Copycat Act I

Psychiatric Institute of Washington

"Why exactly am I being discharged?"

Spencer watched as a blonde was escorted from the depths of one of several hallways, face shadowed by a curtain of light hair. Two men were on either side of her, large hands holding thin arms steadily against her back; it seemed almost painful. He could hear the rattling of handcuffs and wondered if Rossi was wrong about this girl. Was she really that dangerous?

A woman in pink scrubs, whom the agent had identified and introduced himself to, rose from behind the desk, a file in her hand. A Polaroid of the woman, long outdated of her as a teen, was paperclipped to the worn brown folder. It was stuffed with numerous pages, probably reports of past outbursts and issues. This woman, Piper, seemed like the paranoid type, caused by the minor psychotic disorder Rossi said she had. The countless pages of notes and reports were expected.

One of the men pushed her forward to Spencer after the other unlocked the cuffs. He leaned against his crutches warily, wishing he could have done more than just watch as she was shoved around, mistreated by the institute's staff.

"If you could sign these release forms, Agent Reid…" the woman in pink said, sliding a stack of paper over the raised surface of her desk as a few final papers printed. She placed those atop the others and Piper raised her eyebrows at how the nurse addressed the awkward man.

Agent? He looks so… twiggy. The blonde narrowed her eyes, shuffling forward to further inspect this crutch-bearing stranger. The grayed ends of her white pants dragged on the tile floor, making a sweeping sound, along with the light tap of bare feet.

"You didn't answer my question." Piper pressed, leaning against the high desk as the agent to her right began looking over and signing the papers, using the desk for support. His crutches were propped against it, pale metal standing out against the dark wood. Pale blue-gray orbs stared almost blankly, yet menacingly, at the scrub-wearing woman.

Said woman looked down awkwardly, before making eye contact with the blonde opposite her. "The FBI needs you for something. I'm not quite sure to what it is… you should ask Mr. Reid, but, if you behave, you won't be resubmitted. Though you will be under watch of a professional or anyone who would be willing to take on the task." she said professionally, voice almost robotic as she recited the words she had been conjuring up since the earlier call was made.

Spencer scrawled over the final line, flipping through several more pages to make sure he hadn't missed any, before dropping the pen and looking up. He took hold of his crutches and looked to the recovering psychotic next to him. She seemed drowsy and aloof, and the fear radiating off of the woman behind the desk made him a little nervous. Someone trained to deal with someone such as Piper was scared.

This wasn't going to be fun.

Turning to take leave after giving a thank you, he leaned into his crutches painfully and waited for Piper to follow suit before actually moving. It was slow, and the blonde intentionally moved sluggishly to accommodate Spencer's pace. The click of the metal was almost inaudible in the silent lobby, accompanied by the light scraping of pant legs on the floor. The nurse nor the two escorts said another word as the agent and discharged patient departed.

"So, Agent Reid, " Piper addressed, almost mockingly, once the pair passed the heavy doors fronting the hospital. The air was a warm shock to cold, fair skin. Her eyes narrowed once more at the brightness and she nearly let out a hiss, deciding that she wasn't fond of sunlight anymore, before continuing. "What use am I, a killer, to you, a federal agent?"

Her forwardness caught him off guard, he honestly expected her to be a bit of a mute. Though, she did press at the woman at the desk a bit. Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, Spencer made his way to a blue Volvo Amazon parked near the front. It was one of the few cars dotting the lot, as it was still quite early in the day. "My team's investigating a case that resembles yours, I guess you could say." he squeaked, attempting to swiftly unlock the car door. Unfortunately, he failed once, before finding success in another try.

The killer watched as Spencer slid his crutches into the back seat with some difficulty. He, then, slid into the old leather interior of the car and leaned over the console, fumbling with the passenger's side lock before getting it opened. Piper opened the door and hunched, poking her head in with wide eyes, the bags under them accentuated by the shadows of the car.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to drive with that leg of yours?"

Much to his surprise, Spencer saw through the tired look and took note of concern. No unsub was ever capable of really, truly showing concern towards anyone but themselves; although, some of them didn't even care about their own well being. It was a lot to think about, but he finally got out a response after a moment of unnerving eye contact.

"I made it here, didn't I?" he asked, locking eyes with this girl for a moment more. Although he indeed made it, it was quite a pain to do. For once, he wished he didn't have a stick shift. Pressing the clutch and the gas pedals, along with the brake shot pain through his injured leg, and the drive was a good two hours from the office.

The blonde shook her head. "You did, but, if I know anything at all, you're in pain. Let me drive." She made a 'give it here' hand motion and a facial expression that could almost be considered comical.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. This girl definitely knew how to read someone. The agent didn't recall letting anything slip about the pain he felt, yet she still saw through it. He realised that her capability, to profile someone so easily without any kind of training, was what Rossi was talking about when the task was given. Not only would her knowledge of the crime's events be a help, but the psychologically manipulative skill she picked up over the years would, as well.

Giving her a ridiculous look, he said, "You want to drive?" She nodded, and he continued. "You were put away for ten years… you really think you can?"

"Yeah, " she said. "It's a stick shift, correct? I learned with one."

The blonde circled around the front of the car, hunching into its frame with a hand offered to the brunette.

…

After the two hour drive back to Quantico, Piper was glad to get out and walk around, despite the sun being out. The hacker of the BAU called and asked Reid for a coffee run since he was out, to which he gladly obliged. Caffeine was appealing to the killer that accompanied him, so she didn't complain.

Penelope peered around the door of her office as Spencer entered the bullpen with a blonde haired girl trailing along behind him. She carried three cups of coffee, along with having a ring of keys between her teeth.

Taking in the woman's appearance – white pants, white smock, unruly hair and nearly gray eyes darkened from what she could only assume to be insomnia – she came to realise that the girl was the unsub-turned-assistant. She'd talked with David once while Spencer was gone, and, when he said she wouldn't look too scary, despite the violence she was capable of, he wasn't joking. She was short and skinny, yet well endowed . The years hadn't treated her too badly, but she seemed so… tired.

"Uh… Boy Wonder, is this her?" the glasses-wearing woman asked from the raised walkway, leaning against the banister of the nearly empty office.

Looking up, Piper followed Spencer to what she assumed was his cubicle - he plopped into the chair there -, letting the keys slip out of her teeth and onto the desk with a metallic sound. She could have said something rude to the stranger, but decided against it. She'd given the partly immobilised agent a hard time at first, bugging him to let her drive despite her ten years without it, and lack of general knowledge on the task at hand.

Though she seemed so sure, the agent didn't quite trust her. She had been locked away from even sunlight for years, so it wasn't so easy, as to let her do something of the sort so soon. That, and knowing well that she was still crazy, it wouldn't be comforting knowing that his life was in her hands; if she messed up, both of them could have died or been further injured.

Spencer sighed and spun in his swivel chair, tapping the keyboard to have his computer screen come to life. "Yup."

"Piper J. Logan, ex-murderer and psychopath," The blonde gave a mock bow and a smirk, looking up at the hacker. She took a sip of her coffee and slid one of the cups in front of Reid, continuing, "At your service."

Penelope blinked, before smiling. "She's so cute!" she exclaimed, bouncing down the walkway and stairs, into the bullpen. She ran to the wide eyed killer and squeezed her face. "Though, you could use a trim. But she has a sense of humor! It's surprising!" She took one of the paper coffee cups from the girl's hand, almost speaking like she couldn't hear her, and ran a hand over messy locks briefly.

Piper was at loss for words, and nearly dropped her coffee cup.

First thing when she gets out of the asylum?

She gets called cute.

That's always expected, especially with what a fright she was.

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be flattered or insulted, " she murmured after a moment, bringing the cup of coffee to her lips.

Penelope's smile grew wider. "Crazy or not, you're adorable! I'll fix you up later, and all the boys will want you." she told the blonde. "You don't have anywhere to stay, right? So I guess I could take you with me and get you up to the times."

Piper opened her mouth to speak, to close it again. She shook her head and took another mouthful of coffee, wondering if this woman could go on forever. Or rather, if she should have been the one in the solitary confinement cell with hundreds of books instead of her.

"Maybe I can even take you to the mall before it closes and get you some new clothes!" she beamed.

Spencer sat off to one side, just watching as Penelope rambled to a very confused looking Piper. He could have laughed, but he also felt a bit bad for her the girl. "Garcia, I… I think you're scaring her…" he said, taking a drink of coffee. "You should give her some time to adjust to being out before smothering her with your lovely personality and concepts."

:3 Chapter 1. Hope you guys liked it~ It's kind of... bleh, I know, but it's the first chapter. Every first chapter is fairly boring and just feels like it drags on to eternity of boredom. Anyway, if you made it this far, thank you. I appreciated all of the reviews and follows I got on this already, it was quite a shock. Kay... until next chapter~