OMG

MATT YOU’RE ALIVE

Monty: let her be Matt

Clara: Well I just got home and now I have to figure out how to get a certain sleeping 12-and-a-half-year-old from the back of Jack’s car to her room

            Night guy

Matt: Night

Mae: gn

Monty: g’night

Okay, a few notes about some stuff mentioned:

 1. bronde refers to the fusion between blonde and brown hair that Emma has (pretty sure Jayden Bartels who played her in the og run of the show is also one)

2. Isa is sometimes referred to as Iz usually by some family members, most friends, and sometimes co-workers. Though her sisters usually call her Izzy or any nickname that comes from the name Isabella that can annoy her

3. In the scene where the team follows the kids into an alleyway there's a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows reference (I'll let you guys guess it)

4. The language Isa typed in when Monty enters the chat is the Ilocano a dialect in the Philippines which is spoken in Northern Luzon, many parts of Central Luzon, and a few parts of the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao;

5. And lastly I described Ramona’s hair as kinky hair since it's also called afro-textured hair you can learn more about this type of hair with these Wikipedia articles

Another thing here is the translations for the chapter:

tanga - stupid

Ay, hindi. - Oh, no.

iFuera de aquí, ratas! iAntes de que llame a la policía! iTodos vamos! iVamos! - Get out of here, rats! Before I call the police! We all go! Come on!

Cerrado - Closed

No dar papaya - don't give the papaya

¿Yo? - I?

Mira - look

¡La policía! ¡Corran! ¡Corran! - Police! Run! Run

¿Hablas Inglés? - Do you speak English

Sí - yes

Gracias - thank you

Gracias. ¡Vámonos! - Thank you. Let’s go!

Que así sea - so be it

Hola - hello

Ay-ayatenmikayo a Monty - We love you, Monty

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this but pls remember I'm still new to fanfiction writing so pls be nice to me.

#criminal minds beyond borders #jackxclara #jack garrett #clara seger #mae jarvis #matt simmons #russ montgomery #emma garrett #isabella “isa” eleanor garcia (oc) #alternate universe #canon divergence #bring back criminal minds beyond borders #fanfiction #fanfic #cmbb #fanfiction update #fanfic update #26 years fanfic update

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Summary:

It's been almost a year since Clara rejoined the IRT and things are back to normal and the team still oblivious of her and Jack's relationship (or so they though).

(as the title suggests this is set before/during/a bit after the season 2 premier aka "Lost Souls")

Words: 7938, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Fandom: Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Characters: Jack Garrett, Clara Seger, Mae Jarvis, Russ Montgomery, Matt Simmons (Criminal Minds), Original Characters, Emma Garrett

Relationships: Jack Garrett/Clara Seger

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, The IRT as a family, The IRT was never disband, Family, Friendship, Flashbacks to season 1, But mainly set in season 2, Rewriting CMBB, Missing Scenes, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship, Relationship Reveal, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

#criminal minds beyond borders #jack garrett #clara seger #mae jarvis #matt simmons #emma garrett #isabella “isa” eleanor garcia (oc) #jackxclara #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction update #26 years fanfic update

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

Here are the links for my fanfic "26 Years"

Here they are the links for my fanfic "26 Years" I also decided to add the links from when I posted it here on Tumblr.

#criminal minds beyond borders #cmbb #jackxclara #26 years fanfic links #fanfiction #fanfic

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

26 Years- Chapter 1: Prologue (part 2, because Tumblr won't let me post it as a whole)

Check out part one for the first half of the fic

check out part 1 here

as usual the gif credit goes to @shannyfishwriter because like I said in my last two post of my fanfics it's from their blog where I save the gif and my I add a whole heap more the the three seen so far

In 2009 Jack and Clara had another baby boy who they named Rillie Jacob "RJ" Garrett. The next year was full of stress because first Strauss was killed and Matt became Section Chief then Jeanna Lewis who was their Technical Analyst retired, and their secret almost came into the light while doing a job interview with one of the applicants and almost told the media because she got rejected. And all of that happened in just the first quarter of the year. Later in the year, Clara gave birth to her and Jack's youngest child and daughter, name Emma Rose Garrett.

In late 2020 Clara's brother Brad died in the line of duty and she went on a 2-year bureau sabbatical to clear her head but stayed in touch with her family and kept them updated on her location. The following year Emma joined the FBI's Junior Special Agent Program and later decided that she would join would be the IRT and follow her parents foot steps. Through the program, she met Lisa Garcia a Filipino-American girl who would later be her partner in the field. In 2022 Clara rejoined the team after their case in Thailand where she just so happens to be at the time.

Now it's been almost a year since Clara's return and almost 25 years of hiding the fact that they're married. Ryan is now an FBI agent Jack jr. is in the Marines, the twins are finishing college, and RJ and Emma are starting Junior High. But after this year's events, how will Jack and Clara keep everything a secret from the team now? Questions will spark that sooner or later they need to answer. How will their lives change in the aftermath of a disaster that affects more families than just the Garrett family?

A/n: I hope you guys enjoyed the story. I don't know when I'll be able to update this story since the school year just started last month where I live, so it's still unclear to me when I'll be able to update it.

A/n2 : When Emma joined the IRT she used the surname Rubirosa which is Clara's true maiden name (a one shot about that will hopefully be uploaded soon) and to also distinguish her from her Jack.

A/n3: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7359148/1/29-Years - this is the link to the fanfic "29 Years" where I got the inspiration for this fic/chapter came from

#criminal minds beyond borders #jackxclara #jack garrett #clara seger #mae jarvis #matt simmons #emma garrett #(are you surprised with her connection/involvement in the fic; i hope not since she literally has the same surname as jack) #lisa “isa” jane garcia (oc) #alternate universe #canon divergence #the IRT as a family #the IRT was never disband #family #friendship #flash backs to season 1 #but mainly set in season 2 #re-writing CMBB #missing scenes #cross posted on fanfiction.net and ao3 #check out part 1 for the first half of the chapter #fanfiction #bring back criminal minds beyond borders #cmbb

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

26 Years - Chapter 1: Prologue (part 1; because Tumblr won't let me post the story as a whole)

Summary: A CMBB AU fic. Jack and Clara haven't told their coworkers a lot of things about their home life and how they have actually known each other for 26 years. First chapter is a bit of a time-line. Please R&R!

A/n: So this chapter is a to the main story. I should let you guys know about a few things before reading; this is fic is based on a whole heap of my head canons, the IRT was never disband, Mac Taylor from CSI: NY is mentioned partly because he's related to Jack (one of my head canons), Karen is not Jack's wife but his sister, Millie and Josie are twins, the characters may seem OOC at times, I added an OC with the surname Garcia but she's in no way related to Penelope Garcia from the mother ship, the program mentioned is something I made up because I didn't really know how to explain how two twelve-year-olds (the OC and someone who will be mentioned later) become official FBI agents and are part of the IRT, the Covid-19 Pandemic never happened/s (oh how I whish I lived in this Alternate Universe), I also de-aged Jack and Clara to fit the time line I made, I got the format and inspiration of this chapter/title from another fic on FanFiction.net called "29 Year", and lastly please don't kill me if it's not a good story this is my first fanfic.

A/n2: WARNING I DON'T ONW CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTER EXPECT FOR THE OC's THEY BELONG TO ERICA MESNER AND CBS.

A/n3: Any and all mistakes are mine.

A/n4: check out part 2 here (this a/n is specifically for Tumblr only)

gif credit goes to @shannyfishwriter bucause it's from their blog where I saved this gif

Jack Garrett is a secretive man. That's how he'd always been. Sure, he sometimes mentions things from his home life, but that's not often and that's how it's been for the last 26 years. The people whom he works with don't know what kind of life he led outside of work or what kind of guy he was. However, there is one exception, and she knows him better than anyone else on the team. Her name is Clara Seger-Garrett. Their colleagues know her as Clara Seger and as far as they know she had just returned from a 2-year bureau sabbatical after the death of her brother. Section Chief Cruz, Emma, and Lisa know about Jack and Clara's situation and private life. Section Chief Cruz knew when he became Jack's partner in 1998. Emma knew all along, even before she joined the team because she is their daughter. And Lisa knew since she stays at their place because her aunt and sisters live in New York and since it is a long drive, she doesn't want to ride the subway because she was still traumatized from a previous time she rode a transit.

Jack was Born Jackson Taylor in 1963. He had an identical twin brother named McCanna "Mac" Llewellyn and a younger sister named Claire who was 3 years younger than him and Mac. Sadly, when he and his brother were 4 months old, a couple by the name of Jeanna and Jason Garrett decided to kidnap little Jack and raise him as their own. Thankfully, in mid-1996 he was reunited with his biological family with the help of his then-fiancée Clara who he met in 1977 at their local high school. Later that year Jack and Clara who were both 26 got married. 1997 Clara gave birth to their first child; a little boy. They decided to name him Ryan Daniel Garrett. In early 1998 Jack and Clara moved to DC and Jack joined the IRT and that's when he met his partner Mateo "Matt" Cruz. The two got along well and that's when he met Clara and the kids. He knew about Jack's life and childhood but kept it a secret as per Jack and Clara's request.

In mid-1998 Clara gave birth to Jack Cade Garrett jr. His middle name was Clara's father's first name. A year later, Jack was made the Unit Chief of the IRT. Clara later joined the IRT herself in early 2002 with Jack's sister Karen to babysit Ryan and Jack jr. when they had a case. In mid-2002 Clara gave birth to twin girls. The eldest girl was named Millicent "Millie" Hope Garrett and the younger girl was named Josephine "Josie" Pearl Garrett. When she had to on maternity leave the then Section Chief Strauss, Jack, and she used the cover that she needed to head back to New York to take care of her mother who just had a stroke to explain her almost three-month absents. Three years later, Clara got promoted to Supervisory Special Agent.

#criminal minds beyond borders #jackxclara #jack garrett #clara seger #mae jarvis #matt simmons #emma garrett #(wait for part 2 for her intro/connection/involvement in the fic) #isabella “isa” eleanor garcia (oc) #alternate universe #canon divergence #the IRT as a family #the IRT was never disband #family #frienship #flash backs to season 1 #but mainly set in season 2 #re-writing CMBB #missing scenes #cross posted on fanfiction.net and ao3 #wait for part 2 of the chapter #bring back criminal minds beyond borders #fanfiction #cmbb

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

Il Mostro-Alternate Ending

Summary: Basically, Clara didn't pull the trigger and Onario shot her. A "what if" that's been on my mind recently and I decided to write it down on "paper". Established Jack/Clara but their relationship is undisclosed. CMBB one-shot. Please R&R. Not related to my fic "26 Years".

A/n: If there are any discrepancies in the timeline of the story or there are parts that are/with a big freaking paragraph/section, I'm sorry, but I was too lazy to do math/fix it while writing the story. I also took and slightly modified Jack and Clara's conversation from the story "A Little Comfort". Here are the links: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10534725. Any and all mistakes are mine. Even though I'm using LanguageTool.org and Grammarly to fix my errors, I think there are a few that slip.

gif credit goes to @shannyfishwriter because it's from their blog where I saved the gif

She should have pulled the trigger.

This was what Clara Seger-Garrett thought when Onario shot her. She knew that she was bound to get hurt with a job like hers at some point. Suddenly she heard a door fall then a loud bang which she knew was a gun, then Onario fell to the ground.

"Scarpa! It's over." A voice said, she knew that voice, it was her colleague Jack Garrett. "Ja- aaargh" she tried to say his name, but the pain got to her before she could.

"What happened, Clara," Jack asks her after seeing her on the couch bleeding from her right shoulder. She could barely let out the name Onario. "Hang on, Clara," he said while putting pressure on the wound. "Jack," she choked out, "Don't let me die'' the kids need me , she didn't need to tell them to know he heard the last part. "Clara! Hang... on... para... medics... are... on... there... way..." she hears Mae say panting. "Okay," Clara said weakly, half-dazed from the loss of blood.

When they get to the hospital, the doctors rush Clara to the Operating Room while the rest of the team waits. They all sat in the waiting room in silence, still shocked about what happened. Isa was comforting herself with a song on repeat and rewind, Mae was just staring into space, Matt was well Matt, Emma was having a panic attack, and Jack was trying to help Emma calm down. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever until a doctor came into the waiting room and said "SSA Clara Seger-Garrett" they all stood up Mae and Matt looked shocked and confused, Isa almost swore, Emma looked like a little kid getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar, and when the four of them turned their heads to face Jack his face was completely unreadable.

"Yes we're her colleagues" Jack spoke up first then Emma came a bit closer next came Isa and finally Mae and Matt who were still in shock from what they heard. "SSA Seger-Garrett lost a lot of blood during the surgery, but thankfully the bullet didn't hit any major Arteries, and we were able to extract the bullet. She did need a blood transfusion due to the loss of blood. I suggest she takes it easy, but other than that she would make a full recovery. We are also keeping her here overnight to monitor her condition, and then she's all clear to travel back to the US." they all exhaled in relief, "Can we see her?" Emma spoke up, worry still in her voice "Of course but only one at a time." they all nodded, then Matt turned to his boss and said "You should go first Jack" Jack nodded and followed the doctor to Clara's room.

After Jack left, the rest of the team looked at each other. "What in Quezon's name just happen" Isa spoke up first somehow keeping her voice low

"They are so screwed after this" Mae said like a little kid catching their older sibling in a compromising position "I'm calling Monty" quickly putting Monty on speed dial "Hey Monty you're on speaker" Mae said casually "Mayfield Ruth Jarvis why are you calling me at this time of the night" Monty said from the phone "Sorry Monty, but you will not believe what we just heard" Mae and Isa said at the same time now intrigue Monty said "I'm listening"

Mae, Isa, Emma, and Matt did a quick game of rock paper scissors then Matt said "Okay, so we were waiting on an update on Clara since she got shot-" Monty cut Matt off by saying "Hold up Clara got SHOT!" none of them wanted to talk about it, but Mae spoke up saying "Yea in the shoulder" Matt spoke up before Mont could say anything "and when the doc came to talk to us he said wait for it SSA Seger-Garrett" Mae interjected saying "That's still weird hearing that" Monty who was in complete shock about what his friends said "Why is Clara's name hyphenated to have both her and Jack's surname?" Mae exhaled in annoyance, "Isn't it obvious" Isa and Emma replied with a simple nope. "Jack and Clara are married, " Mae said emphasizing the word married

"Jack and Clara there is no way that's possible they're married and if it was true I would have started a third EDSA revolution." Isa said slightly raising her voice emphasizing the word third "Please don't" everyone replied concern in their voice, "Plus haven't you seen the way they interact with each other" Mae asked Isa and Emma "Ummm yea," Isa was the one to reply "but from my perspective, they're just really close friends" she added Emma nodded in agreement. Mae, Matt, and Monty had enough of the two playing dumb but said nothing then Monty said "Let’s talk about this with both Jack and Clara with us" Mae who was reluctant to back down but was also tired said "Fine but if they are married you and Matt owe me 100 bucks". Matt and Monty simultaneously said "deal" then Mae hung up on Monty.

While the team was having this conversation, Jack was with Clara. Just as he was going to leave and tell the team to get some rest.

Clara's eyes started blinking open as she tried looking around. Jack was almost to the door.

"Jack" she said weakly. Jack turned around to see Clara, he gave a quick smile and said, "Good to see you're finally awake." Clara gave a sad smile and said "This is all my fault I should have seen the blood drops, I knew I had a backup weapon, I know you’d figure out eventually that he was our guy, and you’d come and find me, I knew one way or the other, I could keep myself safe, but I somehow didn't know he would shoot me." afterwards Clara just started crying.

"It's hard to get over it because it’s been a while. I know you’re an agent, and a very good one, but still, things like that can still scare us. We are all human." Jack told her, his tone of voice was calm and kind.

Clara looked at her boss and husband and gave another sad smile. She now regretted speaking in the first place.

"I am here if you want to talk. I care about you, and your wellbeing, and as much as I understand that in a few days you will be fine, I want to know, now, that you’ll be okay once we got home. Honey, you can admit that what happened a while back scared you, or threw you off balance." Jack said softly, placing his hand on her cheek.

"I hate feeling this way. It’s always the smallest things. I feel as though I should have handled the situation better. I was on my own and I saw drops of blood on the floor, I went into the room without checking, and the minute I got over the threshold and felt an arm around my neck, I knew I should have checked. I felt like I had forgotten a vital part of training, and then, I sat for what felt like a lifetime, trying to figure out how to talk to this kid and in the end, he shot me" Tears streaming down her face.

"Whatever you need. I sometimes think we could all do with a little comfort." Clara remained silent at his statement, but her mind was screaming. Jack got up and placed a kiss on her forehead and said, "I'm going to get the doctor to check on you." Clara managed to let out an okay. After a few beats, Jack came back with the doctor. "Good to see your awake SSA Seger-Garrett" Clara gave a meek smile "You were very lucky SSA Seger-Garrett the bullet didn't hit any major Arteries. We'll be keeping you here overnight to monitor your condition, then you'll be able to join your team on the flight back to the US. I also suggest you take it easy and don't put too much stress on yourself." after the doctor was done explaining, Clara asked, "The teams not going home tonight?" Jack looked at her and said, "You think we'd leave if one of our own was hurt? Hell no," Clara gave another meek smile and said, "Good to know". "I'll leave you two to talk," the doctor said then quickly left the room, Jack turned to Clara and said "I'll just go and tell the team to go to the hotel and get some rest" Clara nodded then said "okay".

When Jack returned to the waiting room he was expecting his team to bombard him with questions about why Clara's surname was hyphenated to also have his surname, but to his surprise, Emma was asleep, Mae was half asleep, Isa was playing her ukulele, and Matt was wide awake. Matt was him first and got up and asked him "Clara, okay?" Jack replied, "Yea, she woke up before I left to join you guys." Matt nodded and said, "Look about a while back I'm not prying or anything but what's with Clara having her name hyphenated." Jack sighed and said, "Don't tell the others yet, but Clara and I are married. 26 years, to be exact." Matt nodded and said, "Explains why you two are so close". "You guys head back to the hotel. I'll stay with Clara," Jack said not wanting to leave Clara alone for a long time especially since that happened to her, Matt nodded and said "okay" remembering what Mae told them said to Jack "Oh one more thing give Clara a head up since Mae said she's gonna bring up the fact that her surnames hyphenated at some point tomorrow before the flight." Jack gave a small smile and said, "Thanks for letting us know." Then he turned and headed back to Clara's room.

There he was greeted with a soft hey. "Hey, you're still up" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed, "And you're still here?" she said in reply. "I'm not leaving you alone, Clara," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "You don't have to do that, you know" she said looking at him. "But I want to, especially since what happened," he said, the tone of his voice telling her that he was staying.

"Matt gave me a heads-up saying that Mae's gonna bust us before the flight home," Jack said, deciding to tell Clara since they agreed not to keep secrets from each other, all Clara's response was a little nod.  "I thought I lost you a while back." he said, holding Clara closer to him, "You didn't lose me Jack I'm right here," she said to him softly "I know," he said lightly kissing her temple. They stayed like that for the rest of the night.

The next day Clara was discharged, and the team had lunch together. Mae decided that it was time to rip the band-aid and said "Sooo Clara, why is your surname hyphenated" Clara decided to play dumb by replying "What do you mean my surname has always been the same." Mae wasn't backing out of a fight that easily said, "Oh really, then explain why the doc from the hospital saying, and I quote SSA Seger-Garrett, and why your surname is hyphenated with Jack's" she said leaning into her chair and crossing her arms. Clara glanced at Jack, then raised her hand in mock surrender and said, "You got us.  We're busted." turning to Jack, she said, "No more hiding". Mae turned to Matt and said "You and Monty owe me" Mat just gave a small laugh and said handing Mae 100 buck "Remind me not to bet with you next time" everybody burst out laughing.

After everyone calmed down Isa raised her hands are said "Okay that's it I hopping on the next plane to the Philippines, start EDSA Rev. 3, and after that bury myself at Manila North Cemetery" like the last time she said that there was a chorus of please don't"s and why would you do that's. Isa then gave a reassuring smile and said to them "I'm just kidding, plus do I look like I want to overthrow the current President" with that everyone burst into laughter again.

After everything that happened, things change, but something will never change.

A/n: This is not related to my fic 26 Years. Though it would be a nice option for Jack and Clara’s relationship to get busted through the episode “Il Mostro” is the second/fourth episode in the second season (it’s the second episode when it aired but was planned to be the fourth) A/n2: There were a lot of references to the Philippines and Philippine History and they are the following: 1. Quezon referses to former President Manuel L. Quezon. 2. EDSA Revolution 1 and 2 were times when people gathered at EDSA (which stands for Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) and overthrew two former Presidents (specifically former Presidents Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Joseph Estrada) 3. NAIA stands for Ninoy Aquino International Airport (originally known as Manila International Airport) 3. Manila North Cemetery is one of the oldest in Metro Manila and is owned/located in the City of Manila.

#criminal minds beyond borders #jackxclara #jack garrett #clara seger #mae jarvis #matt simmons #emma garrett #(check out my fic 26 years to see her importance to the fic... kinda) #isabella “isa” eleanor garcia (oc) #alternate ending #alternate universe #canon divergence #established relationship #secret relationship #relationship reveal #characters playing dumb/oblivious #cross-posted on FanFiction.Net and AO3 #clara doesn't pull the trigger #finally decided to post the fic here #bring back criminal minds beyond borders #cmbb #fanfiction

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

Had this idea in my head for a while.

#criminal minds beyond borders #jackxclara #jack garrett #clara seger #fanfiction #fanfic #alternate ending #alternate universe #canon divergence #someone on the team gets shot #take a guess who #but no one dies

[addictiedtocrimedrama]

Preview for my new fanfic "Il Mostro-Alternate Ending"

So below the cut is a preview for my CMBB one-shot "Il Mostro-Alternate Ending".

She should have pulled the trigger.

This was what Clara Seger-Garrett thought when Onario shot her. She knew that she was bound to get hurt with a job like hers at some point. Suddenly she heard a door fall then a loud bang which she knew was a gun, then Onario fell to the ground.

"Scarpa! It's over." A voice said, she knew that voice, it was her colleague Jack Garrett. "Ja- aaargh" she tried to say his name, but the pain got to her before she could."What happened, Clara," Jack asks her after seeing her on the couch bleeding from her right shoulder. She could barely let out the name Onario. "Hang on, Clara," he said while putting pressure on the wound. "Jack," she choked out, "Don't let me die'' the kids need me, she didn't need to tell them to know he heard the last part. "Clara! Hang... on... para... medics... are... on... there... way..." she hears Mae say panting. "Okay," Clara said weakly, half-dazed from the loss of blood.

#criminal minds beyond borders #fanfiction #fanfic #jackxclara #jack garrett #clara seger #alternate ending #alternate universe #canon divergence #someone get's shot #but no one dies