Chapter 1: New beginnings
I idly stirred my now cold coffee with the red slim straw, as my eyes scanned the computer screen. My report was due first thing in the morning and my brain was screaming at me to go over it again, just one more time. I've been over my report at least three times now. Fearful it wasn't perfect.
It was late and I didn't want to leave the office until it was perfect, but my eyes were growing heavy and a headache was pulsing behind my right eye. With a heavy sigh, I saved my latest rendition, sure to change it in the morning, gathered my things, and stood up to leave. I made it to the file cabinet before I saw him.
The air around me was quiet, deafening almost as loud as the blood rushing to my head as my heart sped up. Walking in was the man who had killed entire families, young children and their parents. He was smaller than I had imagined; almost frail looking.
Derek Morgan, one of the Agents on the BAU team that was the lead on the case, had a tight grip on the other man's forearm as he led him inside.
The man was speaking to people. I stared, shocked, and slightly scared that this man, so ordinary and fragile looking, was speaking to everyone around him. My eyes grew wider as his eyes settled on me, his lips pulled into a smile and his words flowed out so calmly.
"Hello, how are you?"
His voice was even light and airy and so not how I had expected it. His whole outlook was not how I had expected. My lips pursed together and I caught Agent Morgan's eye as he shoved the man ahead, his eyes ripping from my face.
The minute he was gone it was like the whole room had let out a collective breath. Everyone was holding it, in fear and awe. My palms clammed up and I pushed a dark brown curl behind my ear, ducked my head and hurried out of the building. I didn't want to see another murderer tonight.
Once home, I showered in a sleepy daze and dressed. My room was warm and I kept the lights low cautious of my headache and set my alarm. I, like everyone else, had seen the crime scene photos. Seen the children dressed in their pajamas and their faces void of any life, calm and rid of their nightmare. The parents resting now, saddened, but glad their children weren't being terrified anymore. They were all so calm in the photos that I was glad you couldn't see the pain on their faces. Couldn't read their thoughts across their foreheads.
Sleep never came easy to me, I'd usually have to calm myself down. I always got worked up on cases; I was told I was too empathetic. Tonight though, I was asleep in no time, but the terrors that chased me through the night were all the same. The cases I worked on always followed me home. My brain memorizing every little detail. Never leaving, never fading. Always ingrained into my mind like I had just seen it.
"Good morning, the time is 06:30-,"
My hand slapped down on my alarm clock and I groaned rolling over in bed. Morning always came too fast.
Twenty minutes later I was dressed and out the door, halfway to my favorite coffee shop.
My heeled toe tapped against the floor as the lady three ahead of me argued over her hot chocolate being too hot. I had exactly seven minutes until I needed to be out the door. Never spent longer than ten minutes in line. A minute and a half passed and I turned on my heel, hurrying out the door.
Opting for the coffee at work, two sugars and no creamer, a red straw and the banana I stashed in my purse, I began to wake up my computer. My feet pushed my chair from side to side as I relaxed. The night before creeped to the front of my mind as my eyes settled on the file cabinets.
"Hey, Flynn," The familiar cheerful voice of my colleague broke my thought process. I smiled up at Gillian.
"Hey, Gill,"
Her perfect dark brows stitched together, "Whoa, what's got you in the dumps," She asked while she made herself comfortable on the edge of my desk.
"That UNSUB, Karl, he said hello to me and I can't figure out why he would even speak to anyone in the first place," I explained to her chewing on the red straw.
"He wanted to show dominance and control over the situation. Play up his innocence, and by speaking to the people around him he wanted a reaction," A deep authoritative voice spoke and I spun around to see Gideon standing in front of me, hot steaming coffee in hand.
I immediately stood up, taken off guard by the profiler.
"To me it seemed like he was trying to downplay the arrest, make it seem like you guys had the wrong guy. I wasn't able to read the reports, but he killed the father last, right? His marriage was in shambles and he punished those families for letting their marriage go down that same path," Once I began speaking it was hard to get me to stop. I noticed Gideon squint his eyes slightly, maybe I had said the wrong thing?
"You didn't read the reports?"
"No," I shifted slightly and looked down," I only saw the photos and heard your profile,"
Gideon nodded and smiled before walking away, he turned back around, "Agent Flynn, before your shift is over come see me,"
Gillian and I just looked at each other.
"Think they're recruiting you?" She exclaimed slapping my shoulder excitedly.
I looked at her a bit worried that they just might be.
My palms were sweating and I fixed my grip on the strap of my purse before I knocked.
"Come in,"
"You said you wanted to see me Agent Gideon?"
I walked into his office and sat down in front of him, he was busy going over a file of some sort. My mind was starting to race trying to figure out why he wanted to see me. Could it be that he was recruiting me?
"I want you to tell me what you make of these reports and give me a profile," He slid the file towards me.
The reports were blacked out in certain parts of the text. Even the race, sex, and eye color were redacted.
"This is an old case? Why give me an old case?"
"Just tell me what you see, Flynn," Gideon spoke now getting up from his desk to go over to his book shelf. My eyes followed him, but quickly went back to the task at hand when he gave me a stern look.
A few moments later, Gideon spoke up and asked if I had figured it out.
"Yes, I have a profile,"
He sat back down and I placed the file on the desk and sat up straight.
"He's a white male, mid-twenties and has an acute personality disorder. From his previous arrest it's evident he has a problem with authority and has anger problems. His victims are young women, women he sees everyday either at work or coffee shops. These women don't give him the time of day and this leaves me to believe that he also has a narcissist personality. The way he has his victims perched in front of a mirror aren't so he can watch them as he rapes them it's so he can watch himself. Watch her -,"
"You can stop right there," Gideon says, he leans forward and I notice the same subtle squint as earlier.
"Why do you keep squinting at me? It's subtle, but you've done it twice today,"
"You tell me,"
"You're assessing me. I'm either saying something you don't like or I'm saying something you do like. Or you just don't like me, but I'd like to believe that's not it," I smile slightly at him.
"Your anxiety, is that under control?"
"Yes,"
"It makes me just a little bit more aware of others and my surroundings. It was worse when I was a kid, I haven't had an attack in ten years… now it's just something that's a part of me. Does me having anxiety hinder whatever it is that I'm doing here?"
"Not at all, it actually helps your situation. Starting tomorrow you report to me and Hotch,"
"In the round table room?" I couldn't hold my smile back, "Thank you, Agent Gideon. I won't disappoint you,"
"I have no doubts about that, but I need you to be ready. You're free to go,"
I quickly stood up, excited to start my new position.
"Agent Gideon do you want me to keep your door open?" I asked hand on the door knob.
"Open. Flynn? It's Gideon. Drop the Agent,"
I nodded and walked out my head high, shoulders rolled back and the biggest smile on my face I'd had in weeks.
Due to the insane sane lack of Derek/OC stories on here I wrote one myself. I'm currently working on chapter 2 and that'll be finished tomorrow. Please, read and review!