contention

thanks for the (not so good) memories pt 2

The car ride back to the precinct was dead silent. All you could think about was what Spencer had said over the phone. You wanted to forgive him, you really did, but there was a nagging feeling in your gut that told you otherwise. You kept obsessing over his words, playing them over and over in your head, until your train of thought crashed with Hotch's phone ringing.

"Hotch," He answered flatly, only letting it ring for half of a second. There was a moment of silence while the person on the other end continued to talk, then when they stopped, he said a small, "Got it, Rossi. Thanks," then ended the call.

"What happened?" You questioned with curiosity clawing at your words.

"We'll talk later," He said quickly as he rolled the wheels into the parking lot. He didn't wait for a response before climbing out and hurrying inside. You thought it was strange, but you tried not to think too much about it, making it two things you were attempting to keep off your mind.

You made your way into the building and immediately ran into Emily, who was taking a break from interviewing the other victims' families, grabbing a cup of coffee.

"Make me one?" You asked with a smile as you walked up to her.

"Anything for Thing Two," She replied without missing a beat. After pouring you a cup and mixing in some creamer, she handed the hot cup to you. "So, how was the family?"

"Well, the wife thinks she's psychic."

"You're kidding," Emily laughed. "What did she say?"

"That Hotch and I were together." Your cheeks turned red and you stared at your feet, sipping your coffee quietly. Emily's jaw dropped into an amused grin.

"And?"

"And what? She made a comment, we moved on," You laughed.

"Why did she think you two were together?" Emily pressed.

You rolled your eyes. "We were naked and making out in front of her," You replied sarcastically. Emily let out a loud laugh and pushed your shoulder. Before she had a chance to respond, an unfamiliar police woman came up to you.

"Are you y/n y/l/n?"

"Uh, yeah, what's up?" You asked.

"Agents Hotchner and Rossi need you to meet them in the Captain's office. They said it was important."

—

"You wanted to see me?" You asked as you poked your head into the office. It was just the two of them, both looking filled with worry. You couldn't say that you felt any different. It was rare that they spoke to any of the team members one-on-one, and given your history with breaking the rules lately, you were far from excited for your sit-down.

"Yes, come in," Hotch said sternly. You walked in and sat down in a seat across from Rossi. Hotch stood in the corner with crossed arms and furrowed brows while the senior looked almost saddened.

"Y/n, we've been looking at the case and there were some...similarities with your past," Hotch started.

"My past?" You repeated, completely dumbfounded. Mentally, you were scanning all of the details of the case that you knew and none of it seemed familiar. Rossi let out a heavy sigh and looked you in the eye.

"The first body was found in a shallow grave near the local church," The senior began to explain. You started to question why they didn't tell anyone yet, but he motioned for you to hold on. "We wanted to be the first to show you the body."

Hotch handed you the file and as soon as you opened it, your heart fell to your feet.

Written on the chest of the dead kid were the words, 'I do this for Milligan.'