From Victim To Hero: A Criminal Minds Multi-Fandom FanFic

Another victim

"How you holdin' up?" Spence asks me when I walk back into the station.

I scan the area for listening ears.

Finding none, I answer quietly "My foot's fine, I just wish Hotch would stop sending me to talk to the families."

He nods solemly "I don't envy you but it's better they hear it from you rather than with everyone else who watches the news."

"I know, I'm being selfish."

"Something we rarely get to do in this job."

"Are you trying to scare me off?" I question before quickly adding " 'Cause it's not working."

"I'm just telling you the facts." he says without a smile.

"I know. Just trying to lighten the mood."

"Another thing we often can't afford to do."

"Are you mad at me or something?"

"I just think you should think more in terms of what's best for the team and victims instead of what's best for you."

He looks regretful imediately "I'm sorry, I sound like Hotch."

"No, you're right and as long as I keep acting like this there's no way Hotch is going to let me stay. Can you give me any advice?"

"Talk to Morgan."

"But-"

"I'm not telling you to forgive him, but he is an important member of this team. You don't have to be his friend, just his co-worker."

"Fair enough."

"He finaly smiles, at ease "I was worried that you were going to be mad at me."

"Don't worry, I actually don't get mad at people that often. When I do though it's full blown flip out time, but you already know that."

"Exactly why I want to stay on you're good side."

"Smart boy."

"Indeed." says the voice of Morgan from behind me.

I turn to my left when I leave so that I don't have to make eye contact with him.

"Where is JJ anyways?"

I jump, not having known Spence was following me.

"Controlling the leeches."

He looks at me confusedly as my face reddens and I mumble " I meant controlling the press."

"Interesting comparison."

It slipped out. Don't tell Hotch."

"No problem."

I sigh "Thank god I didn't say that to Hotch. That would not have been good."

"We're not all big fans of the media, Hotch included."

"That still doesn't nessisarily mean he'll be impressed."

"There's been another body found." Hotch says as he walks in "a man in his late twenties. His body was ripped to shreds."

"Do we know if it's the same unsub?" Morgan, who's right behind him, asks.

"There was a note." JJ, who had only heard the last part, tells us.

We all look at her with a question mark in our eyes.

"A reporter ran the story before I could stop him" she explains.

Hotch turns around for a moment, as if to compose himself. Spence and I lock understanding eyes.

"It's still not over." Hotch tells us, his back still turned.

"Wasn't the note the last of the poem?" I ask.

Hotch turns to look directly at me "I guess the unsub had the same idea as you guys." we look at him blankly "Split it into three."

"Oh God." I hear Garcia say from the phone I hadn't noticed in Morgan's hand.

Evidently, I wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed it, at least if JJ's almost inperceivable twitch meant anything.

"Garcia, can you search up males in the area with assault charges?" Hotch asks her.

"I can but I'm going to need something to cross-check it with if you don't want a list of thousands."

"Single out the cases involving a woman."

"Still in the hundreds."

"What if you only look for the ones involving another guy?" Reid asks quickly.

"Suddenly it's down to seventy-four."

"That's still too much." Hotch says.

"At least it's a start. Now we can check any suspects against that list." Morgan points out.

"We still need the suspects first." Hotch says, being the eternal pessimist "We should give the profile out."

"To the police or public?" JJ questions.

"Just the police and victims loved ones for now, we don't want the public in more of a panic than they already are."

As we walk out I lean towards Spence "What profile?"

He opens his mouth a few times like a fish out of water. I wait expectantly.

"I guess we're kind of in sync when it comes to knowing what the others are thinking. Listen to what Hotch says and you should understand."

"Okay...." I say slowly, dragging out the A " just tell me what made you say another guy was involved."

"I did a little research and learned that the 'Twilight' series has a big love triangle factor so I thought, if the killing is based off the books..."

"The unsub was or is currently in a love triangle, You're a genius!" I exclaim.

"I'm really not big on lables."

"Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them."
Albert Einstein