A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! Still don't own Criminal Minds, though. Sadly.

This is very important! Everyone read my endnotes, please.

Chapter 4

We watched an action movie and talked as little as possible. Sasha seemed to walk on eggshells around me. But then again, so did I.

She repeatedly thanked me when I offered her my guest room to sleep in. I think she was surprised that I didn't kick her out. She brought a lot of emotions but I didn't want her gone. I spent so much time trying to forget her and now she's here. And I didn't want her to go. Besides, when I think about her, I'm not thinking about JJ.

We drove to Quantico chit-chatting via small talk. I learned that she was happy with her job but that she was lonely. Sounded familiar.

We entered the building and I took a deep breath when we entered the elevator.

"What's up, Emmy?" Sasha whispered to me, her voice full of concern. "Why are you so stressed out? We don't have to do this if you don't—"

I shook my head. She thought I was stressed about her. She didn't know I was really just anxious about seeing JJ again. She didn't know the girl that ran out of my apartment worked with me directly. "No, no, no. It isn't the case or you. It's—"

"Emily?"

Both of our heads snapped in the direction of the voice as the doors opened and JJ called out to me.

Sasha leaned in next to my ear and whispered, "That?"

I nodded slowly and led her into the bullpen. "JJ, can you gather everyone in the conference room?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Yeah. Of course. Is everything okay?" She turned her attention to Sasha and I held in a squirm. This felt so awkward and painful.

"Yep. We are going to go into the room and set things up. We have a few things to show you."

"I'll go get the others." JJ nodded repeatedly and quickly ran off to grab the rest of the team.

"Soooo…" Sasha murmured as we walked to the conference room. "She's your colleague?"

"Colleague. Friend. Best friend. Ex-friend with benefits. Choose the label you like most," I said snarkily as we entered the room and began to set up. "You've got this, right? I'll introduce you of course and try to explain a few things, but you will handle most of it?"

"Right. Are they going to… believe me?" She asked quietly, looking somewhat nervous.

I shrugged. I honestly didn't know. "Probably not. But they believe me. At least, I hope they do. But then again, trust is always fleeting."

She opened her mouth to reply but she was interrupted by the gathering of people who entered the room. Everyone came in at once. JJ still looked confused, Penelope looked worried, Morgan looked amused, Hotch looked stoic, Rossi looked intrigued, and Reid looked like he was trying to solve the hardest problem of all time. I almost laughed at the sight of all the people with a whole different range of reactions.

"Thank you all for joining me so quickly. This is my friend, Sasha Tyburczy. We have known each other for a very long time. She's a detective for the LAPD, and she needs our help," I turned the attention to her.

"Hi, everyone. So, Emily is right. I do need your help. I haven't gotten the support from my superiors to expand this case, but they have agreed that I could ask for your help. Three weeks ago, a couple was slaughtered in their own home in Hollywood." She clicked to the first slide of her slideshow showing the horror of the bodies. "They were both stabbed more than forty times. They were also hung and shot. And around the house, their blood was written all over the walls. Spelling out "Death to pigs" and "Rise." On the door read "Healter Skelter." Same incorrect spelling and all." She showed the pictures of the bloody handwriting on the walls.

"Manson family copycat?" Morgan piped up as if he thought it was obvious.

"That's what LAPD thinks as well. And it is, technically. But I think there are going to be a lot more murders. Because I think the Family is back."

Silence. Everyone looked from her to other members in the team.

"What makes you think that, detective?" Hotch asked her.

"Now only were the victims killed exactly like those in the Tate and LaBianca murders, the woman was the daughter of Danny DeCarlo. One of the most important witnesses on the trial."

Even I was now startled. DeCarlo had fled from California after the trial. Since then no one knew where he was.

"That is suspicious. But why do you think the family is back?" Rossi asked her gently.

"I've been in contact with many of the original Family members for about a decade. They told me that there was someone who was declaring he was Charlie's reincarnation, even though Charlie is only rotting in prison. They wouldn't tell me much, they tried to stay away from it. But they were continually harassed by this new man in town. And then two days before the murders, they went silent. I don't know if they are apart of this or they were taken."

"And your sources? Are they reputable?" Morgan questioned skeptically.

"I became close with Gypsy, Sandy, and Squeaky. They liked to tell me stories. And they liked my home cooked meals."

"Do you know if they are following Manson's orders?" Reid asked.

Sasha shook her head. "I've never spoken to Manson. But he doesn't seem like the kind of person to just pass his status onto some else. He has too much of an ego."

"You sure it's not Squeaky?" Rossi asked. "She took the leadership role during the trial. And she's still faithful to him."

"Squeaky was the unofficial leader for a long time. But she went to prison for the assassination attempt and has been out of criminal activity since. Sandra and Gypsy haven't been in the Family for years. They do seem to regret parts of the Family. And while they are appalled by the murders, they still enjoyed the hippy scene. The drugs, the sex, the rock and roll. Free love. That's why they joined the Family. Not to commit murder. They wouldn't want to kill anyone. Not anymore, at least."

I looked around the room, trying to profile what the others had thought about the case. None of them looked like they were really buying into what Sasha was telling them. Though, Rossi and Reid were both intrigued.

Hotch cleared his throat. "Do you have any proof of another Family? Is there proof that multiple people murdered the couple? Do you have any idea who is leading this?"

Sasha took a second before explaining, "The girls told me that someone was trying to contact them. They would get phone calls from multiple people. And sometimes they would greet them in person. They said that they were young people. Not older than 25. They didn't recognize anyone nor did they notice anyone as an obvious leader."

"So basically, you are basing this whole case on three Family members who were obviously affected by Manson. Are you sure they aren't just messing with you? How can you be sure any of this information is right?" Morgan asked matter-of-factly.

I inwardly groaned. I knew Morgan would be the hardest person to convince. But he didn't realize yet that she was an expert. That she knew more about Manson than anyone else in the room.

Before Sasha had a chance to reply, I butted in, "Sasha isn't doing this to get her five minutes of fame, Morgan. She has studied and gotten to know the Manson Family for a decade. She knows more than all of us combined. You must have had CI's when you were in Chicago. Did you trust those ex-criminals?"

Morgan glared at me and nodded curtly. He turned to Hotch. "I understand that this is a possibility, Hotch. But this isn't enough to go on. We wouldn't know where to start with these people if they are indeed a cult. Or, it could be someone obsessed with Manson or a racist who wants to start a race war."

Hotch listened to what Morgan had to say, but he gave no indication that he agreed with him. He finally turned to me. "Prentiss, what do you want from us? I know that you must have talked to Detective Tyburczy about this."

"I think she has to be given the benefit of the doubt. I know Manson is a touchy subject for everyone in America. But if we have another copycat cult, we need to end it. Because this could escalate quickly. If they wanted to follow Manson, they would already be trying to find others to kill now." I stared at the team. They were still unconvinced. I sighed loudly enough for them to hear me. "Look, I'm going. With or without you guys. And I know you don't know her. Fair enough. You don't understand that when she says this she must have little doubt. But I know her. I believe her. I trust her more than anyone I have ever met. So either you trust me, or I'm going to LA alone."

Hotch stared at me intensely. I couldn't tell if he was angry, stunned, or impressed. Probably not impressed. Definitely not impressed.

"Prentiss, I hope that you understand, picking this case doesn't have to do with whether I trust you."

I snorted furiously. "Of course it does. If Morgan came to you with this, you wouldn't even hesitate. And if JJ picked this case, you would follow blindly."

Hotch continued to stare and blink as if it were a taunt. "And what if you are wrong about this? We would be wasting time that we could be using to catch other UnSubs, saving other people."

I understood his point. I understood that he couldn't comprehend all the knowledge that she had. "Hotch…"

He interrupted, "That being said, I wouldn't mind if you went to LA. We can hold the fort here. And if you find definitive proof, then we will come to you."

I couldn't argue with him. I knew it was his best offer. So I accepted with a slight nod. I turned back to Sasha and moved my head in the direction of the door.

As we gathered the material, I said, "Then we are going to head out. I'll send you all updates."

And with that, we left.

Okay, guys. This story is going to be very case heavy. If you don't know about Manson and the Family, I highly suggest you look it up on the internet. Though, it isn't necessary for this story. Let me just say before any of you tell me about things I got wrong, I am NOT an expert about Manson. I HAVE done a lot of research and I HAVE read the book, "Helter Skelter." (I highly suggest it) BUT DON'T WORRY. This story isn't going to just be about the case. There will be lots of relationship drama and Jemily feelings. And yes, in the future, there will be several parts in JJ's perspective. There will also be several flashbacks about the beginning of Jemily and the Sasha/Emily relationship.

Thank you all so much for reading and please review!