𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐭
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳
𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗸'𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝐍𝐨𝐚𝐡'𝐬 head bobs up and down as she tries to keep herself awake. Her chin slides off the palm of her hand, which makes her shoot up at the sudden movement. She looks at the files on her computer, taking a deep breath before running her hands over her face.

Sergio jumps onto her desk and walks over the keys on her laptop, making her quickly lift him. As she pulls him away, she notices that his steps closed all of her tabs.

"Well, that's one way to tell me it's time to go to bed," she mutters to him and sits him on the bed. She closes her laptop and moves over to the mattress.

As she lies down with her eyes trained on the ceiling, she thinks about her investigation. Everything that she's learned about the case. She grabs her phone and checks her email, seeing a message that she's been waiting for.

She wonders if what she's doing is wrong. Is going behind Derek's back and trying to figure this out for herself dangerous? Will she get in trouble, possibly with charges for tampering with FBI records? But she swallows the guilt as she remembers that avenging her mother's life is more important to her than anything.

𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮

Derek's gaze sweeps over the red brick building as he steps out of his car, the metallic click of the door shutting behind him. He keeps his sunglasses on, masking his eyes as he scans the area. His steps are slow and deliberate as he walks up the sidewalk and through the doors of the academic building.

Inside, the hallway buzzes with life—students milling about between classes, their voices and laughter a constant hum. Derek leans casually against the wall, eyes flicking from face to face, scanning the crowd. His body language is relaxed, but his mind is sharp, focused. He feigns interest in the cluttered bulletin board beside him, but his attention is elsewhere, searching.

Before he gives up, he catches sight of a boy with curly blonde hair. As his suspected target turns, his suspicions are confirmed when he makes glancing eye contact with his startling blue eyes. Derek turns to the bulletin board again but glimpses back once more to watch the boy disappear through the exit.

Derek picks up his phone and presses a number on speed dial. The call connects on the first ring.

"Hey, babygirl," he murmurs with satisfaction. "I found him."

𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳
𝗰𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲

A man sits in the corner of a trendy coffee shop downtown. He looks down at his phone before he feels a presence approach his table. He peers up and sees a girl with sharp features and long, dark hair.

"My God," he says quietly. "You look just like her."

Noah swallows the lump in her throat as the man stands. He shakes her hand and she analyzes him as she does so. He's not what she necessarily expected, and she certainly didn't know he was British.

"I'm Chief Easter," he says but realizes that means nothing to her. "Or just Clyde, I guess."

"I'm Noah," she replies before releasing his hand.

They both sit down and Noah's not sure who should go first. She called him here, but he's the one with all the answers.

"I didn't expect this," he says, making the decision for her.

"I didn't think I'd be doing this," she replies honestly.

"Does anyone know you're here?" he asks. "I'm assuming Thing 1 and Thing 2 outside are with you."

Noah turns to glance at the WITSEC agents outside. They still follow her everywhere, never letting up on their close proximity. She clears her throat as she nods. "Yeah, unfortunately."

"Well, I'm assuming you didn't want to enjoy a latte with me, so what would you like to know?"

"I want to know more about the investigation that you did with my mother."

"On Ian Doyle?"

"Yes."

Clyde sighs softly before folding his hands together on the table. "Listen, Noah, knowing who your parents are, I wouldn't be surprised if you're a very intelligent kid. So I think you would know that getting close to anyone and anything that has to do with Doyle could put you in danger."

"I don't need a lecture on protection," she replies dryly. "Things 1 and 2 outside have told me enough."

"Why are you doing this then?"

"Closure," she answers. "I want to know why my mother got so invested. I want to know if that's why she was fired."

"She wasn't fired—"

"Okay, removed," Noah corrects herself.

"She was removed because she got too close, yes, but she was still an incredible agent and got us all of the information on Doyle—"

"While sleeping with him?"

"Well, I don't like to shame the dead, but yes, she was apparently sleeping with him."

"You didn't know that?"

"At the time of the investigation, no," he replies honestly. "But her angle was seduction, so maybe I had an idea of how creative she was getting. It was the only way he would let her in."

"So why was she there long enough for it to get that far?"

"You do understand that you're questioning why she did the thing that made it so that you are sitting across from me today, right?"

"I shouldn't exist, I get it," she says outright. "So why did it get that far?"

"Are you asking me if she loved him?"

Noah stays silent, not wanting to ask the question that challenges her mother's integrity. He's right, they shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but Noah feels as though she can't move on until she knows for sure.

"I don't know," Clyde says honestly, taking her silence as a confirmation. "But I do know that when we pulled her out, it wasn't just because we had enough to get him. She got too close. I feared for her life, but she almost looked sad, almost like she didn't want to be pulled out. I think a part of her wished he hadn't been evil."

"Because she loved him?"

"Because he had a child," Clyde says, trying to choose his words carefully. "And Emily got close to him."

"Him?" she asks for his name.

"Declan."

Noah thinks back, hearing some of her mother's last words. Take me to where he died, she had told Ian. The pieces slowly start to connect in Noah's head, but she can't help but wonder why she had to put the puzzle together on her own.

"He's dead?" Noah asks.

"Dead?" Clyde questions with furrowed brows. "No, he's not dead. He's protected. Living a normal life."

"So, why did Doyle say that my mother took everything from him?"

"Because he was under the impression that she had killed him," he helps her piece it together again. "It was to keep Declan safe. That way, Doyle wouldn't ever find him. But your mother told him that Declan is alive and now we believe that he's trying to track him down."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she had faith that her team would catch him. It was to buy time, but apparently not enough."

Noah peers down at her lap, realizing that Emily had faith in them all along. She never wanted to put them in danger, but she knew they would come looking for her anyway. She knew that they would put their lives on the line for her and that they would do anything to bring her home. But they failed.

"Where is he now?" she asks softly.

"He's in college. He's under a new name."

"What is it?"

"Noah, you cannot see him," he warns her. "I think you know as well as I do that Doyle is watching you. If you lead him to Declan, who knows what he'll do? Don't ruin the boy's life."

Noah swallows the lump in her throat at his warning. It can sometimes be comical how unfair life is. Declan got to live the normal life. He got to be oblivious to his past and his father's crimes. He got to live under a new name and go to college without fearing for his life and WITSEC agents ten feet away from him at all times.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replies and looks up at Clyde.

"You know, you're just like her," he tells her. "Stubborn but smart. You could have the world in your hands but you'll always have a foot in the past. Let me tell you something that I told your mother when I moved her to the BAU: there's nothing wrong with change."

Noah eyes him, holding her tongue to keep her from snapping at him. She doesn't want him to be, but she knows a part of him is right. Emily lived in guilt about leaving Noah behind. Now, Noah lives in it too because she didn't do enough to save someone she loves—again.

𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳
𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗸'𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

"Hey," Derek says as he sees Noah walk into the apartment. "What've you been up to?"

"Hanging out with Jess," she replies as she heads to the fridge.

Derek watches her with intent. "Everything good?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Just making sure," he says as he continues to watch her.

Noah grabs a soda can and closes the fridge. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What happened to trust?"

"Trust?" she asks. "I don't know, where'd it go?"

"C'mon, I thought we were past this," he groans as he sets his work down.

"Past what?" she questions. "Nothing's changed."

"Noah, you can talk to me," he pleads for her to talk. "We just went over all of this. I thought we were finally meeting in the middle."

"Derek—"

"You don't have to do this alone," he reminds her.

"I'm not," she says sharply, making Derek put his hands up and turn back to his work. Noah peers over at the house phone and swiftly walks by it, grabbing it without him noticing before walking into her room, shutting the door as she creates a distance between them once again.

𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳

"Oh my God, Derek interviewed me like I was on trial," Jess mutters as she walks into Noah's room and closes the door behind her. "What's going on? You sounded panicked on the phone—"

"I need you to sit down," Noah cuts her off.

"Why?" Jess asks as she takes her coat off and sits on the bed.

"Remember when I made you wait to be with me because of Parker?"

The blonde rolls her eyes before replying. "Yes, unfortunately."

"But you still liked me after?"

"Yes."

"And when I punched that guy who called you 'blondie,' even though you hate violence?" Noah asks, hoping that Jess comes in with an understanding state of mind.

Jess catches on and cocks her head to the side as she eyes her girlfriend. "What did you do? Oh my God, are you on trial? Did you do something?!"

"Swear to me that you'll still like me," Noah says in a pleading tone.

"You're scaring me—"

"C'mon, seriously," Noah says.

"Yes, I swear," Jess replies and gazes into the blue eyes that usually tell her all of the story.

"Okay," Noah says and turns around to grab her laptop. "So, I've been looking into something and I really need your help. And if you don't want to be a part of this, then we can forget this ever happened and we'll never speak a word of it again."

Jess takes a deep breath and nods as she looks at Noah's computer screen. "What the hell is all this?" she asks as she looks at all the tabs.

"All the files on Doyle," Noah replies.

"Are these FBI files?" the blonde questions as she takes the laptop, sitting it in her lap.

"Not my fault Derek leaves them out on the dining room table," Noah answers with a shrug.

"Yeah because he trusts you."

"Well, with this, he shouldn't."

"What am I looking at?" Jess asks as she maximizes a photograph. "Oh my God, is that kid..."

"No," Noah assures her but immediately corrects herself. "Well, yes, but not really. His name is Declan and I think her name is Louise, but they're not dead."

"What does that mean?"

"This..." Noah says as she points to the hand that's holding a gun on the side of the picture. "...is my mother."

"Emily?"

"Yeah," Noah nods. "You remember how I told you that there was something about the case that I didn't understand?"

"Mhm," Jess hums as she finally tears her eyes away from the picture.

"Well, this is it—he's it," Noah continues. "His name was Declan and he was Ian's son. He's a few years older than me, but when Emily got pulled out, she protected Declan by faking his death. That way, Ian would never look for him."

"Okay, and now what?"

"She told him that he was alive to buy herself time, but the team didn't make it."

"And he got off free knowing his son is out there somewhere."

Noah nods silently and pulls up a document that she was taking notes on. "So my Mom protected this kid, Declan, right?"

"Right," Jess nods along as she reads the notes.

"I have a feeling that he's close," Noah states. "I mean, my mom wouldn't let him be too far away. She'd want to be close to him, especially since she knew Ian was still alive."

"Okay, so he's somewhere close, probably in the state, but a few towns over," Jess agrees. "How would you ever figure out where he is? I mean, did she ever live anywhere else in Virginia before she came to Quantico?"

Noah thinks for a second, about to shake her head, but she stops herself. "Yeah, for a while, she lived in Restin. She showed me the house she moved into after she left her desk job...which we now know wasn't really a desk job."

"So, a house that she lived in alone after leaving the job that she lied about?"

"It was a two-story, all-American white picket fence house. Maybe she wasn't alone."

"Or maybe she didn't live there at all," Jess adds.

Noah thinks back to that day and what her mother had said. I want you to feel like you're closer to me, even parts of me that you weren't alive for, Emily had said. Just in case it's ever too late for me to tell you.

All the sudden, the pieces start to fit together in Noah's mind.

"She bought the house to let Declan and his nanny live there," Noah thinks out loud. "That way, they would look normal. They could pass as mother and son in a regular house."

"It would make sense," Jess nods along. "She would be able to keep tabs on the house, make sure he's afloat, and she could stop by whenever she needed to."

"So, Declan either lived in that house at some point or..."

"He still lives there now," Jess finishes her sentence. "How long do you think it will take Ian to find this out?"

"Well, the only reason I know this is because she told me about it, but maybe she did it for a reason. I mean, I didn't ask her about the house, she told me about it. And when we drove to the house, it was out of the way, not for any real reason. Maybe she wanted me to know about it because she knew Doyle was coming."

"But if she knew Doyle was coming, wouldn't she move Declan?"

"I don't know, don't you think that would set off some alarms? I mean, she would also be risking it if Declan knew his father was coming to get him. Also, Declan was young, I doubt he fully remembers what his father looks like. He could be easily lured into a trap, which makes it a massive risk if they ever came face to face."

"So, she didn't move him," Jess shrugs. "What would we even do if we went to the house?"

"I have no idea," Noah replies.

"Maybe you should tell Derek about it—"

"No way, he would kill me if he knew I was thinking about all this stuff."

"But he may be able to track down Declan and ensure his safety. Doyle is still out there, and I can bet you that he's gonna wanna get his children back. And that includes you."

"No, he knew Declan," Noah shakes her head. "He didn't really know me—he only knew of me. And he knows that I already know everything about him. I wouldn't be the child he wants."

"So, he's just gonna leave you alone for the rest of your life?"

"Well, I didn't say that," Noah groans as she puts the laptop back on her desk. "But even if he did leave me alone, don't you think we should help Declan? I mean, if he's what Doyle is after, he won't be able to hide forever."

Jess takes a deep breath before gazing into Noah's eyes. "What do you want to do?"

"Whatever it is, I can't do it alone."

"You won't have to," Jess assures her. "I'll be there for whatever you need. Every step of the way. Your partner in crime."

"Literally," Noah says with a soft giggle.

"Literally," Jess repeats with a warm smile before reaching out to take Noah's hand in hers. "Always."