RUNAWAY
CHAPTER NINETEEN...!

❝ LAUREN REYNOLDS , SEASON
SIX ❞

"Ian Doyle vanished from prison. Interpol can't find him."

"Am I in danger?"

"...We all are."

—

    JENNIE WALKED around the BAU's briefing table, letting everyone take a cookie from her container. She had just given Derek one, as the team briefed their new case.

"Any connection between the families?"

"Only one. A continent." Garcia answered as Jennie went to sit on the couch behind them, "Kerry Fagan was born in Germany, Ron Consenzas in Italy."

"So two of the five victims are from Europe. How does that help?"

"It doesn't. I'm just stating the facts, and the facts happen to be—"

Penelope was interrupted when Emily Prentiss walked through the door, swiftly moving through to her seat.

"Guys, I'm sorry. I'm late."

Jennie sat straighter as the woman walked in, nodding towards her, "You okay?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded, "It's just one of those weeks, I guess. I'm sorry, what did I miss? Arsonist?"

"One appears to be murder-suicide, the other a freak accident."

"So, why are we looking at it?"

"House fires are rare. Add to that a few miles apart, within the same hour, kind of tips the scales of coincidence." Rossi summarized.

"Yeah, if somebody did this, they're highly motivated and organized."

"And if he wants to strike again, we have 72 hours before the storm shuts the city down." Aaron spoke, before the team began leaving the briefing room to get ready for their case.

Emily and Jennie were the last ones in the room. The teen walked up to the Agent, a small smile on her face, holding up her cookie container.

"Hey, Em. Want a cookie?"

Emily looked up at her, before shaking her head, obviously with something on her mind, "Uh no, I'm okay. Thanks, Jennie."

Jennie lowered her container, and the agent could then notice a bit more worry in her tone, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh. yeah, yeah." Emily tried her best to dismiss the teen's worries, "It's just— I'm not really hungry right now."

"It's not about the cookies, Em." Jennie told her, her voice a bit softer, "This past week, you've been a little— out of it. Is it because of—?"

When the teen trailed off, Emily furrowed her eyebrows, "Because of what?"

"Your friend?"

More confusion rose in the agent's body, "What?"

"Lauren Reynolds?"

Jennie told her, immediately sending chills down the agent's spine. The teen could see the visible change in Emily's expression, being quick to speak again.

"Sorry— I don't mean to bring up bad memories or anything. It's just— Spencer told me about it on the phone last week, about how she died in a car accident. I just wanted to make sure you were holding up okay."

"Oh—" Emily began,"Yeah, no, I'm fine."

Jennie gave her a look, making it clear that she did not believe Emily Prentiss's words.

Honestly, she's felt like she's given her that look too many times.

"Jennie— I'll be okay."

"I know." The girl nodded her head, understandingly, "But I also know that the process to becoming 'okay' can be— exhausting. And probably— me giving you this speech is annoying to hear, I get it. But— just know that if you ever need someone to go through the process with you, I'm more than willing. I don't know what's going on in your life right now, but whatever it is— I'm here. No matter what."

Jennie didn't realize it at first, but as her mind went back to the night of Haley's funeral, she realized how similar her and Emily were.

"You know, we really don't have to do that thing." Jennie began, "The thing where you ask me how I am, and I say I'm fine, and then you try and convince me that I'm not fine. Don't worry, I already have went through that with like— half the guest list. I'm alright."

"I know." Emily nodded, before pausing for a second, "But I also know that you're holding something back. And I know that there are some parts of this that you may not understand. So, if you ever need someone to help you, even for just a little bit— know that I am always here for you."

They didn't like when others confronted them of their emotion. They both knew that about each other. But, hypocritically enough, they always found themselves making sure the other person knew that they weren't alone.

Jennie always felt comfortable around Emily. It was the same the other way around as well.

Because Emily and Jennie— they weren't just friends. They were family.

Emily couldn't think of a more appropriate reaction to Jennie's words, other than giving her a hug.

"I love you, JenJen. You know that?"

Jennie playfully rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't wash off, "Who doesn't."

—

"Ian Doyle is here in DC."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I sat next to him last night. He said if I warned my team, or told anyone, he'd kill them."

"Why didn't he kill you? And more to the point, why didn't you kill him?"

"He's not working alone."

"Maybe you should tell your team."

"No, no way. This isn't their fight. And I won't take that risk."

—

         JENNIE SAT on the edge of Spencer's desk, as the team gathered around for their most recent case. They spread out pictures on the evidence board, as Derek came up to the group with a post it note.

"I got four names on the bottom of the list Prentiss gave us. Luke Renault, Lawerence Riley, Lila Rafferty, Lyle Rogers."

"All with initials L.R." Ashley Seaver, a cadet who was completing her remedial training in Quantico, spoke.

"The CIA uses cryptograms like that to assign to non-official cover agents working the same case."

"So do other foreign countries." Morgan pointed out on his paper, "These last four names are covers— spies."

"Wait—" Penelope furrowed her eyebrows, taking the paper from his hands, "No, this isn't right. Do you see this space? That shouldn't be here."

"Could it be a formatting error?"

"No, this is a spreadsheet template." The blonde shook her head, "Formatting doesn't allow for this. There's a missing name on here."

"It's another spy whose cover is L.R."

That's when both Spencer and Jennie's head rose up, almost immediately.

"Lauren Reynolds is dead." They whispered in union, causing Aaron to turn to them.

"What?"

"Lauren Reynolds is dead." Spencer further explained, realization hitting him, "Prentiss said that on a phone call seventeen days ago. But, her intonation wasn't surprise or grief. It was like a mantra, like she was reminding herself."

"Lauren Reynolds." Jennie repeated, her eyes widening, "L.R."

"If Prentiss is the last name on that list, she's on Doyle's list too." Seaver told the group.

"That explains her behavior the past month. the secrets, the evasion—"

"She's been biting her fingernails again, too" The teen added, having noticed it for the past week.

"Guys—" Aaron began, pulling out the woman's gun and badge from her desk drawer.

"She left her badge and gun? Why would she do that?" Morgan questioned.

"That doesn't makes sense. Why run? We're her family. We can help."

"Doyle's killing families. she's not married, not close to relatives. He was ready to wipe us out." Rossi spoke.

"Which means—" Jennie began, quietly but couldn't get the words out, due to them causing too much emotion to fill her chest. Rossi finished her thought.

"She ran to protect us."

—

"Alright, then how do we find her?"

"Here's how—" Aaron began, "Ian Doyle is our unsub. Prentiss is our victim. We profile their behavior and we treat it like any other case. Because terrorism isn't an area we specialize in, I've reached out to an expert from the state department. Someone who can also shed light on Prentiss's past."

"Who?"

"Her."

The team turned around, to see JJ walk through the glass doors.

"Lets get to work."

—

        EMILY sat in in her car, near the 'Black Shamrock Bar', waiting for Doyle and his team to come into her sight.

As she was waiting, she noticed a notification on her phone. She knew she shouldn't have clicked it. But she did.

JENNIE HOTCHNER — VOICEMAIL

"Hey, Em."

Only two words in, the agent can tell Jennie was trying her best not to let her voice crack,

"I don't even— I don't even know what to say anymore." The teen let out a large breath, pausing for a moment, "Penelope found a bunch of your old numbers, and— I know I probably shouldn't have, but I feel like I've already tried to call hundreds of them. You probably don't even use this number anymore, I don't even know why I'm trying. But in the event that you do—"

Emily's eyes began to water, her phone still pressed against her ear to hear the voice message, as Jennie tried to contain herself.

"God, I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now. You've probably been— terrified these past few weeks...I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through this all alone. I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell anyone. I—." Jennie paused again, letting out a sigh, "But, Emily— I told you I'd go through the process with you. And— I still will. And I know you're hurting right now— but, there is help for you. Everyone— we're all willing to go through the process with you. But you need to come back home."

There was another pause, before Jennie finally let her voice crack.

"Please just come back home."

—

"I hate to be the one to ask this but how long does Emily have?"

"The best case seems to be the most troubling, Doyle saved her for last because he views her as his stressor. Which means he'll take his time."

—

"Stay with me, baby. Come on, stay with me."

"Let me go."

"No, I am not letting you go. Listen to me, I know why you did all of this. I know what you did for Declan. I'm so proud of you. Do you understand that? I am proud of you, because you are my friend, and you are my partner."

—

       JENNIE HAD made it in D.C., where the team had gone for the Doyle case, just in time, after hearing Emily was in the hospital.

The team, plus Jennie all waited in the waiting room. The teen could feel her her hands shaking ever so noticeably, but she was too lost in her own thoughts to do anything about it. She sat next to her father, as the room was quiet.

And finally, JJ came out.

Jennie hesitated to register the look on the blonde's face. Because, deep down, she could sense it was an expression she didn't want to see.

But when her brain finally made her process it, she knew.

She knew what JJ was going to say, before she even said it.

"She never made it off the table."

The words only caused the feeling of despair crushing into Jennie with an uncontrollable, overwhelmingly strong force. And even that could not explain how Jennie was feeling.

Because, really, there were no words to describe the feeling of loosing woman who did her makeup for her first ever date, and who gave her all her old clothes for Jennie to wear.

There were no words that could describe the feeling of loosing Emily Prentiss.

Jennie's eyes watered, but she did was scared to let the tears fall. She was afraid if she did, the tears would soon become uncontrollable. So she just sat there. In silence.

However, moments later, she saw JJ and her father walk into the next room. She could see them through the door's window. And the more she saw them together, the more it confused her.

Because she saw her father's face. And on it, she didn't spot an ounce of grief that he showed to Haley at her funeral, or her grandfather (who's hometown they attend every year on the day he died). For her stepmother and grandfather, Jennie could visibly see his shoulders tense, his lips tightened, and his eyes dreary.

So why was his physical state so different for Emily?

Something was off.

Jennie knew it. And honestly, maybe if the room full of profilers weren't in great despair due to the recent loss of their colleague and friend, they'd know it too.

However, Jennie didn't have time to think about what was off, or why her father was acting so different, because just a second later, she could feel Rossi give her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

And that was all she needed to snap back into her state of grief. Ultimately, she forgot about how she thought something was 'off', and only focused on the information that she was given.

Which was the fact that Emily Prentiss never made it off the table.

AUTHORS NOTE |

the fact that none of you gifted me anything for aapi month??? 😞😞 it's okay tho bc it's now pride month which means u can pay ur debts to me by the end of june!! chop chop my loves xx