Criminal Minds Series Rewrite: Season Two

Lessons Learned: Part One

"Some of the best lessons are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom of the future." - Dale Turner

You were right, the dark-haired woman you saw before the last case was the woman who is going to replace Elle. Her name is Emily Prentiss, and from the looks of her resumé, she is more than qualified to do the job here. No one knew she was transferred over, so you have no idea what happened there, but you're excited about new blood.

She got here early to try and make a good impression on the head bosses, but they aren't even here yet to start the briefing. The only people who are in the room are you, Spencer, Penelope, and Emily. She is nervous, you can tell that much, but she is happy to be here. She and Penelope have gotten off to a great start because as soon as Emily walked in here, Penelope started talking to her as if she's known her for her entire life.

You might look like a creeper, but you're staring at Emily trying to get a better read on her. She's definitely been through some shit over the years and has seen more death than most people in here. Not as much as you, but close enough. There's something about her that tells you she is trying to get away from her past and start new. Who are you to deny that for her when all you've ever wanted was the feeling of starting over without these abilities of yours.

"Sorry, I'm taking up all your time. This is Spencer, the resident genius and she is Y/N, the on-call psychic."

"Genius? Psychic?" Emily chuckles.

"I have an IQ of 187, I can read 20,000 words per minute, and I have an eidetic memory."

"And I'm so proud of him because of it," you grin and kiss his cheek.

"Are you two together?"

"Yeah, for about a year now."

"What did she mean by 'on-call psychic'?"

"I am an empathic psychic. I connect with the spirit world as well as people's emotions and feelings. I see the world with energy and auras. I can see the dead which is how I help this team. Spirits look to me to bring them justice, and I just hope to deliver that."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"All my life. I was born with this gift. Most people, if not all, see the world through normal lenses. I just have antennae strong enough to pick up spirits."

"That must be really hard."

"Yeah, that's an understatement," you chuckle. "I'm old enough to learn how to manage it. Plus, I get to help others, so it's a win in my book."

"How do you see me?" she asks with a nervous smile.

"I see someone who has had a hard time in life. I can feel what you're feeling, so if you ever feel like you're alone, you're not. Whatever you're going through, I promise I'll know exactly what that feels like."

You can tell you and Emily are going to be fast friends. JJ, Hotch, Gideon, and Derek enter the room as soon as you finish speaking, and you know the pleasantries are going to have to wait.

"Everybody, meet agent Prentiss. I've been filling her in on protocol."

"Derek Morgan," your friend smiles.

"We can make nice later. What do we know?" Hotch says.

This must be a serious case if he's behaving this way.

"The DEA raided what they thought was a hardened meth lab right here, in Northern Virginia, but they found this instead."

JJ brings up a photo on the projector screen for all to see. There are two big, red containers that are hooked up to wires and tubes, and the other end of those tubes and wires are hooked up to long, green pipes. This looks like a bomb to you, and a really big one at that. A bomb that might be filled with drugs instead of explosives.