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𝑷 𝑶 𝑽
❝ 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚜 ❞

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FLASHBACK ━━ Set between Season 5, Episodes 15 & 16

ㅤ"𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑱𝑨𝑯 𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑺, 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑯𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 to remain silent," the lead detective spoke as he put the said man in handcuffs. "Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney..."

As the man was being led away, his expression shed no signs of remorse or regret. The BAU team were able to apprehend him by using his own tactic against him; by turning the hunter to prey. Unsurprisingly, the unsub's arrogance led to his downfall, and the case was closed.

But the BAU knew that the man wasn't done with them.

Hotch's frown deepened when the man suddenly stopped right in front of him, eyes void of emotion, but somehow still had a smirk on his face as his expression turned from what could be considered furious to simple curiosity. Elijah looked right into his eyes, before raking his eyes across the entire team's. He hummed, then whispered,

"Uvidimsya." Then he was dragged away.

Emily frowned at the interaction, walking closer to her boss. "What did he whisper to you?"

The rest of the team followed suit, looking at him curiously.

"I don't know, it sounded Russian," Hotch clenched his jaw.

"Can you repeat it phonetically?" Spencer asked. Hotch nodded and repeated the word. "It is Russian."

"He speaks Russian?" Derek asked, crossing his arms defensively, looking back at the man who was just ushered inside a police car. "What does it mean?"

Emily and Spencer turned to each other, suddenly apprehensive.

"What?" Rossi frowned.

"There's no direct translation but, um," Spencer cleared his throat. "It essentially means 'I'll be seeing you' or 'We'll meet again soon,' something like that."

"Was that a threat?" JJ asked incredulously, glancing just as the police car the unsub was ushered into drove away.

Hotch shook his head. "I don't know."

PRESENT ━━

The next few days were slow, in Finley's opinion.

After learning the unsub was a trucker, it made things a little easier; they now know how the victims were being held and how they were being transported. All that's left now is to figure out which trucker was responsible for everything.

So far, they've narrowed it down to about seventy-six truck drivers who were independent contractors, knowing that it would be impossible for him to have committed those murders if he was under a company that has them working in tight schedules.

The entire team—sans Emily who was talking to Courtney Campbell, Nancy Campbell's daughter—were all in the room they were given by the police to work on the case. They were all staring at the boards, filled with the victims of a single unsub.

"Alright, so let's go over this again," Derek began, "This offender's preferential, young women mid to late 20s."

"He takes his time watching them; he makes sure there are no other witnesses," Rossi added.

"Kills them twelve to twenty-four hours after abduction," Finley stated.

With crossed arms, Spencer added even more. "Only now, that timeframe's getting shorter."

"Then he comes home to Edgewood, where he's home and he feels safe," Hotch nodded. "There's no rape involved, so is it companionship he's after?"

"There might be an almost chivalrous aspect to this," Spencer turned away from them, walking closer to the boards.

"How do you figure?" JJ asked.

"Truckers have a romanticized image of themselves, and in fact all lifestyles revolving around the open road do," he explained. "The Hell's Angels, for instance. They refer to their women as their old ladies, when in fact there's no one they'd rather protect or die for."

"Like knights?" Finley asked, nodding to herself as she was starting to understand his train of thought.

"Exactly," he told her. "Their treatment of women wouldn't be out of place in King Arthur's court."

The mention of the Arthurian legends made Finley tense for moment. Luckily, no one had noticed as she relaxed again from where she stood beside a sitting Derek, who spoke up again.

"And their sense of isolation would amp up their fantasy."

"So he's looking for a wife," Hotch concluded. "He starts out with easy targets, then he moves on to women who could actually fill the role."

"Sweet, outgoing, warm," Rossi agreed, hands in his pockets. "The bartender who takes extra care of you, the chatty hitchhiker."

"But over the course of the day, they fail the test. This infuriates him, and then he strangles them and dumps them."

"Okay, so why take Nancy Campbell?" JJ asked. "She's the opposite of all the other victims he's taken."

"It's true," Rossi nodded. "She's older. She already has a kid."

"Then maybe he's not looking for a wife," Finley shrugged, crossing her arms as all their gazes turned to her. "What if he's looking for a mother?"

"If he's got a kid of his own, that would explain what keeps him coming back to Edgewood," Derek pointed out.

"It would explain why he walks past Courtney to get to Nancy," Rossi takes a hand out of his pocket as he began making gestures as he talked. "Just by watching, he knows she's a mother; she's already qualified to pass any test."

Hotch immediately called Penelope, who was quick to answer. "Garcia."

"Sir," she replied.

"I want you to narrow down the 'own authority trucker' list and tell me which ones have been through a divorce recently or a custody battle."

"Custody fight would be a stressor, limit your searches to months prior to the first murder," Rossi ordered.

"Got it, thanks," Penelope said before ending the call to do her magic.

Everything had been going according to plan, when another body turned up on the I-40. Everyone was immediately on edge, and Rossi went to check if it was Nancy Campbell. And it seems as though God was on their side when they confirmed that it wasn't. Now all that's left to do is to put Penelope's hard work to good use.

"Hey babygirl, talk to me," Derek said, walking into the room. Finley raised her brows at the term of endearment but kept her mouth shut as the technical analyst got to work.

"Of your seventy-six independent truckers, I have twenty-eight who are currently involved in custody cases," she informed them.

"How many of those cases are still open?" Hotch questioned.

"Uh, eight pending," she answered. "Not the most relationship friendly job, trucking."

"Look for instances where the mother died," Derek offered. "A guy like this wouldn't tear a child away from his own mother."

The sound of clicking on a keyboard was present for a moment before Penelope started speaking. "Caroline Hatchett died in a house fire, leaving behind a seven-year-old Jody and a husband Wade Hatchett." As soon as she said the name, the team exchanged glances. "Wade lost his home, his wife, and custody of his daughter when the courts deemed him unfit. He's still contesting the case."

"Why was he deemed unfit?" Spencer asked.

"Uh..." They can hear her roll her chair towards somewhere. "Double whammy: job kept him away weeks at a time, and he didn't have any other family to help him watch the girl. Looks like he bent over backwards trying to make it work, but she missed a lot of school, and he was charged with neglect of a minor."

"You have an address?" It was Derek who asked.

"Just a PO box for over a year."

"What about Jody?" Finley questioned.

"Jody currently resides in foster care. I'm sending you the file now."

They immediately set to work. As soon as Rossi came back with the information about the death of Lynn Clemons, Jody's foster parent, they figured out that Wade was after his daughter. Dressed in FBI vests on top of their clothing, they all set off to make sure the little girl won't get hurt. There were officers with them too, along with a sniper assigned to take the shot if necessary.

As soon as Jody arrived to the house, the women were assigned to watch over her. Jody was instantly enamored by Finley, who had introduced herself enthusiastically to ensure that the girl won't freak out with the amount of giant strangers in her house; it worked.

Just before they walked into the room, JJ pulled Finley aside and whispered, "You're good with kids."

Smiling, Finley said, "Thanks. I, uh, had a lot of practice." She shrugged. "Went to a boarding school."

JJ nodded in contemplation, storing that information for later as no one really knows anything about Finley. More than half of her personal file was classified except for her date of birth, place of birth, birthday, educational attainments, and recent occupation; she was essentially a mystery.

Smiling softly at the little girl as she entered the room, Finley's eyes were trained on the paintings on the walls straight away. She gestured them to Emily who was sat on the bed.

"Did you paint all of these yourself?" Emily asked Jody while pointing at the paintings, her tone amazed, wanting to keep the girl engaged. She then walked closer to examine them.

"Mhm," the girl replied with a nod.

"It looks like they're...sleeping?" JJ asked.

"Yeah," Jody smiled. "The king tucks them in, like my daddy does for me."

Pointing at one of them, Finley asked, "Is this your mom here in this one?"

"No, that's the queen."

"Who's that?"

"She's the one the king tried to take home to the castle, but she didn't make it," the little girl answered. That's when they all exchanged looks, realizing that the father had been telling her the stories of his murders in a more fantastical way.

"What happened to her?" Emily asked.

"Her carriage broke down and he had to leave her behind to save the princess." The innocence in her voice was adorable, and Finley almost caved in and gave the kid a hug.

Both JJ and Emily sat down on the small chairs made for kids that were situated right by the wall of paintings, while Finley sat on the bed, glancing up at the paintings properly without having to crane her neck.

"There's a lot of queens here," JJ mentioned to the girl who hummed in agreement. "They all look different."

"They are," Jody affirmed, clutching her bear tightly.

Emily pointed to another one. "What happened to this one here?"

"She was dirty," she said simply, as if it were obvious. "The king said, 'how do you expect to give my daughter a bath if you can't even take one yourself?'" She chuckled as she kneeled in front of her toys. "I like that story."

Finley felt for the little girl; though she was innocent and thought of the stories as nothing more than, well, stories, she'll end up realizing what her father had done sooner or later. She could admire Wade's love for his daughter, wanting nothing more than for them to be together, but the way he did it could ruin the little girl's life forever.

"Do you make up all these stories?" She asked.

The girl turned to her. "No, my daddy does. I like painting them."

JJ, Emily, and Finley all glanced at each other again. One look at their expressions can tell you how heavy their hearts felt as they listened to the little girl.

Emily took a look at the one on the table and asked, "Well, this story isn't over yet, is it?"

"That's what my dad said," Jody smiled.

"He did?" JJ looked at her.

"Mhm," the girl then began telling the story excitedly. "Today, we were eating pancakes, and he said she was perfect."

Emily glanced around, trying to figure out what to say next. She then smiled reassuringly at the little girl. "Hey, would you like to meet a queen?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically and turned to grab Finley, who let out a chuckle at her enthusiasm while trying to hide her discomfort. Not for the little girl, but for what they were about to make her do.

It was all going well. Jody was able to get her father's head back from the clouds by talking to him, which allowed them to rescue Nancy. The little girl stood by the window, holding Finley's hand tightly in one hand and the walkie in the other that she used to communicate with Wade. Finley was crouched right beside her, making them the same height; she had the same view the little girl did.

As soon as Nancy got to safety, Jody said to her father while smiling, "Now the king won't be lonely anymore."

"No," Wade replied. From what they can see, he was trying to smile while holding back tears. "And they're gonna live happily ever after."

"Why aren't you coming too, daddy?"

"You're doing a great job, honey," Finley whispered, smiling at the little girl who smiled back, before talking to her dad again.

"Are you going to the better place?"

Her question immediately caught everyone off guard, with Emily asking, "What?"

"Yeah," Wade replied. "We're both going to a better place, princess. Close your little eyes, sweet pea."

As soon as he said that, everyone knew what he was talking about. Outside, Derek had sprung into action, running towards Wade to stop him. Jody followed her father's orders, while Finley quickly turned her around and wrapped her in a hug, whispering words of encouragement into her ear, stroking her hair. The little girl relaxed into her arms, which made her close her eyes as she fought back her emotions.

The tell-tale sign of a gunshot rang through the air, and Finley hugged the little girl tighter, while looking up at the others who had similar looks of disbelief.

Hotch nodded down at her, and she took it as her cue to take Jody elsewhere.

She stood up, carrying the child in her arms, and walked back into the girl's bedroom, still stroking her hair.

"Miss Finley?" Jody asked, looking at her as Finley settled her on her bed. "What's gonna happen to me now?"

Finley took a deep breath, kneeling beside the bed so they're eye-level, before answering, "I'm not sure, sweetie."

The little girl had her lower lip jutted out. "You think daddy's gonna be okay?"

Hotch silently walked towards the room, about to tell his agent to pack up for their flight home, but stopped in his tracks when he heard the two converse. He stood silently by the doorway as he watched their exchange.

"I think so," Finley nodded. "You know, he loves you very much." She made sure not to refer to him in past tense, not knowing how the child would react to it.

The little girl smiled. "I know, I love him too."

Hotch took that his cue. Clearing his throat, he caught the attention of the two. Giving the child a small, barely-there smile, he turned to Finley who stood up and walked towards him. "We need to head back to the precinct and clean up before we fly back to Quantico," he whispered.

Finley nodded, but not before turning back to face Jody and kneeling by her side again. "I suppose this is a farewell, young princess."

Jody smiled at being called a princess, but couldn't stop her lip from trembling at the thought of Finley leaving. "Miss Finley, I don't want you to go."

"Oh, honey," Finley whispered. "I'm sorry, but I have to get back home."

"To your castle?"

"My castle?" Finley wondered.

"Yeah," the girl let out a giggle. "You look like a queen, Miss Finley."

She smiled down at the little girl, giving her button nose a little boop. "Thank you, Princess Jody." She then stood up again, waving as she was just about to step foot out the room when the little girl yelled.

"Wait!"

"Hm?" She asked, giving Hotch an apologetic smile before turning back to Jody, who was rummaging through her toys before pulling out a plastic crown.

"Here," Jody handed her the crown. "So that people know that you're Queen Finley."

"Oh, thank you, but won't you need it too? So that people know you're Princess Jody?"

"I have another one," she shrugged. "Please take it."

Finley turned to Hotch, who could clearly see her hesitance. He looked back at the little girl before nodding, "You should take it, you're a queen, after all." His face held some mirth that Finley never thought she'd ever see in her lifetime.

"See? I told you!" Jody exclaimed, before forcibly placing the crown on top of Finley's hair. "There!"

All Finley could do was look down at her in disbelief. "Okay, okay, it seems I have no choice." She smiled, before lifting up her hands to take out a white gold necklace with a small diamond, hidden beneath her shirt. She didn't hesitate to take it off, and place it on Jody's outstretched hand. "Here, we can swap." She smiled wider at the little girl's enthusiasm. "This necklace is magical. It keeps me safe, so I want you to have it."

"But won't you need it?" Jody suddenly frowned.

"I have another one," she teased, before ruffling the little girl's hair as she stood. "I wish you good luck, Jody. Wear the necklace, okay? So it can keep you safe too."

With one final wave, she walked out and stood next to Hotch, who led her through the house where the rest of the team were waiting. But before they could walk out, her boss suddenly spoke up.

"You're good with kids," he stated.

"That's what JJ said," she smiled.

"Do you have kids?"

"Oh, no," she shook her head frantically, earning her a small smile of amusement as they walked out the front door.

"Well, you're definitely going to be a great mother if you decide on having some."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll ever have kids," she shrugged. "Got into a traumatic...accident as a teenager. Don't know if I can have kids."

"You never went to a doctor to check?" He frowned as the two slowly walked down the path.

"I...I just don't think I'll ever need to know if I can reproduce or not," she sighed. "Don't think I can find someone in my line of work."

He hummed, frowning a little when she said 'my' but decided not to say anything, and instead said, "You never know."

author's note: this was such a long chapter omg

at least there's more easter eggs,, :>