By the time lunch rolled around, the team had met back in the debriefing room. Everyone was updated and reading through files. The compiled list of suspicious employees in Washington DC was miles long. Garcia was in her cave, trying to find connections between Maria and Lucille, but she was just as irritated as everyone else at the list. Due to its secrecy, it wasn't anywhere on a computer. Just a copy at the top branches of security. The BAU wasn't considered essential, but Hotchner's track record and networking made him an asset to the government in general.
The room practically transformed into a hangout spot. Hotch and Rossi were discussing familiar faces by the window, Derek used one chair to sit and one as a footrest, Emily sat on the table, JJ was mindlessly stepping around, and Reid was on the ground by a growing pile of papers. You had your back holding your weight against the wall and your eyes buried in a file about some guy named Dan who was as bland as they get. No one interesting had popped out yet. Most of them were on the list due to co worker complaints and sketchy internet searches. Nothing screamed child kidnapper. You let out a heavy sigh.
"There's got to be a better way to do this." You broke the silence with an exasperated tone. Derek scoffed with a grin.
"Yeah, you can say that again, shortstack. Even Einstein over there is struggling."
"I'm not struggling. I'm just..." Reid's voice trailed off as he failed to defend himself. An innocent smile pulled at his lips. "It's a lot of papers."
"Why would anyone hurt a child? That's what I'm stuck on. Killing the parents or even killing all of them would make more sense. There wasn't any sign of sexual abuse and Maria wasn't killed in the house, so what's the guy trying to prove?" JJ thought out loud. You couldn't imagine the type of stress she was under. Wondering about crime all day is never fun, but having to see violent crimes against kids as a mother must have been way worse. Her question remained unanswered for a couple of minutes. She pointed out a key detail in the case that somehow didn't make any sense and, even though it was frustrating to think about, it provided everyone with the opportunity to take a break from the endless files.
"What if it's not a guy?" Emily looked up. The entire room went silent for a beat. Even the two leaders turned around to hear what she had to say. "Maria was beaten, we know that, but there wasn't any blood in Lucille's room."
"Yeah, because it was a copycat. How does that make it a woman?" Derek asked.
"No blood means no violence and no violence means no resistance. That means-"
"Lucille went willingly and young girls almost always feel safe around women." You finished her sentence for her once you finally caught on. It made sense although it didn't cover everything. There was a huge piece of the puzzle you were missing.
"What about the marker on the window? Women don't usually pin crimes on others," Rossi said.
"A message, not pinning." Reid stood up with scrunched eyebrows, the look that meant he had an idea while also making your heart melt. You loved watching him present what was going on in his complicated mind. "Maria's case was never solved. The only ones who would have seen the mark were the parents or the police, but they wouldn't be angry enough to do this," He took a breath. His expression changed to wide eyes and worry lines. "Guys, what if it's Maria's mom?"
"I know I'd be angry enough if someone did that to Henry," JJ added in solidarity. All eyes in the room fell on Hotch for what to do next.
"Rossi, y/n, Emily, go to the Guzman house and see if you can find out anything. The rest of us will stay here," He stated with a small nod.
__
"So, you're finally ungrounded, huh?" Emily grinned as you took your seat in the middle of the back row. While Rossi let out a small snort, you looked at her with confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Hotch!" She laughed, "He has you on total lockdown."
"No he doesn't." You wrinkled your nose at the accusation. You were on probation, so it made sense he would work with you more. He was your boss and you were just doing your job. It wasn't like he was forcing you to follow him around or anything.
"Y/n, you're with me. Y/n and I will do this, y/n will be with me." Rossi mocked the stone cold leader with a stern look and scowl. Emily nearly turned blue from laughing.
"Could you two shut up?" You groaned. "It's only because I made a mistake with Spencer."
"What, you mean having sex on the-"
"We didn't have sex!" You screeched, slapping Emily on the shoulder.
"Either way," Rossi interrupted, wearing a tiny grin, "Both of you are already off probation, have been since we came back from Florida." You tried to respond, but the only thing that came out of your mouth was silence. If you weren't in trouble still, there was no real reason for Hotch to keep assigning you as his task partner. It probably wasn't a big deal whatever the reason was. At the end of the day, you were his employee, nothing more. Although, you couldn't lie and say your discovery from earlier wasn't still on your mind. You leaned forwards and decided to use the topic at hand to your advantage since there was still half an hour left in the car.
"Has he always been...popular with women?" You asked.
"Ha! Aaron Hotchner sleeping around? That'd be the day." Emily beamed, distracted by some texts she was receiving from JJ. Rossi chortled without looking away from the road ahead.
"Trust me, the man is a big fan of tradition. The wooing, nervous first date, roses, the awkward talk of making things official. He doesn't use his popularity like he should."
"Really?" You replied with genuine surprise. The past twenty four hours told a different story. You made the mistake of making eye contact with the senior agent, who instantly picked up you had more to tell.
"Did something happen to make you think otherwise?" Rossi questioned. It piqued Emily's interest as well, judging by the way she tucked her phone away and twisted her upper body to face you.
"No," You lied.
"If you tell me, I'll do your post case files for a week," Emily wagered with a devious smile. You considered the option for a moment then sighed.
"Last night, my neighbor was being loud with a guy. I went to go ask her to be quiet and Hotch-"
"No way!" The dark haired agent gasped with amusement.
"It was so awkward, especially this morning when we ran into each other in the lobby and I had to drive him here," You explained, choosing to leave out the part about him almost picking a fight with Reid.
"And today, he asked me to go find a file for him. I was going through his desk when I found a stash of, um, supplies." Another long period of silence followed. Their expressions were unreadable and it caused a flicker of panic to ignite in the bottom of your stomach.
"So, he happened to sleep with your next door neighbor and he asked to go looking around in a place he knew he left those in?" Emily clarified, looking you dead in the eyes. You nervously shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess. That's why I thought he was a ladies man or something." Emily closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.
"He's certainly a one lady man," Rossi said under his breath. Before you could ask what he was talking about, he pulled into a long driveway lined with marble statues and shifted the SUV into park.
__
The Guzman house was extravagant to say the least. Washington DC was full of nice buildings, but this one was practically a mansion. There was an entire street dedicated to their place. When you finally reached the door, you didn't hesitate to knock.
"Yes?" A tall man who looked like a ghost opened the towering, almost theatrical, door. You had to physically look up just to meet his eyes. If you believed in the supernatural, you would have been convinced this man was Death himself. His skin was pale and sunken in, his black hair was pulled back with a grease, and his eyes were empty. Rossi took a step forward defensively with his identification in front of his chest.
"We're here to talk to Mrs. Guzman. Is she around?" He asked. The man inhaled sharply with a swift nod.
"Yes, she is here. Please, follow me." Within two minutes, the three of you were standing at the kitchen island with Lolita Guzman. The woman was middle aged, short, and oddly perky. Her black curls fell against her shoulders in a rhythmic pattern as she explained what she had been doing all day.
"...So, I ended up having to go to the store to pick up some more. After that, I worked outside in the garden then came down here to prepare dinner for my husband and son."
"And who was the man that brought us inside?" Emily asked with a polite smile. You could tell the woman's attitude was throwing her off just as much as it did you. There was definitely something off about her, you just couldn't figure out what exactly. You shifted your balance between your feet, trying your best to quietly take in your surroundings.
"Declan, the butler."
"I'm sorry," You apologized for interrupting. "Is there a restroom I can use?" Emily and Rossi looked at you with confusion in their faces but your confidence didn't falter. There was a lead that you had to chase and this was the only way to do it.
Lolita nodded slowly as she scrunched her perfectly coiffed eyebrows. "The guest bathroom is next to the dining room, sixth door on your right." Without any hesitation, you turned on your heels and took off. With Declan wandering around, you only had a few minutes to check something out. You passed the sixth door near the dining room and quietly hurried until you found the stairs. Two more staircases and an unnecessary hallway later, you found yourself in the master bedroom. You quietly moved to the bathroom, closing the door behind you. You dragged your fingers along the floor of the tub.
It was as dry as a bone.
If Lolita Guzman had told the truth about gardening, she would've showered before working in the kitchen. You pulled out your phone and dialed your boss.
"Hotchner."
"She's involved somehow. We need to bring her in," You said faster than you intended.
"What'd you find?"
"The shower's dry-"
"What?" Hotch immediately replied. You let out a small huff.
"The master shower is dry. She told us she was working in the garden then she made dinner. It's muddy outside, she would've had to shower before cooking and dinner was just put in maybe half an hour ago. She lied to us and the profile points to her." There was a long, albeit frustrating, silence.
"We don't have a working profile, y/n. We can't arrest her," Hotch replied coldly.
"Yes, we do! It's a woman who was hurt by the Maria case and knew all the details. It's Lolita."
"Just because Reid says something doesn't mean that it's true." His words sent fire to your stomach. You moved over to the window that overlooked the entire backyard as if seeing the muddy garden again would suddenly make him believe you.
"Everyone agreed with him. You agreed with him."
"Yeah, and clearly it was a mistake because you're about to get the entire unit in trouble for arresting without a cause. Do they even know you're in their room?"
"No, but I-"
"Y/n, that's not how this works and you know that. Get back with Prentiss and Rossi and we'll discuss this later."
"No," You hesitated before continuing. Arguing was never something you enjoyed to do, but something about the way he was acting was causing the wild animal inside of you to claw its way out.
"No, I'm right. This is the only way to find Lucille. We need to arrest her. Send backup."
"Backup? For what? Y/l/n, this isn't a discussion. I'm your boss and I'm telling you to leave it alone," Hotch said, his tone growing more angry by the second.
"We need to save that little girl, Aaron!" You cried out desperately.
"What part of 'your boss' is confusing to you?!" His voice suddenly raised without warning, only adding fuel to your anger.
"I don't know, maybe our work relationship got a little confusing when I saw you naked and heard you fucking my neighbor," You snapped back. Another pause ensued and you instantly regretted not being able to control your tongue.
"Y/n-" Hotch began to reply with an unrecognizable emotion, but he was interrupted by the bathroom door swinging open.
"You made a mistake, ma'am." Declan said maliciously right before tackling you to the cold tile below. The events were happening too fast to comprehend. He slammed your wrist against the marble countertop, sending blinding pain into your bones and causing you to drop the phone into the sink. You attempted to kick him in the side, but he was too quick. He used his foot to throw your leg towards the glass shower door. A storm of glass fell on the two of you and the fight was quickly coming to an end with you as it's loser. Declan pinned your arms down with his knees and wound up his fist.
"Aaron!" You screamed at the top of your lungs, praying he heard you through the call, just as the butler's fist connected to the center of your face. It didn't knock you out, but it replaced your vision with a thick red. Then there was another punch, and another, and another.
"Y/n?!" Hotchner's voice wasn't loud yet you were still able to hear it through the downpour of fists right before you lost consciousness.