#speedsterreader

“We got the unsub.”

Your shoulders relaxed when you saw Hotch and Morgan walking out with the killer in cuffs. It had taken everything in your body not to race in there. A part of you will never truly stop wanting to be the hero.

“I’m glad.” You sigh. JJ pats your shoulder, and the both of you head to the vehicles.

The trip back to the bureau is a pretty quiet one. On the jet, your eyes stay focused on the clouds that pass by. Morgan, Prentiss and Reid are playing another friendly game of poker. You wondered why they even decided to challenge the genius. Although Prentiss did have a few tricks. Rossi takes a seat next to you, and you smile.

“How are you doing kid?”

“I’m fine. Not speeding off that’s for sure. “ He grins at you, then gestures to Hotch who’s writing up the reports for the case.

“You know when I got these powers, I hid them. For months I pretended they didn’t exist. I did my best as a detective, and even when metas were running a mock, I still never stepped in. Not as a meta. I was so terrified that by using these abilities, I’d become just like them. I thought it would change me.” Rossi is listening intently, and unbeknownst to you, so is Hotch.

“In the end I realized, it wasn’t the powers that made them bad. It’s just who they were. Those abilities just made what they did easier to accomplish. Now, it’s like I have to physically stop myself from racing head first into every case. After every criminal.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

You shrug.

“I’m..not sure.” Your pleading eyes look to him for some kind of wise advice. Rossi just places his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into a hug.

“If there were more people like you, this world would be a much better place.” You smile at him, leaning into his embrace.

“Thank you Rossi.”

“Anytime kid.”

~~~

“Well after the week we had, I could use a drink.” Morgan states.

“I’m in!” Garcia comes racing around the corner in her heels. You smile. Prentiss and JJ voice the same.

“I’m buying.” Rossi says.

You wave when they turn to you.

“I’m okay. I think I’ll take a raincheck.”

“Booo!” Prentiss says jokingly. You giggle, and they’re already heading to the elevator.

“Have fun.” you call. Morgan smiles.

“Oh, we will.”

The doors close, and you head to your desk to start gathering your stuff up. Hotch passes by.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” You nod at his request.

“Sure.” So you follow him to his office up the stairs. As you enter the room, you close the door.

“So what’s up?”

You expect him to take a seat, but he doesn’t. He’s standing right in front of you, and your cheeks color.

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.”

“I-I hope not.”

Getting a punishment from Hotch doesn’t seem that bad though.

“You were just thinking of ways I could punish you weren’t you?”

“NO!”

You so were.

He’s wearing a little smile.

“I was just checking in with you. I knew it must have been hard refraining from storming the building. I’m glad that you had faith that we could handle it.”

“Of course.”

It’ll never get any easier, but you trust your team.

“I’m also impressed with how well you handle our relationship. It’s never easy when you transition from colleagues to partners. I remember it took Garcia a while to get a handle on her relationship with Kevin.”

You remember that vividly.

“I sort of felt that you’d like to keep business and pleasure separate.” You smile.

You were a bit younger than him, and as he’s seen, you have a bit of a shy side. But you were a remarkable profiler, dedicated to your job. It’s why he’d chosen your application over the others he’d been offered.

Hotch takes another step closer and you swallow.

“H-Hotch the blinds are open.”

You say that, but your eyes are already fixed on his lips. He loves how easy it is to put you under his spell. One look and you were mush. It was flattering.

“It’s not always bad to mix the two.”

His lips descend on your own before you can form a proper sentence. One thing you’ve realized is that you’re no good against Hotch. He’s just too good at making your heart race. You give in, hands reaching up to wrap around his body. He holds you close, the intensity of this kiss sending your head spinning. Your hands tremble as you grip at his suit. This is getting a bit too hot for the office. You pull back, panting heavily. Hotch doesn’t part from the embrace. His gaze holds way too much care for your heart to grasp. It’s certainly racing fast, even for you.

“Would you like me to take you home?” It’s almost a whisper, as if he doesn’t want the moment to leave. You know the offer is rare because he is almost always packed with paperwork.

“I’d like that.”

He presses a kiss to your lips, taking a step back to grab his bag.

"You're lying, and you're going to tell me why."

Hotch's cold stare was never something you imagined you'd be on the receiving side of. Neither was standing in the interrogation room at Quantico.

How did this all come about, you ask?

Good question, let me catch you up.

~One Hour Earlier~

"We're running out of time. Garcia, what do you have?"

"Sir there's over five thousand names in the Chicago area alone. I'm going to need something to narrow it down. "

Your eyes marked the board Reid set up, it was getting down to the final moments. If you didn't find the location of the unsub's next kill, his latest victim would be dead within the hour.

You were a bit new to the team. Transferring from Central City. Becoming a part of the BAU was always a dream of yours, and after becoming a Meta human, you realized there was so much you could do. Barry and the others basically had it covered back home, so you expanded your talents to DC. 

You wanted to make a difference, not just as a profiler, but a hero. You needed to do this. It was only your first month on the team, and while they were very welcoming, Hotch was still hesitant on trusting you. He was a stickler, you understood. He cared a lot for his team and the lives he was tasked with protecting. This wasn't just a job to him, it was his duty. That's why you looked up to him. Admired him, maybe had a not so subtle crush on him.

This case, it was taking quite a toll on him. Mainly because the unsub was abducting and killing kids. You felt a bit useless. You caught the little expressions Hotch would try his hardest to hide. They'd already lost two kids.

"What are we missing?" No matter how long you went over the clues to his past, you couldn't come up with anything. You massage your temples in irritation. You weren't exactly sure how long you were staring at the board, but you needed a break. Excusing yourself, you headed to the bathroom. Morgan watched you leave, nudging his head at Prentiss.

"Is she okay?" Prentiss nods, smiling sympathetically.

"She has a little sister. " You were doing a pretty poor job at keeping your cool as well. Or maybe it was just Prentiss being a concerned friend. Being a profiler made spotting hints of anxiety and worry that much easier. They couldn't blame you. Morgan understood.

"Hotch has been out of it too. "

It wasn't easy separating personal and professional all the time.

~~~~

"Get it together, they need you at your best, focus." You splashed your face a few times. Looking up at your reflection, you replay all the information gathered so far.

"He's a perfectionist, calculated, and thorough. He doesn't leave anything to chance."

"These kids are a symbol of the life he was robbed of. Good homes, loving parents. They all were given everything he longed for but couldn't have."

"He won't deviate. Timing is crucial to him."

"Timing!" That's what you should have been focusing on. The time of each murder, it was linked with the coordinates. That's how he was choosing where he would kill the kids.

Dropping the paper towel, you look down at your watch.

"No.."

The amount of time it would take to gather the team and reinforcements, it would be too late. You need to get there now. Rushing out of the bathroom, you headed straight for the elevator. Clicking aggressively, the doors closed, and you could barely stay still as it went down. The minute it opened you were sprinting outside. You pulled out your phone, typing in the coordinates as you searched for an alley. The second you got the message to Hotch, you surveyed the area, right before you were gone in sparks of electricity.

~~~

"Morgan!" Hotch's yell alerted all of them.

"What's up Hotch?"

"I think (L/N) cracked the location. " He showed them his phone.

"Where is she?" JJ questioned.

Hotch's face said it all.

Morgan paled. "She wouldn't, not on her own."

"I've alerted Chicago's police department. The Lieutenant is heading over there now with his men. We have ten minutes to get there. "

"Twenty, according to this the fastest route is through the city. We won't make it in time. Neither will back up or (Y/N)." It wasn't hard to spot Reid's worry. You were still very much a rookie. Losing people on this job, it was soul crushing. There was no way you'd make it. They only had five minutes left before the next body would be discovered. It was too late.

~~~~~

You staggered when you came to a harsh stop. As quick as you were, rushing into the room without a plan could ultimately kill the child you were trying to save. Scanning the house, you tilted your head. This place belonged to a family from the looks of the car parked outside, along with the little tricycle on the lawn.

"More hostages."

All the curtains were closed, even the top bedroom. They wanted to make it look like no one was home, yet you could hear movement on the other side of the front door. Sneaking across, you ducked under the windows, heading through the back. It was unlikely that he left it open, so plan B.

Pressing your hand to the wall, you started to vibrate. Your hand slipped right through, along with the rest of your body. The second you were inside, you drew your gun. The kitchen was clear, so you pushed forward, checking left and right.

As you tiptoed passed the staircase, you caught sight of the door to the basement, open.

"Why did I have to suffer when all the other kids on my block had a great dad to come over, it's not fair. IT'S NOT FAIR!!!"

The scream of your killer made your pulse increase. From the sounds of the sobbing, he had more than just your one victim down there. Taking one breath, your gaze hardened.

"I got this."

Stepping carefully, you inched down the staircase.

"Micheal Perry! FBI!!" Once you were fully down you could see him standing there, a smile on his face as he pointed the gun at the family that were tied together. You sighed in relief. They were terrified, but unharmed. He had them gagged and shackled.

"Look at you, come all by yourself. How stupid. " He cocked the gun, and your grip tightened on your own. The mother started crying again.

"Listen, I just want to talk, you don't have to hurt anyone. "

"Who's going to stop me?"

"Shit."

You really thought you could talk him down, but that look in his eyes, you'd seen it on a handful of your cases already. He wouldn't go down peacefully. Your eyes drifted to the family.

"Close your eyes." you advised. Micheal's grin widened. "Giving up already?"

You ignored him, staring straight at the father.

"Please, trust me. Close your eyes. It's going to be okay?" Micheal just laughed.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

"Trust me." With a shaky nod, both parents obeyed, putting their restrained hands over the two kids' eyes. Once their heads lowered, you turned back to Micheal who looked even more empowered.

"Wanted them to die with some dignity, how noble."

"No one's dying today."

"Is that ri-" you zoomed forward, knocking him behind the head. He tumbled to the floor with a thud and the woman jumped. Both parents were shaking. He was already unconscious. Cuffing him to the staircase, you took his gun, moving back to the family.

"It's okay, you can open your eyes now. " There was hesitation, but they obeyed, relief washing over at the pass out killer. You made quick work at untying their binds, pulling the cloth from their mouths.

"H-How did you-"

"You're safe, that's all that matters." You gave the man a look, and he nodded, hugging his wife and child. You turned to the other blond boy. "Are you ready to go home Jacob?" The blond boy jumped into your arms nodding.

"Thank you." The woman said gratefully. She was still crying and you smiled.