╭ ⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸ ╮

𝑷 𝑶 𝑽
❝ 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚒 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚒 𝚋𝚘𝚖 ❞

╰ ⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸ ╯

PREVIOUSLY ━━

ㅤ𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮, 𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑳𝑬𝒀 𝑺𝑨𝑻 𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑰𝑹 in front of Strauss' desk and grabbed a random folder. As soon she opened one, it felt like her breath was knocked out of her. Brown hair, hazel eyes..."He looks just like..." She frantically opened another one and clenched her jaw. Female, black hair, dark eyes, straight nose. She opened another one. Female, blonde hair, blue eyes. And another one. Male, black hair, goatee. She eventually managed to open each of them. "They all look like..."

"Yes," Strauss nodded. "I also received this," lifting up her hand, there was a card in between her pointer and middle finger, "and I'd bet it's from Kuznetsov too."

Finley reached out, and gingerly took the card from the woman's hand. There on the piece of paper were two words.

Hail HYDRA.

Clenching her jaw, she leaned back against the chair and carelessly flicked the card back and forth. "Did you test this for prints?"

"Of course, there was nothing there."

"What do you suppose we do?"

"That's up to you, Agent Barrett. After all, that's what you're here for."

PRESENT ━━

"Well, it's a message alright," Finley tsked, shaking her head. "So, he killed all these people because of their striking resemblance to the team? It's honestly uncanny."

"Yes," Strauss agreed. "And dumped each body at different literal dumpsites, each of them sustaining injuries that suggest torture. Every single wound on the victims seem to have been done antemortem, and they appear to have all died of exsanguination. Everything but their faces were damaged. At least, from what the ME could tell at first glance. I told her not to touch it yet."

"Thanks," she nodded. "Of course, he wants to make a statement, wants to say that he views the team as trash," she let out a heavy sigh. "What can they tell from the crime scene?"

"Well, apparently, the bodies were posed, laying face up."

"To show their face."

"And there was no blood."

"So they were killed somewhere else," Finley nodded. "Were they identified?"

"No, none of them had fingerprints; burnt off," Strauss pursed her lips, massaging her temple as she leaned back against her chair.

"Dental?"

"Nothing. They're all Jane and John Doe's."

Finley crossed her arms. "Nothing on missing persons?"

"Nothing either. It's either they never existed at all, or he wiped their existence completely. I'm leaning more towards the latter."

"So do I," she raised her eyebrows, fingering the photo that had the picture of the victim that resembled Spencer. "To be honest, erasing one's existence is not that hard. Neither is creating a new one. I should know. So he also wants to say that he can make the team disappear."

Strauss nodded, giving her a contemplative look before asking, "Do you want to see the bodies?"

"Now? Are they all in one place?"

"Yes, they were scattered around the state but as soon as I saw the crime scene photos...their faces, specifically, I just knew. I had them all transported to one place."

Finley slowly nodded. "Right, that's good. Won't it be suspicious if I go off on my own, though?"

"Not if you say it's a personal matter," the older woman gave her a pointed look. "I'll deal with Aaron, go."

"Chief Strauss told me you were coming," the female ME greeted her, giving her a respectful nod while handing her a pair of gloves. "Agent Barrett, right?" When Finley nodded, she continued. "Told me not to touch it until you came." She looked down at the seven bodies. "Did you...know them?"

Finley was absentmindedly putting on the gloves offered to her, and almost didn't register the ME's words as she scanned the bodies. "Oh, uh, no. I don't."

"Then why..."

"It's for a case, and I'm the primary," Finley told her vaguely. "I can't really give you any more than that, sorry." She gave the ME a tight-lipped smile. "Did Chief Strauss inform you of how...sensitive the details of this case are?"

"All she told me was that I answered to you," the older woman shrugged. "I'm not really complaining, they're paying me extra."

Finley gave her a smirk, nodding appreciatively before she pulled her hair up in a ponytail. She leaned over the one that resembled Penelope, lifting up her hand to closely examine their fingers. They really did have their prints burnt off. "What can you tell me about the bodies?"

The ME instantly got down to business at her words. "Right. Well, most of my initial findings were written on the report. Other than what I've written, the dirt and mud—I think one of them had animal feces—on the bottom of their feet, plus all the different cuts all over it, suggests that they were running from something that was chasing them. They were desperate enough to run through, maybe, the woods barefoot. There were also smaller cuts on their arms and legs, possibly from being dragged."

Finley hummed to herself walking towards the victim's feet, drawing the same conclusion. "There's dirt under her toenails, and fingernails. I wouldn't doubt the possibility of her falling over or something, and that allowed her attacker to drag her to God knows where."

"Yes, I noticed that too," the ME nodded. "On all of them, actually," she gestured. "They definitely struggled as much as they can, they were probably clawing the ground. And the stab wounds...the one on their sides definitely seem like the earliest of the bunch. It's like someone ran up to them and just..."

Finley moved on to examine said wounds, eyes squinting slightly as she looked at the edges. "Would you say that they were done with precision?"

"In a way, yes. I'm fairly certain that the first one was done to immobilize them, but still, I think it was done with a care for their survival; it was done in a none-lethal area. There's a high possibility that it was the reason why they fell over."

"I agree. And the others?"

"I'd say they were done a while later, because the initial one already looked like it was beginning to heal," the ME told her, frowning a little as she crossed her arms. "And they appear to have been done to inflict the maximum amount of pain on the victims, because none of them are deep enough to severely injure, and none of them were around the fatal areas."

"What kind of weapon do you think he used?"

"Well, I'm positive it's a knife. Although, I can't really tell you exactly what kind of knife was used, not until I examine each body further."

Finley nodded. "So they were hunted down in the middle of the woods barefoot, and when they were caught, they were stabbed so they were rendered unable to run any further," she listed. "And then they were dragged somewhere to be tortured, and they eventually died of blood loss."

"It seems as though he also cleaned their faces right before dumping them," the ME was closest to the one that resembled Derek, and she gestured Finley over. "Look, his neck is all dirty, as well as right underneath the jaw, except for a few splotches. The guy definitely took his time to clean their faces. "

"He wanted the faces to be seen," Finley told her, licking her lips slightly. "Can you tell how long they've been dead?"

"I'd say all of them were dead for a little under a week," the ME sighed. "All of them were found a day or two apart, but I'm pretty sure they were all dumped at the same time." She kissed her teeth. "Whoever did this to them...he's a psycho. Who would do something like this?"

"Ma'am, you'd be surprised," she let out a scoff. "This guy...he hunted them like animals. He doesn't care about life, only thing he cares about is the hunt. And he hated how he became the hunted. So now...he wants to return the favor."

The ME let out a shaky breath. "I'm a little terrified to examine the bodies further."

"Why?"

"Because then, I'd know how long they were waiting for death to just come take them," she shook her head. "This is just...horrible."

Finley sighed, giving the ME an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

"None of this was your fault. Just tell me you'd avenge these people for me. It's bad enough that we'll most likely never know their real identities, who they were before...this."

"I intend to avenge them, don't worry," she nodded. "I intend to get the son of a bitch that did this." She pulled a card that had her personal number written on it. "Here, call me directly if you find out more. It's of utmost importance that the only people you contact about anything surrounding this case is Chief Strauss and I."

The ME took it from her. "Thanks. I'm Isabel, by the way. Wish I could say it was nice to meet you, Agent Barrett."

"Likewise," Finley smiled. "You can just call me Finn. We're gonna be working together for a while." She began walking away, pulling off her gloves as she did so. "Let me know, okay?"

Before she could successfully walk out the door, Isabel called her over. "Wait, Finn. I think...I think there's something lodged in John Doe number one's pharynx." She rushed back. "It's...it's a piece of paper. With a handwritten note." She watched as the ME used a pair of curved-tip forceps, pulling it out. "Here."

Finley hurriedly put on a new pair of gloves as she already discarded the one she used earlier, and unfolded the piece of paper. Written on it were words...lyrics she knew all too well. She shuddered. "Check the other bodies, this isn't complete."

Isabel did as she asked and hurriedly pried open the victims' mouth. All of them did have pieces of paper down their pharynxes. She carefully laid them all on a separate table, side by side, and asked, "What does this mean?"

Finley sighed, placing the one on her hand down with the others, before carefully rearranging all seven pieces of paper in proper order.

Тили-тили-бом
Закрой глаза скорее,
Кто-то ходит за окном,
И стучится в двери.

Тили-тили-бом.
Кричит ночная птица.
Он уже пробрался в дом.
К тем, кому не спится.

Он идет...
Он уже
близко...

Тили-тили-бом.
Ты слышишь, кто-то рядом?
Притаился за углом,
И пронзает взглядом.

Тили-тили-бом.
Все скроет ночь немая.
За тобой крадется он,
И вот-вот поймает.

Он идет...
Он уже
близко...

Тили-тили-бом.
Ты слышишь, кто-то рядом?
Притаился за углом.
И пронзает взглядом.

"It's a lullaby," she scoffed. She was quick to discard her gloved again and pulled out her phone. She called Strauss, who answered almost immediately. She didn't even wait for the older woman to greet her. "He's taunting us. Because of this, I don't think I should tell the team. Not yet, anyway. I need to set up contingency plans. Ilya Kuznetsov won't go down without a fight."

"I trust your judgement," Strauss replied. "Let me know of all your plans, and I'll coordinate with the director."

"Okay, see you then."

"Is your friend alright?" Spencer asked her as soon as she stepped back into the bullpen.

"My friend?" Finley frowned.

"Yeah, Strauss told us there was an emergency."

"Oh, right," she shook her head and chuckled, albeit a little nervously. "I, uh...it's not looking good, to be completely honest. It's why I'm a little...lost."

"I understand," Spencer gave her a reassuring smile. "You're actually right on time. We've got a case. Everyone's already at the round table."

"Oh, okay," she pulled out her hair from the ponytail and messed with it a little, and Spencer could swear she looked like she was getting ready for a photoshoot.

He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away before they wander. "Let's go."

The two walked side by side up to where the rest of the team was, and Finley couldn't help herself from subtly scanning each of their faces as images of their lookalikes flashed into her mind. She soon forced herself to look away, and instead, sit down next to Emily, while Spencer sat beside her.

"Okay, let's get started," JJ nodded, pointing the remote at the TV as images of three bodies popped up, all wearing a fake plastic crowns on their heads, somehow looking like they're asleep if not for the fact that they're dead. "The bodies of Pia Gray, Margie Diaz, and Gloria Wurtzbach were all recently found in their hotel rooms, sitting right in front of their vanities, wearing their evening gown for the preliminary competition for Miss USA that will be held in two days. They represented DC, New Jersey, and Illinois respectively."

Hotch looked down at his files. "They also had their makeup done." He added, flicking to a different page. "ME reports that each of the victim died of brain hemorrhage due to blunt force trauma to the back of the head."

"The crime scenes also look clean," Derek noted.

"Yeah, the crime scene was deliberately cleaned by the unsub," JJ confirmed. "Traces of bleach were found in the bathrooms so they all believe that the girls were killed in there."

"That's actually pretty smart," Finley shrugged. "The drains would've sucked in most of the blood. The unsub wouldn't have to clean that much."

"You know, the way the bodies were dressed and...prepared suggests the unsub could be a woman," Emily nodded. "Especially because the unsub cleaned after herself. Rarely do male unsubs care about the mess they've made."

"I agree," Spencer nodded. "This could simply be a case of jealousy. Another contestant could've done this."

Penelope sighed. "That's what makes this case a little difficult. The pageant they're all competing in is Miss USA, as you know, so there's one contestant per state. I'd have to comb through fifty contestants. Each of them a possible unsub and a possible victim."

"Fifty?" Finley asked curiously. "Why only fifty?"

JJ began to smile at her somewhat mischievously. "Well, both Miss New Jersey and Miss Illinois have already been replaced by a new girl. Miss DC, however, has not. There's a reason why this case was given to us."

"What does that mean?" Rossi frowned.

JJ gestured towards Finley. "It seems as though the best course of action is to send an agent undercover, and we have the perfect candidate."

Finley's eyes widened. "Me? Are you serious?"

"You did say you have pageant experience," Penelope pointed out, smiling at her teasingly. "Guess we're finally gonna witness it." The rest of the team was now looking at Finley rather inquisitively, and amusedly.

Even Hotch was smiling a little. "I suppose this would be the best time for you to show how good you are at being undercover."

Finley huffed, unsure of what to say as she made eye contact with Spencer, who was also pretty amused. She laughed. "Alright, I guess I'll do it, not like I can say no, anyway. I'm gonna do this Miss Congeniality style."

"What's Miss Congeniality?" Spencer asked, looking around and frowning when they all snickered at his question. He looked towards Finley again. "Finn, what's Miss Congeniality?"

She patted him on the shoulder. "I'll make you watch it, don't you worry."

JJ then spoke up again. "We're gonna need to hire a team of hairdressers and stuff like that for you--"

"No need," Finley cut her off. "Just give me my cover, I'll handle the rest."

"Alright, I'm trusting you on this," Hotch gave her a meaningful nod as his face became serious, eyebrows furrowed like usual. "Your experience should provide us with enough certainty that things will go well. And because I understand you'd need to prepare your wardrobe," he looked around, "wheels up in two hours."

author's note: to put into perspective how 'uncanny' the similarities are between the team and the 7 vics, it's like when you put a pic of orlando bloom and rupert friend side by side; you can tell they're diff people but their features are still strikingly similar.

also, to the people who were confused as to who the vics were in the last chapter,,,, i specifically said 7 victims,, who look like people both finn and strauss knew closely,, enough to personally investigate their deaths and worry over,,,,, why did yall think it was anyone but the team T~T

btw, the lullaby mentioned is called 'tili tili bom'. i'm not sure if it's an actual lullaby, because i've read somewhere that it was made for a movie???? idk, no one really know i think. anyway, here's the song (with translations): 

https://youtu.be/BDMmj5WgB8c

also, can i just say, i hope y'all are still picking up the easter eggs. i can't exactly let yall know if you actually GOT it so as to not give away spoilers, but i know who yall are :> i actually know which of you guys spot the most easter eggs!!! i'll probably give the top 3 a gift or something...

maybe early access to future chapters ?? (ﾉ'ヮ')ﾉ 

anyway, easter egg count — 2

and thank you for 12k!!! please point out any spelling grammatical mistakes, i went cross-eyed trying to make 2 new cases on my own lmfaoooo

(and yes, this case is definitely inspired by miss congeniality and yes, all the dead contestants' names were based off of miss universe winners from the philippines haha, wait til you read finn's undercover name)