They had just finished up a case in Nebraska and were heading home on the jet. The unsub was a man named Stan Hoover. A few years ago he had gotten addicted to painkillers after a bad fall down a building. He had started taking some other stuff after that, but then stopped doing drugs after awhile though, and was in full recovery until his sister died in a car accident. Then he had started taking narcotics again, which resulted in him becoming delusional and killing men who reminded him on the drunk driver who had caused his sister´s death
Emily sat and stared out of the window. This case had been hard on her in an unexpected way.
"You want to make her proud, right. Then stop doing drugs and killing people. Believe me, it´s what she would have wanted."
"You all right?" Of course Morgan asked her that. Then again, if he hadn´t, someone else would have. Not that she blamed them after what had happened.
"Oh, yeah, I am fine. Everything´s great. Considering the circumstances," she answered.
"You sure? Because you were acting a little weird. Something is clearly upsetting you,"
Emily looked at Reid who was sitting against JJ. Morgan was right. She had been acting strangely during this case. But only after they found out who the unsub was why he was killing.
"This is not what she would have wanted for you. She loved you, she wouldn´t have wanted you to ruin your live because of her"
When a local police man had called Stan a sick bastard she had snapped at him.
"It´s not his fault, it´s the drugs. And he only got addicted to them because of an accident. And he started taking them again because of his sister died."
And then, when they had found Hoover and Morgan had shot him in order to save Reid, who had gone up close to the unsub to talk him down, she had desperately tried to resuscitate him, even after he was dead. It had taken a lot of convincing for Rossi to make her give up. She just couldn´t let go.
Not when he reminded her so much on someone she loved.
Morgan didn't understand why the calm Prentiss had lost it when she had failed to save Hoover´s life. It had been weird to see her like that. Plus in general she had been bit tense and …sad? Scared? Worried? Was it just the cases that were getting to her? Or was it this particular one?
"I guess I am just sad that we couldn´t save Stan," Emily said. "I mean, he was a good kid who did his job and had a live, presumably a good one. One stupid accident and he is a drug addict. Then gets clear of drugs, and then loses his sister. The pain of her death causes him to want doing drugs again; he fails to control his addiction and bam, he´s a serial killer. I mean, imagine if he hadn´t fallen of the building. He wouldn´t have gotten addicted to drugs and then he wouldn´t have killed those men,"
"I see," Morgan said. "It is sad when one incident ruins people's lives like that and in this case it wasn't just Brown´s, but all those who he killed and those who knew them."
"Yeah," Emily said. "It really does suck."
She looked over at Reid again.
"For her sake, drop the gun."
Reid had been acting strangely during the case. And it had started after they found out why Brown was killing those men. Just like she had. Could it be for the same reason?
"Is this what she would have wanted?"
He had tried to talk him down, just like she had, and he had continued mentioning Stan´s sister. Telling him how proud she would be if he stopped.
Morgan followed her gaze. She was looking at Reid. He had been acting even weirder than Emily during this case. He had wanted to talk to him as well. But JJ had dragged Reid into a conversation while they were stepping onto the jet and they had winded up sitting together with Rossi and Hotch. Since he couldn´t get to Reid alone he decided to do Prentiss first.
Emily sighted.
"What´s wrong?" Morgan asked.
"Nothing, it´s just…Have you ever…wondered if…I don´t know. Have you ever seen someone you love in an unsub?"
"Well I did see Reid in Owen, but then again he did make it pretty oblivious that he identified with the unsub," Morgan said." Is this what this is about? What Reid said to JJ about you´re death?"
"Kind of," Emily admitted.
Morgan sighted.
"You do know Reid isn´t Hoover, right? He didn´t go back to using dilaudid. He managed to deal with. Hoover just couldn´t. The point is that Hoover´s dead and Reid isn´t. Just like you´re alive and Hoover´s sister probably isn´t. And even if Reid had failed, it wouldn´t have been your fault,"
"Yeah, but he still would have been doing drugs."
"But he isn´t. He´s all right."
"You´re right," Emily said."Thank you Morgan,"
"You´re welcome."
"You really shouldn´t worry about. I am not worth it." Morgan and Emily looked up. Reid was standing nearby. They hadn´t notices he had gone for coffee.
"Okay, first of all you are worth it. Secondly: I know you are strong enough to deal with your drug addiction and third: didn´t anyone teach you not you listen to private conversations," Emily said.
"Hey, you guys were talking about me," Reid defended.
"No, we were talking about Hoover," Emily said.
"Look, don't worry about me. I haven´t felt the wanted drugs for a long time. And as for Hoover , maybe it´s for the best he died. I mean, might have at some point realized the full effects of his action; that he killed four innocent men. I don´t think he would have been able to deal with it. How could anyone?" Reid said. "And thank you for thinking I am strong enough."
"You have proved it multiple times that you are one of the strongest people I´ve met and beside, I have to believe it because the alternative is just too awful," Emily said.
"By the way," Morgan said. "Emily isn´t the only one that was acting strangely," Morgan said. "You were even worse. I know you kid. If Prentiss here is freaking out because of this whole ordeal, you must be doing so too."
"Yeah, I guess I do have a history of taking cases personally," Reid said.
"Plus, you would be identifying yourself with the unsub,"Morgan said.
"Whereas I would be identifying myself with the unsub´s dead sister," Emily said.
"I admit it did bring up some unpleasant memories and is uncomfortable when you can relate to the unsub like that," Reid said. " It also make you think about how easily it could be yourself, or how close you are or were from gaining the same destiny as the people we catch," Reid said.
"I see what you mean, but remember one thing; not all drug addicts wind up as serial killers. Not that I am telling you that it´s okay to do drugs," Morgan said.
"I know, but it is easy to get messed up or losing your sanity when you´re using drugs," Reid said.
"But you are not, so I guess we getting worked up over nothing," Emily said.
"Yeah, you are right," Reid said. "With all the bad stuff happening to us, we shouldn´t try looking for more misery,"
"I know you think you are doing the right thing by killing those men, but you´re not. It won´t bring her back. It is not what your sister would have wanted. You want to make your sister proud, right? Then stop doing drugs and killing people. Believe me, it´s what she would have wanted," Reid said.
"You didn´t know her," Hoover yelled.
"Nobody wants their love ones to killing in their name. Or do drugs because of them," Emily said.
"Just think about it. Is this really something she would have wanted?" Reid asked.
"No, but…I can´t stop. And he killed her. I see him, no matter how often I kill him, he shows up again."
"That´s because it isn´t him you are killing. It are some other men you killed. Someone who didn´t have anything to do with your sister´s death and are completely innocent," Reid said.
"NO, no. You are wrong. You´re wrong. It´s not true. I saw him. It´s him. IT´S HIM!"
"How can it be if he´s in jail?" Emily asked.
"I saw him."
"Look, you need to get help," Reid said.
"NO, I don´t,"
"Yes you do. Don´t you want to make your sister proud? I know you loved her. So for her sake drop the gun," Reid said.
"I can´t. If I stop I´ll have to think about her death again, and it´s too much," Stan said.
" You and I both know that it´s not true. The drugs don´t make it go away, even if they help you forget. You know addicts aren´t allowed to come up with excuses anyway. Don´t do that to her and her memory. What do you think she´d say if she knew you were doing drugs because of her?"´
"She´d hate it," Stan whispered.
"So why don´t try for her sake to stop. I am sure you can do it if you just think about her," Reid said.
"JUST SHUT UP! JUST STOP IT!" Stan yelled.
"This is not what she would have wanted for you. She loved you, she wouldn´t have wanted you to ruin your live because of her," Emily said.
It was then Stan fired his gun.