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(Here's a picture of little Maia! I'm excited to finally have a proper chapter ready to post)
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"Detective Ruiz?"
"That's right, call me Felix. This is my assistant, Maia Castellan."
He gestured towards me, and I gave a shy wave. "Hi."
"I'm Agent Hotchner. These are agents Morgan and Prentiss: Dr. Reid, Rossi, and Seaver." He introduced his team, each name sending a thrill through me. I've watched them on TV, solving cases like true badasses. David Rossi, especially—he's the reason I dream of becoming a profiler.
"Thanks for coming. As your tech requested, we moved everything from the station to the model home. Maia has all the files organized like a maniac, so any questions go to her." Agent Hotchner turned to me, and suddenly, all eyes were on me.
Oh my god, he wants me to talk now.
"Um, yeah, hi, I'm Maia," I stammered, feeling the weight of their attention. "I've organized everything by categories, like suspects and evidence, and there's a map of the area too. And I highlighted weak points in the security around the condo. I even included plans for the standard build of the houses and marked any changes the families made after moving in." After I finished, there was a brief moment of silence, and I wondered if I'd said too much or not enough. But then Agent Hotchner nodded in approval, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
"Like I say, maniac," Detective Ruiz quipped with a smirk, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. He'd certainly learned to be quick with his wit.
"Agent Prentiss and I would love to take a look around and get a feel for the area. We'd like to see the latest crime scene, too, if that's possible," Morgan said, his tone polite but determined.
"We'd like to see the latest crime scene, too, if that's possible," Emily Prentiss added, her presence somehow even more captivating in person than on TV. There was just something about her aura that drew you in.
"Of course. Let me just... Maia, can you get everyone situated while I'll walk them over there?" Detective Ruiz turned to me, and before I could respond, Morgan spoke up.
"Oh, we can find it."
I opened my mouth to offer my assistance, but Detective Ruiz beat me to it. "You sure? Maia wouldn't mind helping them set up inside; she probably knows where everything is better than I do. It is no problem for me to show you around."
"It's no problem," Morgan replied, and with that, he and Prentiss were walking away, leaving me and Detective Ruiz behind.
As the rest of the team walked inside, I couldn't resist teasing Detective Ruiz. With a playful slap on the back of his head, I said, "A maniac? Is that the best you could do?" before following him into the house with a mischievous smile on my face.
