Eau De Sang-- Emily Prentiss x Reader

chapter six

At eight in the morning, the sun was just beginning to glow into the clouds, not quite breaching the horizon, and the BAU was already hard at work. News had come in overnight that two more women had been killed following the unsubs' northern trajectory. Hotch had decided within ten minutes of receiving the new information that the team needed to relocate and would fly to Spokane, Washington. It was of the utmost importance that the team be as close as possible to where the next kills might occur.

On the tarmac, four black cars were waiting, a bit smaller than their usual vehicles. Standing close to Emily, you could feel anxiety radiating from her body. It was almost like something was thrumming with energy, coursing through her veins that she could not shut off. Before Hotch could rattle off assignments, she walked up to him, leaving you perplexed in the lineup. It was quick, but she leaned in to quietly murmur barely a sentence with the only response being a nod of the head from Hotch.

"Okay, team, we are going to do things a little differently today. We are going to be splitting up into pairs for our assignments and traveling to some different towns all within a 90-minute drive of each other. Our primary goal today is to analyze crime scenes for more information on where these unsubs might be heading. The goal is to reconvene as a group in the town we think will be closest to where he will strike again," Hotch said as he passed out case files and town names to each of you: Derek and Spencer; you and Emily; JJ and Penelope; and one kept for him and Rossi.

"JJ and Garcia, I need you to stay behind in Spokane so that we can make sure you have reliable connections and means of communications with the bureau, other departments, and hopefully with us," Hotch continued when Penelope looked frightened to death of the possibility of heading into the field with the communications liaison. "The rest of you, be careful, get information, and absolutely do not under any circumstances go into a dangerous situation without waiting for backup. The cars all have satellite phones in them, there is no excuse for you to put yourself in harm's way, am I clear?"

The whole team nodded and dispersed, you and Emily sent on a quest to Priest Lake, a small town surrounded by even smaller towns. Hotch told you that you were to go and interview a handful of people in the town and end up at the small country store where one of the latest victims had been employed. By the time you made it to your last stop, you and Emily were frustrated because you hadn't found a single piece of helpful information. The shop was your last-ditch effort at trying to learn anything useful about the unsubs.

The store was larger than you anticipated but still had the home-y feel that made small-town vacations feel so intimate. But, when you looked out of the corner of your eye at your partner as she walked with you towards the sales counter, there was a layer of exhaustion there that was deeply etched into her features. You couldn't help but touch her hand and give her a look that asked, "are you okay?"

Emily nodded her head, straightening her top just a little, and stood up straighter. It almost felt like you had caught her with her hand in the cookie jar the way she completely changed her demeanor, returning to the professional, lively woman she normally was. Her embarrassment was palpable in the small space between your bodies.

"Hi, how can I help you ladies?" a friendly woman in her late-60s asked from behind the counter.

"Hi there, we're with the FBI and are doing some investigating into the murder of one of your employees," you said while you and Emily flashed your badges. "Charlotte Danes?"

"Ah yes, the poor dearie," the woman said, a little wobble in her voice. "I loved her like a daughter, she was such a sweet girl."

"We were wondering if you could tell us any information about Charlotte, like where she liked to hang out, the kinds of people she spent time with, anything you can think of," Emily said, leaning against a pillar that held some tote bags on the opposite side.