Fifty Ways to Love You - Emily Prentiss x OC

5. ezekiel jackson, serial killer

(trigger warnings: sexual harassment, panic attack, mentions of torture and rape)

"I've got eyes on Karimova and Jackson."

Hotch's voice buzzed in the comm in my ear. The team knew not to say much so I wouldn't be distracted. I wore a black cocktail dress and a store-bought smile in the darkened bar. Ezekiel Jackson, our unsub, was hitting on me just like we planned. All I had to do was aggravate him or get his confession.

"So, Addison," he said to me, "what do you do?"

"I'm a realtor," I replied with ease. "And you?"

"I was in the army. Kind of in between jobs at the moment,"

"Ah." I nodded. "Thank you for your service." Ezekiel smiled and nodded. The woman he'd killed had all been in my position. I was not to give him the time of day. He would get angry and we could get him.

He tried to get closer, so I turned my back and looked at the bartender. "Uh, one Coke, please," I requested.

"Make hers a rum and Coke. I'll take the same," said Ezekiel with confidence. I turned around and smiled in feigned unease.

"Uh, I just wanted a Coke,"

"Hey, I'm treatin' you to a drink, at least have the courtesy to say 'thank you'." I laughed uneasily. No words left my mouth and I saw the aggravation in his eyes. A muted fire burning, until he found his handle on it.

His teeth stayed clenched together while his left hand grabbed my breast and his right groped my genitals. "Fucking say it."

We profiled a hair-trigger temper, but I didn't foresee it being this severe.

The voices of my team went in one ear and out the other. I looked at Rossi and said, "I'm going to the bathroom." He asked if I was okay, but received nothing in response.

In the bathroom I leaned against the wall and shook, burning tears in my eyes. "No, please, no..." I wept.

I'm shaking and crying and I'm a twenty-something who doesn't know how to handle whatever's just happened to her. I've just been tortured and raped for three days and I need to go to the hospital and I don't know what to do.

"Can I put my hand on your back, honey?" Emily's soothing voice somehow breaks the barrier. I face her and she seems terrified for me. Heartbroken. Did I do this to her?

Her careful hand rubbed my upper back. "Hey, hey, Galina, let's take some deep breaths together, alright? Can we do that, you and me? In...and out...good job, good. In...out..."

She punctuated the breathing with reassurances. "You're safe", "you're doing great", "perfect, Galina".

My heart slowed and Emily kept rubbing my back. "Thank you, Emily," I said. I attempted a laugh and wiped away my tears. "I'm sorry to be such a hassle,"

"Stop apologizing, Galina. You're not being a hassle. I've got you. You wanna go back out? We're gonna drive back to the station, finish up, and then we're going home, alright? Let's do that." Emily led me out, her hand still on my back.

-

The flight home was...odd. I couldn't sleep, per usual. Tonight, though, Emily was sleeping soundly. She surely needed it.

I wouldn't go shoot the shit with Hotch or Rossi, how awkward would that be? So I sat with Spencer, the only other person left awake. He was across from me, reading a book. Seeing my anxiety, he asked, "Galya? Are you alright?" I met his gaze.

"Hmm? Yeah, Spence, I'm good,"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "What happened tonight? Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, not really." He understood.

"Okay. Do you need me to come over tonight?"

"No, Spence, I'll be fine. Thank you, though. I'm lucky to have you, Spencer." He shone his frog smile and returned to his book.

I kept looking over at Emily, knowing no one would catch me who might cause a problem. "You really like her?" Spencer wondered quietly.

"What? Who?"

"Emily. You're attracted to her?" I shook my head and furrowed my brow in confusion.

"No," I chuckled. "Why?"

"Your behavior's different around her. It could be a lot of things, but I think the most likely is that you're attracted to Emily." I smiled and rolled my eyes at him.

"For a profiler and a literal genius, you can be pretty off-base sometimes. Not often, but sometimes,"

"Actually, I don't think I am. Not this time, anyway— I think you really do like Emily." I stared at him. "Fine," he said.

"Okay, you're right," I blurted. "But you cannot tell anybody, Spence. Just let me deal with this, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded solemnly, but cracked a smile before returning to his book.