A/N- I hope you know I expect reviews. I even accept gifts. Cash is fine.

Valencia could feel the sweat pouring off of her. She wiped it away with her forearm. Reid sat, looking around the room, wondering how the day would unfold.

"Can I ask you a question?" Valencia queried.

"Go ahead." Reid replied.

"Does this behavioural analysis stuff really work?"

"Yes." Reid said simply.

"You sound so sure."

"That's because I am."

Valencia didn't believe in any of it. Had it worked her father would be locked far away, she would be free and so would Alex Newman.

"Try me then."

"Sorry?" Reid asked.

"What can you tell me about me?"

Reid hesitated. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

"No, probably not. Still, I'm the one with a gun." She brandished the gun in the air before bringing it back down to her side. Funnily enough, he had almost forgotten. Almost. He knew there was no point lying to her this time. He had tried that already and it hadn't done any good. He began.

"You're smart, but you try to hide it. It makes you stand out but you prefer not too. Just like how you downplay your illness. You act like it doesn't bother you, but it does. A lot. You keep looking over to the right corner. You see someone or something there, but you're pretending not too. You know it's not real... which says a lot about your illness. With medication you'd be a perfectly fuctioning member of society, but it slows you down... makes you feel foggy. On top of that, you wont stop fighting until you see your father put away. Justice is more important to you than revenge otherwise you would have killed him instead of coming up with this, rather elaborate plan." Reid rattled off quickly. Valencia was almost stunned into silence.

"And what happens after this?" She asked quietly, not knowing if she should have.

"You're smart enough to know that you're not just going to be able to walk out of here. You're also smart enough to realize that at your age, and with your medical history, they're not going to send you to prison."

"You talk like you know we're gonna make it out of here."

Reid hesitated once again.

"You're not a danger to me. You wouldn't hurt someone you felt was innocent. You're more... You're more a danger to yourself than anything."

Valencia laughed. She put a gun to her head dramatically.

"You think I'd pull the trigger agent?"

He thought about it momentarily before answering.

"No. Not yet. That would mean letting them win."

He was right. She hated that.

Meredith Brink's place hadn't been hard to find. For some reason Maggie thought it would. Everything seemed like a challenge these days. In fact it was only 20 minutes out of her way. She lived in an apartment block, not the kind that Maggie often found herself raiding during a drug bust, but certainly not the kind she thought Meredith, who Maggie often thought of as a 50's suburban housewife, would be living in. After paying the cab driver, she made her way in, up the stairs and past the other apartments. Things were quiet other than a loud yapping dog somewhere in the building.

Knock knock.

Meredith had been watching television when she heard the knock. The Price Is Right. She loved that show. She moved her tabby cat Layla off her knees before checking on the door. It had been a while since she'd had company.

She opened the door and confusion masked her face.

"Hello?"

Maggie couldn't help but notice how age had ravaged the woman. Sure, she was never going to be on the cover of a magazine, but she had always been slightly attractive in a homely kind of way. She was skinnier now and wrinkles marked her features. Her eyes were sullen.

"Hi, Meridith. I'm not sure if you remember me..."

"Oh my lord. Agent Odette? It's been a while."

Before Maggie could say anything the woman had invited her in, a little to eagerly. Maggie had assumed she'd get a door slammed in her face before she had to make an impassioned speech about how someone's life was on the line. Maggie hadn't exactly made her life easy the last time.

"Hi Meredith, I just wanted to talk to you about-"

"Tea? Scones? I would offer you coffee but I don't keep any in the house. Far to addictive. I find that-"

"No, thank you. What I wanted to-"

"Are you sure? I'm sure I can rustle up something else? I think i've got some fruit cake left over in the fridge. Or I could make something. Pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. I'll just-"

"Meredith." Maggie said in a stern voice, whipping Meredith out of her thoughts. "I must stress, this is a matter of urgency."

Maggie sat down at the table and Maggie took a seat too.

"Oh no. This isn't about Valencia, is it? Did something happen?"

"Why would you say that?" Maggie asked suspiciously.

"Well why else would you be here? Unless it's about Dean. Is it about Dean?"

"No, well, yes... It's about a lot of things actually." Maggie began. Meredith nodded.

"May I ask when you and Dean split up?"

Meredith thought. "About a month after that sick man Alex was arrested."

"Really?" Maggie asked curiously.

"Oh yes. I don't think Dean was much interested in me."

"You two always seemed so close."

"Dean was a good man. He always bought me gifts, took me out to dinner. He got me flowers just because. A real old fashioned gentleman, the kind my parents would have approved of."

"So what went wrong then?"

"I think a lot of that was... him needing someone to lean on. It was a rough time on everyone. All that was going on. At first I thought that was why..." She paused.

"That was why what?"

"He never wanted to... you know..."

Maggie stared in confusion.

"You know... Do 'that'." Meredith said, emphasising the last word.

"Oh." Maggie said. "You said at first... did something happen to make you change your mind?"

The woman fingered the silver cross around her neck.

"I think he was..." She bought her voice down to a barely audible whisper. "Homosexual!"

"Why is that?" She asked, perplexed.

"Dean and Alex were always so close. Oh, I know they were business partners and best friends. But it seemed like he had more time for him than me. When they found the photos on his computer, Dean went crazy. Almost killed him. But that was only after..."

"After what?"

"After Alex got caught." Meredith stated simply. Maggie looked confused.

"I don't understand. How would Dean have known about it before hand?"

Meredith looked around as if she was debating whether or not to tell. She settled upon a question.

"Do you remember how you came to check Alex Newman's computer?"

"Well, I suppose it's routine in these kind of investigation to look into everyone involved with the-" Maggie stopped suddenly, coming to a realisation. "No. No, that wasn't it. It was an anonymous tip. An email from an anonymous account."

Meredith looked down. Warily, Maggie approached her next question.

"Who sent in the tip, Meredith?"

"Me." she said meekly. "Dean told me too."

Maggie was angry now. This could have changed things. "Meredith, I don't think you understand how much-"

"I'm sorry! Oh heavens, am I sorry. I would have done everything for the man, even if he was gay. I just figured that he was conflicted... that he wanted to protect his daughter, but also his.. lover." She said the last part in disgust.

Maggie stood up, trying not to shout.

"And what if you've got it all wrong? What if Dean Porter really is the man Valencia made him out to be?"

Meredith looked calm now.

"I never would of put my feelings or anyone elses before the safety of someone's little girl. Dean may have been a lot of things, but he never would have hurt a child. Never."

Maggie looked at her sharply. "Yeah? I hope you're right."

Maggie got her things and stormed out the door, leaving a bewildered Meredith standing alone by the table.

"Our father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name..."