❝ But I'm only human
and I bleed when I fall down ❞
The Behavioral Analysis Unit team around Aaron Hotchner gets called in to assist on a serial killer case in New York where they meet the young and surprisingly talented Special Agent Skylar Brown...
!TW: blood, murder, gun violence, hostage situation, attempted murder, mentions of rape, mentions of child-abuse, mentions of abortion, homophobia and there's also church!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"There's no evidence in her apartment that would suggest where he took her," Derek told Emily once they all got back to Quantico.
Garcia had a sleeping Oreo on her lap, her fingers clicking a steady rhythm on the computer in front of her.
"She probably didn't even know he was there. The alarm was off. My guess is she came back to get her cat because we were all focused elsewhere. Joshua lured us into a trap to catch her at home. He planned it all out."
"Yeah, he must've stalked her for weeks," Emily agreed. "Garcia found a trojan on both her laptop and her phone, we just can't prove if it's from him."
"Can you trace it back to the source?" Hotch asked.
Penelope nodded. "Currently on it, sir!" She said.
"So if Agent O'Mally hadn't contacted Sky, this guy might've still tried to kidnap her?" Spencer asked from his spot on the couch.
Emily nodded. "Probably. I mean, this was months in the making, at least. The investigation was just the trigger."
Hotch crossed his arms. "Good news is, if he planned this for so long, he won't kill her. At least not now," he said. "Buys us some time."
"What if he escalates?" JJ asked. "I mean, he's a psychopath. Can we really trust the profile? Isn't it at least a possibility that he could snap if she says the wrong thing, if she refuses to please him? I mean, he thrives on pain and resistance. If he doesn't get that, I-"
"There's no way to be sure, but I hope it's true. We can't lose our heads now, JJ. Especially not now."
"So is everything we do based on hope lately?" Spencer asked in disbelief.
"Not entirely," Garcia spoke up. She turned the laptop around, careful not to disturb the sleeping kitten. "I traced the trojan back to his laptop in a hotel here on 15th street. I checked with the records and the room was booked under the name of one Leonard Basset. Once Sergeant, then Captain and now retired from the military forces."
"Leonard Basset," JJ repeated. "Wait, wasn't that also Sky's supervisor back when she was still in the Army?"
"He was the reason she lost the case," a voice said behind them. They turned around. Michael stood in the doorframe, his suitcase trailing right beside him. "He threatened to ruin my career, that's why I chose his side back then. I should never have listened to him. Now my daughter's in the hands of that- that rapist again! It's, uh, it's my fault."
Hotch shook his hand. "Thank you for coming, Michael," he said.
