Before I start, I just want to clarify that this story is not completely canon and is actually inspired by a Criminal Minds roleplay I was involved in. So if this doesn't sync up too well with what happens in each episode, don't be worried. In addition, this doesn't follow what happened in the roleplay either; so it's accessible to everybody!
The title of this story is taken from a song by Decyfer Down. Every chapter will be named after a song. This one is named after "The Messenger" by Linkin Park. Got it? Okay. That's good.
Disclaimer: I just write this stuff. I don't own Criminal Minds. However, I DO own my original characters, these plotlines, and everything that goes with them (besides the already established Minds characters of course).
Ever since she was a little girl, Ashley Seaver (then Ashley Beauchamp), always wanted to do right whenever she could. Why should she force bad things upon herself? Forcing bad things upon oneself always made things worse from what she could tell. After she found out about her father's little secret involving him being a serial killer, she was inevitably disgusted. She immediately knew she had to do something, not to necessarily atone for the sins of whom the media dubbed "The Redmond Ripper," but to make sure nobody else left their families with such a nasty feeling.
So here she was - after the mandatory four-year college degree, a barrage of various admissions tests, forms, and background checks -, Ashley Seaver the FBI Agent-In-Training, sitting in a crowded auditorium waiting for the optional lecture on homicidal theory to start. Finally, it felt like she was doing something worthwhile, and she wasn't planning on jeopardizing this chance if she could help it. She was almost two months from finally graduating and couldn't go back now.
However, judging from the actions of the two Agents-In-Training sitting closer to towards the stage, not everyone had the same outlook. She watched as Erickson and Williams taunted Franklin, a nice man and fellow trainee whom she had several courses with. Franklin was on the scrawny side and therefore was more often than not the target of Erickson and Williams, who had been with the State Police before applying to the FBI Academy and were fairly muscled as a result. She wished that she could take care of the situation, but despite her own athletic prowess, she didn't stand a chance against the much larger men.
Almost as if on cue, Ashley felt a presence next to her and looked up to see a woman not much older than herself holding a blank legal pad and pen. Judging from the fact that the woman was not dressed in the standard blue polo shirt and khaki pants attire of a trainee, but rather a faux-leather jacket, black concert t-shirt, jeans and had a Glock 23 attached to her hip – Ashley assumed that the woman was an Agent who had decided to attend the lecture on her own time to further her knowledge. The trainees were used to the occasional Agents joining them during these optional lectures, as they were open to all Agents willing to come. However, more often than not the ones that did attend stuck together and didn't associate much with the trainees.
"Is anybody sitting here?" The Agent asked, gesturing with her pen to the empty seat next to Ashley.
Ashley shook her head and got out of her seat next to the aisle. "No. But I'll just move down, you can have my seat Agent."
"Thanks Trainee…" The Agent started as she pulled her black hair into a ponytail and settled into her seat.
"Seaver." Ashley offered half-heartedly, her focus back on Erickson and Williams who were now taunting Franklin by stealing his notepad and textbooks.
She was surprised that one of the older trainees wasn't stopping them. Usually Jefferson - a former Baltimore detective who had just managed to beat the age limit - was at the sessions and would put a stop to Erickson and Williams when the just-out-of-college trainees like her were scared to. Heck, even one of the attending Agents would normally calm any of the trainee fires, angered at the immaturity that was interrupting their valuable time. She didn't spot any in this lecture besides the one sitting next to her, but seeing as the woman was of similar stature to herself, she feared pointing out the situation.
"What's the deal?" The Agent asked as she studied Ashley, curious as to what had taken the trainee's focus.
Ashley simply pointed her pen at the scene unfolding near the stage, deciding not to speak. If she didn't speak, she wouldn't technically be to blame if the Agent got into a tough predicament as a result of intervention.
"Hold on." The Agent stated, getting up from her seat turning to start towards Erickson and Williams.
"Agent, you really don't want to do that." Ashley offered, instinctively reaching out and placing a hand on the woman's arm. She would be lying if she said that the Agent wasn't beautiful, and as a female who sometimes wasn't taken seriously due to her looks – she felt that she had to stop the Agent before something unpleasant happened with the two rather traditional alpha males.
"Seaver, they haven't met me yet." The Agent informed with a confident and brilliant smile before heading down the stairs.
Ashley watched as the Agent walked up to Erickson and Williams and spoke a few words to them before gesturing for them to follow her out of the auditorium. They simply laughed and continued on with their actions, not thinking much of the younger female Agent in front of them – even if she was their superior. This caused the Agent to pull her credentials/badge out of her jacket and flash them to the men before stepping closer.
What happened next would stick with Ashley forever. Erickson, being the over-confident jackass that he was, got up in the Agent's face and made a snarky and likely inappropriate remark regarding looks and gender, waving it off before he turned to laugh about it with Williams. He didn't get far though, as the Agent simply grabbed his raised wrist and used the element of surprise to twist his arm behind his back. Erickson wasn't going to let the Agent get off easily, as he spat off something likely derogatory – only to have the much smaller woman subtly take advantage of pressure points, forcing him to lay face down on the floor. The normally macho man's face then started to turn red with pain, and the Agent smiled with satisfaction. Williams attempted to get up to help his friend, but the Agent simply shot him a quick glare and motioned for some arriving security officers who had been alerted by another trainee. The security officers took over, cuffing Erickson and leading him and Williams out of the auditorium to the cheers of more than half of the trainees who filled the space.
The Agent soon thereafter returned to her seat next to Ashley and settled back down as if nothing had happened, causing Ashley to smile.
"That was impressive Agent…" Ashley noted, hoping to glean some information from the woman who had just impressed her beyond belief.
The Agent smiled, offering her hand. "Dylan Navarro."
"Do you mind if I ask where you're assigned?" Ashley asked curiously, shaking the woman's hand.
Dylan shook her head, happy to give the information and talk with a fellow female, even if that female was a trainee. She was fairly new to her current assignment, having only been there for a little over a year, and was still trying to become accepted by the other members of her team. "BAU 3, Crimes Against Children in Maryland. What are you working towards Seaver?"
"I was thinking about BAU 2, a few years back I met some members of that team and they're sort of my inspiration for even thinking about applying to the Bureau." Ashley offered. "Oh, and you can call me Ashley."
Dylan looked up at the door, noticing that the speakers, an older tan-skinned man and a taller lanky male with a shoulder bag had arrived. "Well Ashley, I guess this thing is going to start soon, and my unit chief called right before this and said I have to get back to the office pretty much immediately…" She then reached into her jacket pocket and retrieved a business card, uncapping her pen and scribbling a number on the back before handing it over to Ashley. "But if you ever want to talk, you can call me. I'll answer if I'm not buried in a case or undercover."
Ashley took the card and glanced at the back, figuring that the number Dylan had written down must have been her cell phone number, as her desk extension was on the front of the card. "Thanks Agent Navarro."
"Ashley, you can call me Dylan." Dylan replied as she started to write the date and name of the presentation on her legal pad. She then looked up at Ashley, a genuine look on her face. "And seriously, if you called I would pick up the phone."
So how did you like it? Please tell me with a review (Anon or Signed, it doesn't matter).