Chapter 6: The Offer

Sean's Loft, Miami

Emily, Rossi, and Morgan arrived at Sean's loft, only a few minutes after they left the crime scene.

Morgan was still enraged that they were leaving Miami in the morning, something he made clear for most of the drive.

The bullet holes that they found near the loft were hard not to miss, as was the door to the loft being wide open. Emily went in through the open doorway without thinking, as she was not thinking at the time and could only think of what might have happened to Sean since she last saw him.

Rossi and Morgan both follow behind her inside.

Inside Emily found her fears to be unfounded as Sean was inside; he was exhausted and still fixing up his home, but alive and well. Emily looked around the room, and seeing the evidence of the struggle that took place in the room she was given a good idea of what happened here.

Most of the few things he had in the room were already put back up, including a few paintings that Sean had leaning against the wall.

"Emily, nice to see you finally show up." He said. Sean was more than glad to see Emily so soon, but the feeling was not the same when he saw Rossi and Morgan with her. He immediately had a look of resentment as he saw them.

Sean was not always a cold individual, Emily knew him before he was like this. Back when he was a more warm-hearted individual. He had some level of emotional distance from others, but the two were able to have a close bond that allowed them to become close friends. Now he was worse than he was before, his intolerance to those he did not trust was at a higher altitude that he did not trust or want to be in the presence of any FBI or law enforcement.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Sean said, his facial expression showing that he clearly did not want them to be here. Sean has never met Rossi or Morgan before in his life, but he had seen them early in the night, at the Neon. It did not take him long to figure out they were FBI, and he more than anything hates the FBI.

"Easy Sean, I came with them." Emily said. She could see his hostility towards them; it practically screamed impulse away from committing violent act. "We heard that there were shots fired near your loft and we thought something could have happened to you."

"Well great, that explains why you're here." Sean made it clear that he knew why Emily was here, he knew her a lot better than she thought, and then he looks to the two agents who came with here and again asks "What are they doing here?"

Morgan could see his weapon was right next to him and was tempted to reach for his weapon, not wanting to give him a chance to draw his. Sean sees this and says "Go ahead, try to pull it up. I'll just take the gun from you and make you eat the bullets one-at-a-time."

Sean was good at giving a valid threat; Morgan believed that he believed he could do it. The look in his eyes was the look of insanity, the kind that could only be found in a man with nothing left to lose. Then he backs off, walking away from the weapon.

He had a small box on the desk that held his TV, he opened it. Inside were various pictures, two wedding bands, and finally a small flash drive. Pulling the flash drive out, he looks over to the two who came in with Emily and he holds it up for them to see "I'm assuming this is what you're here for."

"Sort of," Rossi said. Emily thought that was the reason they were at the loft, but then she thought of what she heard Hotchner saying into his cell-phone and thought that maybe it had something to do with why they were here.

Tossing the flash drive to Rossi, Sean then says "Whatever else it is you've got so say, say quick." Closing the box back up Sean listens as Rossi asks "Have you ever heard of a group called Checkmate?"

Sean had his eyes wide open as he looked at Rossi, and then he goes back to the box "Yeah, I know them. It's a taskforce that was made after Hotchner screwed the pooch on the Archangel case ten years ago; their main job is to look into any possible leads of former Archangel Members. Beyond that they deal with Cartel movement in the US and some of the crime families."

Rossi found his knowledge of the group to be very short-handed, as if he was giving them the quick version. Sean looked like he was less than concerned as to why he was being asked about the Taskforce and simply closes the box before asking "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because a few minutes ago Hotchner received a call back from our section chief in Quantico, we have been asked by a member of the Taskforce, Crane, to offer you a position as a liaison between us and Checkmate."

"Why would you even want to give me that offer?" Sean said cynically. His low opinion of Rossi and Morgan he made clear without hesitation.

Emily this time speaks up "Deadshot has already left town, Sean. I would think you of all people would want a hand in the arrest of the man who killed your best friend."

Her words cut deep in Sean's stubborn grudge against the FBI. He felt ashamed for a second, and then he asks "What is it you want me to do?"

Rossi then replies "All we need you to come to Quantico; we can have a place set up for you to live in. All you need to do is pack up your things and come in for us to show you to your desk."

Sean was less than optimistic about the idea of working with the BAU, then he looks over to Emily and they exchange looks as he ponders his options and says "Fine, just give me a week. I'll have my things packed up by then."