Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Next one of the crossover! Hope you don't mind these take a little longer to come out…it's a bit more to work on than my other fics just because I'm creating a case. That's harder than it looks! Hope you guys enjoy and thank you for the reviews!
In this chapter we have Derek and Olivia's conversation with Franklin, a brief misunderstanding for Penelope, and a little more JJ/Olivia. And the profile. I apologize for it in advance if it's not very good. I admire the work done on the show, but I myself am not quite good enough to do that :( Maybe someday…However, I hope you can follow it alright.
Oh, and on another quick note, both Shemar Moore and Kirsten Vangsness are working on movie projects, Kirsten on Kickstarter and Shemar on Indiegogo. Support their films! Even a single dollar can help!
The Previous Day – The Church Of The True Disciples
"Ah, Agent Morgan…Detective Benson," Father Franklin said as he reentered his office. Smiling thinly, he added, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Yet another girl from your church has been found murdered and brutally raped," Derek stormed, rising to his feet and glaring at the pastor. "Did you know anything about this girl?" He held up a picture of the battered and mutilated girl for the other man to see. Franklin flinched visibly at the picture and Derek continued. "Well! Did you?" His face was black with fury.
Franklin's face formed a hard line. "As a matter of fact, I did," he said hardly. "This is Jennifer Stanley. She was in a personal Bible group of mine. I know her quite well."
Olivia rose as well and put her hand on Derek's shoulder to calm him down. Apparently he was taking the looks of this most recent victim a little too close to heart. "Let's all sit down and continue this talk without being hostile."
Derek clenched his jaw, but did as Olivia suggested.
Franklin did the same as them both and sat down in an arm chair. "What else could I possibly tell you that would be of value?" he asked.
"You could tell us why women in your church are being viciously attacked," Derek growled.
Olivia shot him a look and turned back to Franklin. "We noticed the women have all donated massive amounts of money to your organization," she said. "We know you've told us that they all believe in the teachings you give, but what do you spend this money on?"
"We spend the money our worshippers donate on charitable organizations that support the values we hold," Franklin said defiantly. "Organizations that work towards keeping the Earth clean of sin."
Derek smirked. "You don't spend any of it on the extravagant trappings of your office?"
Franklin's lips turned tight again.
"Listen, Father Franklin," Olivia cut in, "we need to know a few other things. We discovered that up until a few years ago you were visiting Matthewson Sanitarium monthly. The people up there wouldn't divulge any reason as to why you were up there and it's clear judging by the financials our tech analyst uncovered you're not spending any money at pharmacies on medication. So, why were you up at that place? Holding hands and singing Kum Bay Yuh?"
His eyes flashed and he stared hardly at Derek. Almost immediately he knew something wasn't right with the way he looked. Derek was positive.
Franklin knew something.
"I was up at that Sanitarium because I was doing the Lord's work," he answered simply. Then he clamped his mouth shut.
"What kind of Lord's work?" Derek grunted. When Franklin didn't answer quickly enough, he demanded loudly, "Answer me!"
Franklin flinched. "I performed healing rituals," he told him. "I preached. I told the inmates of the Lord's powers and his ability to forgive their sins." He paused to grin widely. "It was good work. It helped a lot of people."
"So why did the good work stop so suddenly?" Olivia asked with a cock of her eyebrow. "You quit going…any particular reason."
There was a long interval between his next bout of speech. "My work was done," he mumbled out reluctantly. "They no longer needed me and my work here in the city needed me more. Simple as that."
"Why does something tell me this particular reason isn't so simple?" Derek asked sarcastically. "What kind of work in the city drew you back? Hating on anyone you deemed a sinner?"
"Just spreading the word the Lord wanted the world to hear," he stated.
Olivia rubbed her temple. "Listen, Father Franklin," she said harshly. "You need to tell us why you were up there. We'll find out why one way or another. So I suggest you tell us."
"I already told you," Franklin argued. "How many times do you want me to tell the same thing to you over and over?"
"Until you tell the true version," Derek growled. His voice had become more dangerous and there was a fire burning in his eyes. Olivia was worried he might actually say something stupid. "We know that you know something. These women were all attendees of your church. It's obvious this place is our unsub's hunting ground. Now you can help us, or we can do this the hard way. Which is it?"
Franklin glared at him. "I am telling you the truth, Agent Morgan," he said gruffly. "Whether you choose to believe it or not…well, that's between you and God."
XXXXX
Present – SVU Precinct
Olivia and Derek were working together at her desk when JJ brought up two cups of coffee. She set one down on the desk and slid it over to Olivia. "Here you go, Olivia," she said. "You looked like you could use a refill. Sorry Derek. There was only enough left in the pot for one more cup." She smiled down at her, completely ignoring Morgan's perplexed smirk.
Both women made eye contact with each other and Derek took that as an unspoken cue to get up and leave. He couldn't keep a grin off of his face. Rising to his feet, he started in the direction of Penelope, not bothering to look back.
JJ gestured to the seat that had just been vacated and asked, "May I sit? I might be able to help you with what you're doing."
Coughing, Olivia said, "Er, yes. Feel free. We're going through victimology. Derek says you guys are ready to give the profile soon."
"That's right," JJ said, sipping her cup of coffee. "We should be able to give it within the hour."
Olivia opened her mouth to say more, but Hotch – ever the man of perfect timing – came over and motioned for JJ to come forward. "JJ," he said, "we're ready to give the profile."
Sharing another look with Olivia, JJ got up. Although her steps were shaky this time and her stomach was fluttering. She was dying to know why this woman was affecting her in this way. It was completely random. Just a cop on a case. But then when she thought about it, it made some sense. Will had been just that: just a cop on a case.
This was definitely a diagnosis her therapist hadn't come up with.
She made her way to the area in front of where all the cops had gathered to hear the profile be delivered to them. But even as she leaned against the wall, her eyes met Olivia's and held her gaze. She couldn't help it; her piercing eyes were magnetic.
"Let's get started with this right away," Cragen said. "Everyone listen carefully, take notes, all the usual things."
Hotch nodded. "Thank you, Captain," he said. There was little time for formality. He was jumping right in. "The killer we're looking for whom the press has named 'The Violator' is an extremely sadistic killer who takes pleasure in the kills he commits."
"Based on the amount of overkill this unsub exhibits we believe these women are surrogates for one specific woman who he may have had a falling out with. Based on what his videos are telling us, we've come to the conclusion that it was either a woman he'd been in a relationship with or a woman who spurned his advances."
"What would make you say that?" one of the cops asked.
Morgan answered. "In his videos he always refers to the women very personally and as if he's had history with them. He's extremely derogatory and shows that there's no woman who's safe from him that looks like his victims."
The cop's brow furrowed. "And that makes you assume he's in love with her?" he asked skeptically.
"Another indicator is the sprinkling of love quotes he drops into his videos," Reid added in. "He uses them as bookends and in some way they all relate to the woman he's killed."
"These women are all a certain type: pretty, red-headed, fair skin," Morgan said. His voice was gruff and he couldn't stop his eyes from flicking to Penelope. Their eyes met and he had to rub his face to break his connection with her.
Blake nodded. "The victims are all women who attend a mega church by the name of the Church of the True Disciples which makes us believe this place is his hunting ground, the place where he finds his victims."
Stabler raised a hand in the air. "Why is he documenting his…experiences?" he asked.
Reid took on answering this. "This is a way for him to gloat about his exploits," he said. "It's his way of keeping a diary. And a way of contacting us. Like for example, his time between kills got shorter after we arrived and he specifically contacted us after victim number seven."
Hotch nodded to the rest of the room. "Thank you," he said. "We've got work to do, so I suggest we get to it."
The group dispersed and everyone went back to what they'd been doing before the profile had been delivered. Olivia had gone back to her desk and JJ was drawn to follow her. "So that's how you give a profile?" she asked JJ as they both sat down at her desk. "You guys seem like you've done it a million times."
"Unfortunately we have," JJ murmured. "Not quite a million, but a lot."
Olivia looked at her head on and tilted her head to the side. It was as if she were studying JJ. It was like she was looking straight through her and she was reading every little inch of her insecurities. Feeling so exposed, JJ started to fidget with both discomfort and an anxious feeling to impress her. For all she knew Olivia was reading her as a dimwit. "I don't know how we can do these jobs. Sex crimes, serial killers…it just gets to be too much sometimes."
"How do you continue to do it then? Do you ever think about quitting?" JJ asked softly, her voice almost inaudible.
It took a moment for Olivia to answer, but not because she was pondering the question. She was just examining JJ again. When she finally did answer, it was an answer of confidence. "I keep doing this job because someone has to stand up for the victims and give them justice. It sucks, but we've got to do something."
JJ smiled. "That's exactly why we should do this," she murmured.
At that moment, she knew there was something very special about Olivia and that she might never get the feel of her eyes to wash off.
But the more she thought about it, the more she didn't mind it.
XXXXX
The BAU's Hotel – Elevator – Later In The Evening
Penelope was standing in the elevator alone at eleven o'clock in the evening wringing her hands together nervously. Hotch had given them the night to go rest up because at eight in the morning the team and the police force had permission from a judge to scour the area that the signal of the unsub's video feeds had come from. Currently Penelope was on her way down to the hotel's lounge where she was going to meet Derek for a "chat."
Earlier at the precinct the two of them had a conversation after the profile had been delivered.
"Baby, are you okay?"
Penelope looked up from her computers and cursed; Derek had finally cornered her when she was alone. He was going to try and get something out of her. She could see the look in his eyes when he was about to get something out of her. Grimacing, she nodded. Might as well try and lie first and see if he would buy it.
"Yeah," she managed to get out. "I'm peachy, angelfish."
Sure enough, he saw right through it. "Bull," he said, pulling out the chair that Fin had been occupying and plopped right down in it. Tweaking her nose, he murmured, "C'mon sweet thing. Spill."
She raised a brow at him. What was she supposed to say? That she was jealous of all the time he was spending with Superwoman Olivia Benson? Which was unfair, not really to Derek, but to Olivia. Olivia was really wonderful. She shouldn't be giving her sarcastic nicknames. "Handsome," she said, deciding to go with it and use his nickname, "why don't we talk later? Now really isn't the time."
His eyes brightened. "Hotch is giving us the night off to rest up before the search tomorrow," he said. "Why don't we talk in the lounge?"
His voice was so filled with hope she didn't feel like she could deny him. Nodding, she smiled and said, "Okay, sure."
The elevator doors opened with a ding when she reached the ground level of the hotel. Strolling out, she walked with unsteady legs to the lounge where she ordered a drink. The entire time she was thinking about what she was going to say to Derek. She'd probably have to play it off like it was just a silly thought in her head about him and Olivia. She'd have to make it seem just like when she was warning him about Tamara Barnes, only instead of a victim's sister Olivia was a coworker. Of course she couldn't say anything about how she really felt. That would just make him laugh. He'd kiss the top of her head and then tell her all about how he planned to date Olivia around the rules.
As she sipped her drink, she glanced nervously around the dim lounge for any sign of her best friend. Next she checked her watch. She couldn't believe how badly she was fidgeting. It was terrible. What the hell was he going to think when he saw her?
Ten minutes later though, she finally caught sight of him coming into the hotel from the main doors. Next to his laughing form was Olivia Benson. A sting of jealousy ran up her spine, but she dismissed it. Derek was going to be coming to the lounge to meet her. Not have a drink with Olivia.
Just when she thought her heart couldn't take any more of the strain, he put his arm around Benson's shoulders and the two of them continued on towards the elevators, laughing the entire time.
Her heart broke into a million shards. Shattered. Exploded. Tears burned in the back of her eyes and she forced herself to finish the last swallow of her drink. Without a word, she slid a few dollar bills to the bartender and rose from her barstool. So Derek had forgotten about her. It was fairly obvious why. He had a much more important evening planned with Olivia. Rubbing the tears from her eyes, Penelope felt the sudden urge to go for a long walk.
So instead of making her way to the elevators to return to her room, she hurried out into the streets and let her feet guide her rather than her brain.
XXXXX
"Thanks for coming up with me," Derek said, grinning at Olivia as he showed her two different shirts he'd brought with him. "I'm glad I could get a woman's opinion on this."
"Definitely go with the dark blue one," Olivia instructed, sipping a cup of coffee Derek had just offered her. "Something tells me she'll like the blue one."
"Penelope's always said she thought blue was my color," he said thoughtfully, throwing off his t-shirt he'd been wearing during the day and buttoning up the other one. "You know, I don't know what's bothering her, but I feel like I just need to get this off my chest. I think I'm going to tell her how I feel."
Olivia nodded in agreement. "Do it," she said. "I'd rather she not hate my guts." She snorted a laugh.
Derek shot her a look. "Penelope doesn't hate your guts," he argued.
"Well she won't after she finds out I have no intention of sleeping with you!"
Finishing the last button he wanted done up on his shirt, Derek gave himself a once over in the mirror and turned back to look at Olivia. He gave her a million watt grin. "How do I look?"
"Snazzy," she responded with a smirk.
"Ya think?"
She nodded firmly. "I know," she said. "Now go get the girl, Morgan."
With one last broad grin in her direction, Derek started swiftly for the door. "Thanks for the help again, Liv!" he called on the way out.
