∗ ࣪ ˖༺ violent delights ༻˖ ࣪ ∗

allow the voices in

the group gathers their go bags and heads to the jet. i sit down by the window, away from the circle where the others usually sit. it's comforting to have that small space to myself. i watch out the window as we start to take off, feeling the hum of the engines through the seat.

"hey, how you doing?" emily asks, sliding into the seat next to me. she sounds genuinely concerned, but i'm not really in the mood for deep conversation. "fine, happy to be back." i say, eyes still on the window as the plane lifts into the sky. "you know, if you need anything, you can call me, right? anything." emily says, and i feel her eyes on me, watching for any sign that i'm not okay. i sigh, offering a small smile. "yeah, i know. thanks."

emily nods, giving me that look of understanding before hotchner calls us over for another briefing. i take a deep breath and get up, joining the rest of the team. "good to see you, madelyn." rossi says as i sit down across from him.

"you too." i reply, feeling a little more at ease now that we're back into the flow of things. i glance over at reid, noticing his knee in a brace, crutches leaning next to him. "reid, what happened?" i ask, gesturing to his injury. "i was shot a couple of cases ago, fractured my femur." he says like it's a badge of honor, excitement clear in his voice.

"oh wow, i'm sorry." i say, glancing at the crutches. he shrugs it off like it's nothing, and i turn my focus back to the case as hotchner starts laying it out. "our unsub, darrien call, has no driver's license, so he shouldn't be too hard to track. it's likely he'll be using public transportation." hotchner explains, his voice a little off, something i can't quite put my finger on.

"he wouldn't take the bus if his face is everywhere." emily says, leaning forward slightly. "has anyone found a stressor?" i ask, trying to focus on the task at hand. "he just lost his job," garcia chimes in through the screen. "he's been working at the same factory since 1990, making appliances. no promotions, no raises, just stuck in the same position all these years." "that's a long time to be bitter." i comment, flipping through the files.

the plane ride continues with us discussing more about darrien call. garcia finds out he's been staying in a shelter—no family, no ties to anyone. just pure anger and resentment. his first victim, the stock boy, was a proxy for someone in his life, and we're all on edge trying to figure out who that person might be. he's got endless targets and the means to keep going.

the plane touches down, the landing feeling more abrupt than usual, and we split off into different suvs. i end up riding with emily and jj, the tension in the air thick as we head toward the field office. "did something happen while i was gone?" i ask, breaking the silence. i'd noticed his demeanor, something a little off, but i didn't know what it was.

emily and jj exchange a look in the rearview mirror before jj speaks. "we had taken up a cold case, one hotch worked on years ago—the unsub broke out of prison after we caught him." jj explains, her voice soft. "holy shit," i mutter, my stomach flipping. "did you find him?" jj shakes her head. "no, he's still out there." "damn, what's he gonna do?" i ask, feeling the weight of the situation. "we don't know," emily says, glancing at me. "hotch hasn't really talked about it with any of us."

i think back to last night, when hotchner showed up at my apartment. "hey, real smooth sending him up to my place last night to try to get me to come out for drinks. you could've sent the president, and i still would've said 'no.'" i joke, trying to lighten the mood.

emily looks at me, confused. "i didn't call hotch last night. he never comes out for drinks with us." my brow furrows. i play it off like it's no big deal, but something about that doesn't sit right with me. maybe he was checking in, perhaps he was worried about me coming back after medical leave. either way, i decide not to bring it up again, especially not with everything he's going through.

we arrive at the office and get situated in a back room, with local pd waiting for us. the case is moving fast, and the sooner we figure out darrien call's next move, the better. the head detective lays out his cruisers' checkpoints, detailing where they've stationed officers in hopes of cornering darrien call without incident. jj pins up the crime scene photos, victim profiles, and call's pictures on the bulletin board, filling it fast. the detective sends his officers out, adding pressure to the search and hoping to quickly bring call in.

i watch as reid and jj talk to the detective, discussing the next steps. it's clear they've got a system, but something feels off. glancing around, i realize the rest of the team isn't there.

overhearing jj, i catch her explaining that they're already at the crime scene. that's why they've split up; hotchner, emily, and rossi are at the pharmacy, trying to figure out more about what triggered call.

jj starts playing back the security footage for the detective, reid, and me. the grainy video shows the moments leading up to the attack. we watch as the stock boy, seemingly innocent, touches call's shoulder—just a light tap—but call reacts violently, lunging at him without hesitation.

"that touch set him off." jj says, pausing the tape. discussions roll on between the agents and the detective, theories being tossed around about why that interaction was the breaking point. the tension in the room thickens as they quickly conclude that they need a press conference to alert the public. jj calls hotchner, coordinating the effort to get a message out and hopefully bring in call before more violence erupts.

meanwhile, over at call's apartment, prentiss and the others are digging deeper. she points out something that raises suspicion: despite living only five minutes from the pharmacy, there's no sign that call returned home to wash off the blood. his apartment looks untouched—his bed is neatly made, almost military precision, but there's no record of him having served. prentiss and rossi exchange looks, wondering if there's something else they've missed about his background, rossi comments on possible hospitalization.

they make a note to ask garcia to look into it, hoping to uncover any hospital records or treatments that might shed light on call's mental state. regardless, the team is now focused on finding a crack in his routine. people like call stick to patterns, and it's only a matter of time before they find his. as the team discusses all the new information, rossi and emily head over to the therapist's office. the two race to the office, knowing time is of the essence.

in the office, darrien is having an absolute meltdown. he rips off his shirt, breathing heavily, his eyes wild. suddenly, another patient, wanting to be a hero, rushes at darrien. he shouts, but darrien reacts instantly, stabbing him before anyone can intervene.

when the team arrives, the scene is grim. the therapist's office is empty except for the body of the valiant patient. hotchner steps outside, frustration evident in his stance. "he came here for a reason," he mutters, running a hand through his hair. "we just missed him."

"sir, we'll find him." i say, as he storms off to the SUV. back at the field office, hotchner, prentiss, and i gather around the monitor. as we replay the video, i notice something. "wait, look at his eyes—he's blinking really fast. isn't that a sign of long-term antipsychotic use?"

hotchner's brow furrows, and he clenches his jaw. "how did i not catch that?" he grumbles, clearly beating himself up. just then, rossi approaches, a file in hand. "garcia has something for us." he says, urgency tinging his voice. during a conference call, garcia's voice crackles through the speaker. "so, here's the deal: in 1975, a six-year-old darrien call was found roaming the middle of nowhere and taken in by the state. there's absolutely no record of him before that—no birth certificate, no social security, nothing."

"so he just... appeared?" prentiss asks, disbelief creeping into her tone. "no one claimed him?" "exactly," garcia replies, her voice tight with concern. "and he doesn't remember anything from before being taken in." jj furrows her brow, considering. "maybe he wasn't even from this area," she suggests. "it could explain why he's unravelling now. he has no roots, no connection."

i nod, piecing it together. "he's been a ghost, drifting through life. it might explain his desperation." "we need to dig deeper," hotchner says, determination creeping back into his voice. "if we can find out more about his past, we might be able to understand why he's acting out like this."  the team nods in agreement, the weight of our task still heavy but now with a clearer direction.