Chapter 4: Closer

"Let us fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers; vices are the real murderers. The great dangers lie within ourselves." – Victor Hugo

Since the draining case in San Diego, it had been a quiet month in the BAU. The team hadn't received any calls asking for help on active cases, other than the occasional consultation requests which could be carried out by individual team members.

The momentary lapse in demand had provided Aoife with the opportunity to savour a brief pause in her caseload. The hectic pace of the Unit had slowed down to an enjoyable tempo. Most of the team had been relieved by the impromptu break, relaxing at their desks as they caught up on paperwork.

The unusually calm atmosphere had led to the team bonding more in the office. One particularly memorable moment was Reid building his own homemade rocket using Aoife's finished water bottle which shot across the office before eventually landing unceremoniously on Anderson's desk, much to his confusion. It was nice to see her fellow agents happy and relaxed for a change. Aoife finally felt completely at home in the BAU.

Garcia had seized at the chance their less chaotic schedules had provided, enthusiastically dragging her on the infamous bar tour she'd promised her when they'd first met.

Of course, Aoife wasn't complaining. She was more than happy to spend her nights with copious amounts of wine. Prentiss, JJ and Tara had opted to join them on many occasions, prompting Rossi to declare that the BAU men needed to organise a 'Gentleman's Evening' in response. Prentiss had just laughed, raising her eyebrows at the older agent before telling him how shady the idea sounded. Although, they all knew what Rossi had in mind was cigars, whiskey and a quiet night in his mansion, rather than any activities of notoriety.

The entire team seemed to be enjoying the light atmosphere, traipsing off to O'Keefe's at the end of the week to celebrate finishing their case reports instead of commiserating a bittersweet end to a troublesome case. The only slight exception to this rule seemed to be Luke.

The former Ranger appeared agitated by the lack of working cases. Perhaps he missed the adrenaline-fuelled chases and the satisfaction of capturing unsubs. Luke seemed to be a man of action, so understandably he wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of being stuck at a desk indefinitely.

Aoife had casually raised the topic to him one night, surprised by their different attitudes to receiving a break from cases.

She had been helping out a friend in counterterrorism with case notes one night and had been surprised to see one of the lamps still switched on in the bullpen. Luke had smiled softly, shrugging as he mentioned wanting to investigate further into a past case. She'd just nodded, wishing him a good night before going to leave. But, his quiet voice had stopped her in her tracks.

"Have you ever had a case you just couldn't let go?"

Aoife had been surprised at his words. She wasn't a profiler, but she could sense there was a deeper meaning behind them. She'd turned around to face him, noting the curiosity in his dark eyes. It made sense she supposed, the team didn't know a lot about the specific details of her role in counterterrorism.

"Of course. But, if you can't let a case go…there's usually a good reason for it."

Luke had nodded, appearing relieved at her validation. He glanced down at his hands as he decided to tell her what had been troubling him.

"It's Daniel Cullen."

Aoife had instantly understood the anger in his voice. Prentiss had updated her on the BAU's task of capturing the escaped serial killers, including what had happened in Arizona.

It was a personal case for all of the team when it involved Peter Lewis, but especially for Luke. Although they'd recaptured Daniel Cullen, he was no longer the man he used to be. Luke had been deprived of the satisfaction of seeing him punished for the suffering he'd put his former Fugitive Task Force partner through.

"Has there been any change?"

Luke had sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. No, there hadn't been. Cullen was still in an almost cationic state. There had even been talk of his lawyers filing an appeal on the grounds of his mental health. Luke simply could not let this case go. He owed it to Phil.

Aoife had smiled sympathetically, understanding his frustration, before advising him to go home and get some sleep. Daniel Cullen would always be there tomorrow and there would always be cases that stayed with them as agents. But, they wouldn't be able to do their job properly if they let it affect them. Sometimes certain things were out of their hands.

In relation to hardworking agents, Aoife raised her eyebrows at the sight that greeted her as she went to drop off files in Prentiss' office – unfortunately, there would always be paperwork to do in the BAU. Reid was sat alone at his desk in the deserted bullpen, pressing his fingertips together as he spun slowly in his chair.

Aoife gave him a small smile as she approached him. She couldn't understand why the usually well-organised and always-prepared agent was still hanging around. If there was one member of the team she could count on to submit their case reports on time, it was him.

"Hey Reid, what are you still doing here?"

Reid had glanced up at her, his eyes dark with sorrow as he anxiously bit his lip. It seemed as if he was having an internal debate with himself.

"It's my mother. You know she has Alzheimer's?"

Aoife nodded slowly, gazing sympathetically at the troubled agent. It couldn't be easy on him to be constantly concerned about his mother's wellbeing.

"Well, she's been getting gradually worse. I- I just don't know what to do." He muttered quietly, hanging his head in defeat as he stared at his feet.

Aoife perched on his desk, bending down slightly to make eye contact with him. "Reid, why don't you take this weekend to go to visit her? We don't have much going on around here anyway and if anything does come up we'll cover for you."

"I don't know."

Aoife flashed him a reassuring smile, sensing he needed a little more encouragement. "Honestly Reid, we'll be fine here. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your family is just to be there for them. She'd love to see you, I'm sure."

Reid slowly nodded, a small smile growing on his face. "You're right. It's just for a weekend as well."

Aoife smiled at his growing confidence. She was certain a visit home would ease some of his nerves.

Meanwhile, Reid was thankful for the newest member's intervention. Her advice had been considerate and thoughtful. Although, he couldn't shake the feeling that the brunette's words were spoken by someone with a personal history of losing a family member.

There was something about her tone and the way her eyes shined with sympathy that suggested to him that she had a secret of her own. However, Reid wasn't one to pry into his colleagues' lives. So, he just thanked her and wished her a good weekend, before he raced home to book his ticket to Las Vegas.

It was Saturday morning when Aoife was rudely awoken by a shrill ring echoing across her bedroom. She struggled for a moment, grasping desperately across the crisp bedsheets for her mobile.

"Murphy."

She grumbled sleepily, glancing at the clock. It wasn't absurdly early, but she'd always been more of a night owl. For her, Saturday mornings were to be spent in bed.

To her surprise she was greeted by a warm chuckle.

"Is that how you answer the phone to a friend?"

"Luke? I thought it was work. What's up?"

He chuckled again, evidently amused by the groggy tone in her voice.

"I was just wondering if you fancied a walk with me and Roxy? I know you've been dying for a bit of canine company since the last case."

Aoife smiled to herself as she propped herself up on her pillows, finally waking up properly. It was sweet that he'd remembered her fondness for dogs.

"Sure, but I'm only coming to see Roxy." She teased lightly, swinging her legs out of bed as she stood up to stretch.

"Naturally. I doubt you'd get out of bed early on a weekend for anything else." He replied slyly. Aoife could hear the teasing smirk in his voice. "I'll pick you up in half an hour."

"I'll see you then." She told him, laughing softly as she hung up the phone to get ready for the outing.

It was a bright and sunny day in the Northern Virginian woods as Aoife and Luke traipsed through the trees, Roxy panting as she ran excitedly ahead of them chasing birds. Luke chuckled as his dog barked enthusiastically as if telling them to hurry up.

"She's the most demanding running partner I've ever had, and I've been in the military." Luke told Aoife jokingly, pulling aside a large branch that was obstructing her path.

His fellow agent grinned at him. "She's adorable. It must be a big change for her being back here after Iraq."

"It seems crazy that it was only in 2000 people could adopt them after their service." Luke shrugged, glancing at Roxy fondly as she happily wagged her tail at the sight of them approaching. "I mean loud noises can still spook her a little bit. But, she seems happier than ever."

He bit his lip to conceal a growing smile as Aoife bent down to ruffle Roxy's soft fur, the excitable dog wrapping herself around her legs.

"Well, she deserves it. You both do."

The sincerity in her words made Luke feel slightly exposed. It wasn't often he discussed his military history with others. They just wouldn't understand his perspective unless they'd been through it themselves.

But, Aoife didn't try to analyse him. She just listened. His growing friendship with the brunette had become a surprising source of comfort for him recently.

"So, I have to ask, do you still feel like a newbie at the BAU?" Aoife asked, smiling at Luke's responding sarcastic scoff.

"A little bit, considering Garcia still calls me that."

Aoife laughed softly as the two of them continued their walk. Roxy chased her tail playfully before she scurried to catch up with them.

"I personally think it her own unique way of showing affection." Aoife replied, smirking at the knowing grin on Luke's face.

He knew that the bright blonde had never meant her words in a cruel way. In fact, their bickering had been a source of great amusement for him and the entire team. As a former ranger, he was definitely used to friendly hazing. "Besides, I think I'd rather she call me nicknames than try to set me up."

Luke chuckled, well aware of Garcia's intentions. She'd established herself as a cupid-like figure in the FBI – even helping set her ex-boyfriend up with another agent.

"I'm being serious Luke. I'm just glad I have an excuse to dodge her valiant efforts today." Aoife grinned at Roxy as she sniffed curiously at one of the towering trees.

"I don't know, she could always ambush you after this." Luke teasingly warned her.

It was true. It wouldn't be unlike Garcia to show up unannounced at Aoife's apartment to drag her out.

"Well, I might be safe given the state of me this morning." She laughed softly, gesturing down at her scruffy outfit. "I'm not fit for meeting anyone."

Luke just shook his head, chuckling at her light-hearted joking. It was strange to see the brunette in casual clothes. Every time he'd seen her in the BAU she'd looked every inch the professional FBI agent. But, there was something lovely about her fresh-faced look. It made her look younger…happier almost. She seemed to be exuberating a carefree nature that, understandably, he had rarely witnessed inside working hours.

"She reminds me of my sister." Aoife continued, grinning at the thought of her outgoing and inquisitive sibling. "She's always calling up to pry details of my life from me…with the best intentions, of course!"

Luke smirked, fully aware of the interfering nature of family. "She sounds like an interesting person."

"Believe me, Ida definitely could have made it as a spy."

Luke laughed softly, as he whistled for Roxy to come back to them. He knew she was a fiercely independent dog, but he didn't want her getting lost in the woods. "You have another sibling, right? A brother?"

Aoife smiled. "Yeah, Emmet. He's the family troublemaker." She paused for a moment, her gaze travelling towards the forest floor. She shifted her feet slightly as the brittle leaves crunched under her feet. It felt as if she were holding herself back from saying something.

Her mouth opened, but she was suddenly interrupted by a shrill ring. Luke smiled apologetically as she rolled her eyes at him, reluctantly pulling out her mobile.

"Agent Murphy." Her grip tightened on her phone and her brow furrowed in confusion as the person on the other end spoke to her.

Luke stroked Roxy's fur, slightly apprehensive at the darkened expression of his colleague. Roxy seemed to sense his anxiousness, leaning up to lick his hand. He scratched behind her ears appreciatively. She always knew how to comfort him. That was the reason why she'd been his lifeline in both Iraq and his life that followed afterwards.

"I'll get the team together immediately." Her curt reply told him it was something serious that had interrupted their outing.

Her green eyes were filled with unspoken worry as she glanced at him nervously.

"We have a case."

"Following the shooting in Virginia, we're being called in to assess whether it's a case of domestic terrorism." Aoife told the team, glancing around at their concerned faces as they flicked through the incident reports.

"Given the victims, I think it's a definite possibility." Prentiss replied, frowning as she examined her file. All of the crimes the BAU worked on tended to be horrifying, but there was something particularly brutal about murders that appeared to be motivated by pure hate.

JJ began to talk about racial demographics in the area, taking over from the absent role Spencer had left (everyone had agreed that seeing his mother was a priority at the moment). But, Aoife was too distracted by the repulsive crime scene photographs to focus properly on her words. She had spent a lot of time in counterterrorism, however it never got any easier to see the destruction bigotry could cause.

She felt someone's concerned eyes on her, glancing up quickly to flash Luke a reassuring smile. It felt a little embarrassing to have been caught in her distress. Although, she was glad it had been him. She trusted Luke not bring it up in front of the others, he tended to understand how others felt without having to talk to them.

"The proximity of the shooting to the local mosque seems too much of a coincidence to me." Rossi commented, his eyes darkening at the possibility it had been a targeted attack.

A murmur of agreement echoed around the table.

"Aoife, given your expertise, I'm eager to get your initial opinion on the case." Prentiss told her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Aoife nodded slowly, closing her file over as she met her team's worried gazes. "Far right violence is a big concern given its recent growth. Though, most attacks are perpetrated by lone wolves and tend to be less sophisticated than atrocities committed by other terror groups."

Tara nodded in agreement, sighing heavily as she clutched the file in her hands. "Many are often tried as murder rather than prosecuted under terrorism charges."

"If you're asking for my personal opinion…" Aoife paused for a moment, recalling all the work she had done during her time at counterterrorism. "It's one of the major threats facing the country. Whether this case is affiliated to a terror group is for the BAU to discover."

A tense silence seemed to fill the room as everyone's eyes focused upon the television screen as scenes from the murder flashed up. They had a job to do.

"Do you think this will work?"

"Let's hope so."

A small smile curved onto Aoife's lips as Luke held the door open for her, taking a deep breath before she entered the interrogation room. It hadn't taken long for the BAU to track down their unsub, swiftly arresting the man who was filled with such hate that he unleashed it on innocent people. However, the team was concerned that – despite not being officially linked to any groups – their murderer had the resources to have planned another attack in order to wreak havoc in the city.

After all, the power of an ideology could never be underestimated. Aoife suspected that the man had probably been able to coerce a weak-willed friend into completing his 'mission'. It was her and Luke's job to ensure that he failed.

"It isn't a crime to defend your country." The unsub spat furiously, already enraged by the agents' mere presence in the room.

This was exactly what they had wanted. Luckily, Aoife knew how to get under his skin even more. She nodded slowly, pausing as she glanced at Luke from her seat. A smug smirk played on her lips as if she were silently mocking his words.

His jaw clenched tightly in anger as he observed her condescending gesture.

"Of course, it's not." She told him, lacing her fingers together as she sank back into her seat. "Agent Alvez and I both know that." She smiled sweetly as she gestured towards her badge.

Luke grinned slightly, knowing exactly where she was heading. It wasn't just innocent civilians that their unsub hated, it was the FBI. Their aim was to infuriate him to the point when he lost control over himself, hopefully revealing his plans to them.

"He even served in the military…" She explained, inclining her head towards her fellow agent. "What have you ever done?"

The question filled with such distain managed to break the unsub, practically snarling as he struggled to break free of his handcuffs.

"It doesn't matter. You won't stop him. He learnt from me."

Luke noticed the slight concern in the unsub's eyes as he realised he had given too much away. Not only had he confirmed that he had a mentee willing to carry out his plan of terror, but his choice of words was also telling – 'learnt'. Garcia had already uncovered that their unsub was a former teacher, losing his job after many complaints concerning his erratic and abusive behaviour.

"Thank you for your cooperation Mr Johnston." Luke replied, daringly patting him gently on his hands just because he knew it would anger the man even more.

Punishing racists was one of the things he would never get tired of doing in his job.

It had been a successful end to a very difficult case. Although the BAU had quickly apprehended their unsubs before they had the chance to commit another atrocity, it had taken its emotional toll on the team. Cases that involved such hated always did. However, whilst the rest of the team slunk off to O'Keefe's in order to try to forget about their day, Aoife had decided to head home.

The nature of the case had brought back a lot of memories from her time in counterterrorism that she didn't really wish to relive. Fortunately, Luke had picked up on her exhaustion and kindly offered her a lift home.

She knew he must had noticed her slightly strange behaviour during the case. His concerned eyes had followed her as held the car door open, allowing her to sink into the comfortable seat.

There was a moment of silence as Luke pulled up outside Aoife's apartment block. He could sense that something was troubling his fellow agent. Her subdued mood couldn't have been more different from her relaxed and carefree attitude this morning on their walk with Roxy. Something about the case had disturbed her.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, finally deciding to ask the question that had been playing on his mind all day.

Aoife didn't meet his eyes as she stared straight ahead. She bit her lip as if trying to determine whether she should answer.

"I'm fine."

Luke shot her a pointed look as he sank back into the leather seat. She had always struck him as an intensely private person. But, he was a profiler and, more importantly, her friend. He didn't want to leave her alone knowing something was wrong.

Aoife sighed softly, reluctantly turning to face him. "This case reminded me of one that I worked on in counterterrorism…" She paused for a moment, glancing down at her hands. "It just got to me. You almost forget the hatred people can have for others."

Luke nodded slowly, beginning to understand what had provoked his fellow agent's distress. It had only been recently that he had confided his own personal demons to Aoife. She must have had her own nightmares that haunted her past.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her eyes softened as she glanced at him, a quiet sigh escaping her lips. "Maybe another time."

Luke nodded slowly, accepting her words. He respected her decision and wasn't the type to push someone to talk. He just wanted her to know that he was here if she did ever need him. Truthfully, he couldn't blame her for being slightly withdrawn. An agent's past was always going to be a sensitive subject. Some cases just had an unimaginable impact on their lives.

Besides, Luke wasn't the most open person himself. He still hadn't felt comfortable enough to divulge his personal history with the military to the team. Aoife was entitled to her own privacy.

There was almost an unspoken agreement between the two of them as they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Just enjoying one another's presence.

"Thanks Luke."

He smiled softly, shaking his head. "Don't mention it. I'm always here, if you need to talk."

A small smile flittered across her face as her lips turned upwards at his words. "We'll reschedule our run with Roxy?"

He chuckled softly, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel in amusement. "Of course. After all, we have to make up for our ruined weekend."

I'm finally back with an update! Sorry, for the overdue chapter but I ended up doing a lot of changing around etc.

This chapter's a little strange because the Aoife herself and Luke are the main focuses, rather than the case. However, I felt that I had to do it in order to establish her background and their development. The case topic is one that I will be returning to later in much greater detail. The next chapter will probably start getting into the actual Season 12 storyline, I just wanted to get the main aspects of the story in place before I delved into the show.

Thank you for all your reviews and support!