CMxDC Week is a week-long fandom event combining the two properties of Criminal Minds and DC Comics - from the Justice League to the BatFam and everything in between!
How do I participate?
A list of prompts will be provided, as chosen by a small group of writers and artists in the Birdwatchers Discord server! There are a total of four prompts (three traditional and one quote) for each of the seven days to mix and match as you please. You may post them whenever you like during the duration of the event. If you post on Archive of our Own (AO3), please add your work to the collection, CMxDC 2026. If you crosspost on Tumblr, make sure to tag #cmxdc2026 and @ this blog so we can be notified and reblog you!
Does it have to be fanfic?
Nope! Art, moodboards, podfics - if you create it, we want to see it!
When does the event run?
The event will begin Monday February 16, 2026 and end Sunday February 22, 2026.
Can I combine prompts?
Please do! In fact, if you think you won’t be able to do all the days, feel free to combine them too.
Can I combine these prompts with other events?
Sure! I’m sure there are other events out there, so go wild.
Can I include NSFW/Dark content?
Sure can! Given the source material, NSFW and dark content are to be expected at times. However, for safety and courtesy reasons, we do ask that you refrain from submitting sexual content involving minors. With everything else, please be considerate and appropriately rate and tag your works. If you attempt to submit something that falls under this subject or is not properly tagged, we will remove it from the collection and will not reblog.
Do you have any special tags associated with this event?
Yes:
#cmxdc2026 - anything regarding the event
#cmxdc faq - answering questions about the event (including asks)
#cmxdc submission - submissions posted for the event
What if I have more questions?
Please send us an ask on Tumblr and we'll get back to you when we can!
While waiting for the appearance of the team's latest unsub in New York, Agent Todd notices two familiar faces.
For @criminalmindsxdc's CMxDC Week 2026 Day 5:
Undercover
Fandoms: Batman, Criminal Minds (US TV), DCU
Rating: Gen
Words: 2k, 1/1
Relationships: Jennifer “JJ” Jareau & Jason Todd
Characters: Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Jason Todd, Donna Troy, Dick Grayson, BAU Team
Additional Tags: Undercover, Jason Todd is a Member of the BAU
JJ’s shoes skid on the asphalt when she rounds the corner, stiffening limbs locking her in place as her stomach tumbles over itself and the air is sucked from her lungs. Her gun dips to her feet, aim taken off the unsub. Her fingers spasm around the handle in protest, but she cannot lift it. She cannot point her gun at a child.
—
The BAU doesn’t often encounter metahumans, children metahumans even less so. So when they begin to investigate the recent spree killings spanning Keystone and Central City, dubbed the work of the ‘Phantom Killer,’ JJ does not expect to find a nine-year-old girl in pigtails standing over the electrocuted body of an eighth victim, air crackling and skin blurring, looking like a ghost.
alternatively: Irey West just wants to get home.
For @criminalmindsxdc's CMxDC Week 2026 Day 3:
Time/Dimension Travel | "You're stronger than you think you are."
Fandoms: The Flash (Comics), Criminal Minds (US TV), DCU
Rating: Gen
Words: 6.5k, 1/1
Relationships: Jennifer “JJ” Jareau & Iris "Irey" West II
Characters: Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Iris "Irey" West II, Barry Allen, Derek Morgan, Jai West
Additional Tags: Protective Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Hurt Iris "Irey" West II, Iris "Irey" West II Needs a Hug, Speed Force (DCU), Barry Allen is the Flash, Secret Identity, Identity Reveal, Flashfam (DCU), Dark Multiverse (DCU), Dimension Travel, Wally West is in the Speed Force, Post-Flashpoint, POV Jennifer “JJ” Jareau
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
We’ve hit 30 fics in the collection, with surely more to come today (and any late comers to follow~)!! We’ve done this event for four years now and this is the second highest submissions we’ve had so far. That is SO COOL!! I’m so excited to enjoy everything you all have done, and I’m so thankful for all of the participants this year. You guys are awesome!!
Thank you so much for your submissions, your creativity, and your support for one another (yes, I see y’all in each other’s comments, and that’s the BEST).
Like always, I’ll leave the collection open for a while longer, so if you didn’t get to finish your pieces during the week you can always submit late. Keep tagging us here on Tumblr too!
Last but not least, as we wrap everything up, I have one last question…
Five times your team saw you with your partners, and one time they officially met them.
Criminal Minds x DC Week Day 6 - Saturday, February 21st
BAU Goes to the Watchtower || Secret Relationship || Justice League Liaison || "There isn't much justice in this world. Perhaps that's why it is so satisfying to occasionally make some."
part of @criminalmindsxdc 's CM x DC crossover week!!
cross-posted on ao3
wc: 4.5k
1.
Emily pushed open the doors of the gym she’d been trying for the past couple of weeks (it didn’t help that they kept getting called out on cases and she’d only been able to go a few times by this point). It’d been a heavy caseload at work recently and this felt like the first weekend off in a while so she was hoping to finally be able to blow off some steam at the gym.
She swiped her card and pushed through the turnstiles and was about to head to the change rooms when her eye caught onto a familiar figure. She squinted. Yep, looked like you had a similar idea of blowing off steam at the gym, Emily thought. Then she paused. You were grinning at somethi- oh? Rather, someone.
Emily watched you lunge across the mat at your sparring partner and exchange blows. She had to admit she was impressed and slightly in awe.
The was you two moved with each other … as cliché as it sounded, it was like a dance. You had to know each other well to fight so familiarly with each other. She didn’t think she’d ever seen you go this all out before, she'd never realized just how much you restrained yourself in practice spars or when detaining unsubs. Neither of you seemed to be holding back now, dancing around each other on the mat, even as you kept your hits carefully precise and to only cause impermanent damage. Your partner would swing, you'd dodge and retaliate, throwing a punch or kicking, grinning all the while.
Someone brushed by her and she realized just how long she’d been standing there. She cast one last glance at you and sucked in a breath when your partner threw you across the mat, but you were rolling and standing up with a laugh Emily could almost hear across the gym.
The familiarity between the two of you made Emily wonder who was this person you were so comfortable with? You were usually so tight lipped about your personal life, never mentioning loved ones’ names, never showing them pictures with clear faces, never introducing them to anyone. They understood your hyper-paranoia from coming from Gotham, but they were curious to a fault.
Emily watched for another minute as you threw teasing taunts back and forth circling each other then lunging back at each other. She didn't know if she'd seen you this light in a while. She shrugged her bag back over her shoulder and turned around. The moment looked too precious to interrupt. She would find another gym and come back here another day.
2.
It was a beautiful day outside as Penelope walked through the park to her favourite ice cream truck. A blissful weekend off with warm spring weather? Penelope just had to celebrate that with a treat.
She was debating whether to go with a classic favourite or a new seasonal flavour when her gaze caught the most magnificent head of red hair. So beautiful and voluminous, Penelope knew she was staring but whoever they were, dammit, she was jealous of their hair!! Then she heard your soft laugh and froze.
There you were, holding hands with that beautiful person whose face Penelope couldn’t even see. She was about to call out to you when you leaned in and kissed your companion’s cheek, and, oh?
You grinned and tugged gently, leading them away, bumping shoulders when you fell back into step beside them.
She squealed silently, you two were just too cute! And maybe it was a little selfish of her to want to observe you unnoticed when you were rarely this relaxed around the team, considering your job. She didn’t want to interrupt your moment, not when you were acting so adorable!
Even as she longed to go up to you and pester you to introduce her to your friend/for all the details (same thing), she held off and went up to the counter and ordered a fun-sounding new flavour. It felt like a day to try new things, after all. Besides, she would have plenty of time to bug you at work about it.
3.
It had been a hard case, and when you had denied a ride home from Derek, Spencer had hoped he could join you on the subway and keep you company, to make sure you weren’t alone. (Return a favour, so to speak, and he was concerned for you, his teammate.) The case hadn’t just been hard, but long as well, longer than any of them would have liked, and he knew you were absolutely exhausted. Spencer could relate to getting drained physically, mentally and emotionally.
He stepped out of the elevator and sped walked out the doors, keeping an eye out for you. He spotted you across the way but before he could call out to you, you walked up to someone else. Spencer paused in his step to watch.
You stopped in front of a person leaning up against a motorcycle who opened their arms for you to slump into their chest. You stayed like that for a while, arms wrapped around each other, simply holding each other, their hand running down your back.
Seemed like you had someone to lean on.
You slowly rose and the driver reached back to hand you a second helmet, then put on their own, hiding their red hair. You got on the back and the bike sped away.
Spencer wondered who your companion was as he made his way to the subway on his own.
4.
Hotch noticed you fidget on the drive to the modeling agency. He wasn’t sure why you seemed to be nervous, or perhaps uncomfortable would be a better word, but whatever you were feeling it had started when he’d mentioned where they were headed. Your brow had furrowed more than usual and your hands hadn’t stopped moving since.
You pulled him aside before you entered the building and he nodded at Morgan and Rossi to go on ahead before giving you his full attention.
“Um, so the thing is, I, uh, know? them?”
His brow furrowed. “Know who?”
“The models,” you clarified. “I … well, I’m close with one of them and, I’ve been to a couple of her shoots? and events? before, so I’m familiar with at least some of the models that are going to be in there today.”
Hotch nodded. “Ok. Thank you for letting me know. Will this personal relationship affect your ability to do your job professionally?”
You were shaking your head before he finished the question. “No, I just wanted to let you know, that I probably know some of them, they may know me … build a 'firewall' of sorts, just so there’s no surprises kinda thing.”
“It may be good for you to be the one to talk to them then, if they know you, they may be more comfortable.”
“I can talk to them, but professionally, I won’t force them to answer anything they don’t want to just because they know me.”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
***
Hotch wasn’t the only one to notice your restlessness, Derek kept glancing over during the drive to the scene and he couldn’t help but wonder what you had needed to talk to Hotch about.
A few minutes later, you rejoined him and Rossi as they were finishing talking to the building manager and about to move on to interviewing the business owner and employees.
“Rossi, with me, we’ll talk to the owner. You two take the models.”
With a nod, he headed off, you by his side.
“In the interest of full disclosure,” you murmured to him under your breath as you walked, “I … know some of-”
“Honey bear!”
“Sugar plum!”
You gave a sheepish smile to Derek’s look before turning your attention to the models. “Hi, it’s good to see you again. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
“It’s good to see you too, so are we. Hey! Denise! Look who it is! Kory’s partner!”
“Oh hey! One sec, I’ll grab her.”
“Derek, pleasure to meet you.” Derek smiled wryly, shooting you an amused glance. Full disclosure, huh?
“Ah, sorry. Yes, this is Derek Morgan, my colleague from the Bureau, Derek this is Jeremy and Taylor. That was Denise who went to … grab Kory.”
He definitely noticed your slight hesitation, and before when Denise had referred to you as her partner. He wondered what that was all about.
“Look who it is!” Denise, the model who had ducked away was back, bringing along a very tall woman with voluminous red hair.
“Hey Kory,” you said in a soft voice. (That was … affectionate. Like … extremely-close-loved-one affection … Partners, huh? There was something going on between you two, but he’d have to ask you directly for any hope of an answer.)
“Hello, darling.” The tall red head smiled at you gently and opened her arms for a hug, you leaned in right away to squeeze her back. None of the other models reacted except sending small, affectionate smiles your way.
So, this was something regular around here then. Definitely something going on.
“I was sorry to hear about Emily,” you said when you stepped back. “I liked her.”
“I as well,” Kory said, a deep frown appearing on her face. “She was a wonderful person.”
“You’ll find whoever did this, won’t you?” Taylor, who had called you ‘sugar plum’ earlier, asked.
“We’ll do our best, promise,” you said, and Derek had to do a double take because it was one of the first things you learned, never make a promise you don’t know you can keep. There was no guarantee they’d be able to find the unsub- but he tried to stay on track.
“What can you tell us about her?” he asked.
“She was, like Kory said, a good person. Awesome to work with,” Jeremy, of the ‘honey bear’ moniker, said. “Sure, she wasn’t perfect, had her cat-fights with models that bitched about stylists or talked shit about other models behind their backs-”
“Or if you got into her snacks, she was crazy about her snacks,” Denise added. “And sometimes she’d go off on a designer about something she didn’t want to wear but like, she was just saying what we were all thinking sometimes.”
“Yeah, but other than that she was a pretty chill and smart person,” Jeremy said.
“She carried mace in her purse, and I know she was taking some like, martial arts or self-defence classes every weekend in addition to her regular workouts,” Taylor added.
“I don’t know why she wouldn’t have used her mace,” Denise frowned.
He shared a quick glance with you. That might mean either blitz attack or charming and disarming.
You finished interviewing all the models and regrouped at the door, when Derek realized he’d lost you. He glanced back and you were talking quietly with Kory. He watched you squeeze her hands before she leaned over and kissed your cheek. His eyebrows raised. He was gonna need you to explain because there was definitely something going on there.
You hurried over to the group, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary, and Hotch started talking before he could tease you.
Derek had so many questions but he would let it go for now. But when the case was over? Then it’d be fair game.
5.
JJ followed Spencer and Penelope around the library, just browsing as the other two sought out exactly what they wanted.
They were in the historical romance aisle when JJ heard a fairly familiar voice.
“Go ahead and bite me, you fiend! I’ve had my rabies shot!” you hissed.
She glanced at Penelope and Spencer who nodded back at her, wide eyed. They, too, had recognized your voice. In agreement, they rushed to the end of the row and peaked around the next aisle together.
There you were, back to them, hissing and poking your finger into the chest of a tall person, built like a tank with dyed white bangs, who was smirking at you in amusement.
“That-!” you jabbed your finger at the book in their hand “is not even a book and I know you’re trying to get on my nerves and it’s working but I swear to Alfred if you take that one I’m going to smother you.”
JJ’s eyebrows rose even further at the annoyed spite in your voice; and she realized how creepy it might look, the three of them standing there staring, when your friend’s eyes flicked up and gave them a quick once over.
You noticed and spun around. “Oh. Hey.” You gave them a smile. “What’re you doing here?”
“It was Spence’s turn to pick what we did together, so of course he dragged us to the library,” JJ teased.
“Hey, it’s a great place to be,” you shrugged in his defense.
“That’s what I said,” Spencer argued. JJ knew it was a hill he would die on so she liked teasing him about it even if she agreed with him.
“So, what are you doing here?” Penelope asked. “Who’s your friend?” Her eyes kept flicking between the two of you.
Your demeanour changed and you side-eyed them, your dramatic annoyance coming out again. “Someone who is not-” you yoinked the book out of their hand “-going to take out this blasphemy to literature-” you slid it back into the shelf swiftly “-This-” you pulled out a different book “-is an actual book-” you shoved it into their chest and proceeded to disappear out the end of the aisle, as if forgetting they were there.
JJ, Penelope and Spencer watched your interaction with raised eyebrows, having rarely seen you act so pettily dramatic, so… comfortable but aggressive?
Your mystery friend’s smirk never left. “Toodles.” They gave a two-fingered salute before disappearing after you.
JJ shared a look with Spencer and Penelope. They rushed to the end of the aisle and scanned the library for where you’d gone.
“Over there.” Spencer pointed.
Somehow the both of you were already across the building, holding out books to one another and talking civilly, seeming to be over your disagreement.
Well. That was certainly unexpected.
“Shall we continue on then?” JJ asked.
+1.
They hadn't seen you in a while. Ok, that wasn't true, it wasn't like you’d been sick or calling out of work, but outside of work, they hadn't seen you recently. They didn't think you were purposely avoiding them, but you also seemed to sneak out as soon as possible after work or the case was done. You weren't slacking by any means, but sometimes they wanted a full team hangout and you were making it really difficult. (Also because they were nosy and you were private and that didn't mix well.)
So, they decided to ambush you. Your address was in your file, so it wasn't stalking. And they had been there before so it definitely wasn't stalking. (And Penelope would find it either way.)
One Saturday afternoon they showed up. (They even managed to drag Hotch, Jack and Rossi into it by calling it a family event, full team bonding, no shop talk. Will and Henry came too. Now all they needed to do was convince you to join them and they weren't taking no for an answer.)
They knocked on the door and heard some voices. The door opened and to their surprise it wasn't you. It was a young girl. Maybe 10 years old, who looked at them, tilted her head and asked, “You’re the fubby?”
“Lian, who is it?” A voice called, not yours.
Did they get the address wrong?
It wasn't you who came around the corner but half the team started in recognition.
The person walked over, put a hand on Lian’s head and gave them a once over. Before anyone could speak, they finally heard your voice.
“Jason? Who is it?” You came around the corner and saw them, surprise flitting across your face. “Hey, what’s up? We got a case?” Your eyes scanned them, noticing the whole team and their families and you frowned.
In turn your teammates noticed the ghosting of your hands over Jason’s arm and the kid’s shoulder. Familiarity. Could this be… your family? A partner and child?
“No, just wanted to-”
“We wanted to meet your family!” Penelope burst out.
“We wanted to invite you to hang out with us,” JJ said, a little sheepishly, “we haven’t hung out as a team in a while and you kept disappearing on us before we could invite you out.”
“So we decided to ambush you at home but it seems like… you already have company.” Derek arched a brow, hoping to nudge you into an explanation.
“They’re the fubby,” the young child (your child?) announced again, proudly and full of mischief.
You sighed and rolled your eyes, but not without fondness. “You know it’s the F. B. I. Acronym. Like NSA not NASA,” you explained as if this was the hundredth time you were repeating yourself, but amused nonetheless.
“Uhhhh, Jaybird? A little help in here?” Another voice called out from the depths of your apartment.
You and Jason shared the quickest of concerned glances before you exchanged places holding the door open … or keeping the door just shut enough they couldn't fully see inside? You looked back at your team. “So you’re just… having a…?”
“Team bonding moment?”
“Family day?”
The young girl turned to you raising her arms and you picked her up without looking, sitting her on your hip. She curled into your chest, face tilted towards them to watch them curiously.
“Ok…” you said slowly. You held up a finger. “Just… one second.” You shut the door on them and they could hear movement and voices, but nothing clear enough to decipher.
You were back a moment later, breathless smile, “Come on in.”
They knew you were a private person. Keeping your family and loved ones close to your chest. However, they didn’t expect you to be hiding an entire family.
“Um, everyone. This is… Kory, Roy and Jason, my partners. And this is Lian. Roy’s kid.”
Everyone crammed into your apartment and got settled in the living room while you hovered in the kitchen with your partners, still holding Lian on your hip.
“You’re ok to feed a bunch more people than we planned?” you murmured, rapping your knuckles soundlessly on the kitchen counter.
“I know I was gonna make lunch but I think Jay’s got this now,” Roy joked.
“I got it. Finish your soup, I’ll make some sandwiches.” Jason nudged Roy out of his way with his hip.
“You need extra help?”
“Me!”
You chuckled and let a squirming Lian down. “Ok, looks like you’ve got another assistant chef here.”
“Go be a host,” Roy urged, teasingly.
"I will come with you. It will be nice to meet your team."
You gave Roy a sassy look and Kory a smile before stepping back into the living room.
“You never told us you were hiding a family!” Penelope exclaimed when you turned your attention back to your teammates.
You laughed and shrugged. “Habit, I guess.”
"We can be private people about our loved ones in hopes of protecting them from enemies," Kory said.
“The model,” JJ answered, taking another look at her, then at you. “You’re dating a model?”
You inhaled deeply. "Yes."
"Wow."
“An FBI agent is an honorable job, and my partner is a wonderful person, I am grateful to have such a person in my life,” Kori said and you gave her a soft look. “All of my partners are wonderful and I am honoured they have chosen me as their partner.”
“Ok, wait,” DM interrupted. “You just said you knew her. And, I mean, I was curious about how close you were, because they said you were partners but you say nothing about having… life partners, having a whole family we don't know about? What’s up with that?”
You pursed your lips. “Old habits die hard? I’m not-“ You sighed. “Gotham isn’t the best place to be open about loved ones when the person sitting next to you could be a homicidal maniac or corrupt cop who develops a grudge against you and goes after your family. It’s just- it’s always been safer to keep loved ones a secret, a habit to downplay any connection.”
"Well, we're glad we get to meet them all now," Rossi said.
"It's wonderful to meet all of you as well," Kory said with a smile.
Lunch turned out to be a homey affair. It was a little snug with limited seats, some standing, some sitting on the floor. But it was warm and cozy and you were glad your two families got to meet. (Well… at least some of them.)
“So, wha'd'y'all do?” Will asked Roy and Jason a little while later after most of the dishes had been taken away. Roy shot a look at Jason that didn’t go unnoticed.
“Uh, security. The both of us. Night shifts mostly. Pays the bills so I can be a dad,” he replied.
There were a few squinting eyes as your team couldn't help but profile your family but you shot them looks and they immediately looked guilty. You didn't blame them; not profiling was sometimes harder than profiling, but this was your family, and you didn't need them getting the wrong idea. Or the right one. You weren't sure which would be worse.
Groups slowly split off and smaller conversations popped up as the day wore on. The kids vanished, presumably to Lian's room, but reappeared every once in a while, mostly to sneak some more snacks.
(You might have said ‘Roy’s kid’ earlier, but they were pretty sure you were all raising that little kid. The way you all looked at her fondly, how she easily scampered up to any of you and climbed up like a monkey … yeah, Roy clearly wasn't her only parent.)
You observed, contentment warm in your chest as Rossi talked cooking with Jason across the kitchen counter, Spencer having been pulled into the conversation too. Emily, JJ and Will talked with Roy (you were too far away to hear about what, but judging by Roy's enthusiastically gesturing arms, possibly his robots and other creations), while Penelope and Derek chatted with Kory. You spotted the rare sight of Henry, Jack and Lian in the corner, potentially plotting a pillow fort by their glances at the couches.
“Where’d you take this picture?” Hotch asked from behind you.
You turned to see the picture he was gesturing at and exhaled a laugh.
“That one’s from Roy’s apartment in Star. A couple Christmases ago. Lian was able to convince him to help her build a fort in the living room and, of course, he can’t do anything half way. We spent most of the holidays curled up on those pillows watching holiday movies.” The memory brought a fond smile to your face.
The picture was lit with soft colourful lighting from the Christmas lights strung up and the blankets and pillows strewn about. You were curled up, mid laugh, with Kory, Lian and Jason, each with their own soft or elated expressions.
Roy had disappeared for a few minutes and Lian was telling some funny story that you don’t remember, only her high pitched giggles as she told it that made you all laugh. You hadn’t noticed Roy’s return until after the camera clicked, capturing your laughter and soft expressions. It was now one of your favourite photos.
“You look happy,” he said, watching you.
You smiled. “I am.”
He returned your smile with one of his own. “Good, I'm glad.”
"You seem happy, too," you added.
"I am," he repeated.
"Good, I'm glad."
He chuckled quietly beside you. You lapsed into silence and people-watched your families together.
You caught Kory's eye and she smiled at you before going back to her conversation with Derek and Penelope. You sought out Roy next and he comically blew you an exaggerated kiss. You rolled your eyes and blew one right back. Then your eyes slipped to Jason, whose finger on the counter was tapping out: I L-O-V-E Y-O-U. His eyes flicked to yours and you signed it back to him, he looked back to Spencer and Rossi with a smile curving his lips.
Your quiet corner was interrupted when an excitable child bulldozed into you, knocking the air from your lungs. You couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out as you smiled down at Lian, her arms around your waist, chin on your stomach, looking up at you with big eyes. "Hi." You brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
"Hi." Her wide grin and bright eyes felt contagious. You loved her so much.
"Havin' fun?"
"Yup."
You glanced behind her where Jack and Henry were hovering, matching excitement on their faces. "Whatcha up to, hm?"
"Can we steal the couch?"
You glanced over to the couch in question, where Kory, Penelope and Derek still sat, then back down at the girl attached to your front. "Hmm … are you hoping I'll free the way so you can take the cushions and build a fort out of them?"
"Maybe."
"Hmm." You stroked your chin dramatically, pretending to consider your options. "Hmm."
Giggles erupted from the three kids in front of you at your dramatics.
"Weeeellllll," you dragged out the word. "Alright then, I'll help you mischief makers get your materials. But y’all better have fun making this, you hear me? Only fun allowed, ok? Or I might have to come after you." You tickled Lian's sides in demonstration and she wiggled away, shrieking with laughter. You shook your finger at the kids. "Only fun to be had, you hear? Only fun."
"Ok!" they giggled.
"Alright," you smiled and shooed them in front of you, but, of course, they'd disappeared by the time you got to the couch.
Kory, Derek and Penelope noticed your approach.
"Hello, my dear friends."
"Hello." Penelope grinned back.
"I'd like to make you an offer."
"What kind of offer?" Derek asked, smirking at you.
"You stand up, and I talk to you."
"What now?"
"You receive … us standing up," Kory started.
"And you get conversation from me, yes." You nodded.
"Excuse us a moment while we discuss," Penelope said haughtily, playing up the dramatics.
You grinned and stepped back. "Of course."
They made loud whispering sounds, encouraging the giggles from the ghosts hiding in the room.
"We've reached our decision," Derek said, smirking, turning back to you.
"Oh?"
"We accept your offer," Penelope said.
"Such wonderful news, huzzah." You snickered.
The three got up from the couch and moved towards you. Immediately the cushions disappeared.
"So, about that conversation…" Derek teased.
As Lian ran off with Henry, Jack and the couch cushions, you couldn't keep the smile off your face. Kory wrapped her arm around you and you leaned into her. Surrounded by your friends and partners, your family … there was no place you'd rather be.
~~~
thank you for reading!! feel free to rb and leave nice comments <3
Hotch gets trapped in a building alone with people trying to kill him during a joint mission with SWAT. You have a plan to get him out. Off the roof. Dave isn't sure what your plan is but he hopes it doesn't end with multiple dead agents on their hands.
Criminal Minds x DC Crossover Week Day 5 - Friday, February 20th
Lazarus Pits || Undercover || Lockdown || "Life doesn't give us purpose, we give life purpose!"
part of @criminalmindsxdc 's CM x DC crossover week!!
cross-posted on ao3
wc: 3.4k
tw: swearing, nde
You hadn’t made your displeasure known loudly about the plan, but they were your team, they could tell you didn’t like it. That didn’t stop you from paying close attention to the briefings and offering one or two suggestions that immediately got shut down by SWAT.
Dave didn’t like it either, none of them did, but where Morgan argued loudly, you sat quietly, judgement not fully hidden but scoffs replaced with silent eye rolls. Where JJ tried to placate and propose an alternative, you laid out clearly how their plan was flawed and offered a different way. Where Prentiss suggested more undercover backup inside, you said nothing, and when Dave asked, you muttered bitterly under your breath, "They wouldn’t listen anyways, not worth the effort."
Any recommendation by their team was ignored. Hotch would be going undercover, alone, in a building used as a front for arms trafficking, owned by the Italian mafia.
Your stern face and quiet demeanour, while allowing you into at least some of the briefings, were practically screaming to those who knew you that you weren’t a fan of how things were being run. But you stopped arguing, knowing it would be fruitless.
The day of the op came and the team gathered in the building across from where Hotch was going undercover.
Dave watched you approach Hotch and speak to him quietly. He responded in kind. You reached over and adjusted the lapels of his suit before patting his chest and saying one last thing. Dave saw Hotch nod and reply. You nodded back and walked over to join the rest of them.
"What’d you say to him?" Prentiss asked, he wasn’t the only one to have seen your brief interaction.
You shrugged. "Told him we’d get him home to Jack."
JJ and Reid raised their eyebrows.
You noticed and stared them down, determination fixed in your expression. "Because we are. We’re making sure he gets out of there alive."
"Sounds good to me," Morgan said.
You nodded and they returned to watching the screens in front of them. The displays showing feeds from some of the security cameras in the building, but not all, and thermal imaging cameras, showing the magnitude of the task Hotch was assigned. The danger he was walking into.
Dave walked over to Hotch as the last agent fiddled with his wire then left. "There’s still time to back out," he said lightly, knowing Hotch would decline just as Hotch knew he had to say it.
"I’ll be ok. You’ll be watching the whole time." He clapped Dave on the shoulder. "I know my team has got my back. You’ll get me out of there, I trust you."
"The team or… one agent in particular?" he teased. He didn’t know what you’d said to him, other than what you’d told them, but he thought it must have been pretty reassuring to have Hotch this confident.
Hotch rolled his eyes. "You're welcome to take the day off then," he joked back.
"We've got you," Dave promised.
Hotch nodded.
"Hotchner!" Greggs, the SWAT leader, barked. "Let's get this show on the road!"
"I’ve been made," Hotch muttered a couple hours into the op.
"Shit," Prentiss mumbled.
"Walk calmly to the side door, the one you saw before, try to keep the vultures between you two," you said.
"No- Agent!" Greggs snapped. "This is not your op, you have no authority-!"
You looked up at him with flat eyes. "The only way you have a case is if you have a witness. You’re going to get him killed if he stays. I’m keeping your case alive, Captain. And my boss."
"It’s a stair-" Hotch started to say before the sounds of gunshots filtered through the comms and their listening devices.
"Oh my god," JJ breathed.
"Shots fired," called one of the SWAT members.
"Building's going into lockdown, sir," another agent said.
"Shit," Greggs said.
Hotch swore.
"What’s going on, man?” Morgan asked tensely.
"I’m fine, got shot but it’s just a graze, I’ll be fine.
Reached the door, it's a stairway, how am I getting out of here?" Hotch panted into the mic.
"Go down, Agent Hotchner, SWAT will prepare to breach, we want you as close to the ground floor as possible when that happens," Greggs said over the radio. "Head down and find somewhere to hide. A closet or an empty room."
Prentiss shared a disgusted look with Morgan, that sounded like a death sentence.
"All due respect, unless you’re planning to breach in the next thirty seconds, I don’t think I’ll be-"
"Hotch,” you interrupted.
"Yeah?"
"Go up."
"Negative, negative, do not, I repeat, do not go up," Greggs said immediately over the comms. "We can’t assure your safety the farther up you go, Agent, I order you to head down."
"You couldn’t assure his safety the minute you asked him to go inside," you stated flatly, before speaking back into your mic, "Move up, you’ll never make it out if you go down, move up."
Greggs spun around to glare at the team, eyes roving, searching for you. "What the fuck are you doing? You're causing problems with my op!" he spat. "I'll have your badge for this!"
"Your op is over, we’re getting Hotch out of there. If you want your witness alive, you’ll stop interfering with our op," JJ said sternly, defending you.
"We can’t get him out if he goes up, we don’t have wings," Greggs hissed and turned away.
"Moving up," Hotch said.
Greggs let out a frustrated huff but didn’t try to dissuade him otherwise.
"Hope you’ve got a plan," Hotch added.
"I sure hope so too," Greggs snarked, not quiet enough to go unnoticed by the team.
"We’re his eyes right now, we should help him avoid as many unsubs as possible," Dave said to their team.
Reid nodded. "We can watch the thermal scanners, try and warn him if anyone’s approaching."
Prentiss sat down in the empty chair behind one of the monitors, Morgan hovering at her shoulder, while Reid stepped over to the table with the blueprints of the building. JJ kept an eye on the other agents, making sure their own group wasn't missing any information. And you… weren't anywhere to be found. You'd disappeared.
"Two approaching the stairwell above you," Prentiss told Hotch.
"Got it."
They heard sounds of a scuffle and held their breaths Hotch would make it out ok.
"Continuing on," Hotch panted.
"Fuck," Reid swore under his breath.
Dave’s eyebrows went up, Reid was normally so clean-mouthed while at work. "What is it?"
Reid pointed at a spot on the blueprints of the building he’d been going over. "This is where Hotch is." He pointed at a different spot, across the building. "This is the only stairwell that gets him to the roof."
"And he needs to get all the way across."
He nodded. "I think he needs to get to the roof. That’s the only exit, the windows would need time and tools Hotch doesn’t have. The roof is clear, and he could barricade the door. It should hold for a couple minutes at least."
Enough time, hopefully, for you to implement your plan. Dave hoped you had a plan, you were the one to suggest he go up. Not that they agreed with SWAT to send him down where the most men with guns were.
"Let’s get him to the roof then," Dave said.
Reid took the blueprints to Prentiss and Morgan at the computer to lead Hotch. Dave joined JJ hovering in between them and the rest of the SWAT team, listening to their conversations.
"They’re preparing to breach, but not soon," she murmured under her breath.
Hotch needed more time. He was a lone man, bleeding out and surrounded by people who wouldn't hesitate to shoot on sight.
"There's too many people to cross," Hotch said.
"Check your pocket," you said. "Twist and throw. Then run like hell. Door pulls out so don’t run into it."
What were you talking about? What the hell were you up to? And where were you?
"Wrong pocket," you said.
"How did you-?" Hotch mumbled.
JJ frowned at him and he frowned back. How did you know what pocket Hotch would have looked in?
"Be glad I'm too relieved to even think of citing you for this," Hotch huffed.
Dave heard your quiet snort over the channel. "Twist and throw and run like hell," you repeated. "Don't trip."
They didn't hear from him for a few seconds and tuned into SWAT's listening devices, hoping to get a hint at what was happening.
There was a sudden burst of swearing, then gunshots and cries of, "Smoke bomb!"
...Had you given Hotch a smoke bomb? Dave recalled you fixing his lapels before he left... had you slipped something into his jacket pocket? That was quite the sleight of hand to sneak that past Hotch's knowledge. And to have it not dinged by the mob's security... you took a great risk doing that but apparently it paid off.
"Door's locked," Hotch gasped.
"Kick it down," Morgan immediately said.
"It's solid metal- shit!"
"Hotch?" Reid called.
They could only hear more gunshots.
"Try again," you said.
"What?"
"The door. Try again."
Hotch muttered unintelligibly. "If I get shot… What the-? I'm through," he said clearer, but through gritted teeth.
"Go up," Prentiss instructed.
Greggs tossed a glower at the team, eyes roving. "Where’s the other one? The one that’s causing problems with my op?" he demanded.
"The one making sure our boss gets out of there alive?" Morgan challenged.
Greggs huffed and turned back around.
Reid shuffled closer and asked in a murmur if anyone knew where you were. He was met with slightly shaken heads. No, no one knew where you’d disappeared to. But none of them were about to confess that to Greggs, they were a team, they covered for each other.
"How's it looking, Hotch? You doing ok?" JJ asked.
"Fine," he grunted.
"Did you get hit again?" Reid asked.
"I'm fine," he repeated.
"So, that's a yes," Dave said lightly.
"Do you trust me?" your voice came through the earpiece and Dave looked around, for you, noticing the others do the same, because he hadn't seen you since you disobeyed Greggs' order.
He hadn't been surprised you'd disappeared after suggesting Hotch to go against SWAT's plan, especially because you technically had no authority to propose options, but he'd thought you'd just hidden behind the vehicles at their backs. You still hadn't reappeared though, and he wondered where you'd gone.
"I do," Hotch answered, voice steady, but they'd worked together for so long, known each other for longer, that Dave could hear the tightness that betrayed it as a forced calm.
"Do you trust me when I say I would move heaven and earth to protect your son? And get you back to him?" Your voice was calm, but every once in a while he caught on a rustle or a muffled sound coming through the mic that made him question even more, just exactly where you are.
It was a long few seconds before they heard Hotch's voice again. "Yes,"
It was an unusual question and Dave wondered what you were up to, what you were planning… where were you?
You also took a moment to reply. "I'm gonna need you to trust me on this one, ok?" You didn't sound out of breath but there was a quality to your voice that made Dave think you were doing something strenuous, he couldn't think of what.
"SWAT is approaching the four entry points street level, and have six snipers set up on upper floors of surrounding buildings," JJ murmured to him off-mic. They didn't need Hotch to hear this. Dave nodded grimly.
"You ready to trust me on this? No backing out."
"Yes."
"I'm not letting Jack come home without a father, ok? I'm gonna get you home."
"Whatever you're doing…" A bit of tension slipped into Hotch's voice as he became increasingly aware of the dwindling clock.
"When you get up to the roof, I'm gonna need you to jump." Your voice was calm.
Prentiss' head whipped up and the agents in the command centre looked at each other in shock.
"You're gonna have to do it on my mark, I swear to you, Hotch, I'm gonna catch you."
It was silent over the line. None of the agents standing under the tent could think of anything to say.
"Agent-" Dave started tentatively but you interrupted him.
"I need to trust me, Hotch. You need to jump on my mark. You're going to jump and stay loose, ok? Try not to flail, keep breathing if you can remember."
"There's a group heading up after Hotch. They must know he's heading to the roof," Reid murmured and Dave prayed that you had a plan. A plan that didn't end up with someone turned into scrambled eggs on the pavement.
"On my mark, you're going to jump, Aaron, and I'm going to catch you."
What now? How were you planning to catch him jumping off a skyscraper? And not kill the both of you? Dave was sure you were doing something. You didn't sound winded and he still couldn't explain it, but he was certain that you were moving, doing something strenuous. Climbing up the side of a building maybe?
"Promise?" Hotch asked.
The team waited with baited breath. Was their boss going to jump off a 60 storey building because you asked him to?
"Promise." Whatever it was, whatever you were up to… plan or not, you sounded confident. Dave could only hope it was well-founded and not a lie to comfort Hotch in his last moments.
"Ok. I'm up here."
"The Main Street, on your left, climb up on the ledge."
"SWAT's getting ready to breach." JJ looked up at them with wide eyes.
"Ready," Hotch confirmed.
"Oh god," Prentiss murmured.
"Jump on my mark. 3… 2…"
Dave didn't know if any of them were breathing.
"1."
"Did he jump?" Prentiss asked.
Morgan had binoculars pressed to his eyes. "Ye- Holy shit."
"What? What is it?" Reid asked, voice tight.
"Is Hotch-?" Prentiss started.
"He… Batman?" Morgan questioned. "Fucking Gothamites- Holy shit."
"Batman? The Gotham myth?" Dave asked.
The radios crackled with the call for SWAT to breath but they didn't pay attention.
"What happened? Are they both ok?" Prentiss asked.
"Did Hotch jump?" Reid asked.
"I think… yeah, yeah, he did," Morgan replied slowly, but the frown on his face wasn't reassuring. "I… yeah, they swung away. Together. Like fucking Batman, holy shit."
"So they're ok," Reid clarified.
"I don't know where they went but I think so, yeah. They must be on another roof somewhere."
"Boss man? Hot shot?" Prentiss asked into the mic, hiding the tension in her voice with your nicknames.
Dave was hoping that in this case, 'no news is good news' applied.
JJ repeated the call into the mic but neither of you replied.
News of a successful raid was their background noise as they waited with baited breath for their own teammates to check in.
"That's it," Morgan said, standing so suddenly his chair skidded back. "I'm going to look for them."
"Morgan, we don't have-" Reid started.
"I don't care-"
"While I appreciate the sentiment, 's really not worth all the paperwork," Hotch's voice came over their earpieces.
"Hotch, you're alive," Prentiss said, relief flooding through all of them.
"Alive and in one piece."
"You ok, man?" Morgan asked him.
"'ve had better days," a bit of humour filtered through.
"Where are you? We'll come and pick you up," Dave said.
"I'm- 'm fine-"
"You most definitely do not sound fine," JJ says, voice light but not fully disguising the concern he knew they all felt. They knew about one GSW and suspected another, Hotch needed medical attention.
Spencer stepped away to call and update Garcia who was stuck at Quantico, now that Hotch was confirmed out of the building.
"Ambulance's been called. Y'can meet me at the hospital. Won't die 'fore I get there," he assured them, voice showing some signs of the blood loss he's suffered.
Dave knew none of them would relax until they saw him though. See you both? Now that he thought about it, they hadn't heard from you yet.
"You're not dying once you get there either," Emily stated.
"What hospital?" Reid asked, back from his phone call.
"Not sure… not here yet."
"Tell us which one the minute you find out and we'll meet you there," Dave promised.
"We promised Jack his dad would come home tonight, ok? You're going to be ok," JJ said.
"Speaking of-" Dave immediately asked Hotch where you were.
But he was sounding more and more out of it and they didn't get an answer. They did hear the paramedics arrive with muffled sirens and Hotch's lethargic responses. They got a clearer voice telling them they were going to Presbyterian and the team headed to the SUVs, SWAT and protocol be damned.
Hotch's injuries were thankfully not too extensive, the gunshot wound he'd sustained just a graze, with no need for surgery. He'd need a few weeks to heal, but overall he scraped by surprisingly light on injuries.
He was on pain meds, but his eyes looked clear when Dave and Morgan entered the room, the first allowed visitors of the night.
"How are you feeling, man?" Morgan asked.
"Been better, been worse." He started to shrug but thinks better of it. "Jack?"
"With Jessica," Dave answered. "He's ok, Jess has told him you've been hurt but you're ok and she's promised to take him here when visiting hours start tomorrow."
Hotch nodded at that, looking off into space.
"You survived, you're ok and you're gonna go home to your boy."
"I know," he exhaled. "I shouldn't be."
"Hey, don't talk like that-" Morgan tried to say.
Hotch fixed him with an Aaron Hotchner patented stare. "You know it as well as I do I shouldn't have made it out of there alive. At least not in as good shape as I am."
Morgan swallowed. "Yeah." Dave was sure they all had a bone to pick with SWAT.
The elephant in the room. They still hadn't heard from you. What did Hotch know about your disappearance?
"Tell us what happened, we couldn't see much. Where'd you go?" Dave asked.
His old friend was silent. He had his brooding face on. Dave wasn't sure if that means Hotch didn't remember it with the adrenaline crash and all the drugs in his system or if he knew something and wasn't sure if he should keep it a secret.
Dave slowly asked if you caught him.
You, their resident Gothamite. You, being familiar with the concept, the names, the escapades of your hometown vigilantes. You, with your mysterious smirks and too wide smiles. You, who seemed to thrive in the shadows. You, who perhaps were so much more than meets the eye.
"Yes. I jumped, I fell, I got caught and we landed another roof. We got down, called an ambulance…" He shrugged and then winced regretfully. "I get to come home to Jack, I can still be his dad because of- I shouldn't have survived but I did," he repeated.
He didn't say much after that and they left shortly, murmuring to JJ and Reid on their way out to take it easy, that he may not be up for much conversation.
Prentiss and Garcia went last. Garcia having driven straight from Quantico. None of them stayed too long, understanding that he needed his rest and not wanting to draw the nurses' wrath. They promised to visit the next day, and gathered in the lobby before leaving, one question still on their minds.
Where were you?
They were given two weeks leave, Hotch got two months that he'd probably make one. 'A traumatic experience', they were all told. Dave wanted to argue they'd been through worse, he just wanted to know where you were.
None of them had seen you since and you'd gone completely radio silent, too. Hotch assured them you were alright but they had their hangups since he refused to share any details of your heroic save or subsequent disappearance.
No matter how many times they called or texted, you never replied. It was a knot in all their stomachs that didn't go away.
It wasn't until their leave was up and they were back in the office that they saw a memo. It didn't answer all their questions and left them with infinitely more, particularly the official Justice League stamp on the corner of the page.
You'd been summoned as a liaison for a Justice League mission. Details were need to know and you couldn't be reached except through messages left with a JL representative.
What the hell was going on?
~~~
thank you for reading!! feel free to rb and leave nice comments <3
You’ve done something unspeakable. Something you don’t regret, something you’d do again, something that could bring down your entire life. But only one person knows and you’re both carrying it to the grave. You don’t expect magic to interfere and bring about witnesses to your biggest secret.
Criminal Minds x DC Crossover Week Day 3 - Wednesday, February 18th
Time/Dimension Travel || Double Cross(over)* || Batskills Save the Day || "You're stronger than you think you are."
*This can be taken as a literal Double Cross = Betrayal prompt, or as an excuse to throw in a third universe!
part of @criminalmindsxdc 's CM x DC crossover week!!
cross-posted on ao3
beta’d by sp__acephrog on ao3
wc: 4.4k
CRACK!
You groan and sit up, looking around you in confusion. Well, we’re not in Kansas anymore, you think to yourself sarcastically. This was not the unsub’s house. Likely transportation magic of some sort, not just an illusion, given the fact that you’re feeling the physical side effects of magic. You slowly push yourself to your feet.
JJ and Spencer are slowly standing too, looking equally confused as you take in the room around you.
The room you’re in is plain. Plain walls, plain floor, absolutely nothing on either of the plain tables perpendicular to each other. Why then, in this room with no personality, no… ‘substance’, do you feel like you’ve been here before?
“Where are we?” JJ asks.
“Not sure, there’s no windows in this room. We’ll have to check to see if we recognize the outside,” Spencer says.
JJ glances at you and you shake your head, equally unaware of your geographical location.
The room, and building, or wherever you are, is silent, you don’t hear any signs of life, or even utilities. As far as you can hear, there doesn’t seem to be any sounds that the three of you aren’t making.
“Uhh, shall we?” Spencer tips his head towards the half-open door.
JJ nods and glances at you. “Let’s go.”
You nod back an affirmative and follow them out. All of you, hands by waists, ready to grab your weapons if necessary, carefully exit and look around.
The hallway is as unimpressive and empty as the room and for some reason there’s a tickling in the back of your mind, that is screaming you know this place, as impersonal and nondescript as it is.
Spencer heads left out of the room, and you bring up the rear after JJ, double checking nothing’s behind you.
Spencer clears the next room (similarly empty) and you move forward. JJ clears a closet on the opposite wall (cleaning products and gardening apparatus, for some reason that sets off alarm bells to a warning you can’t read).
There’s a grumble and a whirring sound and without hesitation you know it’s a generator. Suddenly, heart-stopping-bone-chillingly, you know exactly where, and when, you are. Your breath catches in your throat.
The faint sound of tires on gravel comes a moment later. You grab Spencer with one hand and JJ with the other and yank them towards an open door, your heart beating miles a minute. You swiftly shut the door, keeping the latch and then the lock as silent as possible (even if it doesn’t matter yet, the house will be empty for a few more minutes).
JJ says your name, confusion and worry evident.
“No, shh, be quiet,” you beg, pressing against the door for the sounds that you know will happen but can’t remember the exact beats of.
“What’s-?” Spencer starts but you shush him, too.
This can’t be happening.
You can’t, don’t even try to, hide the panic and fear in your expressions, in your demeanour. You know JJ and Spencer can easily read all the warring emotions coming off you in waves.
“What’s going-?” JJ tries again in a whisper but you shush her, becoming still as you hear- voices. Steps. They’re walking right outside your door.
You all hold your breath.
They walk by, mostly quiet steps, there’s a scuffle, and you know, the sound of someone tripping over their own feet, and then a muffled voice.
“This … set … here.”
You can’t hear all the words but you know the anyways. Because you did hear them. The first time.
"This will do, set it in here."
You squish your eyes closed. No. This cannot be happening. Not here, and definitely not now, you beg silently.
JJ watches you as you guard the one and only exit to this room. You mumble something, back pressed against the door, but somehow she thinks it’s more for them not to leave than about anyone getting in.
“What?”
“Plug your ears!” you beg in a desperate whisper.
It’s unnerving, to them, to see you this way. Not that you’ve never snapped or had a crack in your professional, cheery, confident façade. But to see you so evidently affected by… whatever’s outside this room? They’re concerned. Because you know something. Something about where they are and maybe why they’re here or, at least, what happened.
Ten minutes ago they were surrounding an unsub in their house, there was a shot and JJ and Spencer both rushed towards you as Prentiss and Morgan subdued the unsub and then-
And then they were here. Crumpled on the plain floor of a room void of anything remarkable. None of them knew where they were, so they slowly got up and canvassed the space, leaving the room to explore the halls carefully. JJ was certain you hadn’t faked your original confusion, but at the sudden grumble of a generator starting and the faintest sounds of car tires crunching on gravel she saw your face slacken with shock and your eyes fill with fear. You knew something.
You had grabbed them with a hand each and shoved them in the direction of an open door on the opposite side of the hallway. Letting go of them to shut the door quickly and lock it.
Now they’re stuck in here as, likely two, mystery people walk back and forth, so far seemingly unaware of the trespassers in their house. And you, their ever protective guard dog, keeping secrets… what was so important or terrible that you couldn’t tell them what was going on? That you don’t want them to hear?
You’re breathing steadily and JJ knows it’s because you’re counting your breaths like a breathing exercise. What’s outside this room?
There’s voices again, but so vague and faint, maybe if she were just closer- She goes to step closer and your breath hitches. She pauses. Considers. Retreats. You lose the slightest bit of tension as she backs away. What don’t you know want them knowing?
A louder thrum starts up and you flinch. Visibly. (You never flinch this overtly. Why is this different?)
JJ sees Spencer pop his head up in confusion. He hears it too. It sounds like-? But why would…?
Then, laughter. Cackling, shrieking laughter that raises goosebumps on JJ’s arms.
Spencer sucks in a breath. “Is that-?”
You don’t look up, you don’t open your eyes or acknowledge them in any other way, but you nod, once, jerkily and Spencer exhales sharply.
She makes eye contact with him and silently asks him what he figured out. He hesitates, eyes flicking back to you and your tense figure.
“We’re in Gotham,” he murmurs, watching for your reaction.
They get a sharp inhale and the slightest shake of your head. That makes Spencer frown and JJ can almost hear his brain working 100 miles a minute reworking whatever angle he thought he had. He looks back up at you a moment later and starts quietly, “Outside, of Gotham. Not in Gotham, but nearby.”
A deep exhale. A minuscule nod.
“Why won’t you just-?”
“No,” you interrupt her, the word a desperate exhale.
It worries JJ, how desperate you are to hide whatever’s on the other side of the wall. It can’t be healthy, she thinks, keeping this all to yourself, whatever it is.
There’s screeching laughter and you drop. Dropping down into a crouch, hands over your head like you’re trying to hide, as if you pretend it’s not happening, it won’t be, you’ll all magically wake up and none of this will ever have happened.
JJ studies you and almost misses when the laughter takes on a horrible, mocking quality because there’s something about the way you’re holding yourself… oh. Oh no.
You’re not afraid of what’s out there… You’re more afraid of them. Her and Spencer. Of their reactions to- what? …You know what’s going on out there (before it even happens?), and… JJ has never really believed in the true possibility of time travel. Sure, there’s magic and metas and aliens and so-called superheroes, but time travel? That was easier to believe in theory than practice. But the way you sometimes seem to stiffen a moment before something happens, maybe… maybe you know what’s about to happen. Maybe this isn’t just some random unsubs out there, could it be… that this is something of a memory for you?
That thought suddenly makes her see the dominoes crashing in a line; Gotham, laughing, bad things… it’s the Joker over there.
Minutes pass and it seems like the laughter never ends. Spencer looks a little green and sits down on the floor. JJ’s stomach hasn’t settled and you haven’t moved. You’re still crouched against the door, hiding your head and sometimes flinching at the sounds that filter across the house.
She stiffens as a thought comes to her. They’re listening to what's very likely a torture session on the other side of that door… She inhales sharply and you flinch again, face still buried in the cross of your arms. Oh. She had thought that this was a moment you lived through, that you knew what was happening. She’s also pretty sure that haunting laugh belongs to Gotham’s Joker. But if you’re both here…
Could you be the one meeting the maniacal whims of the villainous Joker? She’s seen some of your scars but knows you have more she’s never seen, are there any from the Joker? Are you over there getting hurt? Or perhaps…
She wonders about your reactions to it all, tries to map it out to make it fit. She wonders if she’d react the way you’ve reacted so far if others got a personal tour to a day of her torture. Wonders if maybe instead it’s someone you knew, a friend's worst day to which you're now witness?
She keeps turning it over in her mind as the laughing continues.
There’s a return of the chainsaw and/when it revs loudly and then- oh god, was that-? The laughing gets worse, turning to a pained, shrieking laughter. JJ’s stomach turns.
She’d thought, when she finally realized the Joker was in the other room, that he was the one holding the cards. That’s how the story goes, the Joker hurts people, often, he also kills them. Except- even though he’s not screaming… JJ wonders, if perhaps, this time Joker is the one being hurt.
They don’t talk.
Spencer covers his ears to try and dull the sounds coming their way.
JJ starts pacing.
You imitate a statue. She only knows you’re still alive by the way your shoulders shift with every carefully measured breath, but otherwise you’ve stopped reacting to most of the sounds filtering through.
What's going on?
It’s a sudden thing when the laughing turns to screaming and JJ has to swallow down the bile that threatens to come up. One second there’s taunting, shrieking laughter, the next it becomes a haunting, unintentional cry of pain.
She glances at Spencer who suddenly looks at you in shock. Huh? Then she hears it, the nigh imperceptible prideful giggle that followed. Not the Joker’s laughter, but whoever made him finally scream. Finally, he felt something.
She remembers that she keeps coming back to thinking this is your experience. That you know what’s going to happen before it does because you were there when they happened. That if she’s determined that the Joker is being tortured… and you’re there too… it’s no great leap to guess at what you would’ve been doing here instead.
And, oh, a curious thing, her mind supplies, is that you seem more scared of her and Spencer’s reactions than regretful of anything you may have experienced in this house. Because maybe… just maybe, you’re over there too, except you’re not the one screaming.
The screaming peters out eventually, and there's sounds of movement, voices and footsteps that approach.
"I’ll get it" your voice calls out, slightly muffled, except… you haven't moved. And JJ knows, with excruciating certainty, that you're both in this room with her, and on the other side, the ones coaxing laughter into screams.
There’s an indistinguishable reply and the other you makes a noise before moving further away. What did you do?
Even now that the screaming has stopped you don't move. They wait you out but - JJ glances at her watch - it's been ten minutes and counting and you're showing no signs of moving. Are you in shock? Some sort of fugue state? she wonders. Has your mind taken you elsewhere?
She says your name gently and you don't startle. She wonders whether that's a sign that you are here and paying attention or that you're so far into your mind you didn't hear.
"Not yet," you say, monotone.
JJ's only ever heard you this devoid of emotion when you're so exhausted in every way that you have no room left for emotion. When cases have dragged on and you've gotten burnt out but still have to keep showing up. When a simple nap, meal and shower aren't enough to revive you. So, for you to be this emotionless now? She knows you're drained. From all the stress and fear and fruit salad of emotions that's probably been wrecking havoc on your nervous system since you all arrived here.
"Why not?" Spencer asks in a murmur.
You finally, finally, raise your head to look him in the eye. You stare, dead-eyed.
"Oh," he breathes after a moment.
"Yeah, oh," you repeat emotionlessly.
What? You two kept having silent conversations without her. "What?" she asks out loud.
Spencer swallows, doesn't look away from you where you still keep eye contact, your eyes vaguely curious (probably the most emotion you're able to express right now), watching to see if he understood you correctly. "When you- …when you have a dead body… there's probably a lot of clean up-" he swallows "-especially if there's a lot of blood," he says carefully.
You hold his gaze for a moment longer then glance away, seemingly disinterested now. That's enough confirmation for them. The Joker died across the hall from where they're standing. …You, and whoever your partner is, killed the Joker in the room opposite them. Disassembled him with a chainsaw by some of the sounds, and what else?
There's footsteps, back and forth, just like before, but instead of mostly between the front where they (you and your partner) came in, they head towards the back of the house.
"What's back there?" Spencer asks, testing you, fishing for answers, a confession.
You take a second to answer. "What was in the closet?"
JJ was the one to open it and she thinks back. Bleach, other regular household cleaning products, nothing quite industrial or otherwise suspicious, mops and rakes and- and trowels and pails and gardening supplies.
"A garden," Spencer says.
There's a garden out back.
Predictably, you don't reply to either confirm or deny. You're walking the tight line of plausible deniability with impressive balance so far.
Even though she knows there's a garden back there, it still takes her an embarrassing minute to piece it all together. Dead body, garden, clean up, disposal… ah, disposal of a dead body, fertilizer. A morbid thought pops into her head, at least you're being eco-conscious with your murder.
JJ takes a deep breath and goes to lean against the side wall to wait.
You focus on the steps outside the door, the low voices of you and Alfred as he instructs the other you on how to help him best dispose of the body in his garden out back, staving off the panic that threatens to set in any time you think too long about your coworkers (your friends, your family) finding out about your biggest secret. You don't want to think about what will happen when you get back, don't want to think about cold metal on your wrists or rough, chaffing fabric against your skin. But most of all, you don't want to imagine the hurt and betrayal on their faces. You don't want to see the disappointment, the disgust in their expressions when they realize you're just like the monsters you hunt.
The thing is, you don’t regret it. If you had to do it all over again, you would. You’d still make the decision to kill the Joker. You’d still ask for Alfred’s help, even if you’d end up having to do it alone. You’d kill him and take apart his body and you’d feed him to different plants, in different gardens so he couldn’t be put back together again. You don’t regret it and you know, neither does Alfred. But how can you say that to your teammate’s and not have them-
So instead of thinking about that, you listen to Alfred's calm voice and picture his put together look, only slightly dishevelled by the few spatters of blood on the ends of his rolled up sleeves. You can see, in your mind's eye, yourself walking back and forth between the supply closets, Alfred's compost room, and the room with the Joker's body in pieces as you disassemble it even more and help Alfred in the process of getting it ready to feed his garden.
You listen with a terrible sort of fascination when your own footsteps approach the door you're sitting against. Even with minimal attention the people in the same room as you, you still notice when they freeze as the other you gets closer before stopping right outside the door.
"Here?" your voice asks. You close your eyes. You know what happened but time travel can change things. Still, you mouth along to Alfred's half muffled response.
"No, the next… nothing in there."
"'kay," the other you says, and footsteps continue farther down the hall.
It takes about an hour between the last scream and what you know is your other self leaving. An hour to stew in the painful realizations you know your coworkers must be having.
"… you sure?"
"Go… I'll… believe you… tomorrow. Have a…"
"Ok, see you, Alfred," your voice gets clearer as you walk past the door you're also leaning against.
The rest of the farewells are almost completely imperceptible but you know them anyways.
"Take care," Alfred had said.
"Bye," you'd called out with a backwards wave. Your footsteps fade out of the house.
You become aware that from here on out you don't know what happens. You're in mystery territory now.
You stand and press your ear against the door. Alfred had been occupied with the last of the mulching process, if he's still there maybe the three of you can escape without him noticing.
"Are we leaving?" Spencer asks, slowly standing up. JJ pushes up off the wall and goes to support him.
"I don't-" Whatever you were going to say evaporates from your mouth when you hear, too late, the steady gait headed your way. You step away from the door automatically, fear crashing down on you like a wave and your breath hitches. He knows. Alfred always knows.
"Wha-?" Spencer starts but you fling an arm out while backing up to silence him.
Maybe he doesn't know you're here. Maybe he won't come in, maybe he needed something from another closet, you hope fruitlessly.
But the footsteps stop right in front of the door. You feel Spencer and JJ shift around you, naively trying to protect you.
The doorknob twists.
You suck in another breath, barely remembering to breathe.
The door opens slowly and Alfred steps inside. He takes in the scene before him, with the ease and swiftness of a man who's life has practically always depended on knowing everything happening.
He meets your gaze and his eyes soften. You feel the tears finally well up. "My dear child," he says gently. You surge forward into his chest and he wraps his arms around you as you start to let your tears fall.
He holds you until you can calm your breathing, and offers you a handkerchief to dry your eyes. When you hand it back to him Spencer speaks, "Did you know we were here the whole time?"
Alfred nods. "I have many protections on this house, including magical alerts. To my knowledge, the spell you were hit with was a temporary one and it should expire shortly."
JJ exhales in relief. "Thank god."
"Will we still be here when we… return to our own time?" Spencer asks.
"Presumably you will return to where you left, however I cannot be certain."
"Thanks," you say quietly.
"It's my pleasure to be of service."
Your stomach swoops and you look wide eyed at Alfred automatically, you both know what's about to happen.
"Thank you," you say quickly, stepping back, closer to where Spencer and JJ wait.
"You're quite welcome."
"See you later." You give him a wry smile.
His moustache twitches and he inclines his head. "Do come for dinner soon in your time. It is always nice to get the whole family together."
"I will. Ready?" you ask your teammates.
"Ready for what?" Spencer asks.
"We're going back," JJ deduces.
"Yep." Your stomach flips again and you grab onto their arms a few moments before the floor falls out from under your feet.
You land in a crumpled heap back in the unsub's house.
When you open your eyes there's still crime scene techs scouring the area, most of whom are staring at the three of you. At least you didn't disappear for too long by your estimation. Certainly not for as long as you spent in your past.
"You good?" you ask Spencer and JJ as you hear one of the techs calling to the rest of your team.
"Been better, been worse," Spencer quips.
"Same," JJ snorts.
Emily and Derek rush in and help the three of you up, Rossi and Hotch on their tail.
"What happened?"
"Where were you?"
"Where'd you go?"
"Are you ok?"
As questions are flung at you, Spencer and JJ, the events of the past few hours (for you at least) come crashing all down again and you find yourself mourning the loss of your team already. You can't, won't, wouldn't ask JJ or Spencer to lie for you, not about this, not to your team. You know you betrayed their trust by keeping this secret. Hugging Alfred had recentred you, but being back with your team just reminds you the depth of your deception.
"We think we got transported somewhere," Spencer explains.
"Where?" Emily asks.
JJ shrugs. "We're not sure. We were in a building, a house probably, didn't see much of the outside to estimate geographic location."
"There weren't really windows," Spencer adds.
Your brow furrows. What? Why weren't they saying anything about what happened? Why were they avoiding the truth?
"What happened? Did any of you get hurt?" Derek asks.
"How did you get back?" Rossi adds.
"Whatever hit us seemed to time out. I'd assume you'd have to ask a magician to be certain," Spencer comments.
Hotch nods. "We filed a request with the Justice League to send a magician, and even though you've returned we should still get them to check you over."
"You doing ok?" Derek squeezes your shoulder.
You attempt a weak smile. "Long day," you manage to say.
He squeezes your shoulder again. "Glad to have you back. We were worried for a second there something bad had happened."
You wince and see the concerned looks your coworkers shoot you.
"It has been a long day," Emily says. "And a long case. Willis has been booked and there's enough time before we leave to take a nap. A much deserved nap."
Rossi nods his agreement. "Let's head back, you three should rest and recuperate. If the magician shows up in the meantime one of us will wake you. But who knows how long they’ll take to send someone."
It's not until you're back at the hotel that you're able to get JJ and Spencer alone.
"Why… why did you protect me? You know what I… what I did, why didn't you say anything?"
Spencer and JJ share a glance.
"We don't know any crime was committed for certain," Spencer says. "We don't know anyone died, we didn't see a body, or a murder being committed. For all we know those sounds could have been a niche genre of music."
"We didn't hear a confession either," JJ adds. "We have no proof or evidence."
"Nor did we ever see a map or a clock. We can't know for sure we travelled through space and time."
"But what about… you… you heard me," you hiss, desperate to understand why they're protecting your dark secret.
JJ shrugs. "We're not magicians, it could've been a spell for us to visit your worst nightmare for all we know. An illusion preying on your worst fears. That's not a murder confession."
You blink and feel tears creeping up again.
Spencer gives you a reassuring look. "You're our teammate. Besides, if, hypothetically, we did happen to travel through space and time to a certain moment that occurred near Gotham, well… technically, it's Gotham, not our jurisdiction," he smirks.
You exhale a laugh.
JJ nudges your arm. "Hey, Spencer's right," she says gently. "You're our teammate. We know you. Whatever you may or may not have done… we know what you have done with us. We stop monsters. We protect people."
"And you don’t think I'm a monster?" you ask, unbelieving of their trust.
"It was a consequence of magical interference, what happened there doesn’t count," JJ says determinedly.
"It was probably synapses misfiring," Spencer adds, a bald-faced lie.
"You didn’t have to. I wouldn’t have asked you too," you say quietly.
"We know, that’s why we didn’t ask," JJ smiles.
Spencer yawns, you and JJ yawn too.
"We should rest," JJ says.
"Thank you," you say softly.
"Don’t mention it."
"You would’ve done the same for us," Spencer adds.
And it’s true, you would’ve, but after finding out what you’re capable of… you really didn’t think that’d still be a comfort to them.
"It didn’t happen. And no matter what you think, we still know you," JJ says.
You smile slightly and they disappear into their rooms. You follow in suit and thankfully crash swiftly after falling into bed.
True to their word, JJ and Spencer never mention anything pertaining to your time… time travelling and neither do you.
And true to your word, you make it to the Manor on your first weekend without a case. When you visit Alfred in the kitchen, he gives you a knowing smile and nods to a flowerpot on the counter. It contains a beautiful plant, you don’t know what kind.
"Another one for your collection," he says.
~~~
thank you for reading!! feel free to rb and leave nice comments <3
Jason Peter Todd and Stephanie Brown both became devastating, tragic losses in Gotham, years apart. Years later, Agent Stephanie Thompkins walks into the BAU and meets Agent Jason Peters.
Criminal Minds x DC Crossover Week Day 1 - Monday, February 16th & Day 4 - Thursday, February 19th
Day 1 - Retired Hero || Gasses and Toxins || Canon Case, Hero Victim || “Wheels up.”
Day 4 - Throwback Thursday** || Kryptonian!BAU Agent || Season One/Early Days || "You really don't know someone 'til you take a road trip with them."
** Choose a prompt from a previous year that you wish made the cut!
my Throwback Thursday prompt is: "Team, please welcome our newest member."
part of @criminalmindsxdc 's CM x DC crossover week!!
so I was like,, I’ve read fics where Jason doesn’t go back to Gotham after he dies and joins the BAU ………… Stephanie Brown also dies and does a whole fake death thing 👀 what if …?
cross-posted on ao3
beta’d by sp__acephrog on ao3
wc: 1.8k
image from batman: wfa
"Team, please welcome our newest member, Agent Stephanie Thompkins," Hotch announced to the team gathered around the conference table.
Jason looked up from his game of tic tac toe with Spencer to take in the grinning blonde next to his boss.
"I have to go meet JJ to finalize our next case, you have a few minutes to get to know each other before the briefing." Hotch left the room and Agent Thompkins rocked back on her feet.
"Nice ta meet y'all. Please, call me Steph. I'm excited ta work with ya."
Jason blinked at the new agent as Rossi, then Prentiss introduced themselves. She had a Gotham accent. More specifically, an Alley accent. Even if he hadn't been there in years, even if he never went back at all, he'd never forget the particular inflection of his native accent.
Spencer nudged him as Morgan shook Steph's hand and raised an eyebrow at him. 'You good?' he seemed to say, eyes filled with concern. Jason nodded. Spencer didn't believe him but he wasn't about to call attention to it here, so he let it go and introduced himself from where he still sat next to Jason.
"Dr. Spencer Reid. Nice to meet you, Agent Thompkins."
Thompkins … Jason barely heard Steph correct him with a grin (“Just Steph, please.”), he was too busy connecting dots and wondering if it made a picture or just a knot.
Spencer's elbow dug into his ribs again and he grunted. Right, he couldn't just disappear or ignore her. "Jason. Peters," he said, holding eye contact.
Which was the only reason he caught the micro-expression that flit across Steph's face, so brief he didn't think anyone else would have caught the slight widening of her eyes, before it was gone and she repeated, "Nice ta meet ya."
Could she-?
He nodded and looked back down at the page of tic tac toe games and added another 'X' as, thankfully, Prentiss, Morgan and Rossi took control of the conversation.
Could she know who he was? Who he'd been?
Spencer drew an 'O'. Jason drew an 'X', Spencer drew an 'O' and the game was a draw. Spencer drew up another game and Jason's thoughts drifted.
He hadn't changed his own name drastically, nor his appearance, when he'd started his new life outside of Gotham. Gotham didn't leave Gotham, he thought that would be enough protection, and that no one would believe that he could be the dead, adoptive son of Gothamite billionaire Bruce Wayne. For all intents and purposes he'd died. Jason Peter Todd was dead and Jason Peters of Salem, NJ (he still had a sense of humour) had never been to Gotham. But now… did Steph recognize him? She was from Gotham, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume she knew about Jason Todd, but how much did she know - or think she knew - about him? And her last name… sure, it wasn't unheard of to not be related to someone with the same last name as you, or at least distantly… but could this Stephanie from Gotham be related to the good Doctor Leslie Thompkins of Gotham? If so, would she have let slip a few things about Gotham's living, breathing shadows? Could she-?
Spencer nudged him again, frowning. "You've lost three in a row. You never lose three in a row. What are you thinking about?"
Jason was saved from having to answer by Hotch and JJ returning.
"Apologies for the wait," Hotch said. "Strauss needed to talk."
Jason carefully did not let himself snort but he caught Morgan's quick smirk across the table.
"JJ, when you're ready."
She nodded and picked up the remote. "Our next case is-"
"I'm here, I'm here, sorry I'm late!" Penelope rushed in, laptop under her arm and coffee tumbler in hand.
"We were just starting, Garcia," JJ said.
Penelope pulled out the chair next to Steph and opened her laptop. JJ continued with the briefing. Jason wondered when she'd notice the new agent sitting beside her.
Seven and a half minutes apparently, the duration of the case briefing, including some tossing of ideas around before Hotch called for, "Wheels up."
"Oh!" Penelope exclaimed, finally noticing Steph.
Prentiss chuckled.
"Hi." Steph grinned. "Stephanie Thompkins, but call me Steph. You're Penelope Garcia, team's technical analyst an' overall wizard genius, I presume."
"Oh, you're charming," Penelope said. Everyone could tell she was flattered. "We're going to be great friends, I can tell."
“You can get to know her later, baby girl. C’mon Steph, you got a go-bag ready?” Morgan asked.
She laughed. “I’m always ready.”
They didn’t talk about it. Months went by and neither of them brought it up, but Jason had a feeling that both of them were aware of the tension in the air.
But after a case in Utah where they accidentally confirmed some of their suspicions of each other, they silently decided they should talk and meet up after the case wrapped up.
Jason, Steph and Morgan had been clearing a building they thought might have been used by the unsub. The platform Steph had been standing on became unstable before she noticed and without thinking Jason had whistled sharply and lunged towards her.
Steph had reacted immediately, jumping back as the ground beneath her feet fell away, but she had been too far forward to get back onto solid ground. Jason had caught her outstretched hand and pulled her back up.
They’d stared at each other for a few seconds, eyes searching, realizing, deciding they shouldn’t let it go unsaid much longer, silently agreeing to meet up later and talk.
Morgan, who’d been a bit behind them, had rushed forward to check on them. “You two ok?”
They’d quickly let go of each others' hands and Steph had brushed it off. “Just peachy!”
But Morgan hadn’t been ready to drop it. “How’d you react so fast? It was like Peters whistled to you in a different language to warn you or something,” he’d joked, but his eyes had pinned them, conveying his suspicions.
Steph had clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I felt the platform shift, Jason just also alerted me,” she lied with a smile. “C’mon, let’s go, I’m suddenly feeling the urge to get out of here much quicker.”
They had moved on and caught the unsub a couple nights later. Their flight wasn’t scheduled until the next morning, so Steph met Jason’s gaze across the room and they wordlessly agreed to talk that night.
There were no texts exchanged, no notes passed, not even signs gestured between them about the plan. But where else would two Gotham-born (and Bat-raised) birds meet but in the sky?
Jason pushed open the door to the roof of the hotel and walked across the gravel to join Steph in looking out over the city.
Neither of them spoke for several moments.
“Why’d you leave?”
“Same reason as you." Steph looked over and held his gaze, and his brow furrowed because-
He shifted back in realization. She gave him a confirming smile that came off more as a grimace. He swallowed. “He got you too?” It felt like there was gravel in his throat.
Steph shook her head quickly. “Nah. Mask.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” She looked away and they let their words swirl around them in the silence.
Jason took a breath. "So you know who I-" He couldn't finish his sentence. Because she had said she did. She knew. She knew the whistles. But he needed to be certain how she knew, because… “You were-?”
Steph exhaled. "I was like ya too, once. Flew with the bats an' birds. Wore a mask. The whole shebang," she explained quietly.
His eyes widened. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting but somehow it wasn't that.
"Who, uh, who… were… you?"
The corners of her lips curled upwards. "Batgirl for a bit, Robin, too. But I… then as Spoiler."
The silence stretched between them for another moment.
"Leslie, Dr. Thompkins, she helped me. Afterwards. I did die. An' that's what she told B, and I assume he told the rest of ‘em. But she got me back, an’ I was a mess. Ya know, the whole, broken bones, broken body, a complete mess. She got me out of Gotham an' helped me with my rehabilitation, got me a new life. I debated whether or not ta go back. I did love it, runnin' over rooftops, kicking bad guys' asses." She fell silent again.
"Why didn’ you?" he asked.
She turned to look at him and raised her eyebrow, smirkingly. "Why didn' you?"
He asked himself that sometimes. Thought about what his life would’ve turned out like if he’d gone back… but he liked where he was now. He didn’t regret it.
"Didn' feel like it was my future. Gotham'll always be home, ya know? But it's not where I wanna be anymore. If I went back… I'd get sucked in again, I didn' want tha’ for myself, I had ta move on or I'd never forgive- … him. Or myself."
Steph nodded. "Me too."
They both looked out over the city rooftops.
"It was bad after you were gone," Steph spoke up suddenly.
Jason looked over at her but she kept her gaze on the skyline. He wondered if she sometimes looked for Gotham buildings like he did, before realizing he wasn't there anymore. "What d’ya mean?"
"B."
He frowned.
"He was … different. After you died. Batman without a Robin?" She shook her head. "It wasn't a good time. No one wanted ta piss him off. He sent some people ta the hospital."
That … that didn't sound like the B he knew. What had changed? Oh-
"It was bad. For a while. Then, Tim-" She exhaled.
Jason still didn't know how he felt about the Robin that replaced him. It stung, to have been replaced, but… Steph kind of had a point, it was Batman and Robin now.
"He tried ta get Dick back. Ta get him ta go back ta being Robin but he wouldn'."
"What?"
She nodded. "So he fought his way inta being Robin himself. You have ta understand" -she finally turned to face him- "he never meant ta replace ya, but Gotham needed a Robin and there was no one else."
Jason swallowed.
"Ya weren't replaced. Ya weren't forgotten."
“I’m not sure …” he started after a few moments, voice a whisper, “… I’m not sure if I know how I feel about that yet.”
“‘s ok. Take your time. ‘s probably a lot right now, yeah?”
He nodded.
“Just let me know if ya ever wanna talk. ‘s not like we’re gettin’ rid of each other easily now.” She smirked. “We’re stuck with each other.”
“Of all the FBI offices in the country ya could’ve walked into…” Jason drawled, teasingly.
Their laughs were lighter now.
They stayed there, not speaking much, two of Gotham’s birds on the roof, finding the occasional star bright enough to shine past the light pollution, looking out at the city lights until the sky started to lighten.
~~~
thank you for reading!! feel free to rb and leave nice comments <3
Usually, this is where suspects ask why they’re being held, if they don’t immediately request a lawyer. Grayson doesn’t do either. "You don't seem surprised," Gideon says.
Grayson’s face pinches. “Unfortunately, I think I have an idea what this is about.”
—
While in Blüdhaven, Spencer Reid and Jason Gideon learn of four abduction cases that could resemble the pattern of a serial killer. When a common denominator is found in the girls’ gymnastics studio, their instructor, Richard Grayson, is brought in for questioning.
For @criminalmindsxdc's CMxDC Week 2026 Day 4:
Throwback Thursday (Profiling a Rogue/Bat) | Season One/Early Days
Fandoms: Criminal Minds (US TV), Nightwing (Comics), DCU
Rating: Teen
Words: 8.6k, 1/1
Relationships: The BAU Team & Dick Grayson, The BAU Team & Amy Rohrbach
Characters: Spencer Reid, Jason Gideon, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Dick Grayson, Amy Rohrbach, Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Elle Greenaway, Penelope Garcia
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Interrogation, Blüdhaven (DCU), Blüdhaven Police Department (DCU), Post-Chemo Destroying Blüdhaven (DCU), Season/Series 01, Abduction, Secret Identity
CM x DC week 2026 || Day 4 - Season One/Early Days
[LINK]
After Georgia, after Hankel, Spencer is left to piece together the remains of who he thought he was. He’s haunted not only by his own experience but by memories he has no recollection of, leaving him to piece together the remains of a very empty past.
---
First chapter in my four parter, the rest of the chapters will be posted weekly every Thursday
Happy Day 3! We’re already at double digits of submissions over on Ao3!!
As always, I’m so excited to see how creative everyone is. You guys are awesome! When you’ve got downtime from writing, definitely go check some out to read~
Thank you all for participating, and enjoy the coming days!
The team gets called in after a boy was picked up outside of Norfolk, Nebraska, scarred, scared, and the skin of his ankles rubbed raw from chains.
“Earlier this morning, another boy was reported missing in Blue Valley.” Aaron swipes his tablet to the photo. "Wallace West, thirteen, goes by Wally. His parents say he never made it home after school.”
For @criminalmindsxdc's CMxDC Week 2026 Day 1:
Canon Case, Hero Victim
Fandoms: Criminal Minds (US TV), The Flash - All Media Types, DCU
Rating: Teen
Words: 5.2k, 1/1
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Mary West, Barry Allen & Aaron Hotchner, Barry Allen & Mary West
Characters: Aaron Hotchner, Mary West, Barry Allen, Wally West, Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, David Rossi, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Rudolph "Rudy" West
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Episode: s07e18 Foundation (Criminal Minds), Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped Wally West, Abduction, you can pry mary west from my cold dead hands, Good Parent Mary West, Good Uncle Barry Allen, Secret Identity, teased, vague mentions of Prejudice Against Metahumans (DCU), POV Aaron Hotchner, for the most part
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Title: 7 Days of Vacation
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Aaron Hotchner & Emily Prentiss, Jason Todd & BAU team
Tags: Implied/Referenced child abuse, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, BAU Member Jason Todd, Tim Drake is So Done, Canon-Typical Violence, Abduction
Summary: One year after Jason told the BAU about his childhood as Robin, Tim Drake shows up unannounced at Jason's apartment, looking for a place to stay. Jason doesn't know how to react, since they're never close.
Takes place after Lost Hood.
I was so exited for this year CM x DC Week and can't express how happy I'm to finally share my first work for this week.
A big thanks to @criminalmindsxdc for organizing this event!
This year’s dates are a little different due to real life delays as I mentioned before. The week will run from Monday February 16th through Sunday February 22nd!
Due to some positive feedback after last year, we have once again tried to mix and match the various prompts in a way that they can play off of one another! We hope you enjoy!
We’re one week out from the official start of the event!! Remember to have lots of fun, enjoy the chaos, and share your works both here and on Ao3 - if fact, here’s that collection again!
