Powerless

Chapter 17

"Everybody," Hotchner's voice from the top of the balcony catches your attention, the all too familiar stern look officially returned, just settled on a slightly more tanned face than before. A man follows him out of his office but stands in the doorway, only the top of his head visible behind your boss's broad shoulders. "This is SSA Luke Alvez. He'll be joining us from the fugitive task force. There's an empty desk over there next to Y/N - sorry, next to Agent Y/L/N." 

When the man in question finally comes into your line of vision, you can't help but stare as he descends down the staircase. His dark features and sharp jawline are objectively attractive, and the smile he has on his face is literally contagious. You peer over at Garcia, who clearly is thinking the same way, but without your subtlety. 

"Hi there," the man says as he places his bag on the desk and reaches over to shake your hand. You introduce yourself with a smile, sitting back down while the rest of the team walks over to do introductions. "

"There's no case today," Hotch announces from his heightened position. "But we have that backlog of files to consult on, so pair up and try to nail down key points." 

Your eyes dart to Spencer, who's already handing his folder to JJ, scooting his chair over. Furrowing your brows, you pretend to scan the file in front of you. But the fact he didn't even consider going over cases with you didn't sit right. And it shouldn't, you've already talked about it, but the fact he chose JJ made it a little worse. 

No, you think. Stop being crazy. If he chose you it would be too obvious, so that's why. Right? 

"So I guess we'll team up?" Luke's immediately calming voice snaps you out of your trance, and you overcompensate with an overenthusiastic nod. Handing him the hefty folder in your hands, you move to sit on his side of the desk. "You might have to walk me through some of this, sorry. But I'm a fast learner."

"It's totally fine," you smile. He smells good. "I was actually a TA for a few different criminal psychology courses, so I know what I'm doing. Or at least I'm really good at pretending to know what I'm doing." 

Alvez chuckles and you see Spencer turn his head out of the corner of your eye, curiously looking at you as you purposely lean closer to the new agent under the guise of looking at files. You run over some quick things with Luke, his kind eyes making him easy to speak to as you dive into the first case file, highlighting the important stuff. You point out key pieces of information, making side notes to send back to the corresponding police departments. He catches on quickly, genuinely impressing you with his abilities. 

"You're a natural at this," you comment proudly, an embarrassed smile creeping on his face. "Seriously, I was trying to hard to nail down the victimology but never would've thought tattoos would be the connecting factor." 

"Did you just say tattoos?" Morgan asks from his desk, every other head in the bullpen popping up. "Any specific type?" 

"They're all biblical quotes," you answer slowly, handing the file over to Prentiss. She passes it to Rossi who immediately turns to go to Hotch's office. "Why, is that the same with one of your cases?" 

"Derek and I had 3 females mid-20s, cause of death stab wounds. What was strange was that they all varied in appearance and risk level," Emily eyes the crime scene photos from your folder. "But they had bible passages tattooed on them." 

"Ours too, but they were shot point blank," JJ chimes in, her and Spencer walking over toward your desk. He leans over the file on the desk, scanning your notes quickly. "Which state are yours in?" 

"We have Georgia," Alvez answers. "The victims were strangled." 

"Alabama," Emily notes. "And Rossi had Mississippi."