﹙ GUEST STARRING . . . ﹚
Barry Sloane / CMDR CHRISTIAN GRAVES
Monica Barbaro / OP VANESSA LOPEZ
Boyd Holbrook / OP MATTHEW SULLIVAN
Jack Quaid / SA COLIN MILLER

♯ Alexandria, Virginia

Luciana Reyes had startled awake from her accidental midday nap on the living room couch at the sound of her work phone ringing. Using the side of her hand to wipe the drool from the corner of her lip, she reached for the phone on the coffee table with the other, using her thumb to flip it open.

Blinking hard a few times, Luciana struggled to focus her eyes on the small screen. When she cleared out the sleep-generated fog in her gaze, she furrowed her brows at the unrecognizable, yet local, phone number on the lit-up screen.

"Hello?" She greeted the unknown person on the other end of the line after pressing the 'accept call' button, placing the device to her ear as she stifled a yawn that had fought its way from her chest as she waited for a response.

"Agent Reyes, this is Section Chief Erin Strauss. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time."

As if Strauss was suddenly in the room with her, Luciana immediately repositioned herself to sit up straight, running her free hand through her sleep-tousled curls, pulling the tangled strands back from her face.

"Not at all, Chief Strauss. What can I do for you?"

Always a people pleaser.

"I think it's more about what you can do for us. Your presence has been requested in Colorado on a case by Agent Hotchner. He's aware that your official start date isn't for another week–"

"I'll be there," Luciana blurted out, immediately paling at the realization that she had cut off her superior. "Sorry, ma'am."

"Alright, I'll arrange a flight for you out of Dulles within the next hour. I'll also inform Agent Hotchner to expect your arrival by the end of the day." Strauss didn't comment on the interruption, and her voice didn't indicate any annoyance by the action. It was very monotone. "Welcome to the BAU, Agent Reyes."

"Thank you, ma'am," Luciana responded, hearing a click soon after, indicating that Strauss had hung up the phone, likely to get everything organized as shortly as possible. Luciana sprung up from her spot on the couch, rushing down the hall and into her bedroom to throw together a ready bag.

She quickly realized that putting off clothes shopping for her new position was a bad idea as she pushed around the hangers in her closet, finding nothing business-looking to wear. With a few choice words to express her frustration with herself, Luciana settled on a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt that she tucked the bottom of into the pants.

In the back of her mind, as she continued to pack, she worried what her new team would think of her, especially her new unit chief, Aaron Hotchner. She had only met him for the first time a few days prior in an interview that functioned more as an initial meeting since Strauss had made it clear that Luciana's transfer to the department was final no matter what Agent Hotchner would say.

While he had commented that her skills would be an asset to their unit, she couldn't help but wonder why he had barely spared her a single look during the interview, much more interested in her personnel file on his desk. Strauss, who had sat in on the "interview" to ensure that everything went well, was given the courtesy of glances when she spoke, while he didn't afford Luciana the same decency.

She wouldn't be surprised if he decided to deduct points from the imaginary scoreboard she made up for her casual attire, as Luciana felt he would look for any excuse to inform Strauss that she wasn't the right fit for their team.

With a packed bag, an overthinking brain, and an email from Strauss with the flight details, Luciana made her way to the airport and onto the flight to Colorado to meet with her new team.

⭑

♯ La Plata County, Colorado

A beautiful orange sunset greeted Luciana when she landed at the airport in Colorado, and she walked out of the arrival doors to find a government-issued black SUV waiting for her. A dark-skinned man in sunglasses leaned against the driver's side door, his fingers skimming across the keypad of a cell phone in his hands. He dressed as casually as Luciana did, which eased some of her worries about her appearance.

"I'm assuming you're my ride," Luciana commented as she approached the man, who looked at her over the top of his sunglasses as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder while reaching out her other hand toward him. "Luciana Reyes."

"Derek Morgan."

The man shook her outstretched hand before gesturing to the vehicle, indicating her to get in. She rounded the car and entered the passenger side, tossing her bag onto the backseat as Morgan got into the driver's seat, started the car and quickly pulled out of the airport roundabout.

"So what's so important that my start date had to move up?" Luciana asked Morgan after a few minutes of silence had lapsed, her eyes not leaving the road in front of the vehicle as she spoke, watching as he merged onto the highway.

"Two of our own are trapped inside a sect compound along with dozens of women and children. Rossi vouched for you, said you were the best and wanted you to act as lead negotiator."

Luciana was stunned into silence at the severity of the case and at the mention of David Rossi's name, having had no idea the man had returned to the FBI, let alone that he was back in active duty. She had met him during his retirement when he indulged in teaching and book tours. Hearing that he still remembered her and attested to skills he had initially fostered sparked a warm feeling in her chest.

She had gone back to silently observing the scenery in the passenger seat after humming her understanding of the situation, beginning to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to walk into. Luciana tried to remind herself that hostage negotiation was her specialty and that she had honed her craft to a form of perfection, or at least enough to lead a team specializing in it. But this was different. There were still lives at risk, but there were also agents on the inside with no way to communicate. She could do her job perfectly, but if either of the BAU agents decided to act on an impulse to save others or even themselves, it could put the whole operation at risk and end in innocent lives lost.

And somehow, the blood would end up on her hands.

She clenched unmarked hands into fists as they started to shake.

Luciana had only been pulled out of her consuming thoughts when the car finally slowed to a permanent stop outside of a mobile command centre and makeshift encampment set up for the operation. She followed Morgan out of the vehicle and up the stairs to the mobile unit, thanking the man quietly as he held open the door for her to enter.

Her mouth had gone dry as she recognized the faces of her old teammates inhabiting the inside of the truck, along with those of her new unit. All pairs of eyes had turned to Luciana at her sudden arrival, an uneasy silence enveloping the room.

"Hey, Luce."

Vanessa Lopez, a young dark-haired operator who had once been under Luciana's command, was the first to greet the woman. Lopez walked up in her green fatigues to hug the woman tightly, almost as if to ease the tension in the room once she released Luciana from her arms.

Luciana hugged Lopez back briefly, sparing a split-second smile in the other woman's direction before turning towards her new superior, who had approached her next. She shook Aaron Hotchner's hand with a curt nod of greeting before he turned to gesture at David Rossi, who had followed closely behind him.

"Long time no see," Rossi greeted Luciana with a grin that seemed to emanate proudness, firmly shaking her hand. "Thanks for coming so quickly."

"Didn't really have anything else going on."

All the Hostage Rescue members present were keenly aware that Luciana had dedicated her professional and personal life to HRT. That was until she was thrown out and placed on mandatory leave. She could not, and would never, blame them for what happened. But an ugly shade of green continued to flash behind her eyelids every time she blinked.

"Well, let's get started," Luciana immediately switched into the professional mode she worked best in, focusing her attention on the matter at hand, which was to rescue as many lives as possible. "Brief me on everything you know."

"Two of our BAU agents were sent undercover as child service workers to investigate abuse claims that were phoned in the anonymous line from a member of the sect, seemingly the voice of a young girl who had been taken advantage of by the church's leader, Benjamin Cyrus. They were interviewing some of the children when a state police raid occurred, and a gunfight ensued," Rossi began the briefing, moving across the room to sit on the edge of one of the tables as he spoke. "There's only been one reported fatality, a state officer who bled out on the way to the hospital."

"Anything on Cyrus?"

"Our technical analyst is looking into it but hasn't been able to find anything yet. Almost as if the guy doesn't exist," Morgan responded from where he stood between Rossi and Hotchner. "We're arranging for the sect's former leader to be brought here from prison for an interview. Maybe he can shed some light on our current leader."

"Yeah, good. We'll need all the insight we can get on this guy if we want to figure out a way to end this peacefully," Luciana commended the efforts they had been able to make before she had arrived. "Until then, I'll try to build a good rapport with Cyrus once we make contact inside. Where are we with that?"

"Nothing yet."

Luciana looked over at where the voice had come from behind Morgan's body. She recognized the curly brown-haired young man sitting in a chair in front of a few computer screens as Colin Miller, her former technical expert from her time in HRT who had specialized in communications and location mapping. The stress lines on his forehead seemed more profound since the last time she had seen him, mixed with the present frustration she realized he was feeling at not managing to make contact faster. He only spared her a glance and a nod of acknowledgment before he returned his attention to the screens, tapping away hastily at the keyboard. He knew that with each passing silent minute, the risk to innocent lives grew greater.

"We're looking at a minimal loss scenario here," Rossi stated, and Luciana nodded in agreement, her eyes shifting back to her former educator. "Every person we get out is a life saved. We won't save them all, and we all have to be prepared to accept that situation."

Morgan moved ahead towards a small whiteboard on the wall near where Rossi had still sat, picking up a marker and drawing a triangle on the board, separating the shape into three parts.

"Cults are structured like pyramids." He used the end of the expo marker to point at the board before beginning to write next to the top section. "We've got the leader at the top. Die-hard believers beneath. The biggest group, the base: followers. Women and children. These are the people we can save."

"The trickle, flow, gush strategy is designed to get base followers out," Hotchner spoke next. Luciana appreciated how inclusive their briefings were of each other, allowing each member a chance to be involved. "First, one or two, then three or four, then as many as we can, as fast as we can. And if, at any point, it starts to go bad, we go in."

"The leaders are charismatic sociopaths who target those most susceptible to their seduction. They have the ability to see what each person needs, and then they become that thing," Rossi continued, now looking towards the members of HRT gathered together at the other end of the room, behind where Luciana stood in the centre. "We have to undermine the perception that we're an invading army laying siege to their home."

"We'll lose the fatigues. Rancher's clothes work for you?" Luciana's former second-in-command, now commander of HRT, Christian Graves, spoke up from where he was leaning against the wall. Rossi nodded in approval at the suggestion.

"Perfect. Anything we can do to demilitarize the situation."

"Got it!" Miller exclaimed from where he sat, spinning around to face the team of agents behind him, startled by his sudden shout. He gave them an apologetic smile, running a nervous hand through his hair. "I found a phone number from the compound. I have a way for us to contact Cyrus."

At the news of being able to make contact with the cult leader, the team slowly dispersed out of the mobile command unit to prepare. But Luciana was quickly pulled aside by the HRT commander before she could follow. She glanced over her shoulder to find that Hotchner had been watching them as he followed Rossi outside before the door shut behind them, allowing the two inside a moment of privacy.

"How are you doing?" Graves questioned, his palm resting lightly on her elbow from when he had gently pulled her aside. Luciana couldn't continue to avoid his eyes when he ducked his head down to meet her gaze, earning a sigh from the woman. "I know this is awkward for you, Luce."

"Awkward? More like humiliating." She huffed out a laugh, crossing her arms protectively over her chest, a barrier to keep all her emotions adhered to the inside of her chest. "They didn't tell me you guys would be here."

"We didn't expect you to be here either," Graves countered, and Luciana nodded, dropping her gaze down to her feet again. "Hey, this will only be temporary, and then you'll get to return to HRT. They only want to make sure you're ready. And we want you to be ready, too."

"Yeah, and when the hell will that be? You saw how fast they kicked me out. I can only imagine how difficult it will be to get back in."

Graves sighed, knowing that no matter what he said to try and ease the tension that filled the space between them, his attempts wouldn't get through to her anytime soon. He understood the betrayal she felt but knew she didn't blame him for what had happened, all in the same breath. Actions had consequences, and she was reaping them currently.

"Reyes, we need you out here. You're leading."

Luciana turned at Rossi's interruption through the now open door, leaving the truck without another word. She made her way down the steps to where the others had all gathered around a box on one of the tables that would act as a telephone to allow them to engage with Cyrus while simultaneously recording the interaction.

"It's ringing," Miller announced from where he was sitting at one of the laptops connected to the box, nodding at Luciana when they heard an audible click, indicating an answered call.

"Hello?" Luciana called out, placing her palms on the table and leaning into them as she stared at the green light on the box.

"You killed my mommy and daddy. Are you going to kill me too?"

Fucker.

"No one out here wants to hurt you, sweet girl," Luciana responded softly to the little girl on the other end of the line, gritting her teeth at the realization that Benjamin Cyrus wouldn't play this easy or fair.

"This is Benjamin Cyrus. Who am I talking to?"

"My name is Luciana Reyes. I'm with the FBI. The friends you made earlier, the state police, they're gone," Luciana answered, catching movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to find Graves had just exited the truck, making his way over but keeping a distance as he watched her work. "It's just me, my team, and the local sheriff's office. I hope we can come to a quick and peaceful conclusion where no one else gets hurt."

"Then leave us alone."

"Believe me, Benjamin, I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be," Luciana was trying to make any form of connection. She remembered what she learned from Rossi's classes: empathize, sympathize, understand. It repeats inside her head as a mantra as she formulates her responses. "But, one of the officers your men shot bled out on the way to the hospital. You can call it self-defence, but the state calls it murder. Let's stop this before it gets any worse."

"We're believers, Luciana. We believe that God says what he means and means what he says. His laws don't depend on what state you live in," Benjamin explained, his voice calm as he spoke to her.

"I have no issue with your beliefs."

"You don't, but the state does. You said it yourself."

"I can't answer for them."

"Oh, God will answer for everyone in the final battle I've foreseen."

"I don't think the final battle will occur over a measly warrant, do you?" Luciana questioned, only to be met with brief silence on the other line. When he refused to indulge in her sarcastic remarks, she continued. "The three child services workers that were in your compound when the raid occurred, are they safe?"

"One of them is dead. It wasn't us."

Luciana saw the members of the BAU around her become flustered at the information, but she pressed forward.

"Do you have a name? I want to be able to inform their family."

"Her name was Nancy Lunde."

Misplaced relief rippled around her when neither of the BAU agents' names were given by Cyrus, meaning that they were both still alive on the inside.

"Thank you. Now, please send your wounded out to us. We can get your people the aid they need," Luciana offered, knowing how unlikely Cyrus was to give in to the request as the words left her mouth.

"With enough supplies, we can tend to our own." The refusal. He wouldn't give up any of his protection. Not yet.

"Okay, when the sun is up, I'll bring them to you."

The call ended abruptly, leaving the group that had gathered in a momentary silence before those around Luciana began to move quickly, making plans for sunrise as they only had a few hours to get everything together.

"He could take you hostage," Graves stated later on when Luciana had approached where he and Morgan were sitting at a table inside the mobile unit, preparing listening devices to hide within the supplies Luciana was going to bring up to the compound in hopes they could get some ears on the inside, so they weren't totally in the dark.

"I need to ensure the kids and their agents are okay."

"I can go with you," Morgan offered, looking up at Luciana from where he sat, who immediately shook her head.

"That phone call earlier was only my first step in building trust with Cyrus. If I show up with anyone besides myself, that shows him I am distrustful of him, and that could damage any possible rapport I've managed to build with him so far," Luciana explained as she pulled her gun in its holster off of her belt before placing it on the counter behind Graves. "Besides, I'm not his type, am I?"

⭑

Shortly after sunrise the following morning, the boxes of supplies that Luciana would deliver to the sect were loaded into a sheriff's department truck, and she received the keys. She had also reviewed images of Prentiss and Reid's ID photos that Miller pulled up the night before, committing their faces to memory to ensure their wellbeing when she arrived.

She looked around the small FBI encampment to find that Hotchner had pulled Rossi to the side, both of them speaking quietly to each other before they simultaneously looked over at Luciana, who then turned her head away and focused her attention on Morgan's approaching figure.

"Still sure about going in there alone?" Morgan asked, offering a welcome distraction to Luciana, overthinking the interaction between her superiors. It was clear to her that an unsettled timidness still lingered about her return to the field, but she was unsure where exactly she had shown any reason to doubt her ability in the last twelve hours. She made successful contact and was about to be allowed access to the compound, a key to building a stronger rapport with Cyrus that might lead to him letting his followers go out of mercy if she played her cards right.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Luciana responded, knowing that Morgan's concern was coming from a good place and that it wasn't to undermine her. She passed the car keys she had been given between her hands, glancing back over to where Hotchner and Rossi were still conversing. Rossi had shook his head at something Hotchner said while gesturing lazily in Luciana's direction. Morgan followed her gaze, letting out a soft sigh, which directed Luciana's attention back to him. "Don't worry about Hotch. He takes some time to warm up. Rossi's had your back since he suggested your help. Said you're the best at this."

Luciana nodded, unable to form a sentence that covered the sentiment of understanding and flattery since she still felt like she was hindering their usual operation and how the BAU ran their cases. At that point, she didn't need to say anything because her other former operator, Matthew Sullivan, stepped out of the mobile centre to tell her that she was good to go and wished her luck with a comforting smile.

Climbing into the truck, Luciana confronted a long dirt road and the intruding thoughts of worst-case scenarios eating at her former confidence. She would be out-manned and out-gunned, having left her weapon back with her team so she didn't give anyone a reason to have her restrained or shot when she arrived.

It was eerily quiet when she reached the compound, and she pulled the truck up as close to the door as she could before shutting off the engine and getting out. When her feet hit the ground, she took only a moment to look around the area before she spotted movement behind one of the covered windows near the front door, indicating someone had been watching her since she arrived. Luciana redirected her attention to the truck bed, unlatching the tailgate so she could grab the first of multiple boxes to bring inside. A peace offering of sorts. Trust.

Walking up the front steps, she spotted blood splatter on the stone next to the door, likely belonging to the officer who had died yesterday. She swallowed roughly, allowing herself one last moment of doubt before focusing back on her current task, raising a fist to knock on the door.

Only seconds later was the door pulled open, a brunette man glancing around the wood at the woman on the doorstep.

"Luciana?" the man asked, and she nodded in confirmation, immediately recognizing his voice. "I'm Ben. Come on in."

Luciana stepped over the threshold, handing the box in her arms to one of Cyrus' followers near the door, the leader having stepped outside once she had entered, along with a few of his men, to assess the environment while they grabbed the rest of the boxes. They knew that their chances of being shot were low as long as she was in the building. One of Cyrus' other men approached Luciana, motioning for her to raise her hands so he could pat her down and check for any possibly hidden weapons.

"Let's keep it professional, shall we?" Luciana commented as she raised her hands by her head, glancing over as Cyrus walked back inside and shut the door behind him and his men, likely having heard her comment as he had a smirk on his lips. She tensed briefly as the man's hands patted down her legs before he pulled away and stood up, returning to his post nearby. Luciana dropped her hands as soon as he was gone.

"The children," Cyrus started, gesturing towards the chairs full of his followers, including the children, most of them facing towards the altar at the front of the room. He then pointed to the left side of the room, where Luciana spotted the two BAU agents watching her with intrigue as she walked further into the room. "And our guests."

"I was hoping that you would consider letting me take the children," Luciana spoke softly, her hands clasped in front of her body as she and Cyrus stopped walking, standing in the middle of the aisle and turning to face each other.

"Ah, they're our protection," Cyrus responded, and Luciana nodded, having been expecting that answer from the man. "I remember Waco. We all do. They stay for now while I pray for God's guidance. Please don't try to force us out."

For now. A glimmer of hope that her request would eventually be delivered. A sliver of trust.

"Trust me, I'm not interested in forcing you out. I'm here to help find a peaceful solution to this situation. My job is to protect lives, not take them away."

The sentence left a bad taste in her mouth. You're a liar.

"Trust is earned."

Trust. Trust. Trust. How can a liar be trusted?

"You're right. It is."

"Tell them I'm not crazy," Cyrus requested as the two began to walk back towards the door, Luciana sparing one last glance towards Prentiss and Reid, trying to convey a look of reassurance that she would get them out of there in due time. "Tell them I'm just a man living by God's law."

"Don't give me any reason to tell them you are," Luciana responded, turning to face the man as they reached the door, hearing him chuckle at her candour. Her face remained neutral, extending her hand towards him, which he took, giving it a firm shake before letting go and reaching for the door handle, pulling it open and letting her out.

Luciana paced her steps out when walking back to the truck, not wanting to rush and raise any alarms. She stopped with her hand on the driver's door handle briefly, discreetly checking to ensure the truck bed was empty. When she found nothing suspicious, she got into the driver's seat, started the engine and backed out of her spot. Upon returning to the FBI's base camp, she was immediately greeted outside by Rossi, who had been waiting for her.

"All good?"

"Yup, just peachy," Luciana responded, following him to the mobile unit where everyone had gathered inside again to try and listen in with the bugs Luciana had managed to sneak in. All eyes turned to her when she entered, hopeful for good news. "Prentiss and Reid are okay."

"What about Cyrus?" Morgan asked her as she and Rossi moved to stand near Sullivan, who had a pair of headphones hovering over one ear, trying to listen in on a signal from the bugs while also listening to the conversation between the agents around him.

"His responses felt scripted, almost like he had planned for all this to happen. Strangely calm for the circumstances, but I guess that fits the sociopathic profile Rossi mentioned yesterday," Luciana answered.

"I got a signal," Sullivan announced, gesturing to the headsets scattered around him for the team to listen in. Luciana found herself between Hotchner and Sullivan, perching herself on the edge of the desk as she placed the headset to one of her ears, hearing Cyrus' voice flow through the speaker, crackling with a shaky signal.

"We will be with Him soon," Cyrus announced, likely to the gathered congregation that Luciana had seen only minutes ago. "We have drank the poison together."

Luciana turned her head to look at Rossi, who stood on the other side of Sullivan, her jaw dropping slightly at what she had just heard. Rossi looked just as surprised.

"No, no, this doesn't make sense. Cyrus was calm, completely with it. There were no signs–"

"They're committing mass suicide," Hotchner interrupted Luciana when he spotted Graves walking into the command centre.

"We don't know that," Rossi interjected, his headphones now held by his side as he looked directly at Hotchner, who looked back at Rossi while continuing to listen.

"Rossi, he just said it!" Morgan exclaimed from his position adjacent to Hotchner, his expression laced with concern.

"We're ready to go," Graves announced to the gathered group, nodding at Sullivan, who quickly moved from his sitting position to join the rest of the infiltrating team outside, knowing they would need as many hands as they could manage.

"No, we can't go in yet. We're going to get innocent people killed!" Luciana tried to reason, her heart pounding in her ears as she continued to try to listen to Cyrus' words, to find something in his preaching to back her apprehensions up.

"People are already dying," Hotchner countered, and Luciana couldn't form an argument, her attention drawn back to Cyrus' disturbed sermon.

"And God will wipe the tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death. Nor sorrow. Nor crying. And there will be no more pain for all of the former things have passed away."

"Jim Jones pulled the same stunt. They did a test run just like this years before they did the real thing," Rossi jumped back into the conversation, and Luciana realized that his thoughts on what was happening mirrored her own. He was right. The White Nights tests acted as a way to determine those who harboured no doubt about their practiced faith, those who would participate in a "spiritual rebirth" when the time came.

"Prepare your men to go in."

"Chris, stay right there," Luciana demanded right after the order had left Hotchner's lips. Graves paused awkwardly in his steps toward the door, looking back nervously as Luciana stood up. She had an unyielding look present in her eyes, one he knew too well from their time together on HRT. "Why can't you see he's bluffing? He's trying to see which of his followers will stay loyal to him and who will follow him to the end. One of the Solar Temple's missions was to eliminate the traitors to prove their most faithful members. This ruse is all a testament to their faith and Cyrus."

"Reyes, you're not in charge anymore," Hotchner's tone clipped as he spoke to her, looking up at the woman from where he sat with a stern gaze, but she still didn't back down.

"I'm not going to let you get people killed!"

"Be still. There was no poison."

Hotchner called out to Graves as Cyrus' voice flowed through the speakers to fill in the tense silence that had taken hold of the room, holding up a hand to ensure he waited.

"Instead, a test of faith because your adversary, the Devil, walketh about as a roaring lion choosing whom he may devour. Watch each other for signs of weakness."

Luciana looked back down at Hotchner, her chest beginning to heave with pent-up rage at the thought of the mistake almost made because he didn't listen to her. He met her gaze only briefly before shaking his head, releasing a shaky breath of relief.

"Tell them to stand down."

Luciana scoffed, throwing her headset down onto the table before she stormed toward the door, pulling her arm out of Graves' reach as he tried to stop her from leaving. She eased past a pregnant blonde woman in the doorway on her way out, who looked at her and then at the rest of the team with confusion as Luciana passed.

Luciana walked out of the command centre and out from under the canopy tent pitched outside, taking a deep breath through her nose before blowing it out between pursed lips, tilting her head back so she could feel the warm sun on her face, acting as a tranquillizer.

"Hey..."

"I just need a minute, Rossi."

Rossi gave her the space she requested but still hovered nearby, observing as she paced back and forth with a hand pressed to her chest, nodding counts of seven as she took deep breaths. After a few rounds, she turned her attention towards her former teacher.

"It was a good call," Rossi informed her as she walked back under the cover of the canopy, the woman watching as Morgan walked out from the mobile unit to a nearby abandoned building that they had refitted to a makeshift bunk room, disappearing inside. "I know it's difficult to go from leading to following again, but you're not the one giving orders anymore. You're following them. Even if you don't agree with the one given."

"I know, I know," Luciana responded, running her hands over her head, taming her curls down as she looked down at her feet, kicking at the rocks beneath them like a child scorned. "But he wasn't listening, Rossi. I get it. I'm new. But I also have experience. It's not like I'm fresh out of the academy."

"Hotch knows that. But you can't blame him for being weary. I read about what happened, and it's a lot to come back from," Rossi reasoned, and Luciana sighed, knowing that he had a point.

Before she could respond, Morgan exited the building, stating aloud that he had found some information that would help them. Luciana didn't have a chance to tell Rossi that she thought this might not work out if her boss struggled to trust her judgment.

The group gathered outside, listening to the BAU's technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, spew out all the information she could find on Benjamin Cyrus' real alias, Charles Mulgrew, the name the former sect leader had mentioned to Morgan during their recent interview. The allegations of sexual inference that Cyrus faced today were backed up by charges and prison time he had faced back at eighteen years old. This new information made their job much more difficult with the realization that there likely wouldn't be a peaceful end to this with the risk of going back to prison for crimes against children. He knew what he would face without protective custody.

"JJ, I need you to release a press statement saying that we have absolutely no evidence of sexual allegations," Hotchner called out, and Luciana watched as the blonde woman she had seen earlier approached the table with an exasperated expression.

"You need to see this," JJ stated, rounding the table to pull up a live feed on the laptop they had just used to speak with Garcia.

"Now well into its second day, the standoff at the Separatarian Sect ranch has now been taken over by the FBI," the reporter on the screen, crouched on a hill a couple miles away from the ranch, informed the public. "There was much speculation in regard to hostages. But anonymous sources inside the State Attorney General's office have told us there is an undercover FBI agent currently being held inside the Separtarian Sect ranch. Hostage negotiators say they are making headway with the sect's leadership and are hopeful for a positive outcome."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Luciana was the first to voice what she was sure everyone was thinking, uneasiness thick in the air around them as they realized Prentiss and Reid were now in more danger than ever.

⭑

♯ AUTHOR'S NOTE !

cracked myself up make that meme i can't lie cause writing these two as adversaries after writing sam (rip) being down horrendous from the moment she laid eyes on him is so torturous.

minimal loss will always be that episode for me and it just seemed fitting to make this luciana's first case with the team with her history in hostage rescue. she's also very no nonsense as a negotiator and it humours me cause i know some people (hotch) are gonna be SWEATING about the way she talks to unsubs.

we've got lots to unpack about luciana's character but i will forever be her number one defender she will never do any wrong in my eyes actually.