Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

penelope garcia, despite loving her womancave, cannot resist spending time at the bullpen where her family is. yes, her office is her place of comfort, but the bullpen has always been more fun—fun in terms of the banter of her friends, their plans of vacations that never really happen because of the nature of their job, and of course, her chocolate thunder, derek morgan.

she loves morgan dearly—as dear as colleagues can love each other without ruining their respective romantic relationships. however, for the past ten months, morgan's life has been nearing hell-like. reid, he can manage. but, the arrival of another proved hard. and garcia should really not love the way her chocolate thunder is outnumbered as much as she does.

but hey, what can she possibly do when the enemy comes in the form of a young trainee who she equally loves?

"i am not a kid."

francesca sainz playfully glared at morgan, crossing her arms as she sat on a desk across reid's. the three, along with jj and penelope, gathering for their daily banter.

derek chuckles at that, gesturing to the resident genius who was sitting on his seat with an amused smile, "reid's 34 and he's a kid, kid."

"i do not have an iq of 187." she retorted plainly.

he scoffed as he tossed his baseball and caught it again repeatedly, sporting his incredulous look with everyone before settling to her.

"what does that have to do with it?"

she slowly stood up and smirked as she presented her case, "false equivalence, like you did. you compared reid and i. while your point in age could be taken, comparing spencer and i is not acceptable at all since we our nature is not the same. hence, your point, as a matter of fact, does not have a point."

they all looked at her in silence for a good couple of seconds before jj crossed her arms, as if in thinking.

"there's no false equivalence at all."

"my point stands." morgan pushed with a smug grin.

franz narrowed her eyes to each one of them before glaring to morgan once again, "just so you know, this is my annoyed face, derek."

he leaned forward as if to observe her closely before speaking in a sarcastic tone.

"really? looks pretty much the same, kid."

she rolled her eyes at him before grinning herself, fixing her hair to tease him, "what did you say? i look pretty? thanks."

the older agent scoffed once again as he leaned back with a smirk, "deaf."

"you being this chaotic tells me the boss-man is not yet around."

emily's voice made them turn towards the entrance at her arrival, rossi following closely behind as they chuckled.

"where is he?"

                                   · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · 

"where is he?"

aaron hotchner, more known as hotch and the unit chief of the behavioral analysis unit or bau, asked as he gestured the paper to the course professor of the class they just lectured.

she looked at the paper to see who the agent is referring to.

"this student? oh," she raised her head to the entire room, scanning the area for any sign of the girl, "she left already."

he tried to hide the look of slight surprise in his face. after all, franz sainz is a very misleading name. it has certainly nothing to do with what emily has previously said before during her first cases with the team when he asked what is his worst quality. he does not trust women as much as men.

hotch neared rossi, giving the paper to him as the latter read the contents.

"what do you think?"

the italian man read her answer for the situational case they gave earlier. his brows slowly raised inquisitively as he reached the middle and commented, "quite perceptive."

"so?" he asked monotonely. dave already knew what he meant and nodded in agreement.

he turned to where penelope was, chatting with the rest of the team before looking at him.

"garcia, i need you to run details as soon as we get back in quantico."

and with that, it was imperative that they returned the next day, having learned more about the student.

francesca was calmly walking down the hallway, having just finished taking a special exam after she missed her written exam yesterday by attending the bau's lecture. chewing on her gum with earpods in, she disregarded the bandage on her left wrist and hand which served as her 'valid reason' for missing yesterday.

however, she could not miss the the contrast of that bright blonde hair and imposing suits against the figure of twenty-year-olds in the hallway just meters away. she immediately slowed down her steps as she lightly chatted up another student, who she does not know, and casually turned away to walk back where she came from.

only to find the italian already closing in on her too. she shrugged resignedly at that as he finally reaches her, sarcastically smiling as he placed an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to walk where she was originally going to. 

"walk with me, kid."

she smiled sheepishly at him, removing her earpods and looking at him, "sir, great to see you. i'm a huge fan."

rossi lightly chuckled in amusement, "i don't have the best experiences with 'huge fans'."

she looked ahead at that, exhaling impassively as she remembered his book about a fan-turned-serial killer, "evidently."

as hotch and jj accompanied their sides, francesca tightly smiled in acknowledgement as the lady smiled back, "sir, ma'am."

"do you have anywhere to be right now?" hotch monotonely asked as they all continue to walk towards the exit.

she looked at him on her left with a sarcastic grin, to which he only returned with a look as if trying to figure her out, "i have a really good feeling you already know the answer to that."

dave interjected with his usual playful tone, "good, because you're going to be at quantico in a few minutes."

with her in the middle of fbi agents, francesca sainz could do nothing but look at him with wide eyes and mouth agape in shock.

"is this about my google history? i promise i did not kill anyone. i just write books."

                                   · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

"ask and he shall appear."

the trainee commented as the unit chief passed the doors just after emily and dave did. however, when hotch came into full view, she could not stop herself from gaping once again.

"oh my, sir! that is illegal."

he paused at the bottom of the staircase at that, turning to the group as the others slowly distanced themselves from the girl.

"excuse me?"

she grinned at him, her voice full of exaggeration, "you took my breath away with your usual white long sleeves, but now, you're simply killing me with that dark one."

"sainz," hotch pointedly called, trying to contain his exasperation even though the day has just begun.

"i'm serious," she opened her arms on chest level, feigning ignorance before grinning widely once again, "are you looking for wife number two? i volunteer as tribute!"

he narrowed his eyes at her, almost glaringly, before closing them. regaining his composure, he continued to walk upstairs, "i'll pretend i didn't hear that."

noticing the team's amused looks at her as dave and jj shook their heads with small smiles, franz raised her eyebrows at them.

"what? dave's already working with number four."

"what is wrong with you?" derek said in a higher pitch than his normal, seemingly unbelieving of the girl's antics.

penelope grins at the exchange, jabbing to her jokingly as well, "you know he hates you, right?"

before entering his office, he looked back at the team downstairs, voice strict as usual but without serious intensity.

"and refrain from saying phrases like taking your breath away."

as they all hear his door closing, she turn to garcia with confidence and a bright grin, nodding reassuringly.

"he likes me."

Chapter Text

"when i tell you i do not like animals, derek, i swear..."

francesca would bet all her money, which is not a lot, but that's how certain she is that derek has something against her and will completely do the opposite of anything she says.

he smirked in mischief as garcia gasped loudly, her eyes widening in offense.

"including pets? what do you have against my furry friends?"

"contrary to popular belief, the opposite of like is not 'not like' but hate. therefore, not liking a thing is neutral, similar to not hating a thing. i'm not against them. i simply do not wish to interact with them."

"actually, it's not—" she nudged the resident genius, gesturing with her eyes and a tight smile, hoping he'll get the hint as she placed her arm on his shoulder and turned to penelope again.

"they're fluffy and cute!"

"and i agree!" franz compensated with a high pitch, "it's not about that—"

her words were lost on the tech analyst as she opened her phone after the notification, "oh, this is so not fluffy and cute."

she walked off to the conference room, the rest of the team already knowing what it means. hotch, dave, and emily are already sat around the table. 

"you, my dear crime-fighters, won a ticket to illinois." penelope clicked the remote, presenting identification photos and crime scene pictures, "sadly, at the cost of these three lovely ladies: kathryn cooper, lilian boyle, and mandy clark. all found naked and dead by hanging."

derek looked at the screen, "it's obviously not suicide if we're called in."

"it says here they're 155, 163, and 158 tall. they could not possibly reach the fixed rope with the height of the chair used." jj noted as she scanned the details displayed.

"a mistake?" rossi wondered aloud.

"either that or a taunt. the unsub's confident and displays textbook narcissism, leaving handprints on the victims' waists. what did the forensics say?" reid began the profile as garcia shook her head followed by a gesture to their gadgets.

"no match. there's also a text in each scene. look at their frames, beautiful. i've sent all the details in your tablets."

hotch nodded before pushing away from the table, "good. wheels up in thirty."

                                    · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

while the rest of the team started to gather and brainstorm, franz wanted nothing but to smack the person in front of her, walking backwards as she gets back from the galley of the jet.

"kid, i'm only saying it wouldn't hurt to bond with dogs from time to time. let's start with those from fbi. they're trained enough, so it wouldn't be so bad."

she looked at him innocently and spoke with dry humor, "i talk to you everyday, don't i?"

"i—"

"let's go over the case."

hotch called out as derek narrowed his eyes at her, mouthing something in the lines of 'i will get back at you'. they settled on the couch as the rest read over the case.

"the interval of the deaths are two days. what is he doing with them?" emily voiced out, knowing a lot can happen in two days, especially in these cases.

sainz brushed her nose before speaking in her light tone, "i doubt it's sexual. the handprints appear more like sensual. if it was the former, there are more suggestive places to put it."

rossi nodded, putting out another detail, "cause of death are all asphyxiations. the neck ligatures are also deep and rough."

for the minutes to follow, the team discussed the case deeply, going over possible scenarios and theories based on the details given and the facts. they threw information to each other, forming an initial profile as a framework from here on out.

"okay, dave and reid, go to the morgue and check the two bodies."

hotch began designating the tasks to do as soon as they land. hearing this, franz clutched her hands together with her head down, muttering to herself. they all knew what it was about. she has done it a couple of times before—wishing and chanting to be paired up with her unit chief slash the man of her dreams, according to her.

he continued monotonely, closing the file, "jj, speak with the families and note any possible elements at play. morgan and prentiss, be at the crime scene. i'll be setting up at the station."

she held her breath at that, waiting for his confirmation, "sainz, with me."

the trainee pumped her right fist lowly at that with a wide grin, exclaiming a celebratory 'yes' as hotch gave a small smile at her excitement. rossi looked at her with raised brows in amusement and a tinge of humor.

"who were you praying to? you're an atheist."

she turned to the older man, "i was chanting and i'm an agnostic."

"same thing." he shrugged dismissively, unknowingly cueing for reid to inform him of the facts.

"actually, atheists refer to people who do not believe in the existence of god in certainty and confidence, while agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve. they assert the impossibility of knowing either for sure."

the italian only stared at him for a couple of seconds, debating whether to push it or just let it go.

jj turned to the youngest with curiosity, "really? i thought you would be religious, especially given the surname."

"your arrogance is showing, kid." morgan patted her back mockingly as she nod to jj.

"not at all. i think i'm lucky to have the luxury to ponder whether he exists or not." her voice lacked it's usual teasing tone, seemingly replaced by a genuine one, "most people have no choice but to believe."

                                    · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

after setting up in the room given to them and pasting all necessary information on the glass board, an hour has passed and the two are now discussing geographic profile.

franz sat on the long table, legs crossed as she leaned forward in thinking of the details in front of them. hotch, with crossed arms and brows, stood in front as he analyzes what could the pinned locations in their map mean.

"three crime scenes forming a triangle... this may suggest convenience, meaning the unsub is from the area."

she leaned back, eyes still on the glass board with doubt, "but that's too obvious. he's smart and confident. that was clear by the handprint, note, and hanging."

he turned to face her, going over the details again like it would trigger them to find something that would help the case.

"the victims work in different fields. their lives never met at any point. but, the unsub clearly didn't pick them in random, judging from the gender and height."

he pocketed his hands, listening to her intently as she looked at him as well, "there's a conflict with the confidence profile. if the unsub's really that confident, like taunting us, why would he only pick easy targets?"

hotch maintained his sight to her, seemingly lost in his thoughts as he racks his brain for what could be the reason of the unsub's paradoxical behavior.

"sir, do not stare blankly at me with your hands in your pockets when you're thinking. i cannot concentrate." she finished with a grin, his eyes refocusing on hers after a few seconds.

"do not grin. we're working a case."

he advised indifferently. she kept her grin to tease his uptightness. however, upon the narrowing of his eyes with clear irk, sainz dropper her grin in an instant, turning back to the glass board with a light cough as if in all seriousness.

the black-suited agent turned to the board as well in realization, "he is confident. they're just his type."

she follows his train of thought, "he's not taunting us. he's showing off to someone else. look at their frames, beautiful. it's not an adjective in that."

her phone sounded, a message from emily as to the last sightings of the victims. reading the content, she unfolded her legs and stood up from the long table to pin the given locations.

"emily said they're last seen at these areas."

"two triangles." he muttered in observation.

dave and reid enter from their trip to the morgue. at the sight of the younger man, she calls for him, hoping the pattern in the map would make sense to him.

"genius, looks familiar?

he nears the two in front of the board, squinting his eyes, "it may be the measurements."

spencer kept his eyes on the map, his mind already calculating to see if he was right. not far away, two voices can be heard nearing the room. prentiss entered first followed by an explaining morgan. she gave the trainee a gesture to him with her head and a smirk.

"all i'm saying is the kid is short. she should not be in the field because the unsub might take interest."

"why—" she paused, looking at him in playful indignation, "what's wrong with you? i'm working professionally here and you talk behind my back."

"hey, i'm just looking out for you," derek raised his arms in surrender before pointing at her with a chuckle, "and you are short."

franz's mouth went agape in exaggeration as she turned to hotch, telling on the man and looking for an ally.

"sir? this is bullying."

"you are." the unit chief pointed out with a hint of humor.

she feigned offense once again before sighing heavily, "the betrayal... you're so lucky i like you." hotch mustered a small smile at that.

"and you," sainz turned back to the enemy, "you don't see me picking on your brains, do you? brawns."

he scoffed pridefully with a smirk, "there's nothing to pick on me."

"exactly."

she did not miss a beat in replying, confusion on his face before the understanding hit, "wait—"

"the distance from one point to another is equal," reid stated, putting a stop to the banters, "perfectly."

just as they were all trying to review the new additional detail, the local chief's voice rang inside the room.

"there's another one missing."

                                    · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

the team went over the details they all gathered from their respective tasks, discussing the patterns again and putting up the profile as hotch went to speak with the family of the missing woman.

after a few minutes, he returned with a finding, nearing the map on the glass board.

"the family said that jana was at this stop when they last called her. she was on her way home yesterday morning after her night shift. same details so far with the other victims."

dave walked to the map, circling the area above the triangle, "the unsub's meticulous with his details and pattern. it's probable that if we do not find her in 15 hours, she'll turn up around here."

"i got something." francesca sat up from her chair, eyes on the note of the unsub in each crime scene, "he's not talking about the figures of his victims. he's talking about literal frames."

"picture frames?" reid asked, trying to see how it all connects.

she spoke with determination, "that's what i'd like to find out."

hotch crossed his arms in thinking of her theory. he nodded, opening the tablet for the case file again, "okay, go with morgan and jj."

they got up from their seats, the two aiming for their coats against the cold season considering it's nearing six in the evening as well.

"where's your coat, franz?" jj asked as they're halfway through the door, noticing the trainee does not have one with her.

she shook her head, trying to act cool mockingly with a pathetic attempt of a deep voice, "i don't wear one. i like the cold."

morgan rolled his eyes, calling for the man who's leaning forward on the long table with eyes down on the case file, "hotch, tell her to wear one."

sainz grinned widely at that, intentionally making her tone dreamily, "no need. his presence is enough to keep me warm."

"take my coat."

hotch calmly said, almost with indifference as he continued to swipe and pinch the gadget's screen, reading the file. they all looked at him at once in silence.

he's a caring person inside—that's not a surprise. the whole team knows that already. however, offering his coat to her is completely different from offering them to others in the team.

everyone knew she would take it differently. how smart of them! because she really did without shame.

"with your scent? i think i'm going to die before we even close this case."

francesca grinned with affection at him. the him in question is still not looking up from his readings, even as the three finally left for the home of one of the victims.

how ironic to feel so warm by someone so cold.

Chapter Text

visiting the victims' houses, jj conversed with the family as the two opted to observe the area. ridiculously to franz, she did not expect for the first victim to have an unholy amount of frames. photos like hers and/or the whole family's littered their home.

beyond that, there were also framed certificates, movie posters, letters, decors, and... paintings. the young trainee neared the monotoned painting. at first, it was out of the beauty of the art. however, as she stepped closer and closer, the painting had a handprint—one that most would miss since it was placed in the far end of the scene.

sainz walked to morgan, her steps hiding the urgency so as to not cause alarm. once beside him, she divulgrded her findings, prompting the man to call for garcia.

"pen, check the purchases of the victims. did they all buy paintings?"

the rapid typing of the tech analyst can be heard over the call, "yeps, all from magnum art gallery. location sent, my beloveds."

they uttered their thanks, now signaling for jj to wrap it up. in a single blink of an eye, they are already inside the car, derek stirring the wheel. he called for the team from his phone, passing it to jj after informing the team of their destination.

"we're going to the magnum art gallery. all the victims bought paintings there."

"coincidence?" rossi's voice resounded in the car. the team now listening attentively at their breakthrough.

francesca sat at the back, leaning forwards and placing her arms at both seats in front—which was probably not safe but that's not the point right now. she puckered her lips in thinking, staring ahead on the road.

"i don't think so. genius, please mark the gallery in the map for me."

in the station, reid placed a pin, moving backwards to observe the map in the glass board.

jj's voice came through their phone, "i think she's on to something. the profile says white male in his late 20s, average, introverted, not muscular but not necessarily weak, and in art-related work."

"he does not care about us. he acts as if we're not in the picture. he's solely focused on the girl these victims are posing as surrogates." hotch spoke his observations aloud, eyes on the glass board as well as he try to figure out the significance of the locations. the rest of the team in the station went over the profile.

sensing the thoughtfulness from the other line as their chief continued to discuss elements of the case before pausing once again, francesca grinned mischievously.

"what do i get if i'm right?"

derek scoffed after hearing that while jj offered a small smile as she held the phone in the middle to the girl.

"an apprehended suspect and a saved victim." hotch humorlessly answered, facing the glass board in analysis.

"so serious," she replied with a grin in her voice and a slight hum, "how about a kiss?"

before she could even say she was joking, the phone sounded, signaling that the call has been ended. the car filled with chuckles despite the case, the girl looking at the bright side and morgan giving her a reality check.

"well, that was not a no."

"yeah, that was a fuck off."

sooner, they finally arrived at the gallery, conversing to the manager immediately. the gallery was already closing, and sainz never would have guessed she would be thankful for derek's looks ever until that very moment.

the manager was swept off her feet, easily revealing information and anything they asked, almost never batting an eye to the two girls. from her, they learned that the victims indeed bought the paintings from the gallery. she remembers because they all coincidentally bought the artworks of someone she was previously doubting, even rejecting the paintings numerous times before.

the trio gave her the profile, asking if she knows anyone that would fit it but to no avail. she did let it slip that there was one who fits it the closest, yet suddenly shrugged the thought because of one problem—she was a woman.

they glanced at each other, beckoning the manager to continue. she revealed that the artist, clara, was not one to stay in the gallery for long up until she met a friend. it was tracy—trix—trisha... she could not remember her name. luckily, it did not slip her mind that the friend bought a painting a week ago, and checked the records.

the manager pouted at the thought of a fallout, mentioning that the two haven't been in the gallery for days when they were always seen together every other day.

with that, it was clear as water. they bolted to the car, ringing the team with serious urgency now. morgan slammed his foot on the pedal as franz held the phone, speaking with intensity at once when the call went through.

"the unsub is a woman, have garcia pull up records of clara hayes and trisha matten."

after being patched to garcia, she worked her magic and pulled out all information. jj nodded in confirmation, catching the team up, "clara hayes is the unsub."

"we're now going to her place." derek informed, stirring from corners to corners. hotch's ears perked up at that, turning to the phone in firmness.

"morgan, wait for backup."

he did not reply, knowing that he will comoletely do the opposite of what his chief instructed. franz clutched the phone, "mark their addresses on the map. am i right in assuming it's the law's scales of justice?"

reid pinned them all on the map, the team gathering in the front in realization. emily placed their thoughts in reality, "trisha is a lawyer."

they all turned for the doors, instructing the station chief along the way for backup. hotch took a hold of the phone and ordered strictly as he opens the car door.

"jj, we are coming. do not engage."

he closed his eyes in frustration as the three refuse to affirm his commands, clicking his tongue with unease. he addressed the young lady, coming to terms with what they're doing, ending the call immediately.

"sainz, stay in the car."

                                      · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

clara's house was organized with not a single object out of order aside from a single quirky stuffed toy in the living room—that and the two women bound to a chair.

she turned to the one without a tape on her mouth and spoke in a whining tone, "trish, you need to choose. you're a lawyer. you'd know if she deserves it or not."

trisha leaned forwards against the bind as she sobbed, taking breaths in between, "no, claire, please stop this."

"look at her!" clara exclaimed with a slamming gesture to jana, the missing woman, "she's.... ugh! why are you all so blinded by men? they're good for nothing!"

after her outburst, she neared the latter, crouching down as she placed her hands on her waist before turning to the lawyer, "you know, the waist is an art, intimately accentuating the curves."

"should i kill her and relieve her of the pain?" she wondered aloud. trisha refused to answer, closing her eyes intensely as she continued to sob. she stood back up at that, irritation starting to kick in, "but i need her to finish the art. look at the map, trish! it shows passion and commitment, doesn't it?"

she pointed towards the map on the wall, trisha completely not caring about it. the suspect raised her handgun to jana, pressing the muzzle against her forehead, "just finishing touches, love."

"drop the gun, clara."

morgan's voice resounded in the room, prompting the woman mentioned to clutch the girl, holding her as hostage, "don't come closer or i will shoot her!"

"put down your gun." derek tried once again, muscles tensed as he waits for any sudden movement.

"release jana. she has nothing to do with this. you wanted trisha to see your artwork, right? the scale symbol in the map." jj appealed, aiming to diffuse the tension and tame the suspect, "it must not have been easy to do. right, trisha?"

the woman got what she was trying to do, sobbing her words out, "yes... it—it's wonderful."

"see? it's already amazing in trisha's eyes. you don't need to do this now, clara." she turned back to her, tone pleading for a bloodless night.

"put down the—"

the man's words were cut off when clara suddenly pushed the woman in her grasp to them in desperate attempt to get away.

outside the house, the trainee called garcia, clearly bothered as to what could have possibly triggered the suspect, her first steo being the fight the two had.

"pen, did the victims have criminal records?"

garcia's fingers flew from one key to another, replying almost immediately, "my sweet munchkin, no, they don't. however, they all filed complaints against their partners."

the bouncing of the trainee's foot from the backseat of the car stopped abruptly, "surely trisha's not the lawyer of the four? we wouldn't miss something as obvious as that."

"correctamundo. they're all under different law firms, but that's our girl's specialization."

franz's mouth formed an 'o' in realization. clara was not looking for friendship and this completely went over trisha's head ,"so this is about sexual orientation then."

"she wants trisha to see how awful men are." penelope agreed, nodding from quantico.

"no, she already knows that. that's what her cases are." sainz narrowed her eyes, a realization coming to her, "clara's no longer trying to open trisha's eyes. she's now furious that she still goes for men despite knowing it so well."

before the team's tech genius could reply, two gunshots rang in the middle of the night. the girl sat up straight at that, peering through the window to the house.

"franz... what was that?"

adrenaline began to kick in her body, her mind running miles over what to do. she reached in the compartment, taking the extra gun they always leave inside the car for precautions and checked the magazine, grateful it is loaded.

"i gotta go." 

"no, no, stay there! they're near! hotch and the team is—"

francesca stepped out of the car, gun in hand. garcia's pleas went to deaf ears as she turned the phone off and pocketed it, nearing the house with haste at the gravity of the situation.

seeing from the outside that jj was okay and was helping the two other women, the trainee turned to where the suspect and morgan's figures disappeared to. she bit her lips in contemplation before ultimately groaning, chasing after the two. hotch can scold her after, derek might not be safe.

and, rightly so. because as she rounded the corner, morgan was on the floor with a gun aimed to his head.

franz took slow steps, gun trailed to the back of clara's head as she instructed in a leveled tone, "drop the gun."

the girl moved around derek, facing the two with the gun still to the man. sainz narrowed her eyes, as if analyzing the situation and the best course of action, "there's nothing else you can do. this is the end."

"come close and i'll shoot him."

"do not tempt me. i hate that fucker." her eyes relaxed, settling on a risky strategy, "men are always stupid, both emotionally and intellectually incompetent."

she scoffed at the trainee's attempt while morgan's starting to get alarmed on what she was doing, "did you think i'll fall for whatever you're doing?"

"not at all, but i still believe spilling blood is unnecessary here."

that irked the suspect. she was like the others— saving men even though they are good for nothing aggressors.

clara squinted her eyes, clutching her head for a bit, "this then that then this then that. shut up!"

franz made it a point to make her voice sound passive-aggressively mocking, "something against men?"

she refused to answer. her hands clutched the handgun harder, glaring intensely to the man.

"oh, you're..." the trainee trailed off, taunting the girl.

"i'm what?" she called out, eyes never leaving the man on the floor.

derek crossed his brows on whatever she was doing, his words pointed, "franz, stop."

"a lesbian," she ignored the man, going with her way, "you know that would incur the wrath of god, right? a woman is made for a man."

"shut up." clara muttered lowly, her hand pushing the gun forward.

"you're a lesbian and a moron. it's not in the bible. it's explicably said in john 3:27-34, thou my child—"

"shut up!"

clara turned to francesca, the gun aimed to the agent on the floor now trailed to the young lady. morgan reacted right away, yet it was clear he cannot push the suspect before she shoots.

her finger pulled on the trigger, but before the gun's mechanism could work, the trainee fired her shot, the sound filling the otherwise peaceful street.

she dropped on the floor, gun clattering with her. sainz neared them as she gestured to her teammate, inquiring about his state, "you good?"

the agent nodded, the other crouching down to feel for a pulse. franz looked at derek, her head shaking to confirm the suspect's status.

                                      · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

"i am not in shock."

the youngest grumbled at the shock blanket draped over her shoulders as she sat behind the ambulance.

derek tried to be comforting, but he was just... derek, "you just killed a person."

"she was aiming a gun at you." francesca argued, glaring to the very man she saved just moments ago.

jj and emily walked to the two with spencer asking, "how are you feeling?"

"i'm starting to feel tired. i did not expect that much adrenaline." she leaned her head sidewards against the vehicle.

"where did you whip up the bible verse from? i thought you're a... what do you call it... an agnostic?"

franz looked at the man, trying to hide the smirk in her face, "it's not real. i don't even know what's written in the verses i said."

emily crossed her arms at that, tone going pitchy than usual, "you lied?"

"i had to aggravate her," she sighed heavily before laughing at the thought that entered her mind, "a lesbian and a moron... i don't know where i got that from."

they all chuckled at that, the line sounding like somebody they used to know. jj smiled warmly at her safety, "we've talked about it before. gideon would love you."

"the previous unit chief?"

"you'd bond over insulting unsubs." the liaison turned profiler continued with a laugh. she grinned at that. it wouldn't be so bad to be acknowledged by him.

and just as how fast they shared their laughter, it was as fast when they quieted down, noticing hotch approaching them with rather determined steps.

the team already knows what this is about as they all stepped back slowly, franz sitting up from her leaning and taking a grasp of morgan's shirt as he was the closest. her wide eyes were gesturing at him as she mouthed dont go in repeat, even using the i saved you card humorly.

however, no amount of begging would make them stay with her, especially with the stern look that's sporting his features.

with no one nearby, her chief's eyes pierced through her, a series of scolding waiting to happen. he looks hot though. she'll give him that.

"that was purely reckless. how hard is it to follow my orders?" his voice was firm, yet it was calm and contained as usual, also considering that they're in public.

she looked at him directly, explaining her case, "hotch, there were gunshots. i had to do something."

"i explicitly told you to stay in the car," he crossed his arms, reminding her that he can fire her anytime, "just tell me if you're not ready to follow my lead and you can stop all these nonsense at once."

"i did stay!" she opened her mouth to defend her actions further but ultimately settled with a sigh, "i'm sorry."

"by putting yourself in danger, you're putting the whole team in danger," he continued to chide, now focusing on the team's welfare beyond his authority, "sainz, we do not move alone. this is a team."

"i know. it was a circumstantial decision." she looked away from him, watching the busy officers walking back-and-forth around the scene.

"you could have went to assist the women and let jj chase them."

"it would take time—time we did not have seeing as i arrived with clara aiming to derek already." franz tiredly made her point. this was almost similar to those ethical dilemmas people ask each other for fun. hotch sighed, acknowledging that the girl is exhausted after all that transpired.

"do not do this again." he waited for her affirmation, a response at the very least. of course, she gave none. aaron closed his eyes, trying to contain his irritation as he called for her attention pointedly, "sainz."

knowing that the girl is unlikely to reply and acknowledge what he said, he took a step back, turning away for a moment as if to gather his thoughts.

he looked at her appearance and observed her state more closely now, him speaking in a softer voice, yet still with gruffness, "how are you?"

"not fine." franz returned to her leaning, staring blankly ahead.

"how do you feel?"

"i don't know." she just wanted to sleep. it was a very confusing night. how does one react after killing a person? how should one feel?

hotch noticed her inner turmoil, the shock is possibly adding too, "wanna talk about it?"

"sir, you just scolded me." she narrowed her eyes at his offer, wondering how this man can turn from the unit chief to a friend in an instant. were they even friends? she doesn't know.

he deadpanned at her, "you disobeyed my order."

"a necessary insubordination." she replied in a beat, her eyes still on him. there was no way she would win though.

as francesca had told him plenty of times before, she likes his eyes best. of course, he only looked at her blankly every time before turning back to his case files, but she does like them sincerely and she will not get tired of telling him about it.

her fondness probably comes from the fact that she knows what his eyes are trying to say—an intimate form of communication, per se.

and so, that is precisely why she could do nothing but shrug and smile tirely at him. although his brows were creased, his eyes were offering comfort. that or she's so in her head she's starting to hallucinate and overthink.

the girl shook her head with a warm smile at the thought, "how about tomorrow?" she beamed at him, referring to his offer to talk. the man nodded once and she grinned teasingly, exhaustion seemingly forgotten, "it's a date."

hotch rolled his eyes at her antics, gracefully pocketing his hands, "do you need anything?"

francesca grinned from ear to ear in mischief, "can i get a hug?"

"you—"

"what? i'm in shock!"

he let a small smile grace his features as she exaggeratedly pulled the shock blanket to herself. he simply looked at her, as if figuring out how she really was. hotch patted her head softly before finally walking away to where the rest of the team was.

the action most certainly did not go unnoticed by her. needless to say, her mind was a mess. 

if someone would have told her in the past that there comes a time she would give her heart and swoon by everything a man two decades older does, she would have went on an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

yet, here she was—just killed a woman and all she can think about was how the smallest gesture of affection from him brought a lump to her throat.

Chapter Text

with the week almost ending, francesca sat on reid's desk, lounging and disturbing him in any way that she can. he was busy finishing up his paperworks, which usually don't take him long so she presumed that something was wrong—utterly wrong for the boy wonder to be staring blankly at his monitor for ten minutes now while tuning her ramblings out.

"spence, hands down the tenth and eleventh doctors are the best."

he sighed at that, tapping his fingers together as he explained, "they are great, no doubt—"

"i'd let them run wild on me." she interjected calmly while checking her nails, nodding as if the idea's typical.

he fully looked at her, opening his mouth to speak only to close it and gather his thoughts, "i... how are we exactly judging them? because i think there might be a miscommunication here."

franz feigned ignorance as she turned her head to him and tried to look as innocent as she could muster. spencer is once curious man, and he'll stop at nothing to understand a concept he did not.

luckily, garcia arrived with emily to save her. the girls are already passionately exchanging points when they reached the two, their beloved tech girl throwing a question to the boy.

"what's your mbti?"

"infp, yours?"

penelope squeeled at that, gushing to reid at being only a letter different from him, "enfp!" 

emily smiled at her excitement, nodding to the genius, "i'm surprised you even took the test."

"myers-briggs personality test is almost accurate. it was officially researched and the results are valid." he turned to emily with a smug grin in his his tone, "you're enfj."

prentiss rolled her eyes with a smile, hinting everyone that reid was indeed correct. garcia looked at the young trainee, "yours, franz?"

"me? intj," she answered casually, leaning her arm on the desk divider.

the pink-loving woman narrowed her eyes at her, pulling her head back as her voice came out pitchy in disbelief, "no, you're not."

"all that flirting and confessions and you're a t?" emily backed her, brows crossing but with a humorly scoff.

franz pressed her lips together in a thin smile, nodding slowly in reassurance, "73 percent."

"that's high." she grinned at their bemusement, amazed herself how they could not believe her mbti.

reid narrowed his eyes in analysis of the girl's previous behaviors, "if you really think about it, she has a tendency to rule by thinking rather than feeling."

the dark-haired woman chuckled mockingly as she shook her head, "oh, i don't think there's much thinking involved when she throws herself at the boss-man."

sainz could do nothing but laugh at her reasoning, which in all honesty, she could not say it was entirely untrue.

"how come you're introverted as well?" garcia grimaced in annoyance that the girl's mbti seems to be exactly the opposite of what hers should be.

"oh, you don't know me penelope." she grinned teasingly with pride in her voice.

prentiss nodded upwards as she crossed her arms. the rest followed her line of sight, "what about him? what do you all think his mbti is?"

francesca smugly grinned in certainty, "he's an i and t for sure."

pen squinted to their boss, pursing her lips on thinking, "istp?"

"is that gideon?"

reid stated with disbelief as he saw the familiar man walk in the bullpen. the others turned at once by that, eyes widening as the man looked at them with his usual tight smile.

"oh my god, that's gideon." emily breathed out, their eyes following the man as he climbed up the stairs.

seeing the man arriving from his office blinds, hotch stood up and walked to his door, opening it slightly as he peeked out to call for her.

"sainz, in my office."

                                     · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

after exchaning their pleasantries, gideon had no chance to even blink before he saw the utter look of besottedness from the girl to her chief. he stared between the two inquisitively as he leaned back on the small shelf on the right side of the desk. franz took a seat across hotch, smiling too cheerfully for the men's liking.

hotch cleared his voice as he turned to jason before settling to the trainee in front of him, "as you know, it is mandatory for you to undergo a psychological evaluation after what had transpired."

she kept her eyes on him, listening intently—not to his words though but to his voice. he already knew the girl was barely conscious, her mind focusing on other matters and he had to roll his eyes inwardly in humor at that.

"obviously, i asked strauss to let me handle it. later on, i realized how biased my evaluations would be." he leaned back to his office chair, gesturing with his right hand to his former chief, "so, here we are. i brought gideon in to conduct the evaluations."

she grinned, turning to the older man with her eyes shining with its usual glint of mischief. franz shook her head lightly as she spoke self-assuredly, "he can't do the evaluations, sir, because he likes me."

hotch shut his eyes resignedly at her quip. the prestigious former chief, however, was less than amused, yet brows raising slightly in intrigue—a contrast to his monotone voice, "i can see that."

gideon stood up from his leaning and clasped his hand, putting her sarcasm at the back of his mind, "let's start."

he rounded the table as hotch stood up, the other taking his seat. her current unit chief moves to sit at the back of his office, silently waiting for them to start as he opted to observe.

"aaron," jason said suggestively as he puts on his glasses and opens the folder, scanning her files.

the man called did not move, his eyes narrowing at the sound of his name and refusing to acknowledge the other's gesture. with that, the older man raised his head from the paperworks to him. as he sees the all-so-familiar look from his former superior, hotch closed his eyes and sighed, standing up at once.

"wow, i've never seen him get kicked out of his own office so easily." franz chuckled lightly, her eyes still at ths sight of her boss descending the stairs. her laughter, however, dried when she turned back to gideon, only to see him looking at her pointedly.

"i've read the case report. i understand the need to take the shot."

they began the test, asking and answering questions back-and-forth, both related to the case and not. a good thirty minutes passed by with the man only using a single sheet to put down any observations. if it was a good thing or a bad thing, she had no idea.

gideon moved to more direct questions, frankly pertaining to the previous case now.

"i do not feel bad at all. is that a problem, sir?" she looked at her nails on her lap before leaning back on the chair and raising her head to him.

"it might be." gideon plainly said in observation.

"you know, i had to be prepared for this evaluation. get my facts right." he began, leaning on his back as well and removing his glasses, letting it dangle on his chest, "and so, i obviously looked at your records."

he paused for a good number of seconds, focusing at the papers in front of them in thinking of his following words before looking at her directly in the eyes, voice full of calmness and inquiry, "tell me, why did you intentionally fail your firearms proficiency?"

"how did you know?" she could not help the look of small surprise on her face as the man saw the pattern in her proficiency results.

he simply smiles at that, the gesture reminding the girl of who he is, "a trade secret."

franz chuckled inwardly at his secrecy. she pursed her lips, already knowing that her reasoning won't be enough for him, "i rather not carry a weapon, sir."

"why?" he was purely intrigued by that. a choice to not carry any firearm in this field of work... it was rare—and utterly foolish.

a playful smile slowly made its way on her lips, seeing the opening, "a trade secret."

"sainz," gideon smirked at her immediate wittiness, leaning forward with crossed fingers on the table, "do you play chess?"

                                      · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

after they finished, the two vacated the office, gideon nearing rossi right away. the two went to the coffee maker, probably staying there to chat lightheartedly. there was something so endearing about their small reunion, the rest of the team smiling at the sight of the two grandfathers of the bau.

"gideon's awesome—not like manly cool, but more of a grandma cool." reid stated with raised brows, the same way he shares random facts, his admiration for the man as clear as day.

a memory resurfaced in derek's mind, the old man screaming suddenly in a room facing the window as they were observing the victim's home. he shrugged at that but smiled nonetheless, "he's a bit questionable at times but he was a great chief."

francesca nodded with a soft smile as they recall their moments with their former chief, who unfortunately, she did not get the chance to work with officially. she could see it though—their description of him.

"If you could only see the look of disappointment on his face when i suck at chess." she chuckled as she shared to them her poor excuse of plays. she knew how to play, but strategizing was never her strong suit. sainz was a girl who preferred to be head-on.

she twirled around her office chair, listening to both men when jj rounded up the corner with the widest smile.

"look who's visiting!"

"why do we suddenly have a lot of visitors today?" franz questioned as she stood up from her seat, looking at her arrival. jj's grin was something the girl has dubbed as her mom grin. she removed her hands from the insides of her pocket at the realization, "jj... no."

"we thought this week must have been so stressing for you." jj began cheerily, the sounds of kids nearing them, "now, i don't know what makes you happy aside from hotch, but i do know that these kids can make everyone's day better."

her eyes widened as she finally see two boys around the same age and immediately turned back at once, as if mouthing to reid.

"spence, i do not like—"

"henry!"

she was cut off by the cheer in the voice of the boy genius, him crouching down to jj's kid. derek only laughed at her expression. awkwardness was a rare sight on the girl, moreso that it's as simple as children that causes it.

"hey... guys." franz made a pathetic attempt of a wave, her voice void of any comfort.

jack, hotch's kid, fist-bumped with morgan as little henry turned to her, "mom says you're stressed. this makes the stress go away."

she stood awkwardly as the kid hugged her, patting his back unsurely, "yeah... thanks, buddy."

sainz looked at his mother and whisper-yelled, "jj, stop making excuses to bring kids here."

"it's december!" the mother exclaimed with a chuckle, "they always visit during december."

penelope exclaimed at the sight of the kids too, showing familiarity as she ushered them forwards, "let's go, boys. your legos and other toys are still in my office."

both boys grinned at that, starting to follow garcia but turned back to the new face as they took hold of her hands.

"wha—no, no," she protested, finding it futile as they finally reached the doors just by the kids dragging her.

it's going to be a long day.

                                     · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

"how did it go?" hotch asked with curiosity dripping from his tone as he entered his office again, closing the blinds for some privacy.

"great," gideon stood up from the seat, his eyes lingering on her name on the folder. he tapped his fingers on it before looking back to aaron, "she has a lot of potential. where did you find her?"

"from a lecture," he replied simply, crossing his arms on his chest, "feedback?"

his former chief's brows narrowed a bit at his short and vague answer. he mentally noted that before divulging his observations, "i do not think the case and the encounter affected her much. she has a strong personality, high loyalty and confidence, and understands the job and its demands. she is not easily affected."

hotch nodded at that, seemingly relieved, "that's good. she's fit for field duty then?"

"give this report to strauss."

he moved forward and took the folder from the other man's hand, his eyes landing on another sheet of paper with scribbled notes that he can only presume as something that should not be disclosed.

"she will be an excellent agent and profiler," gideon sighed as he kept his eyes to the man, observing even the slightest change in his expression, "good thing we got her first."

"jason, what does this mean?" hotch finally looked back at him as he gestured on the paper, confusion apparent on his features.

"she's very turbulent." he pursed his lips as he explained his analysis of her actions and disposition, "so far, manipulation and lack of empathy and remorse are the only apparent signs."

"still, i stand by what i said first, and those qualities are what exactly makes her just a potential one." he walked from the desk to the windows, maintaining his gaze outside as he continued, "francesca's incredibly self-aware, aaron. i think she might even already know she's all i'm explaining right now."

jason could not help but compare her to a bird. what kind? he doesn't know yet. perhaps, the reason is because the girl has not fully hatched yet.

what she will be? the world is yet to know.

"for what it's worth, she likes you," he breaks the silence and the tension from the newfound information as he turned back to look at hotch's expression. he could see his eyes reading the page over and over again, yet stopping at once by the mention, "genuinely."

he neared him again, asking with genuine interest. hotch was sharp. he was not someone who gets side-tracked easily, "did you really not know?"

aaron clicked his tongue lightly at that, putting down the file, "that she's bordering on aspd? of course, not."

"then you were right to call me." gideon stated suggestively, watching as hotch's jaw hardened ever so slightly, "maybe, your judgement is indeed biased."

he apologizes if he was having a hard time believing it—that the girl who's laughing and playing with his son and henry just meters away from him has those qualities. francesca is a young adult—a very rocky, confusing, and unstable age.

and so, he continues to tell himself that as he descends the stairs from his office.

the previous unit chief caught up with the others for a bit as sainz turned and immediately grinned to him as always. 

she narrowed her eyes at him in mock-thinking, her fingers resting on her chin as she hummed, "sir, let me guess your mbti. you're istj, aren't you?"

this girl could not possibly have psychopathic tendencies. his mind scanned through each and every interaction they had, and he came up with nothing. for some reason, he could not help the feeling of protectiveness over her. perhaps, gideon was wrong.

perhaps, gideon just doesn't know her.

and so, he allowed a small smile grace his lips as she maintained her sight on him, grinning so widely with pride as if knowing she was right.

before he could even answer, the boys dragged her away to play again. franz groaned at them stealing her time with the boss, yet a genuine smile appeared on her features as she tickled jack upon catching him.

this girl in front of him is not what gideon says.

but perhaps, like gideon, he doesn't know her as well.