A/N: Putting an OC into an established Criminal Minds episode is always a risky venture. Re-watching Demonology (S4) again, I decided to take the risk. This story takes place towards the end of the episode. For devout fans of CM that remember that episode, you will catch on where.
For those of you that are non-Catholic like me a curate is an assistant priest. My OK teacher doing her proofreading caught that one.
All rights to the Criminal Minds characters belong to Mark Gordon Productions, CBS and ABC Studios.
*Knightly bow*
Chapter 1
David Rossi knocked on Matt Taylor's open office door. Matt looked up and smiled. "Come on in Dave. What's up?"
"What's up with you?" Rossi challenged back.
Matt looked at him. "What the hell do you mean?"
"You haven't really engaged in this case."
"Dave, I'm fully engaged in this case. I'm trying to back Aaron with the political shit he's taking while convincing him that we've got an unsub that is a priest in a psychotic break with an eye for an eye motivation."
"So if you're in, why haven't you said more?" Dave challenged harder.
"Because the political shit of this case is putting Aaron's ass on the line and I back him," Matt bit back. "If we can do something about this, I don't want my bias to come to light that I pushed this case. That's the last goddamn thing Aaron needs."
"What bias?" Rossi softly asked.
Matt looked at him. "You're the senior profiler in this Unit. You haven't figured it out? Why I so quickly went from being a Catholic to being a Protestant after I married Abbey? Irish Catholic boys don't roll over that easy."
Dave quietly shut Matt's office door and moved to one of the chairs in front of Matt's desk. "Damn Matt," Rossi said. "I've questioned it; but I never thought that."
Matt shook his head. "I got off light."
"Light?" Dave asked.
Matt took a deep breath. "I moved to the farm fulltime with Grandma and Da when I was fifteen. Three weeks later, Father Jablonksky asks me if I want to be an altar boy. Grandma and Da were thrilled. I'd done it at St. Mark's in Chicago since I was ten."
Matt shook his head. "I can remember it like yesterday. It was in the middle of winter and bitter cold. Da picked me up after school and took me to the church." Matt smiled. "I knew he was going to slip down to Mickey's Bar to have a few with the guys while Father Jablonksky trained me."
Dave shook his head, figuring out the rest. "He was a preferential pedophile that liked teenage boys."
Matt nodded. "While he was fitting me for the robes, he put his hand on the front of my jeans, rubbed and then tried to open my zipper," Matt said.
"What did you do?" Rossi asked.
"Dave, you know my temper. I broke his fuckin' wrist." Dave shook his head.
"When Da came back an hour later to pick me up, I was sitting on the front steps of the church, freezing cold." Matt looked at Dave. "I was shivering." Matt shook his head. "And Da didn't believe in warming up a vehicle. 'It'll get warm in here by the time we get home'."
Matt looked at Dave. "When I got in, Da immediately knew something was wrong. He asked and I started to cry. I told him everything."
"Da looked at me, getting out of the truck, leaving it run. 'You get warmed up laddie' he said to me." Matt shook his head. "Da never wasted gas like that. He came out five minutes later and we headed to the farm."
"Sunday morning, after we milked the cows with me battling a helluva cold, Da looked at me as we headed back to the house. 'You get the smell of barn off you and then head back to bed. You don't need to go that church anymore laddie'."
Dave looked at Matt. "Of course, Grandma and Da went. Because back then, the parish priest could do no wrong. Things like that weren't talked about. But Da let me off the hook. I never set foot in that church again." Matt smiled. "When they got home, Da, the typical Irishman that didn't show much love, walked into my bedroom. I was still curled up in my bed with more Vicks for my cold. He rubbed my shoulder. 'Laddie, Jablonksky had a helluva time serving communion with a broken wrist. And he was still having a wee bit of trouble walking from me kneeing him in the nuts'." Dave smiled.
Matt looked at Rossi. "Dave, I don't hate the Catholic Church or any of you that practice that faith. You know how much I like and respect Father Jimmy. I deeply respect all faiths." Dave nodded with a small smile. "I just have a huge problem with priests that pervert that Church's faith. And that is what this unsub is doing." Dave looked at Matt. "I had Garcia do some deeper digging. Salvano and Deltoro weren't just at seminary together. They roomed together. For two years. The last ten years, they have vacationed together in St. Moritz in June. It's classic eye for eye Dave."
"He's doing another exorcism," Dave said. "I sent Morgan and Prentiss to stop it."
"How the hell do you know that?"
"Prentiss and I went to talk to Matthew Benton's parents."
"God damnit Dave," Matt growled. "That's putting Aaron's ass on the line."
"And I know how to help Aaron," Dave said, quickly getting out of his chair. "But I need you to back Morgan and Prentiss."
"How so?" Matt said, getting out of his chair.
"Benton's dad admitted to being present. Salvano has three curates."
"Three accomplices to murder," Matt said.
"Don't let them get away," Dave said, pulling Matt's office door open as Matt grabbed his coat. Dave sped down the catwalk to Hotch's office while Matt looked around the bullpen, heading out his office door.
"Dave," Matt barked. Rossi stopped. "It's just Reid and me." Reid, sitting at his desk, looked at Matt. "We need an extra set of cuffs. We don't have time." Dave tossed his to Matt as he entered Hotch's office.
"Matt?" Reid asked.
"Grab you coat and cuffs kid," Matt barked speeding by Reid pulling out his cellphone. Morgan answered the call.
"Morgan," Matt said. "Stand down until Reid and I can back you. We'll be there in thirty."
"What the hell man?"
"Morgan, there are three accomplices that are not going to skate. You and Prentiss have Salvano. Reid and I will bag the accomplices."
"Copy that Cob," Morgan said.
"But wait," Prentiss tersely said. "John is in danger!"
"Prentiss! It took three to four days for the other victims to die," Morgan said. "We'll get there in time to save your friend. Cob is right. We get everyone involved in this."
"What about Salvano?" Prentiss asked.
"Rossi figured out an angle for Hotch," Matt said, as the sixth floor elevator door opened. Reid stepped into the door to stop it from closing, pulling on his coat while Matt finished the call. "Hang tight until Reid and I get there. We won't have back-up from Metro police. You need us. No one skates on this."
"Thanks Matt," Emily said.
"I'll call Reid in ten minutes so we can talk strategy Cob," Morgan said.
"In the meantime Emily hook-up with Rossi and talk to Benton's dad again. I want to know if those curates are US citizens. Talk to you then," Matt said, ending the call getting on the elevator.
Morgan and Cob talked via Reid's phone as Matt was flying up the freeway. "That's a solid plan Cob; I'm in," Morgan said.
"Hey Cob," Emily said. "I just got a text from Garcia. All three curates are US citizens. Matthew's dad remembered them saying something about Georgetown during the exorcism and he remembered the first names they used as well. Garcia made the connection with the Vatican's support."
Matt smiled at Reid. "Hotch got through to them with Dave's help."
-00CM00-
Forty minutes later, following Matt's advice, the two Bureau SUV's pulled in front of John Cooley's home in a quiet approach. The four agents rushed up the sidewalk. Reid tried the front door handle and shook his head. Matt kicked the door in and nodded Emily and Morgan in first. They all could hear Cooley shouting. "Murderer! Murderer!"
Emily and Morgan sped up the steps with Matt and Reid following them. Matt put his arm out to stop Reid once they reached the second floor. "This is our Waterloo Doc. Those three don't get down these steps."
"Copy that," Reid said.
Prentiss and Morgan ran into the bedroom with weapons drawn. The three curates sped out.
They looked at Matt and Reid with their guns drawn. "FBI," Matt growled. "Put your hands in the air and get down on your knees." The lead one took a step towards Matt. Matt cocked his weapon. The curate stopped in his tracks, getting to his knees, putting his hands in the air.
"I got 'em Doc," Matt said. Reid holstered his weapon and moved to the first one to cuff him. He took Matt's cuffs to arrest the second. Morgan came out of the bedroom with a struggling Salvano in his arms and cuffed him. Matt dug in his suit pants pocket and tossed Rossi's cuffs to Reid for the third curate.
Salvano was still spouting off. "Get his goddamn ass downstairs Morgan," Matt growled, as he and Reid got the three curates up on their feet along the wall. Morgan got Salvano down the steps.
Matt looked at the three. "You are going to be charged by the federal government in assisting in the deaths of three people. And trying to kill a fourth. Dr. Reid, please read them their rights." Reid obliged. Matt shook his head. "My wife, the federal prosecutor, is going to have fun with you three," he smiled.
"I wanna make a deal," one said.
Matt shook his head with the smile. "With the politics involved in this case? You three are US citizens. That ain't happening unless you rat out Salvano to your higher ups." The curate looked at him. "You three idiots assisted in four unauthorized exorcisms, three that ended in deaths," Matt said, shaking his head, pulling him off the wall. "I have no doubt that Cardinal Weurl of the DC archdiocese will be happy to help my wife with full support from the Vatican. How do you think the rest of your career with the Church is going if you don't fully give up Salvano to the Vatican?" Matt grabbed the second as Reid grabbed the third.
"Why does burnt toast come to mind Cob," Reid said.
Matt smiled. "Doc, you do have your moments."
-00CM00-
Rossi looked at Matt as Morgan followed the Metro PD officer who was taking Salvano to the SUV followed by Hotch standing outside Cooley's apartment in the falling snow. "You okay Matt?"
Matt smiled. "I'm good Dave. We took down evil tonight and made a difference. Thanks for backing Aaron."
Dave smiled. "Any time Matt."
"You three are sorta like the Three Musketeers," Reid smiled walking to the SUV.
Matt smiled at Dave, moving past him to follow Reid. "I can live with that," Matt said.
"So can I Matt," Dave smiled, lightly slapping him on the shoulder.
Emily smiled. "You three are. Thank you."
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A/N: Yup; that's how I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna make you all go back and read Matt stories about the Three Musketeer reference. Yes, I'm a nasty ….. *whispers* But did y'all notice who I had say the original one?
Mucho thanks to my OK Teacher that is counting the days to summer vacation but still did my proofreading.
Point two: Rockie did a one-shot! Don't fall over. But doing a one-shot means I can't thank you all for the reviews or alerts. So I'll do it in advance. And thank you everyone for just reading.
*Knightly bow*