frywrites

[frywrites]

First time watching the season 11 season finale and OH MY GOD

[frywrites]

At Last

Summary: Emma shares that work has been leaving negative memories related to music. She gets surprised later to create a happy memory instead. (1.3k words) Trigger warning: Mentions of Unsub holding weapon and a victim (no explicit descriptions given or gory details), mentions of a gunshot (No injuries described) Note: Emma is an OC, no relation to the show's Blake. Got this idea randomly and had to write it out immediately!

It was so quiet that Emma felt like her heartbeat was blowing her eardrums out. She was the last in the line of the team, her hands wrapped firmly around the handle of her gun. Don't breathe too loud, don't breathe too loud, don't breathe too loud. It was a silly thing to think about, but she repeated it over and over again, like a mantra. In her month and a half in the BAU she hadn't joined the team very often when they approached an unsub to arrest them. It hadn't been said in so many words, but Emma knew that they were protecting her, wanting to make sure that she was ready for it mentally.

She just hoped she was ready enough to not fuck everything up.

Hotch and Morgan were at the front, and Emma watched how they nodded to each other, before signs were given with only their hands. She had been told what the different signs meant, but she already knew what her role was. Stay back, don't move unless it's called clear, be on the lookout for any surprises that were missed. 

The floorboards creaked underneath their weight. Or, at least, that's what she thought she heard. Maybe her senses were just on heightened alert, because it was quiet. Too quiet. The lights were off, and the house seemed more like a dollhouse to her in the rising moonlight than an actual home. Clear. Nothing. Next room.

She could only see the little that was lit up by flashlights as the team moved effortlessly as in further through the house. How did people live like this? Wait, no, scratch that, we're in the house of an actual serial killer.

Two fingers up, pointing diagonally down, followed by a nod from Hotch. Emma knew what that meant. Morgan had found a basement. Emma felt her breathing hitch at the back of her throat for a second, but luckily, no one around her seemed to notice. Or, at least, they didn't acknowledge it at the time, which, to be honest, was very fair.

It was as she was the last person to creep onto the shoddy wooden stairs that she started to hear it. It was grainy, so it took her a couple of seconds to register what she was hearing, but quickly she heard the singer's voice break through.

"At last, My love has come along, My lonely days are over, and life is like a song."

She didn't have to hear much more of the words to register what she was hearing. It had been one of her mom's favourites, At Last by Etta James. Another song ruined by an unsub scarred in their youth, playing the songs of they used to hear to do despicable things to. Great. Another one ruined.

"FBI - Michael Hayes put your hands up!" Morgan's voice sounded over the music. Emma didn't hear the next part of the song as a gun was fired, followed by "Hold your fire!" from Morgan. It didn't take a genius to put together that Michael had put his hands up, just holding whatever weapon he was planning to use on his poor victim. By the time she reached the basement floor, JJ and Morgan were looking over the victim, and the death of Michael Hayes had been confirmed. Emma took a deep breath, putting her gun in her holster. Her eyes quickly fell on the record player, where the song had ended, static sounding throughout the room. As she lifted the needle up, Prentiss approached her.

"Hey, Blake, are you doing alright?" She asked, holstering her own weapon.

"Yeah," Emma nodded, glancing back at the now disabled record player. "That song was just one of my mom's favourites." She remained quiet for a second, before looking at Prentiss again. "What is it with these unsubs and their obsession with older music? I should just stop listening to any, too many are already ruined."

"Ah, yes," Emily rolled her eyes. "The daddy and mommy issues don't even start to cover it."

***

24 hours later, Emma sat at her desk, biting on the skin of her thumb as her eyes were focussed on the computer screen. Maybe she was always the last one to submit her case report. Maybe that was the case because she was triple, no, quadruple checking every single word and every single letter because sometimes the English language just didn't have the right descriptions for the situation. Maybe, eventually, she would learn to be a little less perfectionistic with these reports. But, eventually was not today.

"Don't stay out too late, kiddo," Rossi said as he passed her desk, patting it twice. "Hotch might make it seem cool, but your rest levels highly disagree."

"I won't be too long anymore, Rossi." Emma smiled, nodding softly. "Thanks." He nodded once, before she watched him walk away, bag in hand, disappearing to the elevators.

She rolled her shoulders as she turned back to the screen in front of her. Final lookover, she promised herself, and in extension, Rossi. It was good enough, she just had to trust in it. But wait, maybe this verbiage had been too emotional, and it didn't really-

"Agent Blake?" Emma looked up, startled, as the only other person still in the office spoke from the door of his office.

"Yes?"

"Can you come in for a second?" Hotch tilted his head to indicate the inside of his office, to which she just nodded. He already walked in, leaving the door open. Although she knew she was the only person still in the bullpen, her eyes darted over the different empty desks, as she started to wonder. What could he possibly want now, that couldn't be discussed earlier?

As she reached his door, she knocked twice, before peeking her head in.

"You can just come in." He said, gesturing for her to come closer. Emma did her best to hide her confusion as she stepped inside. Hotchner was not sitting at his desk, but standing closer to the door, his back facing her. "I heard your conversation with Prentiss yesterday, in Michael Hayes' house." Now, she actually frowned slightly.

"I'm not sure I'm following.." She admitted, to which he finally looked up from what he was doing.

"When you stopped the record player from playing. You said that At Last had been a favourite of your mom's?"

"Yeah," She now said, the puzzle pieces clicking together a bit."Although it doesn't really bring back the same memories now, I'm afraid."

"Some of the things we see in our line of work tend to do that. Sadly, because Etta James had a fantastic voice."

"That she did.." Emma softly agreed. "But, no offence sir- sorry, Hotch- but where is this heading?"

"I heard you saying that you did not want to listen to anymore older music for a while, due to the bad memories linked to the music. It's understandable that your brain links these things, especially if you're decently new on the field."

"It's okay," Emma shrugged. "I figure some things will stick with me more than others."

"Probably." Hotchner nodded. "But, that doesn't mean that you just have to accept that it happens, not always."

"What are you.." She started saying, as music started playing.

"We also try to make plenty of happy memories here. So, if you're willing, let us make a happier one again, to older music as you call it. It's-"

"The Beatles." Emma completed his sentence as the song continued. "Revolution 1."

"Indeed," Hotch nodded, the corners of his mouth turning upward slightly. "So..?" He asked her, holding out his hand, to which Emma smiled brightly.

"I would love to." She grabbed his left hand with her right, placing her free hand on his shoulder as she felt his land softly on her waist.

For the next couple of minutes, she could not remove the smile of her face, as she danced with Hotch in his office.

He had been right.

This was definitely the happiest BAU memory she had made so far.

[frywrites]

Hi! I've been lurking on this side of tumblr for a bit, after I fell down a Criminal Minds rabbit hole again. I got ignited with an urge to write for the first time in a year, and since I can't write without sharing things immediately.. (This is also barely edited, so, uh, if anyone ends up reading this, I'm sorry.) Emma is an OC, no relation to the show's Blake - I got settled on the name and can't part with it.

*****

"You do realise that every single person behind those doors has seen you stand here for the last two minutes, right?"

Emma looked up at the man suddenly standing next to her. "Glass doors, I know," she smiled slightly. "I'm meeting-"

"Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner." The man quickly said, finishing her sentence. "You're clearly nervous, you've stood there adjusting your skirt 68 times. Also you're rehearsing what to say, which makes your mouth move slightly. And Hotch is interviewing candidates for the free spot in the team."

"Impressive," She said, nodding softly. "I guess I have to do the same to have a shot."

"Oh, no, no one on the team thinks like me." The man said. Emma searched for a sign of amusement, but the man seemed completely serious. "You can just go in. It's one of Hotch's tests. Assertiveness."

"I figured." She answered. "I just like to walk in prepared, whenever I can."

"I see." He nodded, one hand on the strap of his bag. "Well, good luck." Before Emma could thank the man, he had already walked inside. 

Okay then, showtime.

Emma opened the glass door and walked into the bullpen, her heels clicking on the floor. The room was a bustling mix of phones ringing, people typing and some conversations going on. It seemed like no one was paying attention to her arrival. The test.

She walked over to a desk. "Excuse me," she started saying to the blonde woman, but a voice sounded from across the room.

"Agent Blake." Emma looked up. Across to room, standing in front of a now open door, was a stern looking man, dressed in a suit, arms crossed. Ah, Emma thought, Test two. Emma turned away from the man, looking back at the blonde woman. "Apologies for interrupting, and thank you for your time." She smiled, before straightening herself again. One glance at the office told her the man had disappeared inside, the door still open. No biggie. Emma walked over, feeling like the clicks of her heels were the only sound on the entire floor. She kept her head held high, walking up the couple of steps, and knocked on the door, softly, once, twice.

"Unit Chief Hotchner?" She said, without looking inside.

"Step in." On command, Emma took three steps inside.

"Do you want me to close the door, sir?" Of course he does. But you're showing respect to his command.

"Please." Hotchner nodded shortly. He had taken a seat at his desk, busy reading a file, his elbows leaning on the desk. After ensuring the door was closed, softly, she walked over to the desk. He was focussed on the file in front of him, but nevertheless Emma kept standing, and held out her hand. Test three. Or was it already four?

Hotchner glanced at her hand for a second, but then stood up, shaking it.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner, nice to meet you."

"Agent Emma Blake. The pleasure is all mine. May I?" Emma responded, , nodding towards the chairs in front of the desk.

"Please." He said again, nodding, as he took a seat. "Did you find the place easily?"

"Everyone in this building knows where to find your unit, sir." Emma smiled. "Although the place itself can be a maze."

"Certainly." She let her eyes go over the man's face for any sign of amusement, but no luck. Maybe all the stories about the illustrious Aaron Hotchner had been true all along. "Thank you for agreeing to come for a meeting."

"Of course, it is my pleasure." She hadn't had to think twice about it when the request came to her. An interview for any other unit would have already been incredibly welcome. But the Behavioural Analysis Unit? That was something she had never expected.

"Why did you agree to interview?"

"The BAU has always been an interesting unit to me. Currently, my real focus does not lie on the why of a situation. In Surveillance, my main focus lies on the gathering of the information. I want to delve deeper. I want to delve into people's minds, finding out how they tick, and why they are driven to do the things they end up doing." It had not been a lie, not a complete one, at least. Emma would have loved to do more surveillance, more actual work, if she had been given it.

"And Chief Peterson?" Emma looked up at the man in front of her, but Hotchner's face was still unreadable.

"Chief Peterson leads his unit according to his best abilities, sir." 

"But?" For the first time, she saw a hint of amusement on Hotchner's face. Or, at least, she thought she did, as a split second later, any sign of it had disappeared. Nevertheless, Emma decided it was better to just share all the cards.

"Peterson's unit would work a lot better if he wasn't a misogynistic pig and let his female agents actually do their job, and not just bring his coffee and get harassed at work."

"Sadly, that is what I have heard about Peterson." Hotchner stated, and Emma swore she saw a hint of a smile again. "And I am sorry that you were assigned to his unit. Some of us are trying to get higher up to kick him out, but.."

"He has friends in high places." Emma completed his sentence, to which Hotchner nodded.

"You should be happy to hear that Peterson had no objection to any potential transfer." He stated. "In fact, he seemed happy to be rid of you." She couldn't help but to snort at the information.

"That is probably because I told him where he could crawl after he asked me to crawl under his desk. I promise it is not my usual reaction to authority."

"Just the shitty ones."

"Exactly." She nodded. She watched how Hotchner kept his eyes on for a minute, before closing the file.

"Alright." He said, a stock of documents at the desks corner closer. "I have three files here, completed cases that we have worked on. I have kept all the information needed to deliver a profile. You have until the end of the day to tell me how you would profile them. There is no right answer. Can you handle that?"

"Consider it done." Hotchner smiled at the answer, the first one Emma could actually fully see.

"Oh, and, Agent Blake?" He asked as they both stood up. "If you're not a match, I have arranged for you to transfer to another unit. Your stuff is already cleared out, and will be here for you at the end of the day." She frowned for a second at his words, feeling a slight tug at her heart, realising Hotchner was already looking out for her, despite not knowing her. She felt her shoulders sag just the tiniest bit, as she let her guard down, just slightly.

"Thank you." She softly said, before grabbing the stack of documents, and leaving the office. It didn't even take a second after the door falling into the lock for a man close to the office to speak up.

"Well, well," the man smiled brightly. "We've got a winner."

*****

Emma's heart raced as she looked at Hotchner, as he silently flipped through the reports. He had a slight frown on his face, but she could already gather this seemed to be a semi-permanent feature. She also knew he did not have to look through the files again. There was no way in hell a man so calculated, thinking through his every move, would give her random files that he did not know like his own back pocket. He was toying with her. She kept her eyes trained on his face, but glanced at the papers in his hands as he flipped through.

"You missed something." Emma looked at the photographs in front of him. "There is no way that the unsub acted in a rage. The murders had to have been planned meticulously to not leave any traces, any footprints, especially in such a remote area." The pictures in front of him showed pictures of the crime scene, the body, the area around it, inaccessible without leaving a trace. 

Hotch's trap.

"Not if the unsub was the police officer finding the body." Emma stated. "Plenty of time to cover everything up, and no suspicion on him. He'd had no motive. No link to the victims. Just pure rage."

Hotchner looked at her, face stoic, silent. They sat like that for a couple of minutes. Emma remained quiet, composed under his intense gaze. He then stood up, and held out his hand.

"Welcome to the BAU."

Emma first looked at the hand, and then lifted her eyes to the face of the man in front of her. The smile might have been faint, but it reached his eyes, the crinkles around it apparent. She quickly matched and superseded it, a bright smile appearing on hers. "Really?"

"Don't make me rescind my offer." He said, gesturing with his hand again.

"Thank you, sir," She responded, standing up and shaking his hand. A firm handshake, and his hands were warm. "I really appreciate opportunity." 

"I think you'll be a great fit." Hotchner nodded, putting one hand in his pockets. He nodded to the door. "As I stated before, your things were already gathered at Surveillance. You will find them in a box on one of the desks in the bullpen. I expect you here tomorrow at 8 AM sharp."

"Of course, sir." Emma nodded, smiling brightly. "Thank you, again," she added, before heading to the door.

"Oh, and Agent Blake?"

"Yes?" Emma looked up, the handle of the door in her hand.

"Please call me Hotch." She deemed it impossible, but her smile brightened a bit more. She nodded, before leaving the office.

*****

Hotchner walked towards the windows of his office overlooking the bullpen, his hands in his pockets. As if on queue, the different members in the team approached the young woman that would be joining them. Morgan patted her on the shoulder, seemingly congratulating her, Emily and Rossi asked her some questions while nursing a coffee, JJ and Spencer stayed back a few feet, talking to her, and Penelope rushed over and pulled her into a hug. 

He knew he'd been right. All the other candidates, they might have been smart, intelligent, capable. But they wouldn't match with the others. Not the way she would.

His eyes went over to the brown haired young woman, now laughing. She had seen through his every test, her eyes had betrayed her. But he had also seen through hers, when she had stood in front of the doors for two minutes. She had been testing them, had been testing him.

He smiled softly, shaking his head a bit as he sat back down at the desk.

Things would be getting a lot more interesting at the BAU.

(It took me like an hour to post this, someone remind me to never ever write dialogue with only shift enters separating them ever again.)