#season 14 emily prentiss is just... wrong

[carsonsbackwardscap]

ok but what the wardrobe department did to emily prentiss should be a crime

[rachaelswrites]

Sense Memory

Emily Prentiss x daughter!reader

Based on Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 14 “Sense Memory”

Word Count: 1,495

Warnings: mentions of guns

A/n: Part of the Episode series

You were supposed to be in bed, not staying up and coloring with Sergio. Your mom was coming home from a case tonight and you wanted to finish what you were working on. You heard the door open softly and your mom set down her things. You quietly climbed into your bed, in case she came in to check on you. You pulled the covers over your body when you heard her footsteps were coming closer. 

She opened the door and peeked her head inside, “Good night Y/n, I love you.”

When you didn’t answer back, she assumed you were asleep and left the door ajar and went into her room. 

Sergio normally slept with you when Emily was gone. Now that she was back, Sergio jumped off your bed and ran into the hallway. 

“No!” you whisper shouted, “Serge come back!” you rolled out of your bed and followed him. 

He ran into your mom’s room. Luckily, your paths didn’t cross and she was in the kitchen now.

“Don’t go outside!” 

you hadn’t noticed the window was open until he jumped on the ledge and stepped outside. It was down pouring and you knew your mom wouldn’t want wet paw prints everywhere in the house. He came back in almost immediately and you scooped him up in your arms.

“You’re all wet. Momma’s gonna have to dry you now.” 

You carried him into the kitchen and set him down on the floor, “Hi momma.”

At the same time, Sergio jumped on the table, disturbing whatever she was looking at.

“What are you doing up? I thought you were asleep,¨ she picked you up and placed you on her lap. She noticed you were still wearing your day clothes. 

“Me and Sergio were making something for you,” you rested your head on her shoulder, “What’re you working on?” 

She moved the documents out of the way of the cat. She ran her hand down his back, feeling that he was wet. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked out the window. 

As if you read your mom’s mind, you explained why he was wet, “He went out the window.”

“What window?’ your mom set you on your feet and stood up and you pointed towards her room. Emily took a deep breath, “Why don’t you go to your room and get ready for bed. I’ll be there to tuck you in in a minute.”

“Otay momma,” you ran back into your room and changed into pajamas. 

You heard your mom talking to Sergio out loud, saying how handsome he was and how much she missed him while she was gone. You picked out a book for her to read to you. 

It had been more than a minute so you made your way into her room. She was just getting off the phone. She picked you up and placed you on her hip. 

“I missed you baby,” she kissed the top of your head and you buried your face in her neck. She could tell you were getting tired now. She put her hand on your back and rubbed it up and down, hoping to get you asleep soon. 

“Mmm,” you mumbled. You moved your arms around Emily’s neck, trying to get as close to her as you could. 

Emily went to put you to bed in your room but the phone rang again. She picked it up and checked the caller I.D. She didn’t answer and let it go to the answering machine. 

You lifted your head up when silence filled the room, “Why is no-”

“Shh,” she shushed you gently. 

You clamped a hand over your mouth, making Emily chuckle softly. The person on the phone hung up.

 “Who was it?’ you asked. 

Emily shook her head, ignoring your question. All that mattered is that she knew what that meant and that she had to make sure you’d be okay. She set you on the bed, “Stay here.”

You watched her leave the room and come back with things in her hands. She put them on top of the windows and walked back out of the room. 

You hopped off the bed and followed her. She went into the entryway and moved the table in front of the door. 

“What’s that for momma?” you were right on her heels and she didn’t notice until you spoke. 

Emily didn’t know how to explain what was happening to a four year old without scaring you too much, “It’s for a game we can play tomorrow,” she picked you back up and headed for your room. 

“Can we play tonight?”

“No, we can play tomorrow. It’s late and you need to be in bed,”

You pouted, “But momma-”

She was already putting you under your covers and pulling them over you, “Go to sleep Y/n,” she warned. She now had to think of something that would live up to your expectations, “Good night,” she kissed your forehead.  

“Good night,” you were still grumpy from the fact that you couldn’t play whatever game your mom was planning. 

Emily could tell you were upset about it, “Y/n,” she warned you again. She normally wouldn't get on you so much for your attitude but she had lots going on and didn’t really have the patience for it. 

You gave her your puppy dog eyes, your way of apologizing, “I wove you,”

She had to give you some credit, you were absolutely adorable, “I love you too,” she left your door open a crack, so she could hear if anything happened. 

She pulled one of the kitchen chairs to the center of the room. She pulled her gun out and turned out the lights. She didn’t hear any movements from your room so she was able to relax a bit. 

~~~~~

Emily had gotten called away on a case again and was gone for a few days. When she was walking in the hallway, she spotted a package at the door. She picked it up and unlocked the front door, flipping the lights on. She knew you were fast asleep, since she talked to you on the phone thirty minutes ago and you were already in bed. When she was gone, she had a neighbor check in on you and make sure everything was okay. Now that Sergio was here, she had a friend take care of him and check on you as well. 

She pulled out her gun and silenced the alarm she installed the day before she left. She walked down the hallway and her cellphone rang. It was Reid. She answered it while she cleared the apartment, making sure nothing was wrong or out of place. She went into her safe in the bedroom and pulled out an envelope. She hung up with Reid and walked back to the entryway table. 

She unwrapped the bow and lifted the lid off the box. She moved the wrapping paper and picked up the flower from the box. She knew who it was from and knew she had to get you and her out of there. She hurried into your room and gently lifted you from your bed. 

You were startled by the sudden change in your environment but calmed down when you realized you were in your mom’s arms. 

“What are we doing?” you asked sleepily. 

Emily felt bad for waking you but she had no choice, “We’re going somewhere else. Like a vacation. Just for a bit,” she moved her hand to the back of your head. 

“But I wike it here.”

“I know but it’s just for a bit,” she walked to the closet by the door and pulled out one of your bags. She always had a go-back ready for emergencies. She helped you put it on. 

“Serge?” she called out. She shifted you so she was carrying you with one arm and picked the cat up with her other. 

You made grabby hands, so she passed him over to you. He curled up in your arms and you snuggled into him. 

With her free hand, she tossed her own go-bag over her shoulder and grabbed her keys. She opened the door and let it close behind her. You moved your hand from Sergio to the collar of your mom’s jacket. You fumbled with it as she carried you down the hallway. 

“Momma?”

“Yes baby?”

“Are we otay?”

Emily sighed. She knew you would start asking questions and knew she would have to explain, “I just have to make sure we’re safe so we have to leave for a bit. But we’ll be okay,” she got in the elevator and pressed the button for the bottom floor. She brushed some hair off of your face. It was still messy from being woken up. She kissed you on the temple, making you giggle, “I love you so much Y/n.”

You leaned up the best you could and kissed her cheek, “I wove you too momma.” 

Taglist

@ssebstann @peachyprincessss @emmy-writes-sometimes @dudele @kerrswriting @laura-naruto-fan1998 @multifamdomfan12

[bludemons]

Hi! Could I request a Emily x fem (she/her) reader blurb? Basically it takes the evernts from season 14 ep:7. After the case Emily and the reader go visit Andrew in the hospital and Andrew try’s to hit on Emily and the reader gets all jealous. Just major fluff! Ty:)

27 minutes of jealousy (Emily Prentiss x Fem!Reader)

Summary: Y/N is jealous and Emily surprises her (don't wanna give to much away)

Warnings: case talk (s14 e7), a bit of angst, jealousy, fluff

Word count: 1770

A/N: This was requested by an anon and I tried my best. I guess it's a bit longer than it's supposed to be and a lil bit different but I really hope that you like it anon and thank again for requesting

This case was a hometown one. A pair of brothers, which you and the team had already profiled, were on a manslaughter spree, harming people with a machete. Dave, Penelope, Tara, Luke and you were stuck in the bareau as Luke was still in desk duty after what happened previously and you because your girlfriend, also known as Emily Prentiss, the Unit Chief of the BAU, said that she didn't need you out in the field. But was that really the reason why you were stuck at the office?

You thought about that a lot even though you tried to focus on the case. Emily and another FBI agent, called Andrew Mendoza, delivered the profile and of course you and your colleagues watched it live. You couldn't take your eyes off of your girlfriend but you also noticed how dangerously close she was standing besides Andrew. His eyes looked over to her every now and then, basically just checking her out, which of course made you angry but you couldn't do anything about it.

But when Emily actually called Luke, Luke who was still on desk duty, while you definitely weren't, to go out in the field to investigate with Spencer and JJ, you couldn't control your anger anymore. You slammed the file you were currently holding onto the desk in the conference room which caused Tara and Dave to look at you. "I can't believe her. I actually can't. He's still on fucking desk duty and she calls him to go out in the field. What's her problem? Am I not good enough or does she not want me to see her and Mendoza together?", you said as you started to breathe faster and more exaggerated.

Tara stood up and carefully put her hand on your upper arm, in a manner to calm you down, which didn't help at all. "Why don't we two go and grab some coffee?", she suggested and you agreed, maybe a cup of coffee would help your nerves to calm down.

About 45 minutes later, when Luke was already back at the office, he and Tara were called to go back into the field, together with Emily, Matt and Andrew. You knew you were acting against Emily's orders when you decided to drive with Luke and Tara. And to say that your girlfriend wasn't pleased with the situation was an understatement, she was mad, like really mad. She ordered you to stay behind at the cars with some other officers and the medics. You weren't happy with that decision but you also knew that it wouldn't end well if you didn't follow her orders again.

You were talking to one of the officers when you heard the screams of students but you still didn't move and waited for your Unit Chief to give you the permission. You didn't hear her say anything until she checked in with everyone else, trying to figure out what happened and then your earpiece went silent again. A few minutes later you heard her call for medics and you didn't hesitate to run with them, you just needed to know that Emily was alright. As soon as you arrived you saw her talking with Tara but you didn't hesitate running into her arms, almost tackling her down to the ground. She steadied you both and put her arms around you while you kept repeating that she's okay.

But Emily only held you for a few seconds before she removed her arms and went over to Andrew who was already laying on a gurney, talking to him. She didn't even say a single word to you, just leaving you standing there and talking to someone she just met. After the medics told both, Andrew and Emily, that he needs to go to the hospital now, she went back to you. "C'mon let's go with them. I wanna see how he's doing and he wanted to talk to me", she said as she walked towards the car. You stood there, in total disbelief, looking at her before you started to love towards the car too.

You settled down on the passenger seat, watching the landscape pass by, not saying a single word. Emily noticed that something was wrong with you but she decided to talk about that when you were back home. The moment your girlfriend parked the car, you went out and straight into the hospital, keeping as much distance to her as possible. Emily was fast to walk after you, keeping her tracks close behind you. Andrew had already texted her in which room he was. She walked there straight and again, not saying a single word. You heard a quiet 'yes' after Emily knocked, she opened the door and you both walked into the room. Andrew laid in the bed, shirt open and with a bandage around his lower abdomen.

"Hey you, how are you holding up in here?", Emily asked him while you just stood beside her, awkwardly staring at your feet. You felt utterly uncomfortable because you felt the tension between the other two people in the room. "I'm okay, the meds are pretty strong", Andrew laughed as he carefully held this stomach. "Well that's good. When do you get out of here? Cause I think you owe me a drink since I saved your life", Emily laughed as well, but you froze beside her.

Did she really just say that? You weren't sure if you heard the right thing, but as soon as Andrew answered her, you knew you heard it right. "Oh yeah, of course. Maybe even more than just a drink, maybe dinner too", he spoke more to himself than to Emily. That was enough for you, you lifted your head, shot Emily a glare and left the room without a word, maybe closing the door a bit too loud.

You had this feeling the entire day and now you knew that you weren't overreacting. Maybe you really weren't enough for her. Maybe she wanted a man and not you in her life. And maybe that man way Andrew. You slid down one of the walls with your eyes closed, burying your head in your hands. You entirely drowned out your surroundings until you felt a hand on your shoulder. It made you look up at the person standing in front of you, being surprised when you saw your girlfriend.

"Wanna tell me what's up with you?", she asked as she bent down to be at the same height as you. "It's nothing, it's stupid", you whispered, your gaze shifting back to your feet. Emily's hand reached for your chin, softly lifting your head causing you to look at her. "Something's bothering you, I know that and I've noticed that for some time now and whatever it is I wanna make it better. Did I do something wrong?", Emily sat down beside you, her hand now on your knee.

"Do you wanna go out with him? Do you wanna be with him and not me?", your voice was so quiet that she had trouble understanding what you were saying, but she still did. "Of course not, how could you think that? Yes, I did think about going out on a drink but not without you. You're my girlfriend and the love of my life, so please tell me how you could think that I want to go out with him", her words were genuine, she said the truth. A few tears found their way down on your cheeks. "You…", you sighed, "you didn't want me in the field today, even called Luke out to investigate while he's still on desk duty. And you delivered the profile with Andrew while he was basically checking you out in front of the whole city. Plus you barely talked to me and when Matt arrested the unsub and I was clinging in your arms, glad that nothing happened to you, all you cared about was him."

Emily's eyes softened immediately."Baby", her voice was the softest it's been all day, "I didn't want you out in the field because I know how you are, you do everything to keep everyone safe except yourself, and there were two unsubs with machetes on the streets. I just didn't want you to get hurt. And I know that this is not a reason to keep you out of the field, I really do know that but I especially didn't want you to get hurt today." You were barely able to make out what her last sentence was saying but you still could. "Why today? What is so special about this day?", you asked her.

"Because…", it was her time to sigh, "because I wanted to make today, the temporary, best day of your life. Well, not only yours but mine too", she grinned slightly. "Emily, what are you talking about? I really don't get it", you looked at her, noticeably confused. She looked at you for a second before she roomed around in her bag, getting out a small box.

No, no, no, no, no. This couldn't be true. This couldn't be happening. You had closed your eyes but when your girlfriend asked you to open them, you did what she asked you to. You opened your eyes, looking into hers, not daring to look down to the box in her hand. "I planned something completely different, a bath, dinner and a long speech but I think I can pass that now", she laughed. "I thought about this for a while, well more than just a while now, and I was waiting for the perfect moment to ask you but I guess there will never be this specific moment. So I'm just gonna do it here, in a hospital, on the floor. But, Y/N, you're the love of my life, my soul mate, you're the person I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have a family with you. So I'm just gonna ask you now", she chuckled nervously, "do you wanna marry me? Do you wanna become another Mrs. Prentiss?"

You looked at her, tears brimming in your eyes again, finally looking down into her hands, seeing the most perfect ring you've ever seen. You looked back up to her, the tears falling down on your cheeks while you nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, of course I want to", you tried to keep your voice as quiet as possible, still sitting on the hospital floor. She grinned, placing a quick kiss onto your lips before she literally put the ring on your finger.

[whump-my-dear-watson]

Febuwhump day 24 “Blood Lust”

Title: Erratic Actions

Author: whump-my-dear-watson

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Characters: Reid, JJ, Prentiss, Garcia, Alvez, Lewis, Rossi, Simmons

Episode setting: Sometime in Season 13 or 14 Warnings: captured, blood, torture, stabbed, restrained, so much blood, shot, character death,

Word Count: 4,600

A/N: This is basically if I had a chance to write an episode, this would be it. Literally. Also, this is me just making up for lack of overall MGG this season. If you can’t do gore, please don’t read! This gets pretty dark pretty fast. There are a lot of jumps in perspective in this one, I am not really good with that, so this is pretty choppy. 

“This Unsub is erratic. No method to his madness,” said Rossi directing his words to the group of police officers in front of them.

“This is what we call a spree killer, but a deviation.” entered Luke.

“Most spree killers kill hard and fast, with a gun or a bomb, but this killer takes his time, slowly bleeding his victims out.” JJ said, giving it off to Reid.

“Victimology of this unsub is random, leading us to believe that he just takes victims of opportunity. That means anyone could be a target.”

Tara took over, “We suggest that you inform schools and colleges to always walk with another person, and we urge families to have the whereabouts of their children at all time.”

“Children have not been targeted just yet, but that doesn't mean that they won’t be.” Emily wrapped up.

Emily turned to the team. “Rossi, you and Luke go and interview the first victims family, Tara, Matt, check out the latest crime scene,  Reid you interview the second victims family, JJ and I will handle the press and set up here at the station.” The team nodded their agreement and headed in their separate ways.

Reid hardly ever drove, typically he was always with someone who would drive, but today he was on his own. He contemplated driving himself, he definitely could, but he chose against it. He could use the fresh air, and the second's victims house was only 2.3 miles away from the station. Spencer tightened his strap on his satchel and pushed his way through the doors. His long strides brought him closer to his destination in no time, the repetitive motion of walking calmed him down, always had. He took in his surroundings and for a moment just closed his eyes, he forgot about the mystery, forgot about his pain, the unsub, it was just him and nature. The sun resting on his shoulders reflecting off his wavy hair. Reid’s gaze fell upon a white aging house in the distance, a quarter mile away he calculated.

Before his mind could make any other statistics he felt a flat pain on the side of his head, as his body crumpled to the floor his eyelids fluttered open and shut, just before becoming fully enveloped in the growing darkness he saw a hooded figure standing over his defenseless body.

Reid was awoken by the sound of a saw being sharpened, the course metal rubbing against each other sent a pain into his head.

Reid released a breath that he wasn’t aware that he was even holding, he groggily attempted to move his hands, only to be greeted with a tug on his wrists, looking down he observed his bindings, they were rope. Obviously, this Unsub is no master killer, but a killer none the less. Furrowing his brow he looked up trying to take in his surroundings, he was in some kind of barn, it looked unused. He lay horizontal on a wooden table, it’s coarseness already making him feel uncomfortable. The bulb hanging above his head lit up the room but brought back many unwarranted memories of his capture by Tobias all those years ago. Reid blinked his eyes shut and pushed away the memory, being stuck in his past would not help his now.

Reid kept his eyes closed for a moment if he focused on what he heard he might get a better idea on where he was. How long he was out he didn’t know, but he guessed that he couldn’t be too far away from where he was taken. His thoughts were hijacked by an unsavory voice, it was deep and scratchy, no doubt had been upon this world for many years.

“You’re up,” the figure stepped into Reid’s view, “Good.”

Reid gulped at the man came closer, his sweat now soaking through his collar. “Why, why am I here?” he said, his voice soft and timid. The Unsub sauntered closer to Reid, a grin plastered on his sleep-deprived face.

“You’re here because you’re going to help me.”

“Help you with what?”

“With my hobby. I just took it up recently, I can’t believe what I have been missing out on. You’re my next project.” The words the Unsub spoke sent shivers down Reid’s spine, as optimistic as he tried to be he could not stop the ever growing speed of his racing heart. Reid relaxed his neck onto the wooden table, it would make no sense to wear himself out by trying to keep himself upright. His head still throbbed from the hit earlier, and he didn’t know what he could do. His gun was gone, he was literally tied down, and he could feel another wave of unconsciousness coming upon him. He was in trouble.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * *

“Hey, Emily, did Spence get anywhere with the second victims family?” asked JJ approaching her friend.

Prentiss’ face contorted into confusion as she processed what JJ had just asked her. “I thought he had called you. I haven’t heard from him since this morning. Do you think he’s okay?”

JJ nodded hesitantly, “I’m sure he’s fine. Just forgot to check in. I’ll give him a quick call,” she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, speed-dialing Spence, after she reached voicemail she turned to Prentiss, a worried look in her eyes. “He’s not answering.”

Emily jumped into action “JJ, call Garcia, see if she can track Reid’s phone, I’ll contact the rest of the team, maybe one of them as heard from him.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * *

A cold splash of water brought Reid out of unconsciousness, his heart racing twice the speed it should he took a big breath, his body assumed he was drowning, but his mind was all too aware that this was just his wake up call, things were going to get much worse off for him.

Sputtering and shaking his head to get some of the drips of water off of him he looked up, his field of vision was restrained to what he could see above him, and if he strained his neck, a few feet lower on either side. Because of this hindering fact, he wasn’t aware of the knife until it penetrated his skin. The sharp pain of the blade shot through his body enforcing a loud gasp to cross his lips. Reid could feel his own hot blood ooze out of the gaping hole in his leg, the pain was immense and unrelenting, it would not let him think of anything else. Just pain. The Unsub came into Reid’s view, holding the knife that still dripped with his blood.

“Please, you don’t have to do this. I’ve done nothing wrong to you,” Reid pleaded.

The Unsub took a moment to reply.

        “I know nothing about you. And I want it to stay that way. You’re not here for me to get to know, you’re here to fill my need.” Reid’s whole body shook as the Unsub placed the knife down and picked up a saw from a nearby shelf, the battered condition of the rigid edges led Reid to believe that the saw had been used many a time before.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * *

“Okay, thanks Garcia,” JJ hung up the phone and looked Prentiss in the eyes. “Garcia pinged his phone, it has his location about a quarter mile from the 2nd victims family’s house. Apparently, he never arrived.” Prentiss nodded solemnly and checked her phone, the exact location was sent to her from Garcia.

“Tell the others to meet us there.” Upon arriving at the scene the team saw Reid’s phone and satchel lying abandoned on the sidewalk.

“Kid,” Rossi said, shaking his head in despair.

“Do you think it was the same Unsub? It’s his MO, taking someone random in the neighborhood and leaving their phones and bags,” said Tara.

Luke shook his head yes, “We have to assume that. And if this is the same Unsub, does he know Reid is an Agent? And if he doesn’t, what would he do if he found out?”

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * ** * * * * *

Reid inched himself away from the unsub as best he could in his binds, but the man just approached him calm as ever. He set his saw on top of Reid’s arm and it just rested there for a moment, unmoving. The Unsub seemed to relish in the fear that lay in his victim's eyes.

“Please, you can let me go. I’m sorry about all the things that happened to you.” Reid said, barely in focus, trying not only to talk himself out of this situation but also distract himself from the continuous pain that pulsed from his bleeding leg.

At his words, the Unsub shifted his weight. “How do you know that something happened to me?” Reid steadied his breathing as he considered his answer.

“I am a Doctor. I study human behavior. I know that someone that does... does the things that you do, they do it because they’re hurting. And I’m sorry. I know hurt too,”

At this, the Unsub’s demeanor completely changed. “You know nothing of my pain!” He shouted above Reid’s scream as he dug his saw into his arm drawing a rough red line of blood through his shirt sleeve.

Reid closed his eyes biting down on his lip to stifle the scream that the next swipe up the saw brought up, tears stained his face as he refused to voice his pain. It was the only thing that he had left. The Unsub wanted him to scream, so that was exactly what he wasn’t going to give him. The Unsub was hastily hacking away at Reid’s arm, not enough to sever it, but enough for him to wish that it was gone. Reid took in a big breath and let another one out. If he couldn’t put any pressure on the wound then the least that he could do was control his breathing. Reid suppressed a sob as the Unsub uttered the words he dreaded.

“Now we shouldn’t let your arm have all the fun,” In a swift movement the Unsub slashed at Reid’s chest, tearing through his cardigan and a layer of skin. Logically, Reid knew that by the speed of the Unsub’s movement and the level pain that he inflicted the wounds were only about an inch thick, but he felt as if his body were being torn in half.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * *

“If this is really the same Unsub than we have to assume that he’ll stick to his own time table. So far he has kept his victims for 24 hours, bleeding them out through a series of cuts,” Rossi froze for a moment, unable to stop thinking about his friend in that position.

“It’s already been at least 8 hours. We need to find the Unsub before...” JJ couldn’t finish her sentence.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * *

The Unsub set the saw down next to Reid on the table if he wasn’t so tired he might have thought to try to use it to break his binds, but his body was worn. And his mind was soon to follow. The Unsub picked up a machete looking tool that hung menacingly on the wall and brought it over to Reid’s face. His smile made Reid sick, but maybe that was also lack of blood that had him nauseous.

The Unsub took the blade and traced it along Reid’s face, outlining his jawline and temple, barely breaking the skin, just leaving a faint hardly noticeably line behind it. Reid recognized this as psychological torture, and he wouldn’t give the Unsub the satisfaction of a reaction. He just closed his eyes and tried his best to ignore.

The Unsub trailed the machete down to Reid’s abdomen and pointed the tip of the blade just right to not hit any necessary organs, not just yet. The Unsub raised his weapon and with a swift downwards motions he embedded the machete into Reid’s side. Reid couldn’t help but let out a loud gasp, another set of tears ran down his face, his breathing rate became more unstable and unsteady, a soft almost suppressed yelp escaped his lips, and the Unsub seemed to like his reaction, because he left the machete in him, which kept most of the blood inside his body.

How much time had passed since the initial abduction Reid could only guess, and he knew he only had twenty-four hours. His vision would come and go, enveloped in black as he passed out from pain, and unable to look away from the loose light bulb that hung directly above him was turning his vision spotty.

Brought back to attention to the unsub by the movement of the blade inside him he could barely get out a weak, “Please,” before the unsub ruthlessly yanked his weapon from Reid’s body, releasing another wave of blood and pain.

“Please,”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * *

“Okay. Let’s talk about what we do know. We know that the Unsub hardly takes anyone outside the neighborhood, that means he probably lives in the area, right?” offered Luke.

“And the fact that he is slowly killing his victims, and keeping them awake for the torture, confirms two things, that he’s a sadist and that he is somewhere where surrounding people couldn’t hear any screams,” said Tara as she handed out coffee to her team.

“Hey, Garcia, is there any home owned land with at least 25 acres  in this 10-mile radius?” Emily said on speaker. 

“Yes, there are 3 that I can see here, one owned by a farm, which is active, might not have luck there, another one was just inherited to a young family, and the last one is owned by a Jacob Hall, looks like he’s a single male, white, 40s to 50s...”

“Just like our profile! Garcia can you-” started Matt.

“Address already in your phones.”

“Thanks, Garcia,” said Prentiss as the team rushed through the door of the station.

“Emily? Bring him back home.” Prentiss could hear Garcia’s voice breaking over the phone, which almost brought out the sob stuck in her own voice, but there was no time for that.

“We will,”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dying didn’t seem a bad option now. If he was dead the pain would go away. And Mauve, he could be with Mauve again. As the delirium from the pain took over his rational mind he gave in to his innermost thoughts. Why should he hold on? Hold onto this world that only seemed to bring him pain? He had died before. For a moment. Revived by CPR by a man that died soon after. He was young then. Full of hope of rescue.

But you can only survive so long on pain and sadness. You can only see so many friends die in front of you, leave you behind. There is only so much one can take before they break. Why did he refuse to break? Why did he stay in the field, after everything he had gone through? Why not just leave now. No pain. No hurt. No pressure. The relief seemed so close, he could almost taste it. Reid closed his eyes and smiled at the thought of reuniting with Mauve. But there were voices telling him to hold on, it wasn’t Mauve's voice, it was a voice he had grown accustomed too, a voice that he had known for over a decade, his best friend Jennifer, and Penelope, Emily was there too, and Rossi. Then he heard it, a voice that he hadn’t heard in a while. “Hang in there kid. I’m here.” Derek Morgan’s calming voice faded from Reid’s delirious mind as he was brought back to his painful reality with a jolt from a slap. That mark was sure to leave his face red, Reid thought to himself, but then again he was probably all covered in red already.

“Hey. Stay awake. I want you to see this next part.” the Unsub now was holding a smaller knife standing over Reid’s bindings.

Reid could only shake his head, he was so worn he could no longer even tremble with terror. All Reid wanted to do was go to sleep. And maybe take a cold bath. His forehead dripped with sweat and blood and his wounds seemed to radiate heat.

The Unsub took Reid’s wrist into his own meaty hands and delicately started making a small slit, getting more aggressive and rougher with each stroke. Reid turned his head away from the Unsub, digging his face into the table, if he wasn’t looking, it wasn’t happening. That mentality didn’t last long as the pain made him only able to think about one thing.

Oh, how Reid wished that he wasn’t tied up. Then at least he would be able to wipe the blood that was dripping agonizingly slow down his face. His time was almost up. Reid could feel it. This was the end. He held on, for his team, but as he lay bleeding out on the table in a barn in the middle of no-where Wisconsin he realized that he was completely and utterly alone.

No one but his above average IQ to consider, no one but the murderer in front of him to see him take his last breath. The unsub took out his knife that he used first, and stood gleefully in front of Reid, his last stroke would be with the same weapon as his first stroke. Reid wondered for a bit if this was intentional, why he was thinking of such minuscule matters was only to distract him from his impending doom. Reid shut his eyes for what he assumed to be the last time. How he longed to see his team and his mother for the last time. He had faith in them, he had faith in the system, but after a lifetime of mystery and hurt, he had learned to never expect relief.

“Thanks for playing, boy,” The Unsub rose his weapon high above his head.

“FBI! Drop your weapon!” Prentiss shouted as the team burst through the old barn doors.

Reid looked up at his friends, and a smile of relief washed over him. They were here. Even if he died now, at least it would be with his family. The Unsub regarded the hoard of Agents that surrounded him, guns pointed. He glanced down at Reid, still bound by ropes on the wooden table, holes seeping blood from everywhere it seemed. All he wanted to do was see them bleed. See them all bleed. In a split second the unsub made his decision, with a wicked smirk he tilted the blade towards Reid’s heart and started to plunge.

In a moment the team rushed towards the Unsub and Reid, careful to not hit their friend they let loose on the Unsub, filling him with bullets. His downward aim already in motion he fell forward with the knife still on route to Reid’s heart. Reid gathered the information and processed, if he rotated to the right he would have more of a chance of making it out of here alive.

The knife again pierced his skin and the Unsub’s body lay atop Reid and it. JJ and Rossi rushed to him, ripping the Unsub away. JJ untied Reid and Rossi immediately put pressure on the deepest open wounds that he could find.

“Spence,” JJ’s eyes filled with tears as she saw her friend lay so weak and drained. Reid could barely look them in the eyes he was so tired, the latest stab wound taking the last bit he had left in him.

As his mind drifted off he mumbled a small, “Mauve,”

JJ’s brow furrowed as she held on tightly to Reid’s hand, for support but also to help his bleeding wrist.

“Spencer, you have to stay with us, okay? I’m sorry you can’t go with Mauve. Please, Spence, don’t leave me.” JJ was unable to stop the wave of tears that streamed down her face. “Don’t leave us. Think about your godchildren, Henry, Spence you promised him you would make it to his birthday next week. You can’t go.”

Wiping her face she rested her other hand on his heaving shoulder.

“You can’t go,”

“Don’t take the knife out!” Tara called out as she approached the wounded man. “That’s the only thing keeping him alive right now, it’s blocking the majority of the blood from coming out.” The others nodded in understanding as they all stood around Reid.

“Medics are on their way, is he conscious?” Emily inquired.

“I don’t-I don’t think so,” JJ said with uncertainty in her voice that made everyone feel unsettled.

“We can’t move him until they arrive,” said Luke.

“Is there anything we can do?” asked Matt.

“Try to stop some of the bleeding, and pray to God that they arrive in time,” said Rossi.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * ** * * * * * * * * * *

The sound of sirens blaring in his ears awoke Reid with a start, his vision was blurry and he could only see out of one eye, the other wrapped in a bandage. After blinking profusely to try to clear his head he looked around him. He was strapped to a stretcher in an ambulance, JJ was still holding his hand as an EMT applied more bandages to his body, a paramedic just inserted an IV into him, and whatever was in it wasn’t quite taking the edge off.

“Spence, you’re awake!” JJ cried with joy. He gave her a weak smile that morphed into a grimace as another wave of pain hit him.

“Sir we need to give you a transfusion as soon as possible, you lost a lot of blood. Do you know what blood type you are?” Reid nodded shakily, but his voice didn’t seem to work. JJ saw him struggling and gave the Paramedic the knowledge that she needed. Reid’s pulse was thready, breathing erratic, and concentration at none, but he couldn’t help but feel at ease knowing that his best friend was right beside him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * *

The next time Reid awoke he was surrounded by his team, some of them sleeping on the couch, some on the chairs, some slumped against the wall. The dim light of his hospital room led him to believe it had to be late night or early morning.

Sleeping upright in a chair inches from his hospital bed rested a head-to-toe in color, Garcia. She jolted awake from some six sense, sensing that he was up.

“Garcia? What are you doing here? Are we still in-”

“Wisconsin? Yes. They couldn’t transfer you in the,” she gestured at his patched-up body, “state that you were in. I flew down. I couldn’t let my boy genius be in a hospital without a proper gift-bag!” she grabbed a bright pink bag at her feet and shook it with excitement.

“But that can be for later, now, you just need to tell me how you are.”

Reid shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been better. What happened, exactly?”

“After the medics came they, uh,  pumped you full of blood, then you had to get emergency surgery for the...multiple stab wounds you acquired.” she shook her head at tears were starting to form in her eyes. “I just, can’t believe we almost lost you. Again. You have been in a coma for 2 days after the surgery, and honestly, the doctors didn’t know if you’d make it.”

Reid took in the information as he stared out at the rest of his slumbering team. “You mean they all stayed here, for me?”

“Spencer, none of us are going to let you out of our site again!” she said with a laugh, that must have been more than a whisper because JJ was soon awake and at his side, in no time the whole team was, showering him with love that was so absent from the barn he came from.

As hurt and pain-ridden he was, Reid couldn’t help but feel like the most blessed person in the entire world.

[caatws]

criminal minds!

i WOW A CLASSIQUE FANDOM

the first character i ever fell in love with: penelope garcia!!!!

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: hmm,,, probably hotch lmao (sry emily is just a Cooler Leader)

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: garcia/morgan

my ultimate favorite character™: EMILY MOTHERFUCKIN PRENTISS

prettiest character: JENNIFER “JJ” JAREAU

my most hated character: OH GOD fuckin,,, elle rly annoyed me when i was younger?? maybe bc she like Tried To Be Edgy but once emily replaced her we saw what a REAL edge queen was like

my OTP: fanfic converted like 14-15 year old me to liking jj/spencer a lot??? and tbh i still do????? like The One That Got Away kinda thing,, i’m not sure if i’d call them my otp tho....i don’t rly have one for this show tbh

my NOTP: i honestly never understood emily/hotch. also anyone/rossi is just Weird bc of the age difference and him being their like senior in a professional environment

favorite episode: omg 6x18 (lauren) and 9x14 (200) first come to mind......bc emily

saddest death: EMILY she literally faked her death 7 years ago AND I’M STILL NOT OVER IT. when she told reid, “you lost one friend, i lost six...” LKNDFBLKNDBSFKL I’M!!!!!!

favorite season: i think stuff from the middle is p good, like s4 thru s6 (until both emily and jj were gone) were honestly the strongest

least favorite season: anything pre-emily and post-emily jndbflfsdk

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: i don’t hate reid by any means, but i Can’t Relate to the obsession w him dsklfbn

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: emily bc she thought faking her death was ok!!!!!!!!

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: jj’s been thru a lot of shit let her Rest

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: hmm...i got nothin’!!!!!!!

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: probably jj/reid at this point

send me a fandom and i’ll tell you…

[dontshootmespence]

CM Finale Eps!

Okay, I’m finally watching. Here we go!

Mixed Signals:

Luke and Lisa. I thought they might have dropped this. They should. It sucks.

Tara is seeing Emily, she just doesn’t want to admit it XD

Targeting the temporal lobes...ew.

The things I would let Emily Prentiss do to me. Overshare? Probably. Do I care? No.

Okay, the guy is holding the side of his head, where he’s drilling the victims. 

They use Nietzsche quotes a lot. I approve.

Garcia is my angel and I will fight anyone who hurts her.

I miss my Reid, but I do like that the newbies are getting more face time, especially Tara, who’s actually been with the team for two years.

Also, I love how Emily says Tara.

Poor Emily. The husband is pissed.

Sometimes the CM writers get it wrong, Luke/Lisa, sometimes they get it so right - JJ and Matt pairing up constantly is A +

The unsub is finding his victims through the library?

I don’t think this is about money - too easy.

LUKE KNOWS SIGN LANGUAGE. OMG. I’M IN LOVE.

LUKE AND THE VICTIM WOULD BE BETTER ROMANTICALLY. FUCK.

I’ve heard of the hum. That’s interesting. 

I like this lady cop. 

I love Matt’s voice.

Garcia on nitro brew coffee XD “Cool story, bruh.”

Stabbed in the head with a drill multiple times. Unfortunate.

Called it. She killed herself.

Tara’s talking this guy down in a way that says PERSONAL. BACKSTORY. She’s crying. Tara backstory! Yes. Gimme gimme gimme.

Luke and Tara on the plane...gimme backstory. Gimme it now. Tara was married!! AHHHHH! Finally! Yes. Tara background. Aisha, I love you.

Believer:

Opening up with my man. Yes. He looks intense. I dig it.

His walk is like...he ain’t fucking around.

So Quinn was on a mission of some kind...

Baby, what are you hiding? Don’t do that again.

Okay, so Quinn was on the track of the cult, but he thought it was one “serial killer.”

Your Mom jokes. I love it.

The black on black on black that Spencer is rocking...yes.

I like the intensity.

Emily can see Spencer’s intensity with the case and she told him to stand down. THAT is a unit chief right there. She knows what’s up.

I like Rossi with the gray hair. It suits him.

WHAT IS THAT MARY WOMAN SAYING? 

FAMILY. THEY FIGHT.    :’)

Uh oh, Rossi doesn’t have a theory.

This Mary bitch gives me a bad feeling.

I like that this doesn’t make sense...I can’t guess what’s going on.

Emily’s haircut is bangin.

A serial-killing cult. Now that is fucked.

Quinn was trying to infiltrate the cult? Quinn is lying. Why you always lying? Is Quinn the new Messiah?

What does Quinn want Reid to do?

Spencer giving hugs. I love it. But why are you hugging JJ? What’s wrong? Something is wrong. UGH.

“Come at me bro.”

NO. Garcia. Baby. I know something is happening. I hate it.

I KNEW MARY WAS BAD NEWS

WELL FUCK IF THAT ISN’T A GODDAMN CLIFFHANGER!

Okay, Reid has been through enough. No cult. Let the team get there in time. Reid takes the shot on Mary and someone on the team takes the shot on the guys holding Garcia. This is an acceptable outcome with them tracking the cult throughout season 14.

Ugh.

And now we wait.

[csjolly]

Not CS related, but necessary rant on criminal minds cause I’m emotional. SPOILERS FOR SEASON 14 FINALE AHEAD !!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhh

Heck yea!!!!! I’ve been waiting for this forever !!!! I’m so psyched for season 15,,!! Don’t get me wrong- Moreid was my otp for a solid 2 years- but I’ve watched that ship sink with a wistful glance as Morgan left the show. THIS ship, however, HAS A CHANCE at sailing into the sunset happily in the last season of this incredible show that got me interested in criminal psych and made it something i want to study in college. 

im just ridiculously excited to see how this plays out over s15. My thoughts/questions/hopes:

- Will and JJ work so well together and undeniably love each other but with this bombshell i can’t help but hope that JJeid can work out somehow. Reid has always been so good to Henry and i wanna see more interactions with him jj’s littler boy, Michael.

-  Are they gonna bring back Morgan to say goodbye (and maybe lil Hank Jr because I’m dying to see how savannah and the kiddo are)? 

- Maybe hotch (and jack! I Miss those boys even after Thomas Gibson got kicked off the show, can they settle the differences to give the fans the proper goodbye that hotch’s character deserves)? 

- Are we gonna see Joy, so Rossi’s daughter gets to meet his new (old?) wife Krystal’s daughter (WHO I ADORE, BY THE WAY!! PORTIA AND JOY WOULD GET ALONG SO WELL)?

- Even KEVIN so Garcia can finally get the love she deserves? 

- Can we just see prentiss get married to SSA Mendoza already?? because the sexual tension between Emily and Andrew is driving me craZy and we’ve waited so long to see Emily happy. Let’s be real, those season 3 and 4 episodes where prentiss hinted that she might enjoy being a mother- that makes me so emotional tbh Mendoza would be such a good father and Prentiss would be such an incredible mother if her character still wants a family like that. 

- God just after everything that’s happened to Reid from maeve to the prison situation with Cat Adams and his mother, he just deserves to be so so so happy and JJ has given him that from the very beginning of the entire show. Even back to early seasons 1 and 2 when Gideon encouraged Reid to go after JJ but the poor boy genius never quite got there. 

IN SUMMARY: I’m so emotional about this, there’s so much this show has given me and all the other viewers and i can’t wait to see what this last season finishes with. criminal minds has a spot in my heart all the time always always always

[dontshootmespence]

The Old and The New

A/N: A request courtesy of @gublersmind for a fic based about 15 years after season 12. (I scrunched together a couple seasons so that the main characters could be the age that I wanted, so the time may seem a little off). Spencer, Emily, Penelope, JJ and Luke still work at the BAU and are looking for new recruits. Jack Hotchner and the reader are two of the people in the running (out of 20) for the 2 positions available. Both are in their early-20s and form a friendship through the process, which eventually develops into a little bit more. In this AU, Hotch retired to spend more time with Jack, they were never in witness protection. :) @coveofmemories

                                                              -----

If someone had told Emily that she’d been the Unit Chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit for more than 15 years now, she would’ve thought they were insane. But it was true. Nearly 15 years after Hotch retired to spend more time with his son, Emily Prentiss was still heading the BAU alongside her friends, Dr. Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau and Luke Alvez. While the five of them made a great team, they were all getting older and definitely needed to bring some new blood to the team. So weeks ago, Emily had opened up applications for two new positions. Although she was the head of the unit, she didn’t want to make this kind of a decision without the help of the rest of the team - it affected them too.

“I have it narrowed down to 20 names. I think I’m going to have them come in in groups of five and we’ll all take one under our wing during the course of a case. Then maybe we’ll narrow it down to ten, and then pick two?” she asked confused. “I don’t know. This is hard!”

JJ walked to Emily’s side of the desk and gave her a hug. “We’ll help. Don’t worry. Are there any that stand out more than the others?” 

“Two,” she said picking up the files. “Y/F/N Y/L/N. Graduated top of her class at both MIT and Harvard with Ph.D.s in psychology and English literature. She’s only 22 years old. Started college when she was 14 and completed her Ph.D.’s simultaneously. She’s also a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo. And the other is...” She pulled out the file and proudly said the name of someone they all knew. “Our very own Jack Hotchner.”

“Jack applied?!” Spencer asked in surprise. “I was almost positive that Hotch would’ve done whatever he could to talk Jack out of applying after what happened with Hayley.”

Hotch had tried. Oh man, had he tried. But Jack grew up watching his father be a hero and he wanted to follow in his footsteps. He’d also started college early, at 16, which the team was aware of. They knew he was on the path to pursuing law enforcement in some way, but they never expected him to apply for a position with the Bureau. Now 24, Jack had graduated valedictorian from Yale with a dual JD/Ph.D. His father had also been a lawyer at one point, so it felt right for him to pursue a dual degree. “The only thing I want to make sure of is that we aren’t persuaded because of the fact that we know him so well, so Luke,” Emily said, pointing at the newest of the five on the team (although he’d been on the team for 15 years now, he was the newest, as Garcia continually reminded him...”newbie”). “Luke, you only worked a couple cases with Hotch before he retired, so you don’t know him or Jack like we do. Make sure that we aren’t being persuaded because of who he is. Keep us in check.”

“No problem,” he replied. “But with a dual degree like that I don’t doubt he’d be an asset to the team.” Even if he didn’t know Jack, knowing he was a Hotchner was definitely something.

Given the large number of candidates they had, each of the five current members took four candidates to call, let them know that they would be called at some point to accompany the team on a case, along with four other possible candidates. They were to be told that there were 20 possible candidates and only two positions, so they all needed to bring it if they had any hope of joining the team. 

As the unit chief, Emily decided to be the one to call Jack. “Hotch?” she said, when Aaron picked up the line. “How’re you? We miss you over here.” It had been more than 15 years, but their old boss was still missed every day. 

“I miss you all too,” he said sincerely. “How’re you doing? Is there something you need help with?” Anytime someone called, he was afraid that one of the team members was in trouble. Despite his retirement, he would be there if it meant saving a member of his family.

“Nothing’s wrong, at all actually,” she said hesitantly. “It’s actually about Jack. You’re aware he applied for a position at the BAU?”

His heavy sigh on the other line betrayed his lack of words. He was very proud of his son, but he was also petrified for him. At 24 though, Jack was his own man and Hotch had to learn how to live with it. “Yea, I’m aware. He made the cut?” Not so much a question as a confirmation of his beliefs. 

Emily told him that of course he did, but Luke was going to be doing most of his evaluations because they all knew him too well. “I was actually calling to talk to him and let him know. Is he there?”

“Hold on one second,” he said, screaming down the hall for his son. Despite the fact that Hotch was scared for him, Emily could hear in his voice that he was proud of and excited for his son. “Here he is. Miss you all.”

“Miss you too, Hotch,” she said as Jack picked up the line. In her mind, Jack was still the toddler she met all those years ago, but the man’s voice on the other side of the line belonged to the same human being. “Jack, hi,” she said cheerfully.

“Aunt Emily,” he said happily. “How’re you? Dad says you’ve got good news for me?” She almost teared at the tension in his voice; he wanted this more than anything. 

When she told him he’d been accepted into the first round of candidates, she almost went deaf from the hooping and hollering that went on for nearly five minutes on the other line. It filled her heart with joy to hear him running around the house screaming, with Hotch laughing in the background. The team missed Hotch, but he was where he needed to be. His relationship with Jack had become even closer since he’d retired. “You feel better now?” she laughed. “I do have one thing I have to say about this whole thing though.” As much as she loved him, she couldn’t let him think that everything was made in the shade because he had an in with the Bureau; he needed to work his ass off for this. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“Myself, Aunt JJ, Aunt Garcia, and Uncle Spencer are not going to be the ones conducting your evaluation. You’ll be working with the one member of our team that you don’t know that well, Luke Alvez,” she stipulated.

Jack heaved a sigh of relief on the other side of the line; he had assumed something horrible, but this he figured. “Because the rest of you are too biased,” he replied. “I get that. I swear, Aunt Emily, I don’t want to get this position because Dad worked there. I want to be picked because I’m right for the job. I plan on proving myself.” He had worked so hard - studied day in and day out - this was all he wanted for years. He planned on earning it.

“Okay, kiddo,” she said happily. “Luke will give you a call when you’re to come in for a case. Since we have 20 candidates, you are going to be working a case with the team, as well as four other candidates, so come prepared.

After another scream of happiness on the other side of the phone, Jack repeated that he was going to make them all proud. When she hung up the phone, she stared out her office window. So much time had passed. So much had changed. When she started, she was working under Hotch. Now she was the boss and would be working with Hotch’s son; time sure flew by in a blink.

                                                             -----

It was nearly four weeks before Jack got called in for a case, but the morning he did, he had to cut his breakfast with a friend short. “Oh man, I finally got called in for a case, I gotta go,” he said excitedly, popping up from the table and grabbing Henry’s hand. He grew up alongside Henry LaMontagne, though he was a couple years younger than he. They didn’t go to college together, and even if they had, they wouldn’t have had classes together, but the two remained close through the years, and now Henry was about to start his practice in art therapy, specifically dealing with victims of violent crime. He was inspired by his mother, father, aunts and uncles as well, but in his own way. Michael on the other hand wanted to follow directly in his mother’s footsteps, but he was still in high school so JJ didn’t have to worry about that just yet.

“Good luck, man,” he said, bringing Jack in for a hug and patting him on the back. “You're gonna be great. You’re working with Luke right? Because you don’t really know him?”

Jack shook his head as he slapped the table in excitement and ran toward his car. “Catch you later, Henry! I’ll text you when I get back!” He’d waited so long for this. It was time to show his aunts and uncle that he was more than just Aaron Hotchner’s son.

                                                            -----

As he walked into the BAU, he remembered coming here as a child. For the most part, when he was here, it wasn’t anything good, but as the warm feeling washed over him, he knew this was what he wanted and where he knew he should be. Luke had been the one to call him, as his Aunt Emily had said, and told him to meet in the conference room. He also reminded him that at work, Emily, Spencer, Penelope and JJ were to be addressed by Agent and their last names unless otherwise stated. He laughed; it wasn’t like he wanted everyone to know that he had a personal connection to the team. That might lead them to believe he wasn’t truly qualified for the job. 

When he walked into the room, Jack found that he was the last one there. Two women and two other men around the same age turned around and introduced themselves. “Tiana Smith.”

“David Holden.”

“Dashawn Jones.”

“Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

“Jack Brooks,” he said by default. If he made it onto the team, he would eventually tell people that he was the son of the famed BAU agent, but until then he planned on using his mother’s maiden name. Quickly, he pulled out his phone to text his aunts and uncles that he used his mother’s maiden name.

“Hello, everyone,” Emily said as she and the rest of the BAU walked into the conference room. “My name is SSA Emily Prentiss and these are SSAs Jennifer Jareau, Luke Alvez, Penelope Garcia and Dr. Spencer Reid. Seems we have quite a few Doctors with us now.” She looked toward Jack, as well as Y/N and Tiana, both of whom had numerous doctoral degrees. “On this case, each of you will be assigned a cooperating agent and at the end of this case we will discuss among the five of us, if one or more of you make the cut for the next round of cases. That being said, Agent Brooks, you’ll be working with SSA Alvez. Agent Smith, you’re with me. Agent Y/L/N, you’re with Dr. Reid. Agent Jones, you’re with SSA Jareau. And Agent Holden, given your specialty in cybersecurity, you’ll be with SSA Garcia.”

Each of the new candidates introduced themselves to their cooperating agent, but only briefly. They did actually have a case. And they all needed to get to work. As Jack sat down at the table, he wondered whether or not he was completely out of his league - and he also couldn’t help but notice how cute his Uncle Spencer’s assignee was.

“We are headed to the land of corn fields, corn fields and more corn fields,” Penelope said. “Now, I know what you’re all thinking. That could mean any number of states or cities, but in this case, I am referring to Iowa, specifically Cedar Rapids, where two officers from the city’s police department were found sleeping with the fishes.”

Y/N blurted out without thinking. “Don’t tell me they were given cement shoes,” she said in disbelief. “They were?”

“Basically yes, oh young one,” she said without missing a beat. “They were weighed down with cement blocks and dropped into Lake Red Rock nearly two hours away, but the reason they are calling us in is because this type of death is most commonly associated with the mob, but there is next to no trace of any mob in that area. Election time is up-and-coming however, and the Cedar Rapids department got a strange message that points the finger at a politician as the perpetrator.” With a flick of her wrist, she pointed her hand back at the screen to play the message.

Your cop killer is a politician. Everyone is trying to cover their asses, but the man you’re looking for has a lot of money, a very shady past, and aspirations to become president. If someone doesn’t catch him soon, he’s going to buy and kill his way to the top.

“That is weird,” Jack said out loud. “Oh sorry.”

“No need to be sorry,” Emily said. “You’re here because you are qualified. We want your input. Everyone. So don’t be shy.” Looking around the room, she could tell off the bat that some were going to be more willing to speak up than others.

“This is a unique case in an unlikely area,” she said, standing up from the table and motioning towards the five young candidates. “And it’s a big one. Political corruption is nothing to sneeze at. Am I clear when I say that you are to listen to your cooperating agents at every turn? No going off on your own?” she asked.

A round of “yes ma’ams” made their way around the room. “Okay. We’ll discuss victimology on the plane. Wheels up in 30.”