Warnings & Disclaimers & Things You May Want to Know:

Things You May Want to Know:

Reviews: We writers live on them, right? Please feed the writers. Praise, pondering, and constructive criticism are all very, very welcome!

Errors: If you notice some glaring errors please send me a private message rather than leaving your corrections on the review board. Your feedback is appreciated and I will do my best to make the corrections as soon as they come to light.

Continuity, spoilers, and crossover contamination (LOL): I've come to love and admire both fandoms and generally, throwing Reid and Keller in a room together just seemed too hot an idea to pass up. However, it seems that there isn't a great deal of crossover when it comes to fans so to make things a little easier on everyone, I will introduce each character and give background as if the reader was unfamiliar. If you're familiar, I suppose you can skip it.

Regarding spoilers, I will be working with all material for each series which means you're likely going to find out who dies, who screws over whom, and plot points that would otherwise be suspenseful reveals.

As I write this I have no idea how the story will end or how I will reconcile the original series ending of Oz, suffice to say it will be much different.

The Disclaimers:

I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters related to the show but many thanks to their creators for letting us borrow them on their off time for some fun and games.

I do not own Oz nor the characters related to the show. Tom Fontana and his cast of players are geniuses and this work is meant to express my appreciation for the incredible writing and acting that went into the show.

The Warnings:

Rated M for Violence: The first few chapters of this story will be pretty gentle as far as descriptions of violence go but as we get deeper into the story things are bound to get bloody or at least very descriptive of past, and potential, violence. I will warn at the beginning of the specific chapter when we begin picking up steam.

Rated M for Sex/Sexuality: This story will be SLASH at some point, if only for its heated and graphic suggestions. If a particular chapter seems like it needs a strong warning it will be noted at the beginning of that chapter. Let's face it though, are there really that many people who seek out fan fiction that isn't sexualized? Or maybe I'm just projecting.

Politics: This story will deal with politics, attitudes regarding capital punishment, and the actually process itself. Oz was not only a loaded with in-your-face violence, it also wielded its views on the criminal 'justice' system like a well-sharpened shank. I would be remiss if I did not incorporate that along with the characteristic sex and violence that comes with Oz.

And now that I've badgered you with enough caveats and conditions – happy reading!


Aaron Hotchner stood at the head of a long mahogany conference table. Aaron, or Hotch as he was often called, was the Unit Chief for the FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU). The BAU served as a mobile wing of the FBI that traveled on a moment's notice to provide aid and consultation to local law enforcement officials that found themselves in the midst of any number of criminal situations in which psychological evaluation, or profiling, of the perpetrator, or their victims, would be of use. Hotch had been with the BAU through countless such crises and in a way relished when he, and his team, could concentration on the research and analysis portion of their jobs. However, thanks to the current political climate and some uncooperative prison officials, even the simplest of tasks was proving to be a bit of a challenge.

"I'm sorry," Hotch began rather unusually, as he stood before his team of FBI agents, "this week we will all be traveling on separate assignments."

Enter JJ, or Jennifer Jareau, a tall blonde woman that, despite her lofty D.C. position still exuded a certain amount of small town kindness and charm. JJ's position inside the BAU was that of Communications Liaison, which encompassed everything from media wrangling to the screening of potential cases for the rest of the team. Today, just as with most others, JJ was clutching a stack of case files which she efficiently distributed to each member of the team – a total of fifteen files.

Agent Derek Morgan leafed through the first folder barely containing his disgust. "Wait, Hotch these cases are clo..oh, no."

Derek Morgan, in most instances, served as the more outspoken of the team. Derek had come from a local law enforcement background and had grown up in impoverished urban center city. For the BAU, Agent Morgan was that essential combination of brash and astute assessment skills and the physical muscle to aid in all field operations. With his intelligence, physical prowess, perfect dark skin, and model good-look, Derek also had little trouble filling his personal life when the Bureau allowed for one.

"Oh yes, my lovely," Garcia said as she took to the front of the room to stand next to Hotch. In an instant, Penelope Garcia, the technical analyst of the BAU, pulled up several photos of well-groomed politicians.

Penelope Garcia stood out like sore thumb in the sea of beige and navy blue that was the FBI, and that is just how she liked it! Penelope was constantly stretching the constraints of the liberal dress code that was afforded to analysts who spent no time in the public eye. When it came to appearances she and JJ were like polar opposites. Garcia had grown up in San Francisco, California and everything about her seemed like a proud representation of her roots. Penelope's hair color was in constant flux, though this week it was a deep crimson, and her clothing and accessory choices fell in line with the tone set by her locks. Garcia's effervescent personality, not mention her frequently changing vibrant color, and her savant-level technology skills made her an asset to the BAU which was all too often awash in bloody crime scene photos and grizzled local law enforcement.

"As I am sure you're all aware, we are quickly approaching mid-term elections, which means that each politician is in the throes of perking up their voter appeal, these three are no exception."

The faces of the three well-groomed men were quickly replaced on screen with fifteen ruddy mugshots. "To encourage their Conservative constituents to come out and vote, each of the formerly pictured governors has promised to empty their state's Death Row before they leave office. This means we have exactly two weeks to meet, interview, poke, prod, and study these men before they…"Penelope looked around for a suitable phrase before letting out a long sigh, "Well, so far Governor James Devlin is the only one seeing minimal resistance from his state's court system. The facility in his jurisdiction, the Oswald State Correctional Facility, houses three of the fifteen men on this list. Correction, housed, three of the men, two of the men were executed before this information reached our desk."

Hotch looked down at the files in his hands in frustration trying to maintain the dark inscrutability that had become his trademark. Governor Devlin had thumbed his nose at Federal authorities many times in the past and the Oswald facility was teetering on the edge of Federal intervention due to its poor conditions and the extraordinarily high mortality and crime rate inside the facility.

"Each of you can see JJ for your transportation arrangements. Reid, if you could follow me to my office," Hotch gestured to the stairs.

Dr. Spencer Reid picked up the single file in front of him and followed Hotch to his office.

Each member of the BAU was an anomaly in their own way; Derek, Penelope, and JJ for their unconventional backgrounds, Hotch for his extraordinary insight and analysis ability, and Reid for seemingly inhuman intelligence. Reid had been recruited by the FBI, and subsequently the BAU, in his late teens. Spencer had attained several post-graduate degrees which was made possible by, aside from his IQ, his ability to read and comprehend lengthy texts in what seemed moments. At twenty-eight years old, Reid was the FBI's intellectual equivalent of an endowment – guaranteed to grow and provide for years and years to come. Reid had grown and matured since entering the BAU, the shy kid that many had posited may be afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome, had grown into self-assured, yet still slightly awkward, young man. Reid had cut his shoulder-length dark blonde hair in favor of a short, more modern haircut. Reid's clothes, even though they had not updated in style, had become tailored and no longer looked like he'd fished them out of the dryer a day after it'd stopped. With Reid's impeccable smarts, lithe build, and striking bone-structure it was not a stretch to imagine that the FBI would soon look to put him front and center for public consumption - standing next to beach-blonde JJ at a press conference spouting statistics.

Once Reid had closed the door to Hotch's office and taken a seat, Hotch began to speak, "You're going to be conducting your interviews at Oswald alone."

Reid nodded. This wasn't his first intake interview nor was it his first time in a maximum security facility. Spencer Reid was still ill-at-ease with the idea of sitting across the table from a serial murderer but whether it was an interrogation room in Oswald or Quantico it didn't really matter.

"This isn't why I'm in your office though, is it?"

"Take a look at the file," Hotch said gesturing to the folder on Reid's lap.

Reid flipped it open, and after a minutes of examination, he felt the color drain from his face. "You want me to get the details of his unsolved murders," Reid swallowed as he looked down at the grainy photo of the man in question, "I understand why I am going alone."

"An Agent Taylor has been conducting periodic interviews with the subject, and those incarcerated with him, but every lead has come up cold." Hotch wanted to add that he wasn't surprised in the least. Taylor was about as subtle a slap upside the head and was no wonder that he'd failed to gain a confession, or ensure the survival of potential witnesses.

"Why does Taylor suspect our subject for these unsolved murders?"

The ever-present lines on Hotch's forehead deepened as he considered the answer and Taylor's justification. "No matter our findings, it is very likely that this man will see his life end in a short matter of days. You're not going to surmise guilt or innocence, Reid, this is an intake interview just like all of the rest." Hotch tried to banish the dower look on his brow as he gave Reid these next assurances, "You know that with the time constraints that a great deal of those we interview will be more, uh, forthcoming with their activities before incarceration. Your subject, given his background, will probably be the most likely to sell you a story in hopes of delaying his fate. I don't need to tell you're there to gather research and analysis not to cut deals or solve cases. If you do uncover information that you feel has some validity, I will pass it on to," Hotch fought to keep the disgust from his voice, "Agent Taylor."

Spencer nodded receptively. Both Reid and Hotch knew that Taylor, or any other of the preening alpha-male agents, would get absolutely nowhere with the interview subject. He would respond quite well, they hoped, to an attractive novice and there was no role that Reid played better than a fish out of water.

Hotch told himself that it was part of the job, that Spencer knew what he was getting himself into, and that as a profiler these kinds of tactics were necessary, if not essential to the trade.

"The warden will have an interview space ready for you when you arrive for your first meeting." Hotch said, closing the file and standing up from behind his desk.

Reid nodded, stood, and headed to exit Hotchner's office. Before Reid was all the way out the door, Hotch spoke again, "Reid, the interview will be the easy part, navigating the less than cooperative prison staff will be the difficult part. If you come up against any serious walls," Hotch gestured to the phone on his desk, "JJ and I will both be in the office."

Dr. Reid nodded.

First, Reid would have to get his transportation and security information from JJ and then he was off to the Oswald for his first in a series of interviews with the serial murderer and con artist, Christopher Keller.