╭ ⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸ ╮

𝑷 𝑶 𝑽
❝ 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 ❞

╰ ⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸ ╯

ㅤ"𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐘, 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐍, 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐔𝐒?" Penelope asked through the comms.

It was the evening gown portion of the preliminaries, and JJ and Emily were with Finley as they fitted her into her orange dress, one that was designed with the mythical bird Ibong Adarna in mind. As soon as she was fitted in, Emily slipped in the wire and gave her an earpiece. Now, she was in the loop.

"Loud and clear," Finley answered, stumbling a little as she slipped on her heels, now a solid five-inch. As soon as she got the straps secured, she gave a thankful smile to the two women with her. "Thanks, you two."

"It was our pleasure, trust me," Emily smirked, laughing when JJ slapped her shoulder. "Now come on, we need to give Spencer another heart attack."

"...a what?"

"Let's not dwell on that too much," JJ shook her head, walking out of the dressing room first, leading Finley outside, while Emily made sure the dress wouldn't get caught on anything. They ignored Spencer's defensive protests from their earpieces. "You look beautiful. The dress is, too. Fits you like a glove."

Finley took a second to wave at Ashlynn, Miss Minnesota, and Sarah, Miss Ohio, before smiling at JJ. "It was custom made for me. But I never used it, so might as well just go all out for this competition. It's not everyday I get to wear these."

"Well, regardless of where this dress came from, as long as it gives Spencer an embolism, it's good enough for me," JJ laughed.

They continued to ignore Spencer's protests.

"An embolism?!" Spencer scoffed. "An embolism?! They do know that I'm statistically not even old enough to get embolism, right?" As Spencer ranted, Rossi was just sat beside him laughing, shoulders shaking as he tried to stifle it, face-palming. "Most cases of embolism occurs during old age, and or if you have inherited conditions like blood clotting disorders, which, mind you, I don't have. I mean, why--"

"Spencer, Spencer, they're just teasing you, okay?" Rossi continued to chuckle even while trying to placate him, which did not help at all.

"Why?" Spencer pouted.

"Because you're head over heels," Derek answered. Everyone knew that Finley could hear the conversation, but chose not to point it out. They were all rooting for the two to get together.

"Is...is it that obvious?" Spencer whispered back as if it he was scared; of course he was, because only now did he realize how hopelessly he was falling for Finley, but she doesn't reciprocate. It hurt, but the feeling wasn't new, and all he could do now was either change her mind, or just continue to fall for her despite knowing that he can never be with her.

His words made Finley stop in her tracks, halting right in the middle of the backstage hallway. Her breath hitched when she realized just how much Spencer actually feels for her. She looked at Emily and JJ with a shocked expression, mouth slightly agape. She watched as they nodded at her, and that was enough for her to let out a shaky breath. She couldn't even speak. But she straightened up when Emily suddenly spoke.

"Spence, you look at Finn the same way you look at your coffee, your books...you look at her like you're home, and it doesn't take a profiler to see that."

Finley couldn't help herself from rolling her eyes. The team, at this point, knew very well why she and Spencer fought that last time, Emily especially. They knew that she didn't want to be in a relationship, nor was she ready for one. She understood that they all just wanted her and Spencer to be happy, but all they're doing is making her push further away from him.

She sighed, walking away from Emily and JJ and instead found her place with the other candidates, ignoring their disappointed gazes.

"Woah, Cat!" Rachel gasped, admiring the brunette's dress. "You look...great. That dress..."

"Thanks, Rach, yours too!" Finley grinned, scanning her up and down. "You look hot."

"Of course, I do," Rachel jokingly flipped her hair. "Anyway, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

All the candidates shifted their attention over to the organizers, who were putting them in a line in alphabetical order according to their state. Finley grinned at Carlie and Gianna who took their places in front of her and behind her respectively. They gushed over each other while simultaneously gossiping.

"That's her," Carlie gestured towards an older blonde woman who was holding a clipboard to her chest. "Laurie Wilson, the stage manager. She technically shouldn't even be here backstage."

Finley nodded slowly, knowing that the team was listening in. "Woah, that's creepy."

"What is?" Gianna frowned.

"She looks like Chelsea," Finley stated. Soon enough, she could hear Penelope typing on her laptop through her earpiece, and she could only assume that she was running background checks on the Laurie woman.

"Oof," Penelope spoke through the comms. "You guys might wanna look into this Laurie Wilson. Sending you the files...now."

Because she didn't have a phone or tablet with her, Finley could only anticipate to read through what information Penelope could have on this woman. She only nodded along as the other girls talked around her, when one of the crew members started doing a countdown.

"Exit in three, two, one!"

The team once again found themselves looking forward to Finley's exit. They only knew the gist of what she was wearing through Emily and JJ's description, but it wasn't enough to quell their curiosity, especially Spencer's.

It was easy for Spencer to have overlooked the fact that Finley heard his admittance earlier, but as soon as he realized what he'd done, he froze. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Finley expresses her feelings again, and how she really didn't want to be with anyone. Because of this, he felt himself filling with dread as his hand shook.

He was going to have to talk to the team soon, without Finley present.

He sighed, looking up at the stage to see Miss Alabama walking out from backstage, wearing a silver dress that complimented her dark skin and made her glow. He gulped; he could only imagine what Finley might look like. He shook his thoughts away and patiently waited. As soon as Miss Delaware walked out, it was only a matter of time before Finley's turn.

And she didn't disappoint.

Walking out from backstage, she once again smiled at the crowd, strutting sensually down the catwalk as she basked in the cheers. Her dress fit her well, and the slit showcased her right leg, making her look even taller than she already was. She was becoming a fan favorite, and the team worried that it might put her in the unsub's radar. 

The way the lights bounced off the individual crystals on her dress made her appear ethereal, and Spencer, despite his self-control, felt his breath hitch, especially when he and Finley made eye contact. Her smile faltered for a split second, but he noticed, and it was enough for him to turn away.

"You okay?" Rossi asked, this time, it was full of concern. He could read people better than the rest of the team, and probably knew more about them than they knew themselves. "Is this about earlier?" Spencer bit his lip and nodded. "Right, we'll just turn our mics off for a second," he informed the others before doing as he said, and even turned Spencer's off. "Now, tell me."

Spencer glanced up at the stage, just in time to see Finley reach the end of the stage. She turned around and quickly did her signature pose, giving the camera a rather sultry look right before grinning.

He turned away and faced Rossi. "I like Finley, a lot. And I can't help myself from..." he sighed,
"from falling in love with her. But she...she doesn't want to be in a relationship, and says she's not ready. She told me that it was okay for me to feel things for her, but the team...they're making everything worse. She's gonna push me away again and I don't know what to do."

"Okay, take it slow, alright?' Rossi raised his hands to calm him down. "Explain things to me. Why do you like Finn so much?"

"Because she's perfect." he admitted without hesitation. "She's beautiful, she's smart, she's kind, she's...she's everything."

"Why do you think she doesn't want to be in a relationship, then?" Rossi frowned. "I can tell she likes you too, you know? I don't even think she knows it either, but for me, it's clear as day."

"You really think so?" Spencer asked, hope alight in his voice. "It's just...I think she just got out of a relationship. I heard her talking about him once to Garcia, and she just sounded so...so broken."

"You're respecting her, you're waiting for her, so what's the problem?"

"It's the team," Spencer stressed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I know they mean well, but they're pushing me and Finley together, and I don't want that. I want Finley to like me for me, to maybe even fall in love me, naturally. Their meddling is just...it's not good."

Rossi scanned his face carefully, seeing how genuinely stressed out he looked. He sighed. "I'll talk to them."

"Thanks, Rossi."

"I got into the semi-finals," Finley gasped as she entered JJ and Penelope's room. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at the rest of the team who all jumped up and congratulated her. She welcomed all their hugs as she said, "I know I'm only supposed to be faking, but I'm honestly so happy."

She didn't know that Rossi talked the others down while waiting for her as she removed her comms the second she got into her room—to change into a pair of matching gray sweatpants and hoodie, along with her hotel slippers—so she was a little surprised when none of them commented on how Spencer walked forward and engulfed her in a hug, even lifted her a little.

"You deserve it, you know," he grinned, eyes crinkling as he settled her back onto her feet. "You're a crowd favorite, and many people are actually expecting you to win."

"Seriously?!" She gaped, letting out a breath. She looked at the others as they nodded in agreement while Penelope gave her an excited thumbs up. "Wow."

"Don't be so modest, you beautiful goddess," Penelope scoffed. "No offense to the other candidates but honey, you were a shining star. If you were an actual candidate, you're definitely gonna be representing the US for Miss Universe."

Finley shook her head, laughing a little. "You have way too much faith in me. Anyway, what do we know about Laurie Wilson?"

Hotch got right into business. "When you pointed out her resemblance to Chelsea Higgins, Garcia went ahead and did a thorough background check."

"How thorough?"

"Super thorough," Penelope nodded proudly as she sat on her bed while the rest of the team remained standing. "I looked into everything that ever happened from the day she was born 'til now and let me tell you, this woman is all kinds of--" She cut herself off when she noticed Rossi's stare. "Right, so, Laurie Wilson, forty-one, raised by a single mother named Caroline. She's been competing on beauty pageants as early as she possibly could, and actually won most of them.

"There were old 911 calls for when she was a kid, and neighbors all said that her mother used to beat her, but because her mother was, well, persuasive, she never went to prison for it. When Laurie was seven, she was sent to the principal's office for breaking one of her classmates' arm when she, quote, 'didn't get what she want'. Talk about major anger issues. Ever since then she's been bouncing from one school to another, all the while continuing to compete in several child pageants. But when she was a teenager, she ended up losing Miss Teen USA, and so on and so forth. She never got into major beauty pageants and eventually grew out of it.

"She then lived a relatively normal life, went to college, got her Master's, etc. and found herself back into the pageant scene when she ended up as an organizer for the Miss Universe Organization."

"There's your stressor," Derek pointed out as soon as Penelope stopped her background review. "She was brainwashed into believing she was the best of the best, was probably forced into the whole pageant thing by an abusive mother, has anger management issues, and got the shock of her life when she didn't win Miss Teen USA."

The others agreed, nodding at his words.

Rossi then spoke up. "But what could be the trigger?"

"Her mom died of lung cancer six days ago," Penelope grimaced. "Apparently she's been smoking for a long time, even during her pregnancy."

"Fits with the timeline. Add to the fact that she saw herself in Chelsea..." Emily trailed off. "She's becoming her mother. A more psychotic and killer version of her mother."

"But why would she kill those particular candidates? Pia, Margie, Gloria, and Kimberly?" JJ frowned.

"I looked into that," Penelope claimed, pointing a pink feathery pen at her. "I looked through the Miss USA website, specifically the polls, and they were actually in favor to win."

"So Chelsea's a surrogate for herself and she wants herself to win. It's very likely she's our unsub," Hotch concluded, which made Spencer frown as he crossed his arms. The entire team can practically hear his gears turning. "Reid, what are you thinking?"

He cleared his throat, glancing at Finley before looking back down at Penelope. "Garcia, who's the current candidate in favor to win?"

Penelope nodded, sticking her tongue out slightly as she typed. She was smiling slightly as she felt some form of victory over figuring out who the unsub is. "That would be..." She trailed off. But then her smile faded. "Catriona Moran."

Spencer shared looks of horror with the other members of the team before uncontrollably opening his mouth. "I'm not sending Finn out there."

Hotch let out a sigh, exchanging a look with Rossi who shook his head. "Reid, we can't pull her out of the competition."

"The hell we can't!" Spencer exclaimed. "She's in danger! She-she could be killed! A-And we have enough to arrest Laurie--"

"Spence--" JJ tried to cut in but Spencer cut her off.

"Stop, JJ! Am I the only one worrying about her?!" Spencer asked, face distraught. "I...why can't we pull her out?"

"Because this case is high profile and she's undercover," Rossi explained. "Not only will it cause suspicion, it would destroy the whole operation and might push the unsub to either devolve or hide in the shadows forever."

"Spencer," Finley spoke softly, placing a hand on said man's arm and pulling him a little ways away. She wanted to talk to him in the hall, but that would risk getting caught, so she decided on dragging him into the bathroom. She closed the door behind the two of them and sighed as she stared into his eyes. "Thank you, I appreciate the concern. I hope you know that the others are concerned too. But Spence, I have to think of the victims' family. They deserve closure, and we can give them that. Okay?"

"I-It's not okay," Spencer weakly replied, his eyes suspiciously watery. "I don't want you in harm's way--"

"Doc, it's my job," she whispered. "Okay? And it's our job to bring the girls to justice and lock the unsub away."

His lower lip quivered slightly before he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "Be careful, please." The way he whispered into her ear made her shiver.

She nodded against his shoulder before kissing his cheek. "I will."

author's note: i forgot to explain on the last chapter that the ethnicities of each mentioned candidate is pretty ambiguous, they could be any race you guys want to imagine them as. except for rachel, who i imagined as black with 4c hair, and chelsea, who is white with blonde hair. the others are completely up to you guys :)

i feel so bad for spence aaaaaaa but yall gonna have to understand that there are just some lines that finn doesn't want to cross in terms of relationships, and as much as i'd like for them to just get together already, it would be completely out of character for finn. 

after this miss congeniality schtick is over, it's back to ~serious~ stuff. i think the next chapter will be the final one for this whole pageant thing, so you guys better hold your horses because some things are gonna be revealed soon.

also fyi the miss usa/miss teen usa was once under the miss universe organization. i did that just so the story flows better.

hope you guys liked this chapter! thank you all so much for reading, voting, and commenting!!