Categories > TV > Criminal Minds
Hokie Nation
1 reviewThe team goes down to Blacksburg, Virginia to commemorate the six year anniversary of the horrific massacre at Virginia Tech on April 16th. Resulting in the loss of 32 teachers and students. How w...
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We will prevail, We are Virginia Tech.
~ Headstone at Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 4/16/2013
6pm
Morgan looked outside the front window of the black Suburban, seeing a group of people starting to walk along the sidewalk outside the campus grounds. He saw a few familiar landmarks including the main building for Virginia Tech, and he also saw the Virginia state flag and United States flag flying half staff on flag poles situated by a large rock.
He looked over at Reid before directing his attention to Rossi and Garcia who decided to join them in the first SUV, Hotch was along with Blake and JJ in the second. Morgan noticed the second SUV pull up next to them before he stepped out and moved to help Reid out of the passenger side, soon moving to open the back door for Garcia and Rossi.
“Who knew that my Chocolate Adonis was such a gentleman?” Garcia grinned before walking onto the sidewalk, seeing a throng of students and faculty moving toward the Drill field across from Burruss Hall.
Reid frowned lightly as he walked toward the memorial, seeing 32 stones lined up in a half circle. Each one had the name of a person that was killed on that day, excluding the gunman. He looked over at Hotch who had a maroon and orange tie along with a black ribbon on his blazer jacket, Garcia had the Hokie bird in her hair along with silk maroon and orange scarves. Morgan had a Virginia Tech football jersey. Blake had a maroon and orange ribbon with the number 32 in the center attached to her black blazer lapel, while JJ had a Hokies United shirt she had purchased in the gift shop.
“What are you doing aside from the appropriately colored sweater vest and tie?” Rossi asked gently, watching Reid as he joined up next to Morgan while they gathered with the students and visitors who wanted to attend the vigil. He knew the memorial was closed, but would reopen after the vigil had taken place.
Reid smiled a little, lifting up the cuffs of his khaki slacks to reveal one maroon sock and one orange sock. Both had the VT logo along with the Hokie Bird on the other side. “Thought it was appropriate… and this time I have school colors despite the socks being mismatched.”
Rossi nodded, offering a light smile before he moved over next to Hotch while the ceremony started to get under way. He had a feeling that Hotch wanted to be part of the team that responded to the incident, but they had another case in Baltimore and he was in retirement at the time. The gunman would have been an interesting case study, and he hoped that one day they could get inside his head along with figuring out why he did why did.
----
Reid stood silent along with the rest of the large crowd at 7:30 when they had to do a moment of silence, then he felt a single tear fall down his cheek once the bells tolled a total of 32 times for each victim. He noticed JJ was crying along with Prentiss, while Hotch remained stone faced but you could see some hint of emotion behind his eyes. He felt Morgan move his arms around his abdomen, one hand resting in a certain spot as he felt himself get moved closer to the more muscular man. He stood amongst the other members while Governor McDonnell spoke to the crowd.
“Delighted to be here tonight as you remember the 32 families whose lives were changed forever that day, along with the other 25 who suffered injuries on April 16th, 2007.”
Morgan looked over at the younger male before turning toward the governor as he spoke,
“Could it really be 5 years now? This is one of those events where everybody remembers what they were doing and where they were, how they felt, what they were thinking on that cold Monday morning a day unlike the very much tranquil spring like day here in Blacksburg today. ”
“I don’t think any of us will forge the incredible bravery of the Virginia Tech campus police, Virginia State Police, the town of Blacksburg Police, the FBI and first responders all of whom arrived on scene to do everything they could to get answers quickly and take care of those that were injured.”
Reid listened intently, moving one hand over his belly as Governor McDonnell continued to speak toward the crowd. He felt his heart sink as he mentioned the FBI, but it was a large agency and other teams had more than likely arrived to help the victims and to apprehend the gunman. But like Rossi, he wished they were part of a response team instead of dealing with a case involving Ambassador Prentiss and a Russian family.
“I’ll never forget that next day, with the rally here at Virginia Tech with students leading the way. Words of comfort from President Bush. My predecessor Tim Kaine returning 24 hours on a flight from Japan, delivering inspirational remarks to the student body. And the end of the ceremony incredible uplifting words from Professor Nikki Giovanni reminding us that on that day that around Virginia and around the world we were all Hokies.”
“Why? What purpose? How could this happen? And so here we are six years later. And there are many questions than we still cannot answer. Why? Why here? Why these 32? Why those additional 25?”
“We also know that we have renewed call to follow that great golden rule that has been a hallmark of our country for at least two centuries. ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ That’s the hallmark of our great country, that’s what we saw in the days and hours and months and years after the April 16th tragedy here at Virginia Tech. As you did exactly that and continue to do that not only for your fellow Hokies, but also for your fellow Virginians as well.”
“We are an incredibly resilient people. But there are things that happen in our lives that we truly can’t explain, the proverbial question why do bad things happen to good people? We will never fully be able to answer. But what we do know is that through the tragedies that do occur is that we will find a way to persevere.”
“ And so, while there are questions that still may remain, I want to say what you are doing here tonight in this moment of remembrance you have chosen not the curse of darkness but you have chosen to light a candle. That reflects I believe the greatness of our community and the greatness of our state.”
Rossi nodded, listening to the Governor continue speaking as he looked over the silent crowd. He glanced over at his fellow team mates, wondering what was going through their minds. He knew he had something planned for that evening with their dinner.
“So let us all embrace one another; perhaps a little closer than when you got here tonight. Let us be a little more to usher in a greater understanding of each other and celebrate our differences. As we have for these several centuries of our republic. And as we leave here, I think the cry tonight is the same one that it was six years ago. That is being together remembering the 57 families that were changed forever. Once again, today we are all Hokies.”
Reid looked up at Morgan, chuckling slightly as the other male kept him close. He sighed softly as he put his head against Morgan’s chest, wondering if the other would let him go or not. He noticed the rest of his team starting to move toward the memorial, seeing the 32 Hokie Stones lined up. He also spotted the candle that was lit the night before at 11:59, and it was to be extinguished tonight at the same time after the guards stood for 32 minutes.
“In the hours following the April 16 tragedy, the student-driven volunteer organization Hokies United placed 32 Hokie Stones on the drill field. The semi-circle of stones became a place to gather, to mourn, and to reflect, and the poignant display inspired today’s memorial. As a community, we dedicate 32 engraved Hokie Stones in honor and in memory of the members of our Hokie family who lost their lives.” Reid spoke softly, looking up at the older male.
Morgan smiled, moving his arm around the younger male’s waist before resting his hand over Reid’s slowly growing middle. He watched Garcia as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief as the rest of the team walked along the walkway in front of the Hokie Stones.
“Where should we eat dinner?” Morgan asked, looking at his younger lover. “It should be close to the Holiday Inn. There is no way we are driving back to Quantico tonight.”
“It’s four hours, 10 minutes back.” Reid replied, smiling as he moved his hand over Morgan’s. “It would be about 2am when we get back. Add another 45 minutes to DC; it would be after 3am. So hotel is definitely a better choice.”
“Alright you two.” Rossi grinned, watching Reid and Morgan before walking up to the two. “We’ll go to Zeppoli’s, I’m sure you can find something there. It has pizza and other Italian cuisine. I spotted it when we were heading toward the campus.”
“What are we planning to do?” Reid asked, letting Morgan remove his hand from his belly. “And as long as it’s not wine or shellfish, I’m good.”
Rossi smiled, walking back with the team on the way to the Suburbans. “You forget, I’m Italian. We will do things right, and honor those that have left us far too soon. We will celebrate the 32 that were lost on this day, but also be thankful for the 25 that survived that horror.”
“That sounds great, Dave.” Morgan spoke, helping Reid into the passenger side of his Suburban. “And afterwards we will go to the hotel, then head back to Quantico first thing in the morning.”
Zeppoli’s Italian Restaurant
After everyone had entered the restaurant, and orders were made, Rossi poured a round of wine from the best wine he could find on the menu. He had purchased the Regaleali Cabernet Sauvignon, making sure to get two bottles so everyone that was able to drink wine could have a glass or two.
“Oggi è un giorno per ricordare, non per la tristezza. Onoriamo trentadue vite prese troppo presto, e ringraziamo i coraggiosi venticinque altri che sono stati gravemente feriti. Questo pasto è per voi.” Dave spoke, raising a glass of the Cabernet Sauvignon while watching the others do the same with one exception. But he noticed that Reid had a glass of water so he could participate in the toast as well.
“That sounded nice. Not sure what you said, but I think it was appropriate for the day.” The waitress smiled, looking around at the group of seven. “Your food will be here shortly, I apologize for the delay.”
“That’s fine.” Rossi replied, offering a smile back to her. “I was just toasting those that were lost, and saying we are grateful that 25 survived. I just wish we could have done more that day, my whole team wishes that we could have helped somehow .”
“The sentiment is appreciated.” The waitress smiled. “I don’t think much could have been done... were you here that day?”
“No. I was working on one of my books while in retirement, and my team was in Baltimore dealing with a case involving an Ambassador.” Rossi shook his head. “But we all wish we were part of the agents that were sent here.”
The waitress nodded, deciding to make a note to herself and talk to her boss about the 7 agents sitting at the table. They had the occasional town police officer or state police officer, but never FBI agents.
“I’ll be right back. I apologize for the long wait again.” The waitress spoke, walking back to see what was keeping the food.
Reid smiled a little, eating one of the breadsticks that were in a basket. He noticed the look that Morgan was giving him, causing him to raise an eyebrow before chuckling softly. “What?”
“You can’t eat all of those, there is no nutrition in those things.” Morgan protested, looking over at JJ and Hotch. “Tell him. You both are parents, he can’t just live on breadsticks.”
JJ laughed, shaking her head. “Morgan, he’s fine. You freaked out when he was eating Saltines for breakfast. And he is getting the chicken Parmesan, that is protein and dairy. And it has tomato sauce. If he’s feeling sick, the breadsticks are fine.”
-----
After the dinner and a quick prayer from Rossi, the team all headed toward their Suburban. Morgan looked over at Reid, offering a faint smile before moving his arm around the younger male’s waist.
“We should come back next year... by then our baby will be old enough to travel. And we can tell him or her about what happened this day.” Morgan spoke gently. “And I know if he or she gets your brain... they will understand it.”
Reid shook his head, chuckling softly as he looked up at his lover. “We’ll make sure that he or she does know about this day. The baby will be six months old by then... but for now we’ll tell him or her next month. And just show her and tell her again next year.”
Morgan nodded, smiling as he planted a gentle kiss on Reid’s lips before helping the younger male into the back of the SUV. He sighed softly, brushing his fingers through Reid’s hair as they headed to the hotel. Knowing that even though they were happy about the new arrival coming into their lives, their baby would still be born into a world full of violence.
----
Translation of Italian: Today is a day for remembrance, not for sadness. We honor thirty two lives taken far too soon, and thank the brave twenty five others that were seriously injured. This meal is for you.
~ Headstone at Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 4/16/2013
6pm
Morgan looked outside the front window of the black Suburban, seeing a group of people starting to walk along the sidewalk outside the campus grounds. He saw a few familiar landmarks including the main building for Virginia Tech, and he also saw the Virginia state flag and United States flag flying half staff on flag poles situated by a large rock.
He looked over at Reid before directing his attention to Rossi and Garcia who decided to join them in the first SUV, Hotch was along with Blake and JJ in the second. Morgan noticed the second SUV pull up next to them before he stepped out and moved to help Reid out of the passenger side, soon moving to open the back door for Garcia and Rossi.
“Who knew that my Chocolate Adonis was such a gentleman?” Garcia grinned before walking onto the sidewalk, seeing a throng of students and faculty moving toward the Drill field across from Burruss Hall.
Reid frowned lightly as he walked toward the memorial, seeing 32 stones lined up in a half circle. Each one had the name of a person that was killed on that day, excluding the gunman. He looked over at Hotch who had a maroon and orange tie along with a black ribbon on his blazer jacket, Garcia had the Hokie bird in her hair along with silk maroon and orange scarves. Morgan had a Virginia Tech football jersey. Blake had a maroon and orange ribbon with the number 32 in the center attached to her black blazer lapel, while JJ had a Hokies United shirt she had purchased in the gift shop.
“What are you doing aside from the appropriately colored sweater vest and tie?” Rossi asked gently, watching Reid as he joined up next to Morgan while they gathered with the students and visitors who wanted to attend the vigil. He knew the memorial was closed, but would reopen after the vigil had taken place.
Reid smiled a little, lifting up the cuffs of his khaki slacks to reveal one maroon sock and one orange sock. Both had the VT logo along with the Hokie Bird on the other side. “Thought it was appropriate… and this time I have school colors despite the socks being mismatched.”
Rossi nodded, offering a light smile before he moved over next to Hotch while the ceremony started to get under way. He had a feeling that Hotch wanted to be part of the team that responded to the incident, but they had another case in Baltimore and he was in retirement at the time. The gunman would have been an interesting case study, and he hoped that one day they could get inside his head along with figuring out why he did why did.
----
Reid stood silent along with the rest of the large crowd at 7:30 when they had to do a moment of silence, then he felt a single tear fall down his cheek once the bells tolled a total of 32 times for each victim. He noticed JJ was crying along with Prentiss, while Hotch remained stone faced but you could see some hint of emotion behind his eyes. He felt Morgan move his arms around his abdomen, one hand resting in a certain spot as he felt himself get moved closer to the more muscular man. He stood amongst the other members while Governor McDonnell spoke to the crowd.
“Delighted to be here tonight as you remember the 32 families whose lives were changed forever that day, along with the other 25 who suffered injuries on April 16th, 2007.”
Morgan looked over at the younger male before turning toward the governor as he spoke,
“Could it really be 5 years now? This is one of those events where everybody remembers what they were doing and where they were, how they felt, what they were thinking on that cold Monday morning a day unlike the very much tranquil spring like day here in Blacksburg today. ”
“I don’t think any of us will forge the incredible bravery of the Virginia Tech campus police, Virginia State Police, the town of Blacksburg Police, the FBI and first responders all of whom arrived on scene to do everything they could to get answers quickly and take care of those that were injured.”
Reid listened intently, moving one hand over his belly as Governor McDonnell continued to speak toward the crowd. He felt his heart sink as he mentioned the FBI, but it was a large agency and other teams had more than likely arrived to help the victims and to apprehend the gunman. But like Rossi, he wished they were part of a response team instead of dealing with a case involving Ambassador Prentiss and a Russian family.
“I’ll never forget that next day, with the rally here at Virginia Tech with students leading the way. Words of comfort from President Bush. My predecessor Tim Kaine returning 24 hours on a flight from Japan, delivering inspirational remarks to the student body. And the end of the ceremony incredible uplifting words from Professor Nikki Giovanni reminding us that on that day that around Virginia and around the world we were all Hokies.”
“Why? What purpose? How could this happen? And so here we are six years later. And there are many questions than we still cannot answer. Why? Why here? Why these 32? Why those additional 25?”
“We also know that we have renewed call to follow that great golden rule that has been a hallmark of our country for at least two centuries. ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ That’s the hallmark of our great country, that’s what we saw in the days and hours and months and years after the April 16th tragedy here at Virginia Tech. As you did exactly that and continue to do that not only for your fellow Hokies, but also for your fellow Virginians as well.”
“We are an incredibly resilient people. But there are things that happen in our lives that we truly can’t explain, the proverbial question why do bad things happen to good people? We will never fully be able to answer. But what we do know is that through the tragedies that do occur is that we will find a way to persevere.”
“ And so, while there are questions that still may remain, I want to say what you are doing here tonight in this moment of remembrance you have chosen not the curse of darkness but you have chosen to light a candle. That reflects I believe the greatness of our community and the greatness of our state.”
Rossi nodded, listening to the Governor continue speaking as he looked over the silent crowd. He glanced over at his fellow team mates, wondering what was going through their minds. He knew he had something planned for that evening with their dinner.
“So let us all embrace one another; perhaps a little closer than when you got here tonight. Let us be a little more to usher in a greater understanding of each other and celebrate our differences. As we have for these several centuries of our republic. And as we leave here, I think the cry tonight is the same one that it was six years ago. That is being together remembering the 57 families that were changed forever. Once again, today we are all Hokies.”
Reid looked up at Morgan, chuckling slightly as the other male kept him close. He sighed softly as he put his head against Morgan’s chest, wondering if the other would let him go or not. He noticed the rest of his team starting to move toward the memorial, seeing the 32 Hokie Stones lined up. He also spotted the candle that was lit the night before at 11:59, and it was to be extinguished tonight at the same time after the guards stood for 32 minutes.
“In the hours following the April 16 tragedy, the student-driven volunteer organization Hokies United placed 32 Hokie Stones on the drill field. The semi-circle of stones became a place to gather, to mourn, and to reflect, and the poignant display inspired today’s memorial. As a community, we dedicate 32 engraved Hokie Stones in honor and in memory of the members of our Hokie family who lost their lives.” Reid spoke softly, looking up at the older male.
Morgan smiled, moving his arm around the younger male’s waist before resting his hand over Reid’s slowly growing middle. He watched Garcia as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief as the rest of the team walked along the walkway in front of the Hokie Stones.
“Where should we eat dinner?” Morgan asked, looking at his younger lover. “It should be close to the Holiday Inn. There is no way we are driving back to Quantico tonight.”
“It’s four hours, 10 minutes back.” Reid replied, smiling as he moved his hand over Morgan’s. “It would be about 2am when we get back. Add another 45 minutes to DC; it would be after 3am. So hotel is definitely a better choice.”
“Alright you two.” Rossi grinned, watching Reid and Morgan before walking up to the two. “We’ll go to Zeppoli’s, I’m sure you can find something there. It has pizza and other Italian cuisine. I spotted it when we were heading toward the campus.”
“What are we planning to do?” Reid asked, letting Morgan remove his hand from his belly. “And as long as it’s not wine or shellfish, I’m good.”
Rossi smiled, walking back with the team on the way to the Suburbans. “You forget, I’m Italian. We will do things right, and honor those that have left us far too soon. We will celebrate the 32 that were lost on this day, but also be thankful for the 25 that survived that horror.”
“That sounds great, Dave.” Morgan spoke, helping Reid into the passenger side of his Suburban. “And afterwards we will go to the hotel, then head back to Quantico first thing in the morning.”
Zeppoli’s Italian Restaurant
After everyone had entered the restaurant, and orders were made, Rossi poured a round of wine from the best wine he could find on the menu. He had purchased the Regaleali Cabernet Sauvignon, making sure to get two bottles so everyone that was able to drink wine could have a glass or two.
“Oggi è un giorno per ricordare, non per la tristezza. Onoriamo trentadue vite prese troppo presto, e ringraziamo i coraggiosi venticinque altri che sono stati gravemente feriti. Questo pasto è per voi.” Dave spoke, raising a glass of the Cabernet Sauvignon while watching the others do the same with one exception. But he noticed that Reid had a glass of water so he could participate in the toast as well.
“That sounded nice. Not sure what you said, but I think it was appropriate for the day.” The waitress smiled, looking around at the group of seven. “Your food will be here shortly, I apologize for the delay.”
“That’s fine.” Rossi replied, offering a smile back to her. “I was just toasting those that were lost, and saying we are grateful that 25 survived. I just wish we could have done more that day, my whole team wishes that we could have helped somehow .”
“The sentiment is appreciated.” The waitress smiled. “I don’t think much could have been done... were you here that day?”
“No. I was working on one of my books while in retirement, and my team was in Baltimore dealing with a case involving an Ambassador.” Rossi shook his head. “But we all wish we were part of the agents that were sent here.”
The waitress nodded, deciding to make a note to herself and talk to her boss about the 7 agents sitting at the table. They had the occasional town police officer or state police officer, but never FBI agents.
“I’ll be right back. I apologize for the long wait again.” The waitress spoke, walking back to see what was keeping the food.
Reid smiled a little, eating one of the breadsticks that were in a basket. He noticed the look that Morgan was giving him, causing him to raise an eyebrow before chuckling softly. “What?”
“You can’t eat all of those, there is no nutrition in those things.” Morgan protested, looking over at JJ and Hotch. “Tell him. You both are parents, he can’t just live on breadsticks.”
JJ laughed, shaking her head. “Morgan, he’s fine. You freaked out when he was eating Saltines for breakfast. And he is getting the chicken Parmesan, that is protein and dairy. And it has tomato sauce. If he’s feeling sick, the breadsticks are fine.”
-----
After the dinner and a quick prayer from Rossi, the team all headed toward their Suburban. Morgan looked over at Reid, offering a faint smile before moving his arm around the younger male’s waist.
“We should come back next year... by then our baby will be old enough to travel. And we can tell him or her about what happened this day.” Morgan spoke gently. “And I know if he or she gets your brain... they will understand it.”
Reid shook his head, chuckling softly as he looked up at his lover. “We’ll make sure that he or she does know about this day. The baby will be six months old by then... but for now we’ll tell him or her next month. And just show her and tell her again next year.”
Morgan nodded, smiling as he planted a gentle kiss on Reid’s lips before helping the younger male into the back of the SUV. He sighed softly, brushing his fingers through Reid’s hair as they headed to the hotel. Knowing that even though they were happy about the new arrival coming into their lives, their baby would still be born into a world full of violence.
----
Translation of Italian: Today is a day for remembrance, not for sadness. We honor thirty two lives taken far too soon, and thank the brave twenty five others that were seriously injured. This meal is for you.
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