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Summary: After a night at the bar, you end up going home with a cute stranger. When you wake up the next morning, you don’t know where you are or what happened the night before, but you’re greeted with a note that makes you want to stay to meet the man behind the mystery.
Square Filled: fake dating for 2023 @cmbingo
Author’s Note: Any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3
x
The bar is busy when you walk in with your girls, but you’re determined to make this night one for the books. Work has been stressful, so you’re ready to drink and forget.
“Are you bitches ready to get fucked up?” Lindsay, your best friend, shouts with a smile.
“Hell, yeah!” Sarah, one of your other friends, agrees.
“Just not so much where the cops are called. We don’t need a repeat of what happened last time, do we?”
“You’re a buzz kill,” Amy says with an eye roll. “But sure, we won’t do anything that will require the cops.”
“I mean, you do whatever you want, but I’m not bailing you out again,” you say, joking, of course.
At the same time, Spencer, Derek, Luke, and Matt walk into the same bar with the same mentality. Well, everyone except for Spencer. He was perfectly content with sitting at home when Derek dragged him out of his apartment. Since Spencer lives so close, they didn’t need to drive here.
“You needed out of that apartment, man,” Derek says. “You’re always in there.”
“I’m comfortable there,” Spencer says. “Not that I’m not comfortable here, but you know crowds aren’t my thing.”
“Okay, fine. Just give us a couple of hours. I don’t get to see you much anymore.”
Spencer hates it, but it’s true. Ever since Derek left the BAU, it’s hard to find times to be together. Spencer loves hanging out with Derek, and if he wants to go to a bar, then so be it.
“You’re right. I miss you, too. What are we drinking?”
“That’s my boy,” Derek smiles cheekily.
Spencer and his friends enjoy each other’s company while you and your friends do the same. As the night drags on, your friends are true to their word that they won’t drink enough to cause a disturbance, but the same thing can’t be said for you. You’re not a lightweight, but mixing different alcoholic drinks is getting to your head.
“Who are they?”
You whip around to see the group of men Sarah has her eyes on. The group consists of a muscular black man with tattoos, a well-groomed Asian man wearing what looks like pressed pants, a sexy Mexican with a cocky grin on his face, and a gorgeous Caucasian man with shaggy brown hair. It’s the man with shaggy hair that catches your attention. Only because of how he’s dressed. He’s wearing slacks and a sweater vest. He clearly doesn’t look bar-ready, and that’s interesting.
“He’s kind of cute, don’t you think?” you ask, pointing out the shaggy-haired man.
“Damn, they’re all cute. I’d like to be the meat in that man sandwich,” Lindsay giggles.
“You should go up to him,” Amy says to you.
“No, he’s out with his friends. I don’t want to ruin his night or anything. Plus, I’m already kind of seeing double, so that's not smart.”
“Go make that man your boyfriend!” Sarah yells loudly.
She’s so drunk that she’s slurring her words, so it sounds like she’s saying he’s your boyfriend to anyone who might be listening.
You dismiss your friend and continue drinking, even though you know you should stop. However, if you have a few more in you, you’ll think you’re the most confident person in the world.
On the other end of the bar, Spencer is trying not to look over at you. He noticed you as soon as Derek came back with the drinks, and he’s been trying not to make it obvious that he thinks you’re cute. However, Spencer isn’t as slick as he thinks he’s being.
“Are you gonna talk to her?” Matt asks, nodding to you.
“What? Who?”
“That girl over there,” Luke chuckles.
“You’ve been staring at her since we walked in,” Derek says. “Go talk to her, man.”
Spencer looks at you before turning away. “Nah, she’s with her friends. I don’t want to impose.”
Luke laughs and shakes his head. “We need to get you laid, man.”
Spencer is taken aback when Derek and Matt agree with Luke. “You know, life is more than just getting laid and drinking and women.”
Derek turns from joking to serious. “I know, but who says I can’t enjoy a night with my woman and still enjoy whatever else life has to offer?”
“He’s right, Reid,” Luke agrees.
“I married mine,” Matt says and smirks.
The boys drop it for now, but Spencer keeps sneaking glances at you ever so often.
As the night goes on, your friends leave until you’re the only one left. Derek and Matt left Spencer to return to their spouses, so it just leaves Spencer and Luke. You stumble up to the bar and slap your hand on the sticky surface.
“Can I order another drink?” you slur/shout.
“You’re cut off.”
“What? Why? I can pay.”
“You’re too drunk. I’m not serving you anymore. I can call you a cab if you’d like.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll walk.”
The bartender is about to say something, but you’re already walking away. An older woman notices you swaying as you walk, so she approaches you slowly.
“You should really take it easy, Hun. Is there anyone here for you?”
“My boyfriend,” you say and point to Spencer.
“Come on, dear.” The woman grabs your hand and gently guides you over to Spencer and Luke. “Hi, I’m sure you’ve been looking for her.” Spencer is shocked as the woman hands you over to him. “I would advise giving her some water.”
Spencer opens his mouth to say something, but the woman is already walking away. He looks at Luke, who has a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Hey, handsome,” you grin up at Spencer. “Am I taking you home?”
“I don’t even know your name,” he mumbles. He looks at Luke. “What should I do?”
“You can’t leave her here. She’s too drunk.”
“I’ll take her back to my place.”
Looks like you’re now his responsibility. Not that he’s upset. He knows he can call you a cab and wait with you until it comes, but he wants to make sure you’re going to be okay. At least in his guest room, he’ll know you’ll wake up safe.
“Hey, before you leave, get her number. Not tonight, obviously, but in the morning.”
Spencer waves him off as he walks with you to the front of the bar. You’re stumbling around too much; Spencer knows it’ll take more effort to walk with you instead of carrying you.
“Okay, let me carry you. Come here.”
Instead of getting on his back or letting him scoop you into his arms, you decide to jump on him from the front, attaching yourself like a koala to him. Your legs and arms wrap around his body, and Spencer chuckles. He keeps a firm grip on the back of your thighs, and you keep giggling; it's too cute to ignore.
He has no clue what your name is, where you live, or if you have someone waiting for you when you get home, so he decides that in the morning, he’ll make sure to do some damage control.
“Look at him, everyone!” you shout to people passing by. “He’s such a wonderful boyfriend!”
Spencer blushes darkly, but he doesn’t stop walking. He reaches his place in five minutes, and he walks you through the apartment to his guest room. He sets you down on the bed, and is about to help you get out of what looks to be uncomfortable heels, but you have other plans.
You lay down, and the second your head hits the pillow, you’re out cold.
When you wake up, your head is pounding. You definitely had way too much to drink. Fuck. Never doing that again. Where the fuck am I? What happened last night? You squint your eyes as you look around the unfamiliar room. Panic bubbles up in your chest, and then you see the note on the nightstand beside you.
You grab the note and squint to read it since it’s still too fucking bright in here. You set the note down to rub at your eyes and give them a few minutes to adjust to the light. Once you’re capable of keeping them open without squinting, you grab the note again and read it.
DON’T PANIC!!
There’s medicine and an unopened water bottle on the nightstand. The bathroom is right across the hall.
Where am I?
In the spare bedroom of the man you met in the bar last night. You weren't in a state to be left alone, wouldn’t/couldn’t get in a taxi, and none of your friends were answering your phone.
Where is my…?
Phone? It was on the bedside, charging. It might have fallen, so check on the ground.
Tight-fitting jewelry? On the nightstand.
Clothing I threw up on? In the washing machine/tumble dryer. There are some oversized hoodies in the closet that you can wear if it makes you more comfortable.
What now?
Whatever you like. You can sneak out if you want (I live five minutes from the bar), or stay in bed. There are clean towels on the banister if you want to take a shower (you can use anything in the shower). There is food in the fridge (please help yourself). There is a sticker with the Wi-Fi password on it (stuck to the TV).
You put the note down and look around in confusion. On the nightstand is the medicine and water, so you take it and swallow the pills. Already, you can feel the headache subside. You get up and notice that you are wearing men’s boxers and a white T-shirt. You don’t feel violated, so you’re not worried about what might have happened when the man undressed you.
“Who is this guy?” you mutter to yourself.
You slide out of bed and snatch one of the hoodies that the note mentioned. The apartment is quiet, telling you that whoever took you home isn’t here. You go back into the bedroom and find your phone. You could call a cab right now and leave, but you want to thank the man for what he did for you.
Not many men would do what he did, and he deserves to know how good a man he is.
Spencer took a risk by leaving you in his apartment. You were snoring when he went to check on you, and he didn’t want to wake you up just because he had to go to work. That’s when he created that note. You might be there when he gets home, or you might not, but he’s hoping you will be.
This is the first time he has done something like this, so he hopes he didn’t fuck anything up.
The second he steps foot into the BAU, Luke and Matt are on his ass.
“Luke called me and told me what happened,” Matt says. “What happened last night?”
“Did you take her home?” Matt wonders.
“Yeah, I did. Nothing happened. I put her to bed and went to sleep.”
“You should have seen her last night,” Luke says to Matt. “That girl was fucked up. She could barely stand straight.”
“What happened this morning?” Matt asks.
“Nothing. She was still out.”
“Wait, you left her there alone?” Spencer nods to Luke’s question. “What if she steals your shit?”
“I don’t think she would.”
Luke and Matt are shocked, but they decide to let it go. Spencer is a grown adult. If he wants to leave you alone in his apartment, then so be it. Spencer doesn’t think you’re the kind of woman who would do that after reading his note, and he hopes he doesn’t come to regret leaving you there alone.
You’re not a thief, so you don’t snoop through things that aren’t yours, but you don’t want to leave. Your clothes are already washed and dried, but you don’t want to put them back on. You’re too comfortable in the t-shirt, boxers, and hoodie.
Now that you’re up without a raging headache, you decide to eat some of the food that was so graciously offered to you. You don’t know who this man is or what his name is, but you can tell the kind of person he is based on what he has in his apartment.
After eating, you decide to explore without snooping. You walk through the small living room and admire the books on his shelves. They’re professional books—mostly textbooks, but there is the occasional Charles Dickens and Harry Potter book.
There is a framed photo of two people with big smiles on their faces. The first is an older woman, and the man standing next to her must be her son. Wait a second… You get a closer look at the man and immediately recognize him. That’s the man from the bar. The cute one your friends wanted you to talk to.
You pull out your phone and immediately call Lindsay, hoping she’s up. She answers on the second ring, and she sounds dead to the world.
“Girl, you won’t believe what happened to me last night.”
“What? You’re shouting,” she groans.
“After you left, apparently, I went home with a guy.”
“I’m up,” she says, sounding more alert than before. “What guy?”
“You remember the group of men we saw? The man with the shaggy hair that you, Amy, and Sarah wanted me to go talk to?”
“Shut the fuck up. You went home with him?”
“I guess so. I don’t remember a thing, but I just woke up maybe an hour ago.” You tell her about the note you found. “I ate something, so now I’m just wandering his living room. I saw a picture of him and what looks like his mom. That's when I called you.”
“Girl, you have to stay there. You can’t leave now. Wait until he comes home.”
“Should I?”
“Yes! At least thank the man for not being a fucking creep.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I wanted to thank him, anyway. I just feel weird being in a stranger’s apartment alone.”
“Wait for him to come home and then call me afterward. This will make for a great love story.”
“You’re an idiot,” you chuckle. “You get home okay?”
“Yeah. I was gonna call you when I woke up, but it sounds like you’re taken care of. I gotta go. Call me later, okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Love you.”
“Love you, too, bitch.”
You smile as you hang up with Lindsay. For the first hour, you watched some shitty reality TV show on Netflix. After that, your anxiety started growing. Should you stay or should you leave? The longer you stew on that, the more you decide that maybe you should leave. You’re not walking home in your bar outfit, even if it is clean, so you grab all of your things and head to the front door.
When you open it, you gasp in shock at finding the man of the hour standing there. Spencer was about to use his key when the door opened. Despite your messy hair, you’re still as gorgeous as you were last night. He likes that you’re wearing his clothes, but judging by your clothes, you were on your way out.
“You’re awake,” he says with a smile. “How do you feel?”
“Oh, God. Embarrassed more than anything. I am so sorry.”
Spencer walks past you and enters his apartment. “It’s no issue.”
Embarrassment paints your skin a pretty light pink. You’re trying not to let it control you, but you must have acted like an idiot last night, and you don’t even remember it.
“Look, you can go if you want, but you can also stay. I have a long lunch before I have to head back into work.”
Your stomach grumbles at the thought of food, even though you just fed it a few hours ago. “Okay, yeah… Food sounds nice.” You close the door and follow Spencer to the kitchen, and he starts taking ingredients out to cook. “Um, I’m Y/N.”
“Spencer.”
“Spencer, I really am sorry about last night. I’m ashamed to say I don’t really remember how I got here.”
“Ah, this older woman brought you over to me because I guess you told her I was your boyfriend.” You groan and put your head in your hands, causing him to laugh. “No, it’s okay. It was cute. You were giggly and happy, so I didn’t think you were dangerous or anything. I took you to my place because I didn’t know who you were or where you lived. I hope that was okay.”
“Spencer, you could have done anything, so I’m just grateful I woke up to that note.”
“I’m not that kind of guy,” Spencer stutters. “I would never take advantage of a woman—of anyone, really.”
“I know that now,” you whisper with a smile. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Spencer makes you a delicious meal and eats it with you. During this time, you get to know each other through regular small talk. Spencer is actually a sweet guy, and he doesn’t make you feel embarrassed about last night at all. He makes you feel comfortable, and that tells you that he’s one of the good guys.
Before you two know it, an hour has gone by, and Spencer needs to get back to work. As he is cleaning up, you’re calling yourself an Uber. You two leave his apartment and head outside. Instead of him leaving, he’s staying right next to you.
“You don’t have to wait for me. I can manage just fine.”
“It wouldn’t be right if I did. I need to make sure you get in okay. It’s alright, I don’t mind waiting with you.”
Your cheeks heat from his words, and you look away so he doesn’t see the smile fighting to show. “You’re something else, Spencer, you know that?”
“I hope it’s good things.”
“Very good things.”
The Uber comes around the corner, and you check the car’s details before you decide to get in. Spencer opens the back door for you, and you climb into the Uber with ease. When Spencer shuts the door, you roll down the window.
“Wait, Spencer.” He turns to look at you. “Your clothes…”
“Keep ‘em. It’ll give me an excuse to see you again.”
This time, you don’t fight the smile. “Okay…”
“You have my number. Get home safe, okay? Text me.”
“I will. Goodbye, Spencer.”
“Goodbye, Y/N.”
You roll the window up just as the Uber pulls away from the curb. Spencer watches the Uber driver drive off, and only starts his walk back to work when he can’t see the car anymore. He can’t wait to tell Derek what happened. He’s gonna be so happy to hear that he was right.
Spencer can enjoy a woman and still enjoy life, and he can’t wait to see what happens next.
x
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Summary: After a night at the bar, you end up going home with a cute stranger. When you wake up the next morning, you don’t know where you are or what happened the night before, but you’re greeted with a note that makes you want to stay to meet the man behind the mystery.
Square Filled: fake dating for 2023 @cmbingo
Author’s Note: Any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3
x
The bar is busy when you walk in with your girls, but you’re determined to make this night one for the books. Work has been stressful, so you’re ready to drink and forget.
“Are you bitches ready to get fucked up?” Lindsay, your best friend, shouts with a smile.
“Hell, yeah!” Sarah, one of your other friends, agrees.
“Just not so much where the cops are called. We don’t need a repeat of what happened last time, do we?”
“You’re a buzz kill,” Amy says with an eye roll. “But sure, we won’t do anything that will require the cops.”
“I mean, you do whatever you want, but I’m not bailing you out again,” you say, joking, of course.
At the same time, Spencer, Derek, Luke, and Matt walk into the same bar with the same mentality. Well, everyone except for Spencer. He was perfectly content with sitting at home when Derek dragged him out of his apartment. Since Spencer lives so close, they didn’t need to drive here.
“You needed out of that apartment, man,” Derek says. “You’re always in there.”
“I’m comfortable there,” Spencer says. “Not that I’m not comfortable here, but you know crowds aren’t my thing.”
“Okay, fine. Just give us a couple of hours. I don’t get to see you much anymore.”
Spencer hates it, but it’s true. Ever since Derek left the BAU, it’s hard to find times to be together. Spencer loves hanging out with Derek, and if he wants to go to a bar, then so be it.
“You’re right. I miss you, too. What are we drinking?”
“That’s my boy,” Derek smiles cheekily.
Spencer and his friends enjoy each other’s company while you and your friends do the same. As the night drags on, your friends are true to their word that they won’t drink enough to cause a disturbance, but the same thing can’t be said for you. You’re not a lightweight, but mixing different alcoholic drinks is getting to your head.
“Who are they?”
You whip around to see the group of men Sarah has her eyes on. The group consists of a muscular black man with tattoos, a well-groomed Asian man wearing what looks like pressed pants, a sexy Mexican with a cocky grin on his face, and a gorgeous Caucasian man with shaggy brown hair. It’s the man with shaggy hair that catches your attention. Only because of how he’s dressed. He’s wearing slacks and a sweater vest. He clearly doesn’t look bar-ready, and that’s interesting.
“He’s kind of cute, don’t you think?” you ask, pointing out the shaggy-haired man.
“Damn, they’re all cute. I’d like to be the meat in that man sandwich,” Lindsay giggles.
“You should go up to him,” Amy says to you.
“No, he’s out with his friends. I don’t want to ruin his night or anything. Plus, I’m already kind of seeing double, so that's not smart.”
“Go make that man your boyfriend!” Sarah yells loudly.
She’s so drunk that she’s slurring her words, so it sounds like she’s saying he’s your boyfriend to anyone who might be listening.
You dismiss your friend and continue drinking, even though you know you should stop. However, if you have a few more in you, you’ll think you’re the most confident person in the world.
On the other end of the bar, Spencer is trying not to look over at you. He noticed you as soon as Derek came back with the drinks, and he’s been trying not to make it obvious that he thinks you’re cute. However, Spencer isn’t as slick as he thinks he’s being.
“Are you gonna talk to her?” Matt asks, nodding to you.
“What? Who?”
“That girl over there,” Luke chuckles.
“You’ve been staring at her since we walked in,” Derek says. “Go talk to her, man.”
Spencer looks at you before turning away. “Nah, she’s with her friends. I don’t want to impose.”
Luke laughs and shakes his head. “We need to get you laid, man.”
Spencer is taken aback when Derek and Matt agree with Luke. “You know, life is more than just getting laid and drinking and women.”
Derek turns from joking to serious. “I know, but who says I can’t enjoy a night with my woman and still enjoy whatever else life has to offer?”
“He’s right, Reid,” Luke agrees.
“I married mine,” Matt says and smirks.
The boys drop it for now, but Spencer keeps sneaking glances at you ever so often.
As the night goes on, your friends leave until you’re the only one left. Derek and Matt left Spencer to return to their spouses, so it just leaves Spencer and Luke. You stumble up to the bar and slap your hand on the sticky surface.
“Can I order another drink?” you slur/shout.
“You’re cut off.”
“What? Why? I can pay.”
“You’re too drunk. I’m not serving you anymore. I can call you a cab if you’d like.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll walk.”
The bartender is about to say something, but you’re already walking away. An older woman notices you swaying as you walk, so she approaches you slowly.
“You should really take it easy, Hun. Is there anyone here for you?”
“My boyfriend,” you say and point to Spencer.
“Come on, dear.” The woman grabs your hand and gently guides you over to Spencer and Luke. “Hi, I’m sure you’ve been looking for her.” Spencer is shocked as the woman hands you over to him. “I would advise giving her some water.”
Spencer opens his mouth to say something, but the woman is already walking away. He looks at Luke, who has a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Hey, handsome,” you grin up at Spencer. “Am I taking you home?”
“I don’t even know your name,” he mumbles. He looks at Luke. “What should I do?”
“You can’t leave her here. She’s too drunk.”
“I’ll take her back to my place.”
Looks like you’re now his responsibility. Not that he’s upset. He knows he can call you a cab and wait with you until it comes, but he wants to make sure you’re going to be okay. At least in his guest room, he’ll know you’ll wake up safe.
“Hey, before you leave, get her number. Not tonight, obviously, but in the morning.”
Spencer waves him off as he walks with you to the front of the bar. You’re stumbling around too much; Spencer knows it’ll take more effort to walk with you instead of carrying you.
“Okay, let me carry you. Come here.”
Instead of getting on his back or letting him scoop you into his arms, you decide to jump on him from the front, attaching yourself like a koala to him. Your legs and arms wrap around his body, and Spencer chuckles. He keeps a firm grip on the back of your thighs, and you keep giggling; it's too cute to ignore.
He has no clue what your name is, where you live, or if you have someone waiting for you when you get home, so he decides that in the morning, he’ll make sure to do some damage control.
“Look at him, everyone!” you shout to people passing by. “He’s such a wonderful boyfriend!”
Spencer blushes darkly, but he doesn’t stop walking. He reaches his place in five minutes, and he walks you through the apartment to his guest room. He sets you down on the bed, and is about to help you get out of what looks to be uncomfortable heels, but you have other plans.
You lay down, and the second your head hits the pillow, you’re out cold.
When you wake up, your head is pounding. You definitely had way too much to drink. Fuck. Never doing that again. Where the fuck am I? What happened last night? You squint your eyes as you look around the unfamiliar room. Panic bubbles up in your chest, and then you see the note on the nightstand beside you.
You grab the note and squint to read it since it’s still too fucking bright in here. You set the note down to rub at your eyes and give them a few minutes to adjust to the light. Once you’re capable of keeping them open without squinting, you grab the note again and read it.
DON’T PANIC!!
There’s medicine and an unopened water bottle on the nightstand. The bathroom is right across the hall.
Where am I?
In the spare bedroom of the man you met in the bar last night. You weren't in a state to be left alone, wouldn’t/couldn’t get in a taxi, and none of your friends were answering your phone.
Where is my…?
Phone? It was on the bedside, charging. It might have fallen, so check on the ground.
Tight-fitting jewelry? On the nightstand.
Clothing I threw up on? In the washing machine/tumble dryer. There are some oversized hoodies in the closet that you can wear if it makes you more comfortable.
What now?
Whatever you like. You can sneak out if you want (I live five minutes from the bar), or stay in bed. There are clean towels on the banister if you want to take a shower (you can use anything in the shower). There is food in the fridge (please help yourself). There is a sticker with the Wi-Fi password on it (stuck to the TV).
You put the note down and look around in confusion. On the nightstand is the medicine and water, so you take it and swallow the pills. Already, you can feel the headache subside. You get up and notice that you are wearing men’s boxers and a white T-shirt. You don’t feel violated, so you’re not worried about what might have happened when the man undressed you.
“Who is this guy?” you mutter to yourself.
You slide out of bed and snatch one of the hoodies that the note mentioned. The apartment is quiet, telling you that whoever took you home isn’t here. You go back into the bedroom and find your phone. You could call a cab right now and leave, but you want to thank the man for what he did for you.
Not many men would do what he did, and he deserves to know how good a man he is.
Spencer took a risk by leaving you in his apartment. You were snoring when he went to check on you, and he didn’t want to wake you up just because he had to go to work. That’s when he created that note. You might be there when he gets home, or you might not, but he’s hoping you will be.
This is the first time he has done something like this, so he hopes he didn’t fuck anything up.
The second he steps foot into the BAU, Luke and Matt are on his ass.
“Luke called me and told me what happened,” Matt says. “What happened last night?”
“Did you take her home?” Matt wonders.
“Yeah, I did. Nothing happened. I put her to bed and went to sleep.”
“You should have seen her last night,” Luke says to Matt. “That girl was fucked up. She could barely stand straight.”
“What happened this morning?” Matt asks.
“Nothing. She was still out.”
“Wait, you left her there alone?” Spencer nods to Luke’s question. “What if she steals your shit?”
“I don’t think she would.”
Luke and Matt are shocked, but they decide to let it go. Spencer is a grown adult. If he wants to leave you alone in his apartment, then so be it. Spencer doesn’t think you’re the kind of woman who would do that after reading his note, and he hopes he doesn’t come to regret leaving you there alone.
You’re not a thief, so you don’t snoop through things that aren’t yours, but you don’t want to leave. Your clothes are already washed and dried, but you don’t want to put them back on. You’re too comfortable in the t-shirt, boxers, and hoodie.
Now that you’re up without a raging headache, you decide to eat some of the food that was so graciously offered to you. You don’t know who this man is or what his name is, but you can tell the kind of person he is based on what he has in his apartment.
After eating, you decide to explore without snooping. You walk through the small living room and admire the books on his shelves. They’re professional books—mostly textbooks, but there is the occasional Charles Dickens and Harry Potter book.
There is a framed photo of two people with big smiles on their faces. The first is an older woman, and the man standing next to her must be her son. Wait a second… You get a closer look at the man and immediately recognize him. That’s the man from the bar. The cute one your friends wanted you to talk to.
You pull out your phone and immediately call Lindsay, hoping she’s up. She answers on the second ring, and she sounds dead to the world.
“Girl, you won’t believe what happened to me last night.”
“What? You’re shouting,” she groans.
“After you left, apparently, I went home with a guy.”
“I’m up,” she says, sounding more alert than before. “What guy?”
“You remember the group of men we saw? The man with the shaggy hair that you, Amy, and Sarah wanted me to go talk to?”
“Shut the fuck up. You went home with him?”
“I guess so. I don’t remember a thing, but I just woke up maybe an hour ago.” You tell her about the note you found. “I ate something, so now I’m just wandering his living room. I saw a picture of him and what looks like his mom. That's when I called you.”
“Girl, you have to stay there. You can’t leave now. Wait until he comes home.”
“Should I?”
“Yes! At least thank the man for not being a fucking creep.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I wanted to thank him, anyway. I just feel weird being in a stranger’s apartment alone.”
“Wait for him to come home and then call me afterward. This will make for a great love story.”
“You’re an idiot,” you chuckle. “You get home okay?”
“Yeah. I was gonna call you when I woke up, but it sounds like you’re taken care of. I gotta go. Call me later, okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Love you.”
“Love you, too, bitch.”
You smile as you hang up with Lindsay. For the first hour, you watched some shitty reality TV show on Netflix. After that, your anxiety started growing. Should you stay or should you leave? The longer you stew on that, the more you decide that maybe you should leave. You’re not walking home in your bar outfit, even if it is clean, so you grab all of your things and head to the front door.
When you open it, you gasp in shock at finding the man of the hour standing there. Spencer was about to use his key when the door opened. Despite your messy hair, you’re still as gorgeous as you were last night. He likes that you’re wearing his clothes, but judging by your clothes, you were on your way out.
“You’re awake,” he says with a smile. “How do you feel?”
“Oh, God. Embarrassed more than anything. I am so sorry.”
Spencer walks past you and enters his apartment. “It’s no issue.”
Embarrassment paints your skin a pretty light pink. You’re trying not to let it control you, but you must have acted like an idiot last night, and you don’t even remember it.
“Look, you can go if you want, but you can also stay. I have a long lunch before I have to head back into work.”
Your stomach grumbles at the thought of food, even though you just fed it a few hours ago. “Okay, yeah… Food sounds nice.” You close the door and follow Spencer to the kitchen, and he starts taking ingredients out to cook. “Um, I’m Y/N.”
“Spencer.”
“Spencer, I really am sorry about last night. I’m ashamed to say I don’t really remember how I got here.”
“Ah, this older woman brought you over to me because I guess you told her I was your boyfriend.” You groan and put your head in your hands, causing him to laugh. “No, it’s okay. It was cute. You were giggly and happy, so I didn’t think you were dangerous or anything. I took you to my place because I didn’t know who you were or where you lived. I hope that was okay.”
“Spencer, you could have done anything, so I’m just grateful I woke up to that note.”
“I’m not that kind of guy,” Spencer stutters. “I would never take advantage of a woman—of anyone, really.”
“I know that now,” you whisper with a smile. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Spencer makes you a delicious meal and eats it with you. During this time, you get to know each other through regular small talk. Spencer is actually a sweet guy, and he doesn’t make you feel embarrassed about last night at all. He makes you feel comfortable, and that tells you that he’s one of the good guys.
Before you two know it, an hour has gone by, and Spencer needs to get back to work. As he is cleaning up, you’re calling yourself an Uber. You two leave his apartment and head outside. Instead of him leaving, he’s staying right next to you.
“You don’t have to wait for me. I can manage just fine.”
“It wouldn’t be right if I did. I need to make sure you get in okay. It’s alright, I don’t mind waiting with you.”
Your cheeks heat from his words, and you look away so he doesn’t see the smile fighting to show. “You’re something else, Spencer, you know that?”
“I hope it’s good things.”
“Very good things.”
The Uber comes around the corner, and you check the car’s details before you decide to get in. Spencer opens the back door for you, and you climb into the Uber with ease. When Spencer shuts the door, you roll down the window.
“Wait, Spencer.” He turns to look at you. “Your clothes…”
“Keep ‘em. It’ll give me an excuse to see you again.”
This time, you don’t fight the smile. “Okay…”
“You have my number. Get home safe, okay? Text me.”
“I will. Goodbye, Spencer.”
“Goodbye, Y/N.”
You roll the window up just as the Uber pulls away from the curb. Spencer watches the Uber driver drive off, and only starts his walk back to work when he can’t see the car anymore. He can’t wait to tell Derek what happened. He’s gonna be so happy to hear that he was right.
Spencer can enjoy a woman and still enjoy life, and he can’t wait to see what happens next.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Tensions are still thick between you and Derek, but you have to face the music. You need to clear the air before it gets unbearable to work together. Meanwhile, the team works on a case involving a father who is hiding something, and a daughter who is deadly.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
JJ sits in the passenger seat of the police car while you and Sera sit in the back seat. The officer only drops you three off before driving off, and you two escort Sera into her home.
"The detective said my aunt was coming. Which one?"
"Karen. She's driving in from Charleston. Do you think you'll be able to sleep?"
"Yeah, I want to shower first."
It's like all of the emotion fades from her voice, and all that's left is a psychotic killer. JJ seems to pick up on it, and you stay silent. "Okay. Um, sure you're gonna be okay up there?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she shrugs.
"How about I make us some tea. Would you like that?" you offer.
"That'd be really nice. Thanks."
Sera walks upstairs, leaving you and JJ alone. You grab her arm and pull her into the kitchen. "She's guilty, JJ."
"What?"
"She killed her mom and Katie. Bruce is innocent in all of this, regarding their deaths. Sera is a psychotic killer. I saw it, JJ."
"Why did you come here?"
"I have to get evidence. Without it, it's my word against hers." You take out the ingredients to make three cups of coffee while JJ takes out her phone to text someone from the team, possibly. "Who are you texting?"
"Spencer. Even if you weren't here, something isn't right." You take all three cups to the dining room, and Spencer calls JJ. "Hey."
You're close enough to the phone to hear him when he says, "What's wrong?", but not close enough to hear him clearly.
"I think Sera knows more than she's letting on. Since we got here, she's been casual and kind of cold toward everything."
"It could be the shock."
"Y/N says she killed her mom and sister." That's enough for Spencer to know that Sera is the unsub. "Plus, she's too composed for my liking. She has not mentioned Katie to us, not even once, since we got here. I couldn't walk into my house after my sister died, let alone walk past her room."
"I couldn't either," you say, knowing Spencer can hear you. "When my sister died, I..." Two people walk into the dining room, causing you to stop talking. Judy and Katie stand there staring right at you. Slowly, they point upstairs, as if they're warning you. "JJ..."
"What's wrong?" she asks.
"We really need to leave or call backup or something."
The conversation over the phone continues to go on, despite you panicking. "If Sera did all of this, then it's a very detailed plan."
"What, do you think she knew about her father's condition and took advantage of it?" Spencer asks.
"She set up character witnesses like Jeff to back up her fear. She even got her little sister to make calls to a hotline. She manipulated us from the minute we found her."
"Her writing suggested no empathy and no real emotional connection to family. That's psychopathic tendencies. Her wounds are more than superficial, but they could be self-inflicted, right, JJ?" Derek asks.
Without having to see her, you know Sera stepped into the room. You nudge JJ's foot with your own, and she takes that as a warning to immediately change the topic. She drops her voice and pretends like she's talking to her son.
"Honey, I know. Mommy is sorry that she's not home tonight, but Amy is there with you. I promise I will be home as soon as I can." She pulls the phone from her ear and looks at Sera. "You okay? I didn't hear the shower."
"Yeah, I just wanted my tea."
"I was going to bring it to you," you say, "but you can have it now."
Sera takes the cup and leaves the room, and JJ turns back to the conversation. "Uh, yeah, I'm still here."
"We'll be right there. Stay on the phone," Spencer says. "Y/N, if you can hear me, I'm coming. Don't worry."
If anyone doubts you for thinking Sera is the unsub, then the fact that someone named S. Morrison cancelled Bruce's medication sure sends that theory home. The shower turns on upstairs, so you know you have some time to get the evidence you need.
"Follow me," JJ whispers. "I can't leave you up here alone."
She takes you down to the basement, which has boxes stacked on top of each other. Boxes from when Sera was a baby to when Katie was a baby. Boxes filled with memories of the family, even before the girls were born. One of the boxes says "Quilts—1999-2000 KATIE" on it. JJ slides the box out and places it on a bench so she can go through it.
Both of your backs are turned away from the basement door.
Beneath the quilts is the evidence you need to prove that Sera is behind all of this. You grab the first thing you see, but you don't open it. Not when you hear a gun cock from behind you two.
"JJ," you whisper ever so quietly.
You two turn to see Sera on the basement stairs with a gun in her hand. "Why did you two have to come down here?"
JJ looks at the gun in her hand. "We've been looking for that."
"It's an old house. I know the best hiding places. What do you think you two know?"
"You put everything that went missing with your mother inside this box. 1999."
Sera shrugs. "Maybe my dad did it."
"No. You chose this box because it's the year Katie was born, and everything changed. She was your little sister."
"Katie ruined everything, and my mother let her," Sera growls.
Katie steps down the rest of the stairs, and you grab the back of JJ's shirt tightly. You can't stop staring at the gun.
"Your mother loved you," JJ says.
"She loved Katie more. I should have cried for Katie. I guess there are some things I just can't fake."
As Sera speaks, you slowly reach for the gun strapped to your hip. Sera notices this and points the gun at you instead. "You won't do it."
"You need to back up, now," JJ says with a stern voice.
"I can say my trauma kicked in. PTSD." She scrunches her face up and pretends to cry. "I saw you with the gun, and I didn't know what else to do." Just like that, she drops the facade.
"You thought of everything."
Footsteps sound from above, and Spencer and Derek walk down the stairs, both of their guns drawn. Immediately, your eyes find Spencer's, and he nods as if to tell you that you're safe with him here.
"Sera, put the gun down," Derek says slowly.
Sera doesn't turn around, so they can't see her face. She turns on the water works and pretends like she's terrified. "No, no, you don't understand. She has a gun. She was going to hurt me."
"No, Sera. It's okay." She drops the act, but only you and JJ can see her face. "Listen to me, I understand." Derek puts his gun away, but Spencer keeps his up. "It's okay, Sera. She wasn't gonna hurt you. You've been through enough. Sera, you're safe now. Okay?"
Sera nods, and she lowers the gun. "Okay. Thank you."
The second Derek takes the gun away from her, Spencer yanks her arms back and slaps handcuffs on her. This causes her to freak out.
"What are you doing?!" she shrieks.
"You're a smart girl, Sera. Figure it out."
Derek takes Sera from Spencer and takes her upstairs. She continues to fight and plead her innocence, but it's not use. She's not getting away with what she did. Spencer immediately walks to you and pulls you into his arms. You bury your face in his chest, and you grip the back of his shirt tightly.
"You're okay," he whispers to you.
"Are you okay?" you ask JJ.
"Yeah." JJ opens the book that was underneath the quilts and sees trophies from her mom and Katie. A pearl necklace is taped to one of the dates, and wedding rings are taped to another. "February 4th. The day Judy went missing."
"Trophies," Spencer says without letting you go. "If Detective Friedman had ever found it, she would have pinned it all on Bruce."
Bruce has to help himself before he can start to heal from Sera's wrongdoing. The plane ride home was spent with your head on Spencer's shoulder, sleeping. When you get back to the BAU, you're forced to face the issues you left this place with.
Starting with Derek.
He steps out of his office and is about to leave when you call his name.
"Derek." He doesn't look at you, but you don't give up. "Derek, I am sorry! I am so sorry for treating you like you didn't matter. I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you about the baseball game. I'm sorry about everything."
Derek can't walk away now. He has to face this, so he turns around and walks over to you. "I am not mad about the baseball game, okay?" I told you, I let it slide. I am pissed that you didn't come to me sooner."
"What?" you whisper.
"You had your reasons, and I understand that, but I could have helped you."
"I know. I was so scared. I was protecting you from him. He said he'd kill you all, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to get out of it."
Derek pulls you in for a hug, and you hug him back. "We could have done that together. No matter what you go through or who is putting you through it, just know I've got your back." He pulls away and looks down at you. "You're never alone."
"I know that now. Does this mean I'm forgiven?"
"Yes."
"Good. I missed you." He kisses the top of your head before you can fully pull away from him. "Just so you know, I so totally would have joined your baseball team if I weren't pregnant."
Derek grins and looks at your stomach. "Look at you. You're getting really big."
"I know. I'm having a boy."
Derek beams at the thought of becoming an uncle to a little boy. Spencer's little boy.
With the air cleared, you can head back to Spencer's place feeling much better. You still don't have a home to go to since you refuse to step into the place Frank made you stay in, so you've been staying with Spencer for the time being.
It's been confusing, to say the least, because there is still so much stuff left in the air between you two. You have to get this talk out of the way before your son comes. You have to know where you two stand now.
"Spencer, we should talk." He looks at you from his side of the couch. "About us."
"Yeah, I think you're right."
It's clear that Spencer still cares for you. He's sliding back into the role of a doting boyfriend, and as much as you want him to do that, there are still too many unknowns. All you've wanted is to feel his arms around you, but things are different now. It's not just you anymore.
"You know I love you, right?" He nods. "I know you love me... Right?" Again, he nods. "Look, things can't go back to the way they were. If I'm being honest, I'm still scared that Frank is going to escape and come after me again." You bite your lower lip in thought. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to be with you, Spencer. You know that I do, but I need to feel safe first."
Spencer understands. If he were you, and if he went through what you went through, PTSD and fear are only the tip of the iceberg. He loves you so much, but if time is what you want, then he'll give it to you. You're it for him. There is no one else he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
"I know," he whispers. "It's not just you anymore." A comfortable silence grows between you two. "When are you due?"
"In February." It's almost Christmas, so you're getting closer to the date.
"I want you to move back in with me," he blurts.
"Spencer..."
"I listened to you." You close your mouth because he's right. It's your turn to listen to him. "You're having my son. I need to be there for you both, and I can't do that if you don't live here. I respect your boundaries, but I already missed so much. I don't want to miss any more. What if you get a craving in the middle of the night, or what if you need me? Please move back in."
Your heart swells with love. "Of course, I'll move back in with you." He pulls you into his arms, and you lay your head on his chest. "I don't have any of my things. Frank sold it all."
"Just as well. We can get new stuff. Together."
The lines between you and Spencer will be blurred, you have no doubt, but there is nowhere you'd rather be than in his arms.
"Together."
"The tragedy of this world is that no one is happy, whether stuck in a time of pain or joy." - Alan Lightman
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Tensions are still thick between you and Derek, but you have to face the music. You need to clear the air before it gets unbearable to work together. Meanwhile, the team works on a case involving a father who is hiding something, and a daughter who is deadly.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
They enter the conference room and close the door behind them.
"So, Bruce said Katie baked cookies Monday night. We found them in the kitchen, so that's true," JJ says. "Two of Sera's friends confirmed she never made it to her study group."
"That's because Jeff Godwin was in the parking lot with her from 8:15 pm to 9:30 pm. The girls called the hotline at 9:58 pm."
"Detective, have your officers found either gun?" Hotch asks.
"No, but we've increased the search, given where Katie's body was found. We've got residue, but we don't know which gun or where it is now."
"Whoever that was in there said he wanted to scare them, not hurt them."
"Katie was beaten over the head in the middle of nowhere," Alex argues.
"You're right. The alter could have lost his temper, or it could have just been a horrible accident."
"Bruce didn't kill his daughter," you repeat. "I would have seen it all over him if he did."
"Regardless, getting the girls out of the house was planned. He said he wanted to scare them and had a gun to do it. He drove them somewhere. Bruce's car had the same mud on the driver's side floor that he had on his boots, but there wasn't any in the backseat. So, three people drove somewhere, but only he came back."
"The DNA coming back from Katie's nails will tell us what we already know, that Bruce Morrison did this. So, can I arrest him now?" Marty asks Hotch.
"Detective, you have sufficient evidence to make the arrest, but we still don't have Sera. Give us an hour, and maybe he'll tell us where she is. It's your call, but he could still help us."
Detective Marty sighs. "You have one hour."
Hotch returns to the interrogation room alone, and it's no longer the alternative personality. Bruce is back, and he has no clue what happened or what was said. The last thing he remembers is the tape that Hotch played, and then nothing else. His blackouts started in high school when there was a lot of pressure on him. He'd drink to relieve the pressure, and that's when it'd happen.
He's heartbroken at the idea of him hurting his little girls.
Bruce loves them, but the monster that comes out with alcohol doesn't.
"There's no way for us to confirm a DID diagnosis yet, but we do know that he has chronic alcoholism, which can and has gone hand in hand with it," Spencer explains. "The interesting thing is, his liver and pancreas wouldn't have survived thirty years of that kind of abuse, so there must have been years where he's gotten help."
"He had to have been in a program," you say.
"It would have to be more than that. Garcia, has he ever been on medication to help curb his drinking?"
"All I've got is a yearly physical, and that is it," she responds over video chat.
"DID usually stems from a history of sexual abuse."
"I've got nothing like that. All I have on Bruce Morrison is that his mother died when he was ten, and that he was raised by a single alcoholic father, but there is no evidence of any prescriptions."
Spencer looks at a picture of the whole family, especially at Judy. "They look like the perfect family, but she would have had to know about his drinking when they got married."
"You're saying she helped manage him and kept his problem a secret?"
"Maybe she was the one who got the prescription," Spencer shrugs. "Garcia, can you run her medical history?"
"Yes. Okay. Disulfiram. Am I saying that right? It's for chronic alcoholism. She had a ninety-day supply delivered four times a year for as long as I can tell. It stopped coming a few months ago. It's supposed to make you feel nauseous if you drink alcohol."
"She's not the one with the drinking problem. He is. Garcia, who canceled it?"
"Un momento."
"Could that be the trigger?" Alex asks. "He goes after his daughters now that he's off his meds?"
"That instability could work for us. I think you should put Bruce in the same room as Jeff. It might get him angry enough to bring his alter ego out, especially if he thinks Jeff and Sera had a relationship together."
Hotch approves of this idea, so Jeff is brought in to talk to Bruce with JJ and Derek in the room. You'd go with her, but you're kind of scared of what he can do. If you weren't pregnant, you'd go in, but you or Spencer don't want that.
The second that Jeff sees Bruce, he tries to back out. "Hey, I didn't... I didn't agree to this."
"We're looking for Sera, and you're the last ones to see her alive."
"Look, like I told your guy here, I had nothing to do with this. Plus, Sera's afraid of him."
"Do you want to tell us about your relationship with Sera?"
That grabs Bruce's attention, and he narrows his eyes at Jeff. Jeff, on the other hand, is confused since he kept it appropriate at all times. "I don't have one."
JJ hates doing this, but she needs Bruce's other personality to come out. "Well, that's strange. Why do you text her all the time, then?" Bruce growls lowly. He's getting angrier. "Jeff, it's not that big of a leap. You couldn't have Judy anymore, so you thought... Why not? Sera looks just like her mom."
Bruce snaps. He jumps up to attack, but Derek is quick to hold him back. "Stop! Back up!"
"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!" Bruce yells.
"Get him out of here!" The officer watching over removes Jeff from the room. He turns to Bruce and puts his hands up in defense. "Easy..."
Derek looks at JJ before walking out, leaving her and Bruce alone. She stares at him, knowing she isn't looking at Bruce. His other personality is out to play.
"Judy was gonna leave my boy for that scumbag," he growls.
"What's your name?"
"What's your name?" he mocks.
"I'm Jennifer. Your turn."
"My name is Johnny, and I need a cigarette, Jennifer."
"Well, I might be able to help you out there. I'm sure you're stressed."
"Oh, I'm not. I just want a smoke."
JJ chuckles. "Johnny, come on. I know these teenage girls stress you out, no matter what you say. I mean, how do you deal with it? Do you like to go out and shoot something?"
"Sometimes," he smirks, "but I don't get much chance to do that anymore."
"Oh, I thought you did have a chance recently. I think you did. Satisfy my curiosity, and then I'll go get you that cigarette."
Johnny stares at her with interest, and then he smiles. "I like you, Jennifer."
"You took the girls somewhere to scare them, somewhere quiet and isolated. Was it near the water?"
"I didn't do anything but scare them."
"Of course not. Do you have a place by the river?"
"Pretty and smart," he grins. "It's not my place. It's not anybody's place anymore. I've taken them out there before, but this time, I got their attention."
He tells her where he took them, and you're off in droves. You shouldn't be out here, being seven months pregnant and all, but you're the best one to find Sera, and they know it. It's raining so hard, but that won't stop you from finding Sera. Lightning lights up the sky, but it's not enough to light your path. The closer you get to the cabin, the more you feel Sera and Katie's energies.
Spencer hasn't left your side since you left, but it's hard to focus on him when all you can see are the energies left behind. Bruce was here, but he didn't stay here or hurt his kids. You step inside and pause when you see what the energies are trying to tell you. Wait, that's not right. Bruce was telling the truth. He only took his girls here and left them. He only dropped them off and left.
Hold on a second... Did...?
"Here's a shotgun blast," Derek points out.
JJ picks something off the floor. "Katie's phone. It's dead. Sera could still be out here somewhere."
The cabin is empty, so Sera has to be outside in the pouring rain somewhere. You get into the car with Derek and Spencer, and Derek drives slowly through the known trails. The energy is hard to see, but you can feel it. You let it guide you.
"Stop, Derek." Derek stops the car without hesitation. You get out of the car and look at the tree line. "Sera?" Someone peeks around the trunk of the tree, and you know you've found her. "Sera, we're with the FBI. It's okay. You can come out now." She steps out from behind the tree with a shotgun in hand. Her face is bruised as if someone beat her. Spencer steps out of the car and slowly approaches you. "Put the gun down, Sera."
She does, and that's when your team moves in. Sera is taken to the nearest hospital, and everything you saw inside that cabin is as clear as day. Sera is not so innocent herself. She's the one who killed her mother and sister. She beat Ktie over the head and threw her into the river.
You don't tell anyone this because you don't want her knowing you know that she's a cold-blooded murderer. The way you look at it, you have two options here: One, you can straight up accuse her of what she did, but then it's your word against hers. That won't go over well since there is no evidence. Two, you can pretend like you don't know what she did, get evidence, and then arrest her.
It's why you're here and not anywhere else. JJ and Spencer are also here, but you're the one to approach Sera once the nurses and doctors are done checking her over. She is slumped over with a look of trauma on her face, but it's all an act. She doesn't feel this way. You know how she's feeling, and there is no remorse for what she's done.
"Sera, I know you don't feel like talking, but if you think you can, there are some things I need to know, and I can't ask anyone else but you."
"He killed my mother, too, didn't he?" she asks.
You keep your features calm as you speak to her. "It's hard to say unless we find her body."
"I want to talk to him. Would that be okay?"
"Yes."
"Will you come with me?" she asks, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Of course." You grab a blanket and wrap it around her shoulders. "You look cold."
"Are you a mom?" She looks at your belly and wraps the blanket tighter around her body. "Mine used to wrap me in this quilt that she made before I was born. She said she always knew it would be for her little girl." She starts crying, and you resist an eye roll. "I miss her."
Once Sera is allowed to leave the hospital, you bring her back to the station, where her dad is still in the interrogation room. Hotch allows you to go in with her, so it's only the three of you inside the room.
"I'm so sorry," Bruce cries when he sees his daughter.
"Dad, you need help."
He looks at the cuts and bruises on her face. "Did I do that? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. What can I do?"
"They say that if you just tell them where mom is, that this will all just be--"
"But I don't know," he cuts her off. Of course, he doesn't know. He's not the one who killed her. "You know I don't know."
"She didn't just disappear, Dad." Sera plays the role of a grieving daughter perfectly. "Oh, God, you killed her, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't!"
"How am I supposed to believe you?" She rolls up her sleeves to show him more wounds. "This. This is what you've done. You have hurt us all for a long time." She looks at you. "I want to go home."
"No, don't, Sera. Don't go."
She doesn't listen. You escort her out of the room, leaving Bruce to cry alone. Hotch made you promise him to tell him if anything was wrong, but if you tell him the truth about Sera, then the entire team will want to go back. You can't let her know that you know what she did, but you also can't go back to her house alone. If she killed her mom and Katie brutally, then you need backup there. Hotch will have to stay in the dark for right now, but that doesn't mean JJ can be.
"JJ, can you come with us?"
"Sure."
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Tensions are still thick between you and Derek, but you have to face the music. You need to clear the air before it gets unbearable to work together. Meanwhile, the team works on a case involving a father who is hiding something, and a daughter who is deadly.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
"So, what do you think?" Alex asks no one in particular.
"He's sober, so this is raw emotion. He lost his legs when Hotch told him. The tears could be guilt as much as grief," Rossi sighs.
"That's what we're supposed to do when given that news. I don't mean to sound so cynical, but the man writes fiction."
"That was real emotion, Alex," you say. "He didn't kill Judy or Katie. He didn't hide them. Trust me, with the way I'm feeling right now, that's true grief. He didn't do this."
There is more to say, but you don't say it. Rossi picks up on it immediately. "But...?"
"But... he's guilty of something. Not his wife or Katie's death, but something."
"We don't know if his wife is dead," Alex says.
You look at Judy, and it's like her expression has gotten sadder. "She's dead, Alex. Her spirit is here." Alex looks around, but she doesn't see anything. "Trust me. She's dead."
"Was there any sign of Sera? She could still be out there."
"Doubtful, unless she's found shelter. It's supposed to be in the twenties tonight."
"Now that we've got Katie's body, we should run scenarios for what really happened on Monday night," Alex suggests.
Hotch walks into the room with his phone in hand. "That was the lab. Bruce definitely fired a gun at some point. There's residue on the sheets and on the boots. We need to get him to the station."
The ME got to work immediately after Katie's body was delivered to her. Since biotic decomposition is slower in the winter months than in the other seasons, and since her body wasn't immersed in the river, it didn't deteriorate. That gives more for the ME to work with. According to her, Katie was killed between twenty-four and forty-eight hours ago. The cause of death is blunt force trauma to the squama of the occipital bone, or near the eyes. It could have been made from the butt of a gun, but it's not clear as to what was used.
What's weird is that Katie was found near the river, but she didn't drown. There was no fluid in her lungs. The river was a means of disposal, not a means to kill. Her nails have traces of skin packed underneath them, which means she fought back. What you do now is see if Bruce has any defensive wounds on his body.
It's unlikely that they'd be there because if he really did kill Katie, then you'd know. Still, he's brought back to the police station for formal questioning. He didn't hesitate to show his forearms when Hotch asked, and there are long scratches as if someone had fought against him. Bruce claims he doesn't know how he got them, which only proves your theory of him having DID.
Since Katie is dead, your team needs to look into Sera before she ends up dead, too. She might have written something down that might help you locate her, so you're going through her laptop with JJ. Hoch allowed you to stay behind at the house to work there, which you're grateful for since it provides a distraction. The house isn't cleared of Bruce's energy, but there is certainly a lot less than there was before.
"All of her latest writing assignments are very dark," you comment.
"Yeah, I'm sure it's part of her mom's absence." JJ looks at you. "Do you think she's alive?"
You briefly glance at Judy and Katie, who have not moved from their spot. "Yes."
"I agree." She sits down next to you. "If losing her mother didn't change everything, I know losing her sister would have."
"I know." You and JJ both lost your sisters at a young age, so you know firsthand how gut-wrenching that can be. Your phone rings, and you answer Penelope's call. "Go ahead, Pen."
"I think I may have found something creepy. There's a bunch of text messages between Sera and a number that I have traced back to Jeff Godwin."
"Why would your missing mother's ex-lover stay in touch?" JJ grabs Sera's phone and checks out the messages. "This is a tad more than inappropriate."
"Please tell me there was nothing strange going on between him and the daughter," Penelope begs.
"It seems more fatherly. Listen to this. 'It's gonna be okay. You just have to stay strong.' Is he encouraging her to leave? Or for her to face her father in some way?"
"What about the texts on Monday?"
"There aren't any," JJ says. "The latest are from Sunday night."
"Actually, there are more recent ones," Penelope states. "I'm looking at her phone records. There are texts between them on Monday, between 5:23 pm and 5:56 pm."
"Why can't we see them?"
"She probably deleted them." JJ takes out her phone and calls Derek while you're still on the phone with Penelope. "Morgan, we need you to find Jeff Godwin."
"Uh, he just walked in." Derek looks at Jeff, who is talking to an officer. "He says he heard we found Katie, and he's worried about Sera."
"He also texted Sera the night she went missing and then deleted the texts. It looks like they texted a lot."
"Really?"
"We're on our way."
Derek hangs up and approaches Jeff. Since this is a sensitive subject matter, Derek takes him to an empty room.
"Mr. Godwin, why did you feel it was appropriate to regularly text a seventeen-year-old girl?"
"I've known those girls for a long time, way before anything happened between their mother and me. I coach Sera."
"You didn't think to request a different team, given the circumstances?"
"No. My daughter plays on the team." Jeff sighs. "Sera reached out to me Monday night. God knows she needs a father figure."
"I'm thinking the man her mother had an affair with might not be the best person to offer that."
Jeff knows how this is making him look, and he needs to straighten out the facts. "Look, I just came in here because I heard about Katie, and I was worried about Sera. Don't treat me like a criminal."
Derek crosses his arms. "Sera deleted texts that the two of you shared the same day she disappeared."
Jeff's eyes widen in genuine shock. Like he's scared about what Derek might do to him. He reaches into his pocket and takes out his phone. "Wait, all the texts are here. We agreed to meet in the parking lot of a convenience store on Route 113." He hands the phone to Derek. "Read them. Go ahead."
Derek reads them, but they sound genuine and not at all sexual or creepy. "Is this a regular thing for you?"
"We've met there a couple of times recently when she was really scared about what was happening with her and her dad."
"What was happening?" Derek asks and gives him back the phone.
"Bruce gets really violent when he drinks, and it's been getting worse. Sera had every reason to be terrified. I mean, look what happened."
Derek leaves Jeff alone and sees that you and JJ are back from Bruce's house. You sit down at the conference table and place a hand where your son is currently kicking. He's been active lately, and it makes your heart happy to feel him moving about. That means whatever he went through when you were with Frank, it didn't break him. He's a strong boy, and you can't wait to meet him.
Penelope's face flashes on the screen as she connects over video chat. "Is everyone there? Good. This call came in on Monday. It was made on Katie's cell, which is still MIA. The only 800 number she called was to a local abuse hotline. She called there a few times in the last couple of months." She plays the recording.
"My name is Katie Morrison. I called last week."
"Yes, Kaite, I remember you," the volunteer replies.
She whimpers in fear, "He's at it again. He's just going crazy. He's really drunk."
"Katie, are you safe?"
"Yes. Hold on."
Shuffling sounds, like the phone is being passed to someone. "Hi, it's Sera. We're okay. I can handle this."
The second Sera's voice comes through, you frown. Something isn't sitting right with you. You can't put your finger on it. Hotch needs Bruce to hear this recording, so he brings it to him. Bruce is confused when he first hears his daughter's voice. He doesn't understand what is happening.
"Who are they talking to?" Bruce asks.
Then his own voice comes over the line.
"Girls, open the door!" He doesn't sound too happy. Bruce clearly doesn't remember this happening. "Katie, open the door! I said open the door!"
Bruce is getting angry. He's remembering what he did on that phone call. He's remembering because it's not Bruce anymore. You're in the room with Hotch, but you back up slowly toward the door. Whoever is Bruce's alter ego is now out, and he wants to play.
"I SAID OPEN THE DOOR!" Bruce yells angrily, slapping the desk as hard as he can.
The door to the interrogation room opens, and Spencer pulls you out of it. Hotch can handle himself, but Rossi steps in just in case things get ugly. Spencer is worried that you and the baby is going to be hurt by Bruce's outburst. Spencer wraps an arm around your shoulder, not even caring if you're his or not. You're carrying his son. For the time being, he'll protect you in every way he can, and you don't hate it. You lean into his touch but keep your eyes on Bruce the whole time.
He slowly walks over to the two-way mirror. He only sees himself, but it feels like he's looking through the glass and at you.
"This isn't Bruce." Alex and JJ look at you. "That's his other personality."
"What a pathetic little crybaby. Ugh." Bruce wipes the tears off his eyes. "I was always right about you, huh?" Bruce turns and looks at Hotch and Rossi. He takes in his surroundings and nods. "So, you got old Brucie in a cage, huh? You think that's gonna help? It's only gonna make him hide longer." He walks over to the chair and crosses his arms. "What do you want to know? I'm gonna have to tell you 'cause the baby's got his pacifier."
"Where is Sera?" Hotch asks.
"She's learning a lesson," he smirks.
"What did you do to them?"
Bruce mocks Hotch, "What did you do to them?" His features harden. "I scared them, that's all. They needed it."
"Why?"
"Because they're spoiled, ungrateful little bitches who walk all over him any chance they get."
"What happened to Bruce?"
"He's hiding, of course. When he can't handle it, I save his ass. Bruce's problem is that he can't handle anything."
Alex looks at you, and you step away from Spencer's embrace. "I told you. I saw two energies. He's guilty of something, but he didn't kill his wife or Katie. I can promise you that."
Hotch and Rossi leave Bruce and his other personality alone while the team reconvenes in the conference room. Spencer walks in with water and a snack, and he sets both of them down in front of you.
"Thank you," you whisper to him.
"It's clear he's a psychopath, but a dual personality? If that's true, where was that guy a year ago?" Detective Marty asks.
"These conditions have triggers. His accelerated drinking could have aggravated it."
"With all due respect, I don't buy it. The guy knows he's dead meat, and this is an easy way to cop an insanity plea."
"I understand, but we need to see if he's got markers for DID."
Marty shrugs but doesn't say anything else about it. He's going to let the FBI do what they need to do, whether he agrees with them or not.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Tensions are still thick between you and Derek, but you have to face the music. You need to clear the air before it gets unbearable to work together. Meanwhile, the team works on a case involving a father who is hiding something, and a daughter who is deadly.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
Bruce comes back with the fliers and looks at them with emotion. His girls are on the front page, and it's taking everything in him not to cry.
"How are you keeping up with everything?" you ask.
"The girls and I do the best we can. Judy liked an orderly house, and I keep hoping that she'll walk back through that door."
That's why he might have cleaned the house. Something passes by your peripheral vision, and you turn to the window just in time to see someone walk past it. However, they're gone before you can see who it is. You did see, however, the white dress they were wearing. It's a woman. Well, it looked like it. The curtains are white, so maybe that's what you saw.
"You just did laundry but only your clothes. I was wondering, did you do that before or after you called 911?" Rossi asks.
"I did it when I woke up in the morning, before I knew the girls were missing."
There is something he's holding back, and Hotch can sense it. "Mr. Morrison, you understand that we can only help you if you tell us everything that happened."
"Katie was asleep when Sera came home late. She said that she drove slowly because of the rain. That's all I remember. Oh, and I was watching basketball."
"Then?"
"I went to bed, I guess. It's happened before. I can't explain it, but the next thing I know, it's morning." That's common for people who have DID. Maybe Bruce did it, but his other personality did it. He wouldn't remember it happening because it's not his conscience. "I could feel that something was wrong. I can't stand here and do nothing. I have Judy's sister coming in. We have to find the girls. How much longer do you need to be standing here? Shouldn't we be out there looking?"
Another flash of movement, but this time, you can see it clearly. It's a woman, alright. The blue spiritual energy trailing behind her tells you that not only is it a woman, but she's dead. She passes by the archway into the kitchen, but then she's gone.
Suddenly, the house phone rings, and everyone is tense and silent. Hotch holds his finger up to signal to Bruce to wait, and he grabs the second phone so that he can listen in on the conversation. With a nod, Bruce picks up the phone and answers it.
"Hello?" It's not the girls, but Judy's sister. "Hi, Karen... No, nothing yet."
Hotch hangs up to give Bruce some privacy with his wife's sister. Hotch notices you looking around for something.
"What do you see?" he asks.
Whatever you're looking for, you've found it. The spirit of the woman walks into the room, and she stops by the dining room table. All she does is stare at you wordlessly. Based on the pictures around Bruce's house, you know that this woman is Judy. She's dead.
"We're not alone," you state.
"What do you mean?"
"Judy is dead, Hotch," you whisper. "I'm looking right at her."
Hotch looks at the same place you are, but he doesn't see anything. He truly doesn't understand how some people can pick up these signals.
"I don't envy you."
"Me either."
Penelope looks into Bruce and his family, and she finds out that he owns a 12-gauge shotgun that hasn't been fired in years. It's not inside the house, and Bruce doesn't know where it is. He also bought a used .38 just after Judy's disappearance, and he also claims he doesn't know where it is either. If he used it, then it would make sense to wash his clothes in the morning.
He slept in his bed, so maybe there could be gunshot residue left behind, so they'll be tested. There is a pair of muddy boots by the back door that will also be tested. What Derek doesn't understand is that if Bruce killed his wife and kids, then why would the house have all of Judy's things still left in it? He slept ont he same side he always sleeps on, and all of Judy's things are left untouched.
He might really be in mourning, which means he doesn't know what happened to Judy. If Bruce really does have DID, then it would make sense why he doesn't remember doing all of this. His other personality comes out, and Bruce stays innocent.
Rossi meets Marty outside, and the pair of them start walking toward the recycling bins. "Our analyst is checking phone logs."
"We did the same last year, but it's like Judy just vanished. I couldn't even find her phone or appointment book to see who her last meetings were with. Take a look at this."
Marty uses a gloved hand to pick up empty alcohol bottles from the bin, and Rossi sighs. "When does recycling get picked up?"
"Monday mornings." Marty picks up another empty bottle. "These are new. Last year, he said he was in recovery but had fallen off the wagon because of Judy's affair."
"He hasn't mentioned this at all."
"I always thought he was drinking more than he admitted. I also wondered if he was popping pills, too, but we could never find any evidence."
Rossi notices Bruce staring at them through the window. "Let's go ask him."
Bruce looks away from the window. Hotch knows Bruce is hiding something, and he's going to find out what it is, the easy way or the hard way.
"Mr. Morrison, did the girls leave often without you knowing?"
"No." Bruce groans. "Look, I've told you everything."
Rossi and Marty walk back into the house. "I gotta ask you, are two bottles of bourbon a normal Monday night?"
"It wasn't really two. There was only a little bit left in the first one. It was a rough day. Monday was the anniversary of when Judy went missing."
"You don't think we know that?" Marty cuts in. "There haven't been many days this year when I haven't been very aware of your wife having gone missing. What happened on Monday? Did it all come rushing back, and you just snapped?"
Detective Marty is purposefully antagonizing Bruce. It's not going to help anyone if he continues to do so.
"No. I was sad, and I drank too much because I missed my wife. Honestly, bourbon doesn't help much."
"It helped you lose an entire day, from what I can tell," Marty glares.
Hotch clears his throat. "Why don't we go upstairs?"
He, Rossi, and Bruce leave the detective downstairs, and you notice Derek hanging around in the background. Derek barely glances at you as he walks over to Marty.
"Detective, I understand that you're frustrated, but you're not helping yourself by taking it out on him."
"I thought this guy was dirty a year ago, and now it's happened again. There are no bodies and no evidence. I have nothing but my gut and twenty-five years of police work."
Detective Marty walks away, and now it's just you and Derek. It's now or never. You have to clear the air with him. "Derek..."
His phone rings, and he welcomes the distraction from you. You sigh and cross your arms, but you don't leave the room as he takes this call from Penelope.
"Hey, babygirl."
"Have you found them yet?"
"I'm about to join the search."
"Good. Okay. I don't know the location of Katie's cell, which means the battery's dead, but I pulled phone records for both the girls, and holy cannoli, they text more than I do. More Sera than Katie, but still. It mostly looks like friendly, rapid-fire repeat numbers, probably all known contacts. The last activity was on Monday at 9:55 p.m."
"That matches the dad's story."
"I'm wading through the most used numbers first. I will hit you back when I know who's who. I'm hanging up hard, like the strength of my love."
He lowers his phone, so you try talking to him again. "Derek, we have to talk."
"I have to join the search."
"Derek!"
Spencer walks downstairs and looks at you and Derek. Derek pushes past you, and the two of them leave the house to join the search. This is going to take more effort on your part if you want him to talk to you, and you'll do it all. You'll do anything to get him to forgive you. Alex and JJ walk downstairs and leave the house as well, leaving you all alone for the time being.
Judy is still standing by the dining room table, so you walk over to her curiously. She doesn't look at you, but you think she knows you're here. This connection you have with spirits, you think that they can connect with you, too.
"Who killed you, Judy?" you mutter.
She doesn't respond.
JJ and Alex find a neighbor outside his house with a leashed dog at his side. He is holding one of the fliers that Bruce made, so they decide to talk to him to see if he knows anything. Immediately, the man is on edge and accusing Bruce of killing his daughters just ike he believes he did of his wife. The neighbor's wife and Judy were friends, but he and Bruce could not be more opposite.
For one, the man thinks Bruce drinks way too much. Bruce once told the man that he would shoot his dog since he'd let his dogs roam around in his yard. They'd bark, as dogs tend to do, but it wasn't excessive. Then, Bruce would come out, hammered, and threaten the lives of his dogs.
That's certainly interesting, and both Alex and JJ keep that bit of information at the back of their minds. The neighbor hasn't seen Bruce's daughters, but he does remember Bruce being drunk again. When the neighbor was out with his dogs that night, he noticed that Bruce's car wasn't in the driveway. By the time he got back with his dogs, it was back.
You're still not sure if Bruce is innocent or not, but his alter personality certainly is guilty.
"Why did you stop going to your meetings?" Rossi asks when you join them upstairs.
"I was two years sober. Then Judy has this affair. I guess I needed something, so I started drinking again. What would you do?"
"Your daughters testified that you and Judy had had a fight the night that she disappeared," Hotch starts.
"That's right. So?"
"A neighbor heard you had an argument here on Monday night."
At this, Bruce gets pissed. "Who told you that, Chip Gordon?" He scoffs and shakes his head. "He's a lonely old man. Since when is having an argument with teenagers against the law? It doesn't mean I hurt them."
"Did you?" Rossi asks.
"No!"
Rossi's phone rings, and he steps aside to answer it. He says Derek's name, so you think they might have found something while out searching.
"How much does the alcohol abuse account for the time lost?" Hotch asks Bruce.
"I don't know. It doesn't mean that I hurt my daughters."
"Where are Katie and Sera?"
"I don't know!" he yells.
The angrier he gets, the more the energy around him starts pulsating. Like a heartbeat. A slow, awakening heartbeat. The energy stemming from Bruce's main one darkens each moment Bruce stays angry. This must be how the other personality comes out. If he drinks or gets angry enough, then he comes out.
Rossi comes back, and you know, whatever Derek told him, it's not good. Katie's body has been found in a nearby river, but Sera is still missing. When Bruce hears about this, he is utterly destroyed. His reaction is genuine, and you know that he had nothing to do with his daughters' going missing.
You look over the railing and down to the first floor, where Judy is still standing. Next to her is Katie, and both of them slowly turn to look at you.
Bruce is given time to mourn alone, so you're downstairs with half of the dead to discuss this new development in the case.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Tensions are still thick between you and Derek, but you have to face the music. You need to clear the air before it gets unbearable to work together. Meanwhile, the team works on a case involving a father who is hiding something, and a daughter who is deadly.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
Love never dies a natural death. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings." - Anaïs Nin
"911, what's your emergency?"
"Oh, God," a man groans in horror.
"Hello? What's your emergency?" No one answers. "Is anyone there? Hello? Sir?"
"They're gone. My girls are gone. I need your help," he pleads.
"When you say girls, do you mean your daughters?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I need you to stay on the line, sir. Please confirm where you're calling from."
"1721 Hillcrest Drive. This can't be happening," he cries.
"What's your name, sir?"
"Bruce Morrison."
"How old are your daughters, Mr. Morrison?"
"Thirteen and seventeen."
"When was the last time you saw them?"
"They went to bed around nine-thirty. No, wait. It was Monday. Sera has a study group, so it was more like ten."
The operator is silent for a few seconds. "Sir, today is Wednesday. You haven't seen them since Monday?"
"No, that can't be right," Bruce mutters.
"I'm sorry, sir, but it is. Today is Wednesday. The police have been alerted, sir, and they're on their way."
"That call came in an hour ago," Hotch says once the recording is done playing.
"How does a single father lose his teenage daughters for thirty-six hours?" JJ asks.
"He doesn't. His girls are gone. He doesn't blame anyone, and he doesn't use any buzzwords first responders are trained to hear. He never says missing, abducted, or runaway."
"Maybe that's what they did, though. Maybe they ran away," Penelope suggests.
"There is no history of that in the family," Rossi says as he reads through the file.
Spencer studies the map of Bruce's house and neighborhood. "The likelihood of a stranger abduction in a neighborhood like this is rare. I've counted seven turns from the entrance to their driveway. No one just stumbled onto the house."
"Where is their mom?" you ask. "Could it be a parental abduction?"
"Doubtful," Hotch answers. "Exactly one year ago today, he made this call." Hotch presses play on the new recording.
"911. Please state your emergency."
"My wife is gone!"
"Confirm where you are calling from, please."
"1721 Hillcrest Drive."
Hotch stops the recording. "She'd also been missing for two days before he contacted authorities, and she's never been found."
"This man either is the victim of a serial offender, or he is one."
"Please tell me this guy is in custody," Derek pleads.
"The Salisbury police are at his home, and they've been there since the call came in," Penelope explains. "There are hard copies and tablet copies of both case files on the plane. It's a short flight to the eastern shore. There'll be more when you land."
It's a short flight to New York, but you pick up this conversation once you're in the air. You're sitting next to Spencer on the couch since you can't comfortably fit by the table anymore. Once you got back from San Francisco, you went to the doctor to make sure you were still okay to fly. You are, but you're getting closer to not being able to. You're going to milk it for everything you can because you can't be home alone.
Not after everything.
"Bruce and Judy Morrison were well-liked and active in the community," JJ says as she reads the file. "All signs point to them living a quiet life. He's a writer and a Professor, and it looks like she got into real estate a few years ago in '02 before the market crashed. Tenyears later, Judy had an affair with her coworker, Jeff Godwin."
"That was discovered in the investigation, but it never made it in the papers," Alex comments.
"Bruce was a prime suspect, but they never found any evidence and the affair wasn't deemed enough of a motive. The university put him on sabbatical since then. He's been writing forever, and he's been teaching since 1985. Transcript says he was grief-stricken and couldn't handle the pressure."
"Not many people could," Rossi sighs. "The odds of this event striking the same family on the same day must be a billion to one."
Alex reads from the file, "Judy inherited money from her family and it's in a trust for the girls."
"Please tell me he did not get rid of his wife for money," JJ groans.
"Bank records indicate he hasn't touched the funds, despite the depleting supplemental income from the university. It could be a combo platter. Revenge and profit."
"His wife cheated and he retaliated in anger," Derek accuses. "That might not be a surprise, but that doesn't explain why he would harm his own children."
Your son is pressing against vital organs, and it's a bit painful. You shift uncomfortably in your seat, and it doesn't go unnoticed by Spencer. Since finding out you're pregnant, he's been very attentive and in tune to everything you do. It reminds you of how you two used to be before Frank, but you try not to let yourself think about that.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Aches and pains. Normal for pregnant women. I'm okay."
Once you land, you're put in a car with Derek, Spencer, and Alex. The rest are in an SUV behind yours. Spencer doesn't want to be away from you, and Derek offered to drive. Everything would be fine and dandy, but Derek still isn't talking to you. He'll talk to you about cases, but he's keeping everything professional. You hate it. It's understandable, his anger, but you've tried apologizing so many times. He doesn't want to hear it, and it's pissing you off.
"The oldest daughter, Sera, had a 4.0 GPA, but she didn't apply to a single college back east," Spencer says from the backseat. "She accepted a Stanford early admission. Maybe her father saw going that far away as a form of betrayal."
"The second one in a year," Rossi says over speaker. "First his wife of twenty-seven years fools around and then probably threatens to end the marriage. A year later, the daughter couldn't wait to leave. Abandonment could be the common denominator."
"There is another possibility," you say. "Maybe Bruce didn't do it. Did the family have any enemies?"
"The only person who could be considered one is Jeff Godwin. It looks like he had a pretty solid alibi the night Judy went missing. He was wining and dining his own wife at a local restaurant. The only viable suspect back then is the same one we have now."
"All the answers are in that house," Hotch says.
He's not wrong. Even from outside the house, you can tell this place has secrets. The place is crawling with police officers and volunteers for the search party. The detective in charge walks over as soon as he sees the two cars pull up.
"Hi, I'm Marty Friedman. Thanks for making the trip." He shakes hands with Hotch. "We have search and rescue combing the woods and the Choptank and Wicomico rivers. We're dredging all the way from here to the Chesapeake. I'm not letting this guy get away with it again."
Bruce stands in front of the window and looks out with a worried look on his face. "Did he say why he waited a day to call 911?"
"He claims he doesn't remember. He's been glued to his computer. Maybe he needs new material for a novel."
The second you step foot in the house, you're hit with unbelievable energy. Both alive and spiritual. This house is very, very messy. Bruce's energy takes up most of the space; it intertwines through everyone's legs and around all of the furniture. It's not just his energy, though; there's something more to it. Both daughters' energies are here, but there is a lingering spiritual energy that's hard to see through Bruce's.
"Everyone, take a room. Y/N, you're with me." Hotch says to the team before walking to Bruce. "Mr. Morrison, I'm Aaron Hotchner from the FBI. My team is here to help gather information to find your children."
"I'm glad you're here, but shouldn't you be out there looking for my girls?"
"We have to start where they were last seen."
"I know you think I did this. They all do."
That's a complicated sentence. Bruce is definitely guilty. Of what, you're not sure yet. The place is so stuffy with his energy crowding it up. There is so much of it, you're not sure what you're looking at.
"Sir, we're not here to accuse you. We want to find your daughters," Hotch says politely.
"So do I. So, if someone calls with a ransom demand, do you have the means to trace the call?"
"We'll have our analyst set up what we call a trap and trace back at Quantico. I'm told you have Sera's phone?"
"It's on the dining room table."
"What about Katie's phone?"
"I looked for it in her room. I couldn't find it. I've made some flyers." Bruce looks at Marty. "Detective, would it be possible for one of your officers to help get them out?"
"That's a good idea. Go get the fliers."
When Bruce walks away, you see his energy for what it really is. It trails behind him, but it's not quite a straight line. No, it's breaking off like streams flowing from a river. One stemming from the other.
"Hotch, Bruce has DID," you say quietly.
"How do you know?"
"His energy. It's breaking apart. He has two personalities, and one of them is angrier than the other."
Hotch nudges your arm with a smile. "Welcome back."
It feels nice to be able to help once again, but you're still on edge. Frank escaped prison once. What if he does it again? What if you and your son are never safe from him? What if Spencer isn't enough to protect you both? What if you're not enough to protect them? If you let yourself think about the possibilities, all you'll do is drown. You push down the feeling of dread and focus on the case.
Up in Katie's bedroom, Spencer and JJ are looking through her things to get a feel for who she is. Spencer finds a book she made about all kinds of recipes that she likes to try with her family. She made it all, so it's all written on different-colored cardboard with crayon.
The charger for her phone is in her room, but her phone is gone. If she has her phone, maybe Penelops can trace it. However, it'll only work if it's on. Still worth a try. What bugs Spencer is that if they have access to a phone and it's on and working, they would have called for help by now.
They haven't, and Spencer hopes his thoughts are wrong this time and they're both okay.
In Sera's bedroom, Alex and Derek are looking through her journals and laptop. The journal is interesting because she wrote about everything on her mind. That is, until her mom disappeared. It's like she kept it all bottled up instead of writing it down. She took a creative writing class, but that's the only thing she wrote for. Her dad is a writer and a professor, so it's not far-fetched to think that she'd want to get his attention.
Her bedroom is unusually neat for a high school senior. The trash can is empty, and her bed is perfectly made. There is not a spec of dirt on the carpet. In the absence of time, did Bruce clean the entire house? If so, why was he cleaning it?
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Summary: You and Spencer are friends, but your mom thinks you should be more than friends. Could what she’s been saying the whole time be true?
Square Filled: “I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.” for @anyfandomgoesbingo
Author’s Note: Any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3
x
“I’ll call you later, okay?” you call out to your mom.
“Okay! Thanks for coming over. I missed you.”
“I’ll make sure to come over more often. Just as soon as I get settled in this new job. I love you!”
“Y/N, wait!” You pause on your way out the door and look back at her. “When are you going to bring Spencer by again?”
“I don’t know, Mom. He’s busy.”
“You need to bring him by more. I like that boy.”
“I know you do.”
Your mom doesn’t beat around the bush when she says, “So, when are you two going to get together?”
“Mom!” You laugh. “We’re just friends.”
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
You’ve had this conversation with your mom plenty of times, but you’re curious. “How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Butterflies erupt in your stomach at the thought of your best friend looking at you like this, but you quickly push them down. Spencer is a good friend, and that’s it. He’s your best friend, and it seems like that’s all he’ll ever be to you.
“I have to get going. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.”
You close the front door behind you and jog to your car. It’s lightly raining, but you don’t want to be soaked on the entire drive home. Your mom lives across town from you, so you spend the drive thinking about her words. They can’t be true. Spencer is just nice to you; that’s it. You two have been friends for the longest time, and if you two haven’t happened yet, then it might never happen.
Your mom is just seeing something that isn’t there.
Halfway to your place, you come across a road closure, causing traffic to back up for miles. Thankfully, you can turn right at the stoplight and go a different route. This route will take you closer to where Spencer lives, making it longer to get to your place.
However, this route isn’t better than the other one. There is no construction, but there is so much traffic and too many stoplights that you’re stuck in place. You have your music to keep you company, and you have nowhere else to be, so you’re not as bothered as you normally would be.
Twenty minutes go by, and no one has moved an inch, even when the stoplights turn green. There has to be an accident up ahead that’s causing this.
You take out your phone and take a picture of the traffic before sending it to Spencer.
You: I wish you weren't at work right now. Then at least you could keep me company.
Spencer reads the message immediately, but he doesn’t respond. That’s okay. He’s probably busy catching bad guys and kicking as. It’s kind of cool he’s an FBI agent. It makes for some hilarious nights when you ask him every what-if question under the sun just to ragebait him.
It doesn’t work. It’s no fun when he literally knows the answer to every question, no matter how outrageous.
Ten minutes go by, and you’ve moved up at least three spaces. It’s slow going, but at least you’re moving. As you’re singing along to the music, you see a head bobbing up and down in the distance. Someone is running and weaving through the cars.
The person comes into view, and your eyes widen when you see it’s Spencer. What the fuck? Spencer smiles when he makes eye contact with you, and he runs over to your car. You unlock it for him, and he slides into the passenger seat, wet from the rain.
Your face is scrunched up, so Spencer asks, “Are you okay?”
“I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.”
“Me?” Spencer looks down at his wet clothes. “Nah, I’m okay. It’s just water.”
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? You wanted company.”
“I thought you were at work.”
“No, I have today off.”
“Wait, you live a mile away from here,” you say, dumbfounded. He nods since it’s true. “Did you run all the way here?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone.”
There go those damn butterflies in your stomach. Your mom's words come back to you, but you force them back into the box you put them in. No, he doesn’t like you. He’s just being nice. That’s who Spencer is. He’s nice.
“Did you cut your hair?” you ask suddenly.
“What? Oh, yeah. Does it look bad?”
“No, you look cute.” A dark blush dusts over his cheeks, and you grin. “Sorry, you’re very handsome.”
Spencer stutters out a response, and you bite back your giggle. It’s very easy to get him to blush. It’s super cute.
“So, what are you doing out?” he asks. “Where are you coming from?”
“My mom’s. She wants you to come over more often. She likes you.”
“I like her too,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll make sure to come over this weekend.” Spencer looks at you in thought. Before you can ask him why he looks like that, he says, “You seem happier.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re smiling more.”
“Yeah, well, that’s probably because I broke up with Ashton.” Spencer looks shocked, and it’s probably because you haven’t told him. “Yeah, I just wanted it to be over with.”
“Good. He was a loser.” You smile with a shake of your head. “I’m being serious. He didn’t deserve you. You deserve someone way better than him.”
“Thanks, Spence.” You lean your head on the headrest. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Aren’t there any women in your life that you want?” The cars ahead of you start to move, so you slowly inch up until you’re about three more car spaces ahead. You look at Spencer for his answer, and he shrugs. “Come on, there must be someone.”
“Well, Derek has been trying to set me up on dates. I go to some, but they never go anywhere past the first date. I guess they’re not the ones.”
“Well, their loss because I think you’re pretty great.”
For a second, it’s just you two as you look into each other’s eyes. He has such pretty brown eyes; it’s easy to get lost in them. You briefly glance down at his lips, and that’s when you hear it. A car honking at you. You snap out of your trance and look ahead to see a big gap. Shit, the line started moving.
Once you’re past the accident on the road, it’s smooth sailing. You drive to Spencer’s place to drop him off before you continue on your way home. You park in the visitor parking lot, but he doesn’t get out right away.
“Thanks for driving me home,” he says with a chuckle.
“The only reason I did was that you ran a mile and a half in the rain to come over. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. I wanted to.” Spencer clears his throat. “There are two things you should know about me. One, I never do anything I don’t want to do. Two, the reason none of those dates ever worked out is that they weren't you.”
You’re floored by his confession. Was your mom right this whole time?
“What?” you whisper.
“I would run ten miles just to have a minute of your time.” You’re speechless. You can’t do anything but stare at him. Spencer leans in and kisses your cheek. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Spencer gets out of your car and heads inside his apartment. You’re so shocked that you can’t drive right now.
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
“How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Your mom is right. Friends don’t look at friends the way Spencer looks at you. With a smile, you pull out of the parking lot and drive back to your apartment.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Summary: You and Spencer are friends, but your mom thinks you should be more than friends. Could what she’s been saying the whole time be true?
Square Filled: “I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.” for @anyfandomgoesbingo
Author’s Note: Any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3
x
“I’ll call you later, okay?” you call out to your mom.
“Okay! Thanks for coming over. I missed you.”
“I’ll make sure to come over more often. Just as soon as I get settled in this new job. I love you!”
“Y/N, wait!” You pause on your way out the door and look back at her. “When are you going to bring Spencer by again?”
“I don’t know, Mom. He’s busy.”
“You need to bring him by more. I like that boy.”
“I know you do.”
Your mom doesn’t beat around the bush when she says, “So, when are you two going to get together?”
“Mom!” You laugh. “We’re just friends.”
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
You’ve had this conversation with your mom plenty of times, but you’re curious. “How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Butterflies erupt in your stomach at the thought of your best friend looking at you like this, but you quickly push them down. Spencer is a good friend, and that’s it. He’s your best friend, and it seems like that’s all he’ll ever be to you.
“I have to get going. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.”
You close the front door behind you and jog to your car. It’s lightly raining, but you don’t want to be soaked on the entire drive home. Your mom lives across town from you, so you spend the drive thinking about her words. They can’t be true. Spencer is just nice to you; that’s it. You two have been friends for the longest time, and if you two haven’t happened yet, then it might never happen.
Your mom is just seeing something that isn’t there.
Halfway to your place, you come across a road closure, causing traffic to back up for miles. Thankfully, you can turn right at the stoplight and go a different route. This route will take you closer to where Spencer lives, making it longer to get to your place.
However, this route isn’t better than the other one. There is no construction, but there is so much traffic and too many stoplights that you’re stuck in place. You have your music to keep you company, and you have nowhere else to be, so you’re not as bothered as you normally would be.
Twenty minutes go by, and no one has moved an inch, even when the stoplights turn green. There has to be an accident up ahead that’s causing this.
You take out your phone and take a picture of the traffic before sending it to Spencer.
You: I wish you weren't at work right now. Then at least you could keep me company.
Spencer reads the message immediately, but he doesn’t respond. That’s okay. He’s probably busy catching bad guys and kicking as. It’s kind of cool he’s an FBI agent. It makes for some hilarious nights when you ask him every what-if question under the sun just to ragebait him.
It doesn’t work. It’s no fun when he literally knows the answer to every question, no matter how outrageous.
Ten minutes go by, and you’ve moved up at least three spaces. It’s slow going, but at least you’re moving. As you’re singing along to the music, you see a head bobbing up and down in the distance. Someone is running and weaving through the cars.
The person comes into view, and your eyes widen when you see it’s Spencer. What the fuck? Spencer smiles when he makes eye contact with you, and he runs over to your car. You unlock it for him, and he slides into the passenger seat, wet from the rain.
Your face is scrunched up, so Spencer asks, “Are you okay?”
“I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.”
“Me?” Spencer looks down at his wet clothes. “Nah, I’m okay. It’s just water.”
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? You wanted company.”
“I thought you were at work.”
“No, I have today off.”
“Wait, you live a mile away from here,” you say, dumbfounded. He nods since it’s true. “Did you run all the way here?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone.”
There go those damn butterflies in your stomach. Your mom's words come back to you, but you force them back into the box you put them in. No, he doesn’t like you. He’s just being nice. That’s who Spencer is. He’s nice.
“Did you cut your hair?” you ask suddenly.
“What? Oh, yeah. Does it look bad?”
“No, you look cute.” A dark blush dusts over his cheeks, and you grin. “Sorry, you’re very handsome.”
Spencer stutters out a response, and you bite back your giggle. It’s very easy to get him to blush. It’s super cute.
“So, what are you doing out?” he asks. “Where are you coming from?”
“My mom’s. She wants you to come over more often. She likes you.”
“I like her too,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll make sure to come over this weekend.” Spencer looks at you in thought. Before you can ask him why he looks like that, he says, “You seem happier.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re smiling more.”
“Yeah, well, that’s probably because I broke up with Ashton.” Spencer looks shocked, and it’s probably because you haven’t told him. “Yeah, I just wanted it to be over with.”
“Good. He was a loser.” You smile with a shake of your head. “I’m being serious. He didn’t deserve you. You deserve someone way better than him.”
“Thanks, Spence.” You lean your head on the headrest. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Aren’t there any women in your life that you want?” The cars ahead of you start to move, so you slowly inch up until you’re about three more car spaces ahead. You look at Spencer for his answer, and he shrugs. “Come on, there must be someone.”
“Well, Derek has been trying to set me up on dates. I go to some, but they never go anywhere past the first date. I guess they’re not the ones.”
“Well, their loss because I think you’re pretty great.”
For a second, it’s just you two as you look into each other’s eyes. He has such pretty brown eyes; it’s easy to get lost in them. You briefly glance down at his lips, and that’s when you hear it. A car honking at you. You snap out of your trance and look ahead to see a big gap. Shit, the line started moving.
Once you’re past the accident on the road, it’s smooth sailing. You drive to Spencer’s place to drop him off before you continue on your way home. You park in the visitor parking lot, but he doesn’t get out right away.
“Thanks for driving me home,” he says with a chuckle.
“The only reason I did was that you ran a mile and a half in the rain to come over. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. I wanted to.” Spencer clears his throat. “There are two things you should know about me. One, I never do anything I don’t want to do. Two, the reason none of those dates ever worked out is that they weren't you.”
You’re floored by his confession. Was your mom right this whole time?
“What?” you whisper.
“I would run ten miles just to have a minute of your time.” You’re speechless. You can’t do anything but stare at him. Spencer leans in and kisses your cheek. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Spencer gets out of your car and heads inside his apartment. You’re so shocked that you can’t drive right now.
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
“How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Your mom is right. Friends don’t look at friends the way Spencer looks at you. With a smile, you pull out of the parking lot and drive back to your apartment.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Summary: You and Spencer are friends, but your mom thinks you should be more than friends. Could what she’s been saying the whole time be true?
Square Filled: “I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.” for @anyfandomgoesbingo
Author’s Note: Any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3
x
“I’ll call you later, okay?” you call out to your mom.
“Okay! Thanks for coming over. I missed you.”
“I’ll make sure to come over more often. Just as soon as I get settled in this new job. I love you!”
“Y/N, wait!” You pause on your way out the door and look back at her. “When are you going to bring Spencer by again?”
“I don’t know, Mom. He’s busy.”
“You need to bring him by more. I like that boy.”
“I know you do.”
Your mom doesn’t beat around the bush when she says, “So, when are you two going to get together?”
“Mom!” You laugh. “We’re just friends.”
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
You’ve had this conversation with your mom plenty of times, but you’re curious. “How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Butterflies erupt in your stomach at the thought of your best friend looking at you like this, but you quickly push them down. Spencer is a good friend, and that’s it. He’s your best friend, and it seems like that’s all he’ll ever be to you.
“I have to get going. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.”
You close the front door behind you and jog to your car. It’s lightly raining, but you don’t want to be soaked on the entire drive home. Your mom lives across town from you, so you spend the drive thinking about her words. They can’t be true. Spencer is just nice to you; that’s it. You two have been friends for the longest time, and if you two haven’t happened yet, then it might never happen.
Your mom is just seeing something that isn’t there.
Halfway to your place, you come across a road closure, causing traffic to back up for miles. Thankfully, you can turn right at the stoplight and go a different route. This route will take you closer to where Spencer lives, making it longer to get to your place.
However, this route isn’t better than the other one. There is no construction, but there is so much traffic and too many stoplights that you’re stuck in place. You have your music to keep you company, and you have nowhere else to be, so you’re not as bothered as you normally would be.
Twenty minutes go by, and no one has moved an inch, even when the stoplights turn green. There has to be an accident up ahead that’s causing this.
You take out your phone and take a picture of the traffic before sending it to Spencer.
You: I wish you weren't at work right now. Then at least you could keep me company.
Spencer reads the message immediately, but he doesn’t respond. That’s okay. He’s probably busy catching bad guys and kicking as. It’s kind of cool he’s an FBI agent. It makes for some hilarious nights when you ask him every what-if question under the sun just to ragebait him.
It doesn’t work. It’s no fun when he literally knows the answer to every question, no matter how outrageous.
Ten minutes go by, and you’ve moved up at least three spaces. It’s slow going, but at least you’re moving. As you’re singing along to the music, you see a head bobbing up and down in the distance. Someone is running and weaving through the cars.
The person comes into view, and your eyes widen when you see it’s Spencer. What the fuck? Spencer smiles when he makes eye contact with you, and he runs over to your car. You unlock it for him, and he slides into the passenger seat, wet from the rain.
Your face is scrunched up, so Spencer asks, “Are you okay?”
“I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.”
“Me?” Spencer looks down at his wet clothes. “Nah, I’m okay. It’s just water.”
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? You wanted company.”
“I thought you were at work.”
“No, I have today off.”
“Wait, you live a mile away from here,” you say, dumbfounded. He nods since it’s true. “Did you run all the way here?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone.”
There go those damn butterflies in your stomach. Your mom's words come back to you, but you force them back into the box you put them in. No, he doesn’t like you. He’s just being nice. That’s who Spencer is. He’s nice.
“Did you cut your hair?” you ask suddenly.
“What? Oh, yeah. Does it look bad?”
“No, you look cute.” A dark blush dusts over his cheeks, and you grin. “Sorry, you’re very handsome.”
Spencer stutters out a response, and you bite back your giggle. It’s very easy to get him to blush. It’s super cute.
“So, what are you doing out?” he asks. “Where are you coming from?”
“My mom’s. She wants you to come over more often. She likes you.”
“I like her too,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll make sure to come over this weekend.” Spencer looks at you in thought. Before you can ask him why he looks like that, he says, “You seem happier.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re smiling more.”
“Yeah, well, that’s probably because I broke up with Ashton.” Spencer looks shocked, and it’s probably because you haven’t told him. “Yeah, I just wanted it to be over with.”
“Good. He was a loser.” You smile with a shake of your head. “I’m being serious. He didn’t deserve you. You deserve someone way better than him.”
“Thanks, Spence.” You lean your head on the headrest. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Aren’t there any women in your life that you want?” The cars ahead of you start to move, so you slowly inch up until you’re about three more car spaces ahead. You look at Spencer for his answer, and he shrugs. “Come on, there must be someone.”
“Well, Derek has been trying to set me up on dates. I go to some, but they never go anywhere past the first date. I guess they’re not the ones.”
“Well, their loss because I think you’re pretty great.”
For a second, it’s just you two as you look into each other’s eyes. He has such pretty brown eyes; it’s easy to get lost in them. You briefly glance down at his lips, and that’s when you hear it. A car honking at you. You snap out of your trance and look ahead to see a big gap. Shit, the line started moving.
Once you’re past the accident on the road, it’s smooth sailing. You drive to Spencer’s place to drop him off before you continue on your way home. You park in the visitor parking lot, but he doesn’t get out right away.
“Thanks for driving me home,” he says with a chuckle.
“The only reason I did was that you ran a mile and a half in the rain to come over. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. I wanted to.” Spencer clears his throat. “There are two things you should know about me. One, I never do anything I don’t want to do. Two, the reason none of those dates ever worked out is that they weren't you.”
You’re floored by his confession. Was your mom right this whole time?
“What?” you whisper.
“I would run ten miles just to have a minute of your time.” You’re speechless. You can’t do anything but stare at him. Spencer leans in and kisses your cheek. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Spencer gets out of your car and heads inside his apartment. You’re so shocked that you can’t drive right now.
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
“How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Your mom is right. Friends don’t look at friends the way Spencer looks at you. With a smile, you pull out of the parking lot and drive back to your apartment.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Summary: You and Spencer are friends, but your mom thinks you should be more than friends. Could what she’s been saying the whole time be true?
Square Filled: “I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.” for @anyfandomgoesbingo
Author’s Note: Any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3
x
“I’ll call you later, okay?” you call out to your mom.
“Okay! Thanks for coming over. I missed you.”
“I’ll make sure to come over more often. Just as soon as I get settled in this new job. I love you!”
“Y/N, wait!” You pause on your way out the door and look back at her. “When are you going to bring Spencer by again?”
“I don’t know, Mom. He’s busy.”
“You need to bring him by more. I like that boy.”
“I know you do.”
Your mom doesn’t beat around the bush when she says, “So, when are you two going to get together?”
“Mom!” You laugh. “We’re just friends.”
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
You’ve had this conversation with your mom plenty of times, but you’re curious. “How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Butterflies erupt in your stomach at the thought of your best friend looking at you like this, but you quickly push them down. Spencer is a good friend, and that’s it. He’s your best friend, and it seems like that’s all he’ll ever be to you.
“I have to get going. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.”
You close the front door behind you and jog to your car. It’s lightly raining, but you don’t want to be soaked on the entire drive home. Your mom lives across town from you, so you spend the drive thinking about her words. They can’t be true. Spencer is just nice to you; that’s it. You two have been friends for the longest time, and if you two haven’t happened yet, then it might never happen.
Your mom is just seeing something that isn’t there.
Halfway to your place, you come across a road closure, causing traffic to back up for miles. Thankfully, you can turn right at the stoplight and go a different route. This route will take you closer to where Spencer lives, making it longer to get to your place.
However, this route isn’t better than the other one. There is no construction, but there is so much traffic and too many stoplights that you’re stuck in place. You have your music to keep you company, and you have nowhere else to be, so you’re not as bothered as you normally would be.
Twenty minutes go by, and no one has moved an inch, even when the stoplights turn green. There has to be an accident up ahead that’s causing this.
You take out your phone and take a picture of the traffic before sending it to Spencer.
You: I wish you weren't at work right now. Then at least you could keep me company.
Spencer reads the message immediately, but he doesn’t respond. That’s okay. He’s probably busy catching bad guys and kicking as. It’s kind of cool he’s an FBI agent. It makes for some hilarious nights when you ask him every what-if question under the sun just to ragebait him.
It doesn’t work. It’s no fun when he literally knows the answer to every question, no matter how outrageous.
Ten minutes go by, and you’ve moved up at least three spaces. It’s slow going, but at least you’re moving. As you’re singing along to the music, you see a head bobbing up and down in the distance. Someone is running and weaving through the cars.
The person comes into view, and your eyes widen when you see it’s Spencer. What the fuck? Spencer smiles when he makes eye contact with you, and he runs over to your car. You unlock it for him, and he slides into the passenger seat, wet from the rain.
Your face is scrunched up, so Spencer asks, “Are you okay?”
“I’m not the one you should be worried about right now.”
“Me?” Spencer looks down at his wet clothes. “Nah, I’m okay. It’s just water.”
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? You wanted company.”
“I thought you were at work.”
“No, I have today off.”
“Wait, you live a mile away from here,” you say, dumbfounded. He nods since it’s true. “Did you run all the way here?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone.”
There go those damn butterflies in your stomach. Your mom's words come back to you, but you force them back into the box you put them in. No, he doesn’t like you. He’s just being nice. That’s who Spencer is. He’s nice.
“Did you cut your hair?” you ask suddenly.
“What? Oh, yeah. Does it look bad?”
“No, you look cute.” A dark blush dusts over his cheeks, and you grin. “Sorry, you’re very handsome.”
Spencer stutters out a response, and you bite back your giggle. It’s very easy to get him to blush. It’s super cute.
“So, what are you doing out?” he asks. “Where are you coming from?”
“My mom’s. She wants you to come over more often. She likes you.”
“I like her too,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll make sure to come over this weekend.” Spencer looks at you in thought. Before you can ask him why he looks like that, he says, “You seem happier.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re smiling more.”
“Yeah, well, that’s probably because I broke up with Ashton.” Spencer looks shocked, and it’s probably because you haven’t told him. “Yeah, I just wanted it to be over with.”
“Good. He was a loser.” You smile with a shake of your head. “I’m being serious. He didn’t deserve you. You deserve someone way better than him.”
“Thanks, Spence.” You lean your head on the headrest. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Aren’t there any women in your life that you want?” The cars ahead of you start to move, so you slowly inch up until you’re about three more car spaces ahead. You look at Spencer for his answer, and he shrugs. “Come on, there must be someone.”
“Well, Derek has been trying to set me up on dates. I go to some, but they never go anywhere past the first date. I guess they’re not the ones.”
“Well, their loss because I think you’re pretty great.”
For a second, it’s just you two as you look into each other’s eyes. He has such pretty brown eyes; it’s easy to get lost in them. You briefly glance down at his lips, and that’s when you hear it. A car honking at you. You snap out of your trance and look ahead to see a big gap. Shit, the line started moving.
Once you’re past the accident on the road, it’s smooth sailing. You drive to Spencer’s place to drop him off before you continue on your way home. You park in the visitor parking lot, but he doesn’t get out right away.
“Thanks for driving me home,” he says with a chuckle.
“The only reason I did was that you ran a mile and a half in the rain to come over. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. I wanted to.” Spencer clears his throat. “There are two things you should know about me. One, I never do anything I don’t want to do. Two, the reason none of those dates ever worked out is that they weren't you.”
You’re floored by his confession. Was your mom right this whole time?
“What?” you whisper.
“I would run ten miles just to have a minute of your time.” You’re speechless. You can’t do anything but stare at him. Spencer leans in and kisses your cheek. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Spencer gets out of your car and heads inside his apartment. You’re so shocked that you can’t drive right now.
“Y/N, friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at you.”
“How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire world.”
Your mom is right. Friends don’t look at friends the way Spencer looks at you. With a smile, you pull out of the parking lot and drive back to your apartment.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Going back to work is proving to be harder than you thought. Spencer is taking time off to come to terms with everything that has happened to him, even though it hurts you to know he's in pain. You try to distract yourself with work, but that's all it is. A distraction. The pain is still there, and you don't think it's going away anytime soon.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
Detective Warren comes in with paperwork. "We got the report back from the lab. They couldn't extract any DNA from the painting. They said something about there only being red blood cells."
"He removed the white blood cells? What would he want with plasma?"
"It would make it thicket. It would be easier to use as paint," Hotch says. "What type of equipment would it take to do that?"
"You can easily buy a centrifuge online these days for a couple of hundred bucks."
"What other reasons would he have for separating the plasma from the blood?"
The hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and awareness bites at your back. You feel him before anyone else can see him.
"It's a habit."
Everyone turns to see Spencer standing there, but his eyes are on you. You stand and slowly make your way over to him, and everyone parts ways to allow you to get there without anything in your way. You can't help yourself. You wrap your arms around his neck and hug him. This is the first hug since he found you with Frank. You miss this.
"I'm so sorry," you whisper to him.
"Later," he whispers back.
You pull away from him, and Hotch goes from relieved at seeing Spencer to concerned that he's here and not resting.
"I didn't expect you back this soon. Are you sure you're ready?"
"No, but I think I figured something out. He's a hemophiliac."
"That would explain his obsession with blood. He can't bleed without a fear of dying." A hemophiliac is a person with hemophilia, which is an inherited bleeding disorder where the blood can't clot properly. It prolongs bleeding after wounds, surgeries, or even spontaneously. "It's also why he would separate the plasma from the blood before painting with it. It's an antiquated treatment, but some hemophiliacs can inject plasma into their wounds, kick-starting the clotting process that's ineffective in their own systems."
Derek calls Penelope, and you continue to stare at Spencer. He's not in professional clothing at all. He's wearing jeans, a button-up, and a thick cardigan. You can't believe he's here. He sighs and looks at you, and neither of you can look away from each other.
"Hey, girlie, I need a list of hemophiliacs in San Francisco," Derek says after he puts her on speakerphone.
"Vague. So vague."
"Garcia, for his obsession to be this profound, he most likely has the more severe version of the disease. It's Type-B Christmas disease."
Penelope smiles as she types. "Reid, happy to hear you made it safe and sound." She must have convinced him to get on a plane. "Okay. Christmas disease. It does not sound very jolly."
"It was named after the first known case, Stephen Christmas."
"Of course, it was. I've got fifteen people who have trouble clotting."
"He wouldn't stray too far from the art world. He most likely works in and around the art community, but not as an artist. Plus, he's a loner. So, look for people with jobs where they don't interact with the public."
"I have three people. A stock boy at a local supermarket, an art blogger, and a custodian."
"The victims have different blood types. If he's taking the plasma out of the blood, he must be a universal recipient. Does any of them have AB-positive blood?" Alex asks.
"If I factor in those 'B' names I was working on... Yep, got a hit. His name is Bryan Hughes. He is an AB-positive hemophiliac who works as a janitor at the Bay Area Museum of Art, and before you ask, yes, his address has been sent to your phones."
"You're the best, baby girl."
"Dave, you and Blake take the museum. The rest of us will take the residence." Hotch looks at you, but you don't move from your spot. He briefly glances at your stomach and then at Spencer. "Stay here. You can run point."
"Thank you," you say.
After they leave, it's just you and Spencer. There are other police officers bustling around, and you need privacy to have this conversation. Spencer stands up and starts to walk away, silently letting you know to follow him. You get up and walk into an empty office, and he closes the door behind you. You sit down on the sofa, but Spencer chooses to stand.
"Is it mine?" he asks in the quiet room.
"Yes."
Spencer nods and starts pacing the room. He bites the ends of his thumbnail nervously, and you wish you could hold him and tell him everything will be okay.
"When did you find out?"
"The night before Hotch's marathon."
Spencer stops pacing and stares at you in shock. "You knew then?"
"Spencer, I was scared to tell you. Miscarriages happen a lot in the first trimester, and I wanted that to pass before I told you and got your hopes up. I was going to tell you, I promise. Do you remember that case with the kid in the hospital? Angel? It took a while for him to talk to Derek and me. I was going to tell you that night over dinner, but then Frank called me. He'd been calling me all day, taunting me by not saying a word. I was so shocked.
"He found me, and he told me that I had to cut you out of my life. Cut everyone out of my life. He wanted me all to himself, and I knew then that I couldn't tell you. He was going to kill you, Spencer, and I couldn't let that happen. I know the choices that I made, and I know I can't take any of it back, but I'd do it all over again if it means you're safe from him."
"You'd put your life in danger for me?" He sits down next to you and looks at you. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," you whisper. It's what you do for people you love, but you don't say that. "You come first, above anyone else. You always have been."
Spencer doesn't know what to say. You two are at an impasse. A fork in the road. There are only two roads that you can take from here, but neither of you moves.
As Hotch is driving over to Bryan's house, Derek gets a call from Penelope, and he connects to the Bluetooth speaker so everyone can hear.
"Hey, what you got, mama?"
"A compelling piece of information about this Bryan Hughes. Three weeks before the first murder, he was involved in a car accident." The car was flipped upside down in a ditch, and paramedics had to cut him out of the car. "He wasn't injured, and if you were looking at the pictures, then you'd say that was a miracle."
"It may have given him the impression he couldn't be hurt," JJ says.
"The other driver was hurt. She bled to death. Hughes called 911, but failed to mention there was another driver involved. By the time emergency crews got there, she had already died."
"Watching the other woman bleed to death must have been the trigger."
"Thanks, Garcia." As soon as Derek hangs up with her, Spencer calls him. He needs time and space to process your words, so he left to work on the case a bit more. "Hey, what you got, Pretty Boy?"
"I think Hughes may have his next victim. Someone named Alan Archer just came in and reported his boss missing. Madison Riley owns an art gallery in the Mission District. He said there was blood and signs of a struggle. Hughes even left a painting of his own on the wall this time. It's the same signature, and it's definitely made of blood, which got me thinking about Maeve's stalker. If this guy's a tortured artist searching for approval, in his mind, there may be only one way to get it."
"Suicide. Thanks, Reid."
You walk out of the empty office, and Spencer looks up to see you dry the tears on your face. "I have so many questions."
"I will answer all of them." You sit across from him. "Spencer, I did not mean to hurt you. I didn't want to. If you choose to believe anything I say, believe this."
Spencer does believe you, but it doesn't make the situation any better.
When Hotch's team gets to Bryan's house, they find him in the studio he made in his backyard. Strapped to a table and clothed is Madison, and he is standing over her with a scalpel in his hands. They've arrived just in time before he can cut off her eyelid.
"Bryan Hughes, FBI."
"No! I have to make her see!"
He moves the scalpel down to her neck as Derek and JJ move closer to him with their guns raised.
"Put down the knife, Bryan." He doesn't. "I understand."
He glares at Hotch. "No, you don't. How could you possibly understand?"
"Because I've seen your work. I know you may not be appreciated now, but I promise you, if you put down the knife, I will make sure that people see your art, and no one will be able to ignore it."
"It's all I want," he whispers emotionally. "I deserve that."
"Then put down the knife, and let's figure this out."
Bryan had already made his decision before the FBI ever got there. "Do you know how many paintings van Gogh sold before he died?"
"Bryan, don't do it," Derek warns.
"Two. He sold two."
"Don't make us do this," JJ pleads.
There is no talking down a man like Bryan. He raises the scalpel to use on Madison when all three agents shoot. Bryan falls to the ground and chokes on his own blood. Hotch goes to check on Madison while Derek and JJ check on Bryan.
He died before he even hit the ground.
At least he can't hurt anyone else.
If the plane ride was awkward before, it's even more so now. Spencer is on this plane, and there is still so much left unsaid between you two. He's allowed you to sit next to him, but you don't want to push it by holding him close. You wish you could, though. Oh, what you wouldn't give to feel him in your arms again.
Hotch walks by with a newspaper in hand, but he stops before he can pass you. "I need to talk to you about you flying with us."
"I have a doctor's appointment soon, and I'll ask then if it's okay. If I can't, I can at least drive, right? If it's close by? I can't sit around and do nothing, Hotch. I'll take it easy, I promise."
"We'll talk later about it."
Once he leaves, JJ and Derek move over to you two. You're fiddling with your hands just as Spencer is.
"Look, I'm sorry if I've been kind of..." Spencer trails off.
"Spence. You don't have to apologize for anything," JJ says.
"Kid. I didn't think you'd come all the way out here," Derek says.
"I know, but I needed the distraction."
That makes two of you.
"If you need anything at all, all you have to do is ask."
"Actually, if you guys don't mind, I could use some help with something."
"Name it."
His apartment is a mess because he couldn't find the energy in himself to clean. With the help of Penelope, Derek, you, and JJ, the place is cleaned in an hour. All the food wrappers and bottles are gone. The curtains are open to let in natural light. Every surface is disinfected. The books are put away. Laundry is done. Dishes are done. It's like nothing ever happened.
One by one, your friends leave until it's only you and Spencer left. You stand by the door, but you don't leave just yet.
"Do you want me to stay?" you ask.
"Will you?"
You close the front door and walk over to his now clean couch. "Whatever questions you have, I will answer truthfully. Anything." As soon as you sit down, Spencer climbs onto the couch and lies on it with his head on your lap. He is facing your stomach. As if on instinct, you run your fingers through his messy hair, and he sighs in contentment.
"Do you know what you're having?"
"We're having a boy." Happiness washes over you, and you realize it's coming from Spencer. "He's a kicker. Do you want to feel?"
Spencer chuckles and places his hand on your stomach where your son is currently active. "I can feel him. Does he have a name?"
"Not yet."
Spencer sits up, and you can see just how tired he is in his eyes. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
Not just about the pregnancy. You know exactly what he means. "The day that I..." It hurts you to talk about that day. "Frank sent me a picture of everyone in the bullpen and told me if I didn't break up with you, he was going to have someone shoot you. Frank is many things, but he's a man of his word. I knew he'd do it."
Spencer has unshed tears in his eyes, and you grab his hands gently. "Spencer, it killed me to say those words to you. I am so sorry. I knew if I told you about the pregnancy, you'd want to know why I didn't tell you when I found out. Then I'd have to tell you about Frank, and I knew you would try to help. He would have killed you." Tears roll down your cheeks, and your voice cracks when you say, "And I'd rather you hate me and be alive than be dead.
"It wasn't right, I know that. I tried for so long to figure out a way to get away from him, but it was like he had this chokehold over me. I really thought I'd spend the rest of my life with him. Please believe me when I say everything I did and everything I said, I did it for you... for this team... to keep you safe. I didn't know what else to do."
Spencer reaches over to you and wipes your tears away with his thumb. "I was so horrible to you."
"It's not like I didn't deserve it. I knew what I was doing."
"Frank is gone now. He can't hurt you anymore."
Yes, he can, but you don't say that. "I know this doesn't fix anything between us, but you deserve to know the truth."
Spencer grabs your hands and slides his fingers between yours. Having him this close again makes you want to cry, knowing what you fought through to get here.
"I forgive you," he says quietly.
More tears come, but this time, you wipe them away yourself. "I have his ultrasound picture." You pull away from Spencr and reach into your bag. You pull the picture out and show it to him. Spencer takes it with a gentle grasp and stares at the grainy photo. "Our little bean."
Spencer never knew how much he wanted kids until this very moment.
"I have a recording of his heartbeat. Would you like to hear it?"
"Yes," he whispers.
You pull out the flash drive of his heartbeat and grab his laptop. After turning it on, you plug the USB drive into it. There is only one thing on it. The second Spencer can hear the little thump of his son's heartbeat, he breaks down in tears.
In this moment, nothing else matters.
In this moment, it's just you, Spencer, and your little boy.
"Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but rather learning to start over." - Nicole Sobon
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Going back to work is proving to be harder than you thought. Spencer is taking time off to come to terms with everything that has happened to him, even though it hurts you to know he's in pain. You try to distract yourself with work, but that's all it is. A distraction. The pain is still there, and you don't think it's going away anytime soon.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
This time, he dumped a woman in the park, so you head over there with Alex and Hotch. She is wrapped in plastic like all of the other ones, and her eyelids are missing. She was definitely alive when he took them. Since you're not fully back in the game yet, the only thing you get off her body is the unsub luring her in through the promise of money (probably to pay for sex), and him cutting her eyelids off. Flashes of bottles go through your mind, but it's not clear what kind they are.
Detective Warren is already at the crime scene when you get there. "We got a hit off the prints. The victim's name is Aimee Fortner."
"It's only been a day since his last kill. This guy doesn't have a cool-down period. Rigor hasn't set in yet. I'd say she was put here maybe an hour ago, just after sunrise."
"He's getting brazen. It's his first daytime disposal."
"This part of the park isn't very well traveled," Detective Warren says. "The city has been trying to renovate every couple of years, but you know... politics."
"The unsub must be familiar with the area enough to know no one would disturb him." Hotch calls Penelope. "Garcia, I need information on the latest victim, Aimee Fortner."
"Information is my favorite way to dazzle, sir. Aimee Crystal Fortner. Originally from Santa Clara. She was super pretty. When she wasn't bartending, she supplemented her income by modeling. She's got a website full of very artistic pictures of herself. The girl was not afraid to flaunt what God gave her at all."
You grab a pair of gloves and walk over to Aimee's body. You touch her head and close your eyes, and immediately, flashes of specific images filter through your mind.
"What are you thinking?" Hotch asks you.
"Spencer told me that line of sight was important to the unsub. We should take a look at the other crime scenes. I think I know what he's doing with the blood. I saw an easel and a paintbrush, Hotch. I think this unsub is an artist, and blood is the paint."
Looking back on all three victims and their dump sites, it's easy to see that the unsub is an artist because of where he placed them. Since there is enough to form a solid profile, Hotch has Detective Warren gather his men and women to hear about it.
"We believe that this unsub is a white male in his twenties or thirties, and he thinks of himself as a painter or an artist," Hotch begins.
"The placement of the victims tells us a lot about who he is. Pamela was found near a painting done by little known San Francisco artist, Henry Floyd. Gary was posed near a piece of graffiti art by a street artist named Cypher, who is currently wanted by the police. Lynn was found near a mural painted by Inner City Youths. Aimee was placed near the statue of Saint Luke, patron Saint of the artist."
"This is a compulsion. It's not accidental. He is obsessed with art. All of the works of art are neglected, ignored, and cast aside. It's how he feels about himself. We believe it's also the reason that he's evolved to removing the victim's eyelids. He's forcing them to see what he sees."
"There is no sexual component with these murders, but that's because the blood and the use of the blood is his sexual release."
"Wait, what is he doing with the blood?" Detective Warren asks.
"Because he's so obsessed with art, we believe he's painting with it. He has a quick kill pace. More blood means more paint. The more paintings he does, the greater the chance someone will recognize his work. We think that because of his need for acceptance, he may be trying to sell the paintings. So, focus your canvassing on places that might sell this kind of fringe art."
The meeting is disbanded, and the officers go back to what they were doing before. Your phone rings, and your heart flutters when you see Spencer's name on your phone.
"Hi, Spencer," you whisper.
"If it is about the art, then it's clear the disposal sites are scattered around the Mission District area."
Okay, that's not what you thought he'd say. "Wait, how did you know...?"
"I had Anderson bring over some of the files."
This is your opportunity. "Okay, give me one second. Let me patch in Garcia." You put him on hold, hoping he doesn't go anywhere, and call Penelope. "Hey--"
"What have you heard? Is he okay?" she cuts you off.
"Hold on a second." You merge the two calls so that Spencer and Penelope can talk to each other. "Go ahead, Spencer."
"Garcia, you should pull a list of all the art galleries in San Francisco."
You can only imagine the relief on her face. You can practically feel it through the phone. "Reid, I was just... How are you?"
"Better. Thanks for asking. Thanks for the baskets. You know, nuts have magnesium, which helps produce--"
"Serotonin. I know," she grins. "Okay, galleries. I got a lot."
"Focus on the Mission District."
With that, he hangs up. Much like with her relief, you feel her disappointment. "He's been through a lot, Pen, with Maeve and Frank. It's a lot of stress. I'm surprised he hasn't shut down by now."
"What about you? Shouldn't you be shut down? Frank terrorized you."
A shudder goes through your body at the thought of him. "Yeah, he did, and believe me, I want to. You have no idea how much I want to hide away from this world and everyone in it, but I can't. He'd win, and I can't let him win anymore. He already took so much from me. He took..." Your bottom lip trembles, so you take a moment to steady your voice. "Spencer doesn't know his child because of him, so I am not going to give him the satisfaction of breaking down. No. I will pull through because when Spencer comes to his senses, he's gonna need me, and I need to be there for him."
"I understand." She clears her throat and gets back to work. "Okay, there are still a few galleries, but it's more manageable in this area. I am sending the addresses to your mobile."
"Thanks, Penelope." You hang up and look at Hotch. "We have our list."
"You're with me."
While the others take the other galleries in town, you and Hotch take the one closest to the station. It looks like the guy is moving spaces with how people are packing paintings and putting them into boxes. He either sold out of everything or he is shutting down this place to move to another.
"Can I help you?" a man asks.
"We're from the FBI." Hotch shows him his badge. "Are you the owner?"
"Yeah, my name is Tre."
"Do you have any art on display where blood is used as a medium?" you ask.
"No, but there was a guy in here a couple of days ago who tried to sell me a piece like that. It wasn't exactly my taste, but a customer of mine happened to be in here, saw it, fell in love with it, and bought it on sight. Do you think that could be your guy?"
It sounds like your guy. "Do you have any security cameras in here?"
"No, I'm sorry."
"Do you remember the name of your customer who bought the painting?"
"Yeah. Let me get you his information."
Once you have his information, you and Hotch stop at his place of business. It's safe to say that you were not expecting this place to be as... raunchy as this. Never have you ever stepped foot into a sex club, but here's a first time for everything.
You step out of the car and smooth your shirt over your pregnant belly. "Well, this is certainly going to be interesting."
You two walk inside and see a man behind the counter. He immediately opens the sign-in book that's on the desk.
"Welcome. My name is Andre. Before we start, I'll need you to fill out a small waiver."
"We're not a couple," you say.
"That's okay. We cater to all kinds of relationships." Andre looks up and finally notices your belly. "Uh, how far along are you? We don't allow women six months or more in here."
"Almost seven, but that's not why we're here." You take out your badge and show him. "We're the FBI."
"Oh." He closes the book. "I run a clean establishment here. Clean, legal, adult fun."
"Calm down. We're just looking for a painting you bought recently," Hotch says.
"You're gonna have to be a bit more specific. I'm a connoisseur of the dark and depraved arts. I purchase a lot of paintings."
"You bought this one a couple of days ago. It's made with blood. Human blood."
Andre stiffens a bit. "As I said, I buy a lot of paintings. I don't remember them all."
"Really? Because last I checked, withholding evidence would make you an accomplice," you say with a smile. "We just want to see the painting and see if it's from the guy we're looking for."
Andre sighs. "For that piece, you'll have to follow me to the spanking room."
Andre leads the way, and you hang back with Hotch. This place is interesting, to say the least.
"Have you ever thought about going to one of these rooms before?" you ask Hotch before you can stop yourself.
"I don't think we're close enough for this conversation."
You can't help but laugh. The spanking room isn't filled with people being spanked. It's filled with toys used for spanking that customers can either rent out or buy. Of course, everything is cleaned afterwards, but you don't think you'd ever want to rent toys from this place. There was a sign at the front that mentioned toys meant to be inserted were only meant to be bought. Toys such as blindfolds, handcuffs, spreaders, etc. can be rented and will be thoroughly sanitized after every use.
Andre stops in front of a painting of a woman's face. You take out your phone and go through the photos of the crime scene.
"I may have bought it, but I didn't realize it was evidence of any sort. Is this what you're looking for?" Andre smirks. "The tortured look in her eyes is what first drew me to it. The guy was asking fifteen hundred for it. I got him to take two-fifty, cash."
You find the pictures of the victims and go through them until you see it. The woman in the painting looks exactly like Pamela. Not to mention, you felt her the second you set foot into this place. It's stronger over by the painting, so you know this blood belonged to her.
"It's her, Hotch. I feel her." You show him the picture of her. "Plus, it looks a lot like her." He nods to you, and you look at Andre. "Yeah, we're gonna need to take this."
Andre is disappointed, but he lets the FBI take it away anyway to be analyzed. You and Hotch head back to the station with a photocopy of the picture so that everyone can see it.
"Now we have a piece of his art, but we still don't have anything to identify the unsub. Andre said he was an average white guy in his late twenties to early thirties. Even the art gallery guy said it, too."
"At least he signed his work," JJ says.
In the bottom right-hand corner are initials by the artist. Either it's something B or B something. It's hard to tell in the picture since it's so dark.
Derek takes out his phone and starts texting. "I'm going to have Garcia compile a list of artists with the letter 'B' somewhere in their name. It's not much, but it's something."
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Going back to work is proving to be harder than you thought. Spencer is taking time off to come to terms with everything that has happened to him, even though it hurts you to know he's in pain. You try to distract yourself with work, but that's all it is. A distraction. The pain is still there, and you don't think it's going away anytime soon.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
You're the last one on the plane only because you didn't want it to be awkward if you were forced to have small talk with everyone else.
All you'd feel is their judgment and resentment, and you can't handle that right now.
"Sorry, I'm late," you mumble.
The pilot is allowed to leave now, so you sit away from everyone else yet close enough to participate in their discussion.
"Why these two victims?" Alex asks once the plane is in the air. "He's crossed socioeconomic, race, and gender lines. One is a white male in his forties who was a wealthy hedge fund manager. The other is an African American female who just started college at San Francisco State, and worked several jobs just to get by."
"I think the better question is why drain their blood?" Derek asks. "Is he doing it to torture the victims? Or is it about the blood?"
"It might be a form of psychological torture. While not necessarily painful, exsanguination does take time."
"It could be a fetish for the blood and the bloodletting," JJ thinks out loud.
"What if it's about drinking it?" Rossi theorizes.
"Fritz Haarmann, the vampire of Hanover, killed many of his victims by biting through their throats. This unsub used some sort of tubing device to drain the blood from the femoral arteries. There isn't any saliva on the wound," you say quietly.
You can hear a pin drop; that's how quiet it is. You hate this feeling. It's like you don't belong with the team anymore. You've lost your place, and you'll continue to be lost until you can mend your relationships. They can't trust you right now, and it's your job to prove to them that they can.
"Just because there are no bite marks doesn't mean we should rule out vampirism," Derek eventually says.
Penelope's face shows up on screen over video chat, and you're thankful for the intrusion. "Bad news, crime-fighters. Police just found another body wrapped in plastic on a park bench, also drained of blood. I'm gonna assume there aren't two creeps in the area doing the same thing."
"Garcia, will you tell San Francisco PD that we'll meet them at the crime scene?"
"Consider them told."
She logs off, and Hotch looks at Rossi. "Dave, you and Blake meet the detectives at the crime scene. Morgan and Y/N go see the medical examiner, and JJ and I will set up at the police station. We'll talk to the families to see if we can find a connection."
You look at Derek, but he won't look back at you. This is going to take a lot of time and effort on your part, but you'll do it day in and day out if it means you get Derek back in your life the way he was before. You get up and walk over to the small kitchenette to make yourself some coffee. One cup a day won't hurt you or the baby, so you're taking it easy. JJ follows you and leans against the wall next to the counter.
"JJ, I am so sorry," you whisper. "I shouldn't have put you in that position. It wasn't fair to you. I was just worried he was going to hurt you."
"I know," she whispers back. "I honestly would have done the same."
"Really?" She nods. "Am I forgiven?"
"Of course you are. I'm sorry he put you through that."
You pull JJ in for a hug, and the weight crushing your chest gets a bit lighter. You and JJ will have to work through things more, but you believe her when she says she forgives you.
As soon as the plane lands, Rossi and Alex head over to the new crime scene where the new victim is. Lynn Stevens, much like the other two, is drained of blood. However, there is something new with her that isn't present with the others. Her eyelids have been removed with excessive blood around the eyes. It means he did it while she was alive. His sadism is evolving, and his torture is definitely more than psychological at this point.
If all three victims are connected, then it's hard to see how. If anything, it has to be about the blood. Still, all three victims have different blood types. Gary was A-Positive, and Pam was O-Negative. Lynn was AB-Negative, so it can't really be about the blood. They could be victims of opportunity, which would make the most sense. Pamela was on one of her routine walks when she was abducted. He could have lured Gary with the promise of a lucrative deal.
The thing with crimes of opportunity, it's hard to catch someone when everyone can be a victim.
Derek hasn't said a single word to you on the entire ride to the ME's office. You tried talking to him once, but he immediately shut you down. What would you say to him? You anticipated this kind of backlash, so you're trying not to be hurt by it. It's hard knowing your friends are in pain because of decisions you made. Even if they don't understand why you made them.
Your phone rings, and you're surprised to see Penelope's name. "Hey, Pen."
"Are you alone?"
"I'm with Derek. Wait, Penelope, I just want to say I'm so sorry about the way I've been toward you. Just know you didn't deserve any of it."
"I can't believe you're pregnant!" she squeals.
"Wait, what?"
"Oh, this is so exciting! You and Reid are going to have the smartest baby ever."
"Penelope, did you not hear what I said before? I am so sorry."
"I know you are, and we're fine. We're better than fine. All I care about is you and if you're okay. I knew something was going on, so I didn't let your words get to me." She pauses. "Okay, that was a lie. They did get to me, but a few days later, they didn't. I figured you were going through something, and it turns out you were going through multiple somethings. I don't care about the past, Y/N. I care about now. You're having a baby!"
This warms your heart. Things can go back to normal with Penelope, and you're grateful for that.
"I have the picture of him, and even his heartbeat."
"You're having a boy?"
"Yeah, I am."
Penelope squeals like a teenage girl into the phone, and you smile widely. "Onto other news. I'm worried about Reid."
"I know. I am, too. Everyone is."
"What do you think he's doing?"
"He's taking the time that Hotch gave him. I know I did."
"I understand. He's sad. He should be sad, but I'm so worried. When someone I love is hurting, it's like I hurt, too, which I know is super codependent, but it's just how I roll. I feel like I should be doing something, and I don't know what it is, but--"
"Whoa, Pen, slow down," you chuckle.
"Could you call him? I think he'd answer the phone for you."
"Trust me, I have."
"I need to hear his voice, Y/N. It's impairing my ability to work."
"Fine. I'll try something. I'll call you back, okay?"
"Thank you."
You hang up with her and look at Derek. He's talking to the ME about Lynn's body. The autopsy results of the other two victims have been sent over, so he is going over that while the ME gets Lynn's autopsy done. You get an idea and call Spencer before you can talk yourself out of it. Like before, he doesn't answer you, but this time, you leave a voicemail.
"Hi, Spencer. Um, I have a work question for you. This unsub is exsanguinating victims and removing their eyelids antemortem. Does that mean anything to you? Call me back if you can think of anything." You pause. "Okay. Bye."
You hope this is going to work. If he's anything like you, then he'll want the distraction. If all he can think about is you and Frank and then of Maeve dying, he'll welcome the distraction. You pocket your phone and walk over to Derek and the ME.
"Here's the information you called about," she says to him.
You're about to say something to Derek when your phone rings. It's Spencer. You try to keep the smile off your face when you answer.
"Hi, Spencer."
"Have the cornea or pupils been harmed in any way?"
He sounds tired. Your heart breaks at this. Still, you don't say anything about it. "No. Alex said it looked like a very sharp instrument was used."
"If he's taking care not to damage the eyes, then line of sight is probably what's important to him. This guy wants them to see what he's doing."
A pregnant pause fills the space between lines. "How are you doing, Spencer?"
He hangs up the phone without answering. You guess that's something. You look at Derek, but he immediately looks away and addresses the ME.
"What's the cause of death?"
"Definitely exsanguination, but the tox screen showed high levels of Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic."
"EDTA. It's an anti-coagulant," you say. "It's used mostly to treat heart conditions. So, the unsub probably used it to thin the blood."
"The ketamine we found may have helped as well. In humans, it tends to elevate blood pressure."
"That'show he's sedating them," Derek says more so to himself than to you. "If he knew what this was doing to them, and he willingly ingested their blood, what would happen to him?"
"He would be dosing himself as well."
"That rules out vampirism," you say.
"Is there any chance this guy works in the medical field?" Derek asks the ME.
"I doubt it. There are a few hesitation marks near the wound, and the hole in the artery shows a lot of bruising around it. I'd say it's amateur at best."
"So, we've got an unsub who is picking his victims at random, sedates them, and then bleeds them dry. If he's not drinking the blood, what the hell is he doing with it?" He shakes his head. "Thanks for your help."
Derek leaves the place, and you rush after him. "Derek, can we talk?"
"No."
"Derek."
"I'm not ready."
"I'm so sorry."
He continues to walk away from you. No one said this was going to be easy. You can't give up, though. Space is what he needs right now, but you'll come for him again later.
That night, you wake up screaming from a nightmare. Frank has escaped prison again. He's coming after you and your son. Fuck! It took you a while to realize that it was a dream, and you're in California with your team. Frank did more psychological damage than physical damage, and it's going to take a long time for you to be okay again.
Since you can't go back to sleep after a nightmare like this, you stayed awake by reading to your son. You find that he likes the sound of your voice. An hour after sunrise, you head into work and find out that the unsub dropped another body.
x
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Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: Going back to work is proving to be harder than you thought. Spencer is taking time off to come to terms with everything that has happened to him, even though it hurts you to know he's in pain. You try to distract yourself with work, but that's all it is. A distraction. The pain is still there, and you don't think it's going away anytime soon.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
"My blood alone remains: take it, but do not make me suffer long." - Marie Antoinette
The day after Frank was arrested again, you were left inside the home he picked out for the two of you. He was everywhere. He was there when you tried to sleep at night. He was outside the shower like a dark shadow against the curtain. He was there when you were trying to eat. He is haunting your life, and he's not even here.
You don't want to live in this house anymore, but where will you go? He stole you from Spencer's apartment and sold all your shit. Everything inside the house is his, but what else can you do? You can't move somewhere else. You've replaced a few things, but it's not enough.
He will always be there, and it's killing you.
Even away from you, he's ruining your life.
Two weeks have passed since Frank was arrested, and you're finally ready to go back to work. You were ready to go back the day he was arrested, but you didn't think it would have helped when you would wake up screaming from nightmares of him.
Now that everyone knows you're pregnant, you don't have to hide behind clothes. Everyone else has gone back to work except for Spencer. He hasn't said a single word to you since he rescued you, and you're hesitant to reach out to him. From the others, you heard about what happened to Maeve. It's normal that he shut down. Someone he liked died right in front of him, and the mother of his child was threatened by her kidnapper.
Spencer doesn't know how to handle all of this grief. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees Diane shooting Maeve. He sees Maeve's terrified eyes. He sees Frank behind you with a gun. He sees the mother of his child in danger because he failed to protect you.
His child.
He's going to be a dad, and he never knew any of this. How stupid can he be? How blind has he been for the past six months? Maeve is partially the reason for him shutting everyone out, but it's how he's blaming himself for the things you went through. He should have figured it out. Looking back on it now, he can see the signs were there all along. He wasn't smart enough, and you ended up hurt in the end.
He's taking it harder than he should, but his brain is racing through all of those tragic scenarios.
No matter how small a part Maeve played in all of this, she still has a part. She and Spencer were friends, truly, but there must have been a part of him that thought they could be more. Even if for a moment. How can you blame him? You practically shoved him into Maeve's arms.
You're not doing any better than Spencer, but you need to go to work. You need this distraction, whereas he needs a break.
Before you go to work, you stop at Spencer's place to see how he's doing. He shut off all communication with everyone, and you're worried about him. The ghost of him has also been haunting you, and you don't even have to be a psychic to feel him.
You walk up the stairs to his floor and pause when you see plenty of baskets by his front door. They're gift baskets, and you can only assume who put them there. Not only are about six baskets there, but JJ is also there. She is about to knock on the door when she hears your footsteps.
"Hi," you whisper.
"Hi."
You're about to say something when she looks away. The pain from your decisions is coming after you now. You knew they would. You can't run from it, so you have to face them all. You made your bed, and now you have to lie in it. JJ is wearing a short-sleeved shirt, but you can see the white bandage underneath it. Right. She was shot because of you.
"JJ, I am so sorry. For everything."
"I know," she whispers.
"I never meant for you to get hurt. How is your arm?"
"Nearly healed. The bullet just grazed me. Nothing serious."
That doesn't lighten the pressure on your chest. You're shocked you're walking around with how much guilt you're dragging behind you. Footsteps sound from behind you, and you turn to see Penelope walking up the stairs with another basket in her hand. She freezes when she sees both you and JJ, but then she continues on her way.
"I thought I'd check on Spence on my way into work."
"Yeah, us too. Are all these baskets from you?"
"Maybe."
"What's in that one?"
"Mixed nuts and seeds. I'm trying to think of something that will help him feel better. So, I went Reid-like and did a bunch of research, and it turns out that nuts and seeds have naturally occurring magnesium. Magnesium influences the production of serotonin, which is a happy happy joy joy chemical in the brain. I don't know."
JJ rings the doorbell as Penelope sets the basket next to the other ones. Spencer doesn't answer. "Spence, listen, if you're in there, we just want to know that you're alright."
"Knock twice if you're conscious." Spencer doesn't knock. "Is he ever gonna be okay?"
"Eventually." JJ barely looks at you. "We should go."
Penelope glances at you once before they leave. You don't. What Frank and Spencer don't know is that you kept your key, and you hope that he hasn't changed the locks since you moved out. You can't leave him knowing he is hurting inside.
"Spencer, I'm coming in."
You use your key and open the door, thankful that it still works. The apartment is dark, but you can see his outline on the couch. The ghosts of you haunt this place. You can see her roaming through the halls. You can only imagine how Spencer feels since this place is filled with memories of you two.
You walk to the other side of the couch and see Spencer clutching a book. His eyes are closed. This place is a mess. He usually cleans up after himself, but he hasn't had the energy to do any of that. There are empty plates and opened bottles of water and juice everywhere. He must be sleeping, so you don't want to wake him up. You clear out some of the bottles as much as you can before returning to him. You sit on the edge of the coffee table and stare at him.
He looks so peaceful.
You know he's anything but.
"I'm so sorry, Spencer." Your words echo a bit, but he doesn't stir. Maybe that's why you'll have the confidence to say this. "I never meant to hurt you. I just got so scared of Frank. I just hope you know that whatever I did, whatever I said, I did it to protect you. I hope that reasoning is good enough because it's the truth. I love you so much." You're trying really hard not to cry. "I never stopped."
You lean over and kiss his cheek. Before a tear can fall onto his skin, you're gone. If you stay any longer, you'll break down in a panic. You softly close his door and flee his apartment building, eager to get to work.
Spencer opens his eyes, and he stares at the wall numbly.
The BAU is the same, but everything is different. You have a lot of bridges to mend, and you're not sure if any of them are burned down. The first place you stop at is Hotch's office. He knows you are coming back today, so he should be the first person you see.
"Are you busy?" you ask as you knock on his door.
"No. Come in." You close the door behind you and sit across from him at his desk. "How are you doing?"
"Alright, I guess. Frank won't get out this time, right?"
"He was sent to a maximum security facility. Twenty-four-hour watch. He's not going anywhere."
That should make you feel better, but it doesn't. "Hotch, I am so sorry. I'm sorry for how I acted. I'm sorry for disobeying orders. I'm sorry for destroying this team. I'm sorry for letting Frank have so much control over me." Your shoulder sag sadly. "I'm just sorry. I should have known better. I did know better, but he made me do those things. I know that's not an excuse, but I don't know what else to say. I was so scared."
"I know." The gentleness in his voice is what makes you look up. "We still have things to work on, but Strauss understands the position you were put in. You've been reinstated with probation. That means a lot of time with me, unfortunately."
"Thank you," you whisper. He takes out your badge and gun and slides them over to you. "I understand things will be tense, but I need to trust that you'll come to me for anything."
"Yes, I agree. I should have come to you when Frank first reached out."
Hotch is silent for a few minutes. "Why didn't you?"
"I was scared. Frank had eyes everywhere, and he was going to hurt you. I was scared he'd go after Jack. I did everything I could to protect this team from him."
"Now you don't have to."
"I promise, Hotch. I will come to you for anything."
"I know."
Hotch doesn't quite forgive you just yet, but you know he will get there eventually. You two will be okay, but you have the others to worry about. It's time to get this apologetic train on the road. You don't have much time to talk to anyone because Hotch is calling everyone to the round table. He and Rossi are at the front of the room, and they don't look too happy.
"What's going on?" Derek asks.
"When we were in Florida a couple of weeks ago, a body was found in the desert outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. A man had his leg amputated and replaced with the leg of someone else. As you know, last month, a body was found in Dallas with its mouth sewn shut, like The Silencer."
"What looked then to be a possible one-time copycat now has to be examined in a different light," Rossi adds. "Someone is out there mimicking crimes we've solved."
"This is now an active case, which we'll be investigating along with our other cases. We don't have any new information as of now, but I wanted to make you aware of it. Garica, you may begin."
Looks like you won't have any time to talk to anyone right now, so you take a seat next to where Spencer usually sits. Instead of your chair being empty, it's his. Penelope walks to the front of the room and gets her laptop all set up.
"Okay, ladies and gents, the Golden State awaits. Meet who was formerly Gary Porter." She puts his picture on the screen. "He was found dead outside a San Francisco nightclub last night. Pamela Hurd was found near a cable car stop in San Francisco's Mission District. They were both found wrapped in clear plastic."
Derek looks at the file. "It says here they were dead only a few hours before they were found. That's not long enough for the elements to have made them that pale."
"That's where we enter the town of Weirdville on the corner of Eew and Icky-icky. Both victims were almost completely drained of their blood. Less than a pint left."
"He's exsanguinating them while they were still alive. It might be utilitarian. He needs them alive so they can pump out the blood themselves."
"Draining a body like that is extremely hard to do. Once the heart stops pumping, it's difficult to continue to extract the blood. So, the question is, how is he doing it?"
"I wish you hadn't asked that 'cause now I gotta show this picture."
Penelope grimaces and puts a picture on the screen without looking at it. Pictures of holes on what looks like thighs.
"Those are large boreholes in the femoral artery of each victim. Our unsub could have medical knowledge."
"It's possible," Hotch agrees. "We'll know more when we get there. Wheels up in thirty."
As everyone is packing up their things, you look at Penelope. She pauses when she locks eyes with you, then she looks at your stomach. You have no reason to hide it anymore. Everyone already knows. You're almost seven months pregnant. Nearly at the end, yet so far from it. You have so much shit to do that Frank wasn't taking care of. You have to work overtime to make sure your son has everything he needs.
You're about to say something, but then you close your mouth. You don't know what to say. You yelled at her and made her feel bad. You turn and leave the briefing room moments later.
x
Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)
Warnings: canon level of violence, canon level talk of death and methods of killing
Summary: When Maeve is kidnapped by her stalker, Spencer tries his best to find her before she is hurt, or worse. JJ wants to tell Spencer about what's happening with you and Frank, but Hotch needs his attention to be on Maeve. What he doesn't know is that you're in as much danger as Maeve is, only Frank doesn't care who lives or dies. As long as you know that no matter what you do or where you go, you'll never escape him.
Season Eight Masterlist
Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal deaths/kills from the show, I will list them.
x
As they go over to Maeve's apartment building, all they're doing is focusing on saving Maeve and disarming Diane. What they don't know is that someone is on their tail. Frank has men even after escaping prison. He has connections everywhere, and those connections are tailing the BAU as they fly across town.
The TV shows whoever is tailing them nearly ten steps behind them. This person is located on a roof next to Maeve's building, and a scope zeros them out. Frank has whoever is there on speakerphone. One word from Frank, and that person will start shooting. The three SUVs stop outside of Maeve's apartment, and your team filters out one by one.
"What do you say?" Spencer appears on screen, and Frank smirks. "There he is."
"No! Frank! Don't do it! Please!" You're struggling hard against your ties. So much that it's going to create bruises. "I'm yours! I'll listen! Please don't hurt them!"
Frank is a masochist and a sadist. He loves to bathe in your fear. Without saying anything, he uses the TV's remote to click to a different camera. The blood in your body turns ice cold at what you see.
Will and Henry are playing catch in the front yard. Henry has a huge smile on his face.
"You leave that little boy alone!" you yell at Frank.
"I might want a taste of that," Frank smirks.
You're helpless against Frank, and you have no idea how to warn your team that he's after them.
The team walks to the front door of the building and pauses when they see a present waiting for them. That must be the present Diane left Spencer. He picks up the box slowly and looks inside. He pulls out something silky and black.
"Is that a blindfold?" Derek asks.
The intercom next to Spencer crackles to life. "Take your gun and vest off. Come in alone."
Spencer starts to take his vest off, but Hotch stops him. Hotch is worried, but this is something that Spencer needs to do. He takes off his vest and slips inside the building alone. Hotch and JJ look at each other, worry marring their features.
The building is dark, but Spencer can see the silhouette of Diane across the hall.
"Put it on."
Spencer slips the blindfold on, and Diane grabs his wrist. He would have fought back, but he feels the barrel of a gun at his back. She leads him into the main room where Maeve is waiting. She forces Spencer into a chair right across from Maeve, but she doesn't tie him up. Spencer feels the air shift, and he knows Maeve is here.
"Hello."
"Hi," Maeve whispers.
Diane stands behind Spencer and slides her hands over his chest. Neither he nor Maeve speaks. Diane must think Spencer and Maeve are a thing if she's touching him like this in front of her. She unbuttons the top button of his shirt and slides her hand inside.
"I was hoping you'd figure out my riddle. I mean, I knew you would. The fun was just how fast you'd do it."
"It took me a long time. To be honest, I was distracted by your thesis."
Diane suddenly pulls away from Spencer and moves to stand in front of him. "You read my thesis?"
"I did. You know, I think your writing puts you on the same plane as Jonas Salk. I've already sent it to the NIH."
Diane wants to fall for it, but she doesn't. "Flattery is not gonna get you out of this. I know what's waiting for me outside."
"I've arranged for your freedom."
"The federal government doesn't make deals with people like me."
"Not true. Nazi scientists were recruited for the Manhattan Project. Mafia bosses are regularly put into Witness Protection. If what you have is valuable enough, the federal government will work with you. What you have is very valuable."
Diane pushes her gun to his chest. "What do I have, Doctor?"
"You have a brain that doesn't play by normal societal rules. I know that all your life, the people you care about the most keep leaving. There's a part of you that thinks it's because of that brain." Diane rips his blindfold off, but Spencer doesn't look at how scared Maeve is. "You want revenge on her for rejecting your proposal, so take me. Me for her. She cares about me, and if you want to make her hurt, then hurt me."
Diane looks between Maeve and Spencer before turning the gun on her. "I don't need her anymore."
"If you kill her, she won't have to live with the fact that you're smarter. Let her live with her irrelevancy."
Diane hesitates a bit too much, and Spencer takes this opportunity to attack. Diane must have seen it coming because she whips around at the last second. Spencer grabs her gun, and she accidentally shoots the ceiling. The team hears it from the street, and they go rushing in, thinking Spencer is hurt. Diane is strong, even as Spencer tries to wrestle the gun away. However, she shoots him in the arm, and he falls to the ground. A second later, Spencer's team marches into the room.
"No! Stay back!" Spencer shouts. Diane jumps behind Mave and puts the gun to her neck. Spencer gets up and ignores the pain in his arm. "Diane, there's still a way out of this."
"You were lying to me this whole time! You don't think I'm smart! You lied!"
"No, I didn't. Diane, I offered you a deal, and you can still take it. Me for her. Let me take her place."
"You would do that?" Diane cries.
"Yes."
"You would kill yourself for her?"
"Reid," Hotch whispers.
"Yes," Spencer says. "If you want to make her suffer, then take me."
"No. I'd rather her dead."
Diane puts the gun to her own head, and she shoots herself before anyone else can do anything. The bullet goes right through her skull and into Maeve's. Both of them are dead within seconds. Spencer can only watch as his friend's life is taken from her before she even has a chance to live again.
JJ's phone rings, and it takes her a few minutes to realize that her phone is ringing. She pulls it out of her pocket and freezes when she sees your name on the screen.
"Hotch."
Hotch looks at JJ, and she shows the screen to him. "Answer it."
She answers the call and puts you on speakerphone. "Y/N? Are you okay?"
"31889 E Galvenston Avenue. Come alone, or else Henry and Will are dead."
Two tragedies in one night. Two tragedies within seconds of each other. JJ's heartbeat is loud in her ear from your words. Hotch steps forward with a hard look on his face.
"What did she say?" Derek asks.
Spencer only snaps out of his trance when he hears your voice. He'd know that voice anywhere. You've been crying, and it sounds like heartbreak. He turns to look at JJ, who has gone ashen. She knows exactly who is behind this.
"He better not touch them," she growls.
"31889 E Galvenston Avenue. Come alone, or else Henry and Will are dead."
The phone cuts off, leaving the loft deadly quiet. Only Hotch and JJ seem to know what is happening.
"What is going on?" Spencer asks.
"You have to tell him," JJ pleads.
Hotch turns to Spencer and tries to be stoic, even though his heart is racing. "Frank escaped prison months ago. He's been in contact with Y/N. He's been using her as a pawn in his life." Hotch tells Spencer as much as he can in as little time as he can. "Spencer, Y/N is pregnant. He knows we know, and he will hurt everyone she cares about if we don't play this right."
Spencer is just taken aback by all this news. First Maeve, and now the love of his life is in danger? You're pregnant. As far as he knows, you haven't been with anyone, but the idea that you might have makes him want to die. He just can't catch a break. His skin is hot, and he feels faint. He is overwhelmed.
"Where is 31889 E Galvenston Avenue?"
"That's across the street from my apartment building," Spencer says numbly. "They cleared out the fifth floor for construction."
"I have to go in alone," JJ says.
"You know he won't let her go that easily. We have to be smarter about this."
"There is a fire escape we can use," Spencer says. "Roof access."
"Let's go."
Y/N is pregnant. He can't get those three words out of his head. Has he really been that dense this entire time? SWAT and local police stay behind to take care of Maeve and Diane's bodies so that the BAU can take care of you.
Through the camera strapped onto the chest of the man who has been tailing the BAU, you know they have arrived. Frank presses a button on the remote, and the screen fills with Will and Henry still playing in the yard. Frank stands behind you with a gun in hand, and the two of you wait for JJ to enter the door.
"Frank, please don't hurt her. I promise I'll be good."
Frank hits the side of your head with the butt of the gun, not gently but not hard either. "Shut up."
The front door opens, and JJ walks in wearing her FBI vest without a gun in her hand. She knew Frank would disarm her the second she walked through that door, so she left her gun with Hotch. You're looking at JJ, but you feel the others close by. Mostly Spencer. He's here, and Frank is going to kill him.
"So nice of you to join us. Come in. Come in," Frank says. "I'm just teaching Y/N a lesson."
"JJ, I'm so sorry," you sob.
"It's not your fault." She looks at the TV and sees the two loves of her life. "I'm here, Frank. Alone."
"Yes, and I am a man of my word." He takes out his phone without moving the gun off her, and he dials someone. "Yeah, you're good to go. No need for that clean up after all." JJ watches the POV camera retreat from their yard until the person gets in the car and drives away. Her relief isn't long, though. "Take off your vest." JJ has no choice but to do as he says. "I can't have you surviving this."
"Please, Frank. She has nothing to do with any of this. You already made your point. Please don't hurt her," you cry.
"THEN HOW WILL YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON?" Frank yells in your ear. You flinch when his fingers trace the side of your neck. "I told you, Angel. You're mine. Always has been. Always will be. These people are keeping you from being fully mine. Once they're dead, you'll see."
Frank stands up straight and shoots JJ. She moves out of the way enough not to get penetrated by the bullet, but it does graze her arm. She is thrown back into the wall, and she cries out in pain.
"No! Frank, please!" you scream. "She doesn't deserve this!"
Amidst the chaos, Frank doesn't notice the window next to the fire escape opening. He doesn't see Derek quietly climbing into the room. He doesn't hear Derek's footsteps across the wooden floor. He doesn't sense Derek's presence, even as he stands mere inches behind him. He certainly doesn't feel Derek until he presses his gun to the back of Frank's head.
"Do not move," Derek says calmly.
Hotch, Rossi, and Alex climb in behind Derek, and they spread out across the room, their guns on Frank. The front door opens, and Spencer walks in. His heart shatters when he sees the love of his life in tears, eyes swollen from crying. He looks down and sees your pregnant belly. Looks like they weren't lying. You look past JJ and lock eyes with Spencer. He can see the desperation in them.
"If you shoot anyone," Derek warns, "I will shoot you, and I don't think you want me to do that. See, I think you like life just a bit too much. I mean, who else will care for her as you do? If you're dead, someone else will take your place, and you're too much of a control freak to let that happen, so drop the gun."
Frank looks like he is surrendering, but he doesn't drop the gun. Instead, he presses it to the side of your head. Tears stream down your face, but at least the gun is off the ones you love. At least if he shoots, the only person who will suffer is you.
"If I can't have her, no one can."
Spencer can't stand to see you cry like this. He puts his gun away and takes a step closer.
"Take me." Your eyes shoot to Spencer's, but he doesn't look at you. "I'm the one you really want. You hate me. You hate what I took from you. If you kill me, there is no one standing in your way."
"Spencer, don't," you cry. "He'll do it."
Frank touches your hair. "This is the ultimate lesson, my angel."
"No! Don't do it!" you scream.
Frank raises the gun toward Spencer, but Hotch and Derek leap to attack. It's like everything is happening in slow motion around you. The gun goes off, but it only hits the wall instead of Spencer. Derek tackles Frank to the ground, knocking the gun out of his hand. Hotch steps on Frank's back, allowing Derek to yank his arms behind him. Rossi runs over to help subdue Frank. Frank struggles, but he's not stronger than Hotch, Derek, and Rossi combined.
"Frank Emory, you are under arrest."
Frank doesn't hear the rest of his Miranda Rights because he is yelling in anger. "I escaped once! I'll do it again!" Derek and Hotch push him forward toward the door. "When I do, I'll take your son from you!"
As soon as Frank is gone, Spencer immediately runs to your side. You are shaking so badly and hiccupping your cries. Alex checks on JJ to make sure she is going to be okay before helping Spencer cut your ties. The second you're free, Spencer pulls you into his arms and holds you.
Heartbreaking sobs and wails flow freely from your mouth, and Spencer rocks you in his arms.
"Shh... You're safe now. I'm right here."
Are you though? Will you be okay? At least Spencer was able to save one person tonight. He doesn't know what he would have done if he had to look at your lifeless body on the ground because he failed again.
"You're safe now..."
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