I know. I'm starting a new story. This one will move fairly quickly, and it is a little more personal than most. I'll explain more at the end.
Fiona and the Pebbles on a Basketball
Prologue:
J.J. knocked on Reid's apartment door.
"Hey Spence!" she shouted. "We have a case! Emily wanted us on the plane twenty minutes ago, but I convinced her to wait because your Nigerian is fluent. Spence!"
She waited another minute and then pulled out her key. When she opened it, she immediately jumped back and pulled out her gun.
"FBI!" she shouted and began to clear corners.
There were signs of a struggle. Tables and chairs had been knocked askew and objects had been knocked to the floor. There was also a trail of blood that led from the kitchen all the way to the entrance. Once J.J. had the cleared the apartment, she called Prentiss.
"Spence has been abducted," she breathlessly.
…
The case went cold fast. The cameras that had been installed weren't working at that time. No messages or ransom demands were given. No one recalled anyone strange being in the apartment building. There was nothing they could do.
Henry couldn't understand where his godfather gone to. J.J. tried to explain that he was on sabbatical away from work. One day he gave her an envelope with Spencer's name on it.
"Put it in his inbox," he said. "For when he comes back."
J.J. wiped a tear away. "I will," she said.
Spencer Reid's inbox began to fill with notes from everyone. No one spoke about what they were writing, as if they all had secrets they only trusted Reid with. After nearly six months, it was overflowing. Then the contents were neatly packed away in a box with his name on it.
Then the inbox no longer belonged to Reid.
Chapter One:
Rossi knocked lightly on Prentiss's open door.
"Ready for your first day of interviews?" he asked.
"I don't think I'll ever be ready," she said.
"Cruz said it had to be done, we've held off as long as we could."
"I know," Prentiss said. "I keep telling myself this is only temporary. That he will come back. He will come back."
"I know he will," Rossi said. "We'll never stop looking for him and if he wants his old job back, it's his."
"Right," she said.
"So, are there any top contenders in your mind?"
"Three from different backgrounds. One used to work in cybercrimes, another one I know from my time in Interpol, and the last one is basically a female version of Reid based in Boston."
"Sounds like an interesting group," he said. "I'll let you get to it."
"Thanks, Rossi," she said.
…
Fiona Ryan smoothed out her skirt nervously after sitting down opposite Prentiss. Her fiery red hair was swept up in a simple ponytail. A multitude of freckles was visible beneath the concealer. She still looked very young for someone who was twenty-six.
"It's okay to be nervous," Prentiss said with a smile. "It is only natural."
Ryan nodded. "I wish I could say interviewing was my strongest trait, but it isn't."
"So, what is?" she asked and began to take notes.
"My strongest trait is that I am driven by my search for the facts. I don't like to let other emotions get in the way when the goal is to find what is black and white about situations."
"Even when there are a lot shades of gray?"
"There will always be details that can be pinned down. A profile consists of many shades of gray until is put in focus and facts are added together."
"Interesting," Prentiss said. "What is also interesting is your background. You graduated from Yale at the age of nineteen with a degree in math, which you also got a PHD in followed by another degree in criminology. How did you end up in the FBI?"
"I wanted to be a statistician for the Boston Celtics," she said with a slight smile. "I eventually realized that wasn't going to happen, so I decided to follow the family tradition of entering law enforcement. I have four older brothers who are cops, in addition to my father being Boston's deputy police commissioner."
"Sounds like a lot to live up to," Prentiss said.
"I chose to work with the FBI in Boston when they were looking for a criminology expert not long after the marathon bombing. I then had the opportunity to apply for a field position and I got one."
"That is quite an accomplishment for someone your age," she said.
"Thank you," she said. "But I don't want to be your resident genius," she added hastily.
"What do you mean by that?" Prentiss asked.
"At the academy I was constantly compared to Dr. Reid because of my intellect," she said. "I know a lot of facts, but that is not who I am. How I find the facts in a unique way is what I want to be known for."
"No one wants you to replace Dr. Reid," Prentiss said seriously. "Why do you want to join the BAU?"
"Because you have one of the highest case closure rates in the country," she said. "I want to work with the best. I believe that with my skills of correlating facts that I can be the best agent suited to your team."
"Thank you for your time, Agent Ryan," Prentiss said.
"Thank you," Ryan said.
Prentiss was left sitting in the office with the impression that she knew more about Reid than she let on.
…
Ryan put the "Do Not Disturb" sign up and closed the shades over the window. She then sat on the floor in lotus position and closed her eyes. After calming her breathing, she focused on Spencer Reid.
Author's Note:
This woman isn't me. I don't like basketball and my math is terrible. There will be a theme about identity running throughout the story though.
