CHAPTER ONE: BLOOD IN THE WATER !

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       IT HAD BEEN ABOUT A MONTH SINCE CASEY HAD OFFICIALLY JOINED THE FBI ACADEMY. She had currently been at the shooting range they had there along with a bunch of other people that had also been interested in joining the FBI.

Her earmuffs were on tight and her protective glasses on her eyes and she had been shooting and working as a blinking light had been blaring on and off and her fellow future agents were shooting at the cardboard cutouts of the 'creeps' and 'pedophiles' and 'criminals' and Casey didn't shoot at any point until the last minute.

She had been focused at what was in front of her, she didn't notice on the other side of the mirror behind her, her favorite agents from the BAU had been visiting.

"Willows!" The director of the FBI Academy had also been watching and the lights stopped flashing and the regular light had turned on and he had walked down the line to Casey's compartment and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

     Casey noticed all of the shots fired at the cardboard cutouts of the criminals. Director Francis sighed, "What happened?"

      Casey stood up straight. "I hesitated, sir." She answered. She knew that she most likely about to get pounced on. You can't ever hesitate on the field.

       The director looks into the gallery and sees the many shots fired into the criminals and then his eyes flare over at the only cutout Casey shot — a cutout of a little girl.

       "May I ask why you think little Susie deserved to die?" He asked, motioning to Casey's bullet that had gone straight for the head.

        "Well, she was the only one who actually seemed dangerous... at the time." Casey tried to make it make sense. But she had hesitated and shot the only thing that appeared in front of her. "And how did you come to that conclusion?" Francis questioned.

         Casey turned her attention to the gallery. "Look, the 'criminal' is holding a sign that says 'Homeless: Spare Change' — he's obviously not a threat. And the 'creep' here has a cold. He has tissues in his hand — he doesn't look like he would hurt a fly, he looks like he's just having a bad day. But look at the girl's books, they are way too advanced for a young girl and besides, from where I'm looking, she's the only one who appeared to have a motive. And why are you walking down the street in a sketchy neighborhood in the middle of the night? She's obviously looking to become the next child murderer and children — they're dangerous and you never know what to expect!" She explained her reasoning — which seemed logical in a way, to her at least.

With that, the gun training had ended and Director Francis had called Casey into his office and Casey knew she was about to get her head torn off. They took this type of shit very seriously.

She had stepped into his office and began to ramble, "Sir, if I may, it would honestly seem reasonable that a child could be capable of murder. It depends on the child, obviously and I mean, there are many, many child murderers out there and—"

"Willows —" Francis stopped her. "This isn't why I called you in my office." Casey furrowed her eyebrows. "Then-then, why did you?"

"Well, if it isn't Special Agent-In-Training, Miss Casey Willows." Casey whipped her head towards the door and spotted her favorite people from the FBI. "Morgan!" Casey wrapped her arms around Derek Morgan, someone she had considered to be like an older brother.
Derek had always been very protective of Casey and he was one of the first people Casey told that she wanted to work for the FBI. Derek was a little hesitant for the girl and he didn't know how she would feel about this job once she was going to become an agent. But she was an adult now and she was headstrong. Just like he was.

After Derek, Casey looked and gave a hug to JJ next. Jennifer Jareau was like a sister to Casey, she had gone to her for advice about boys and if she needed help with homework or anything. She considered JJ to be like a surrogate mother/sister to her, since she didn't have either one growing up.
        Then, Emily Prentiss had come up to Casey. Emily had helped Casey get back on her feet when Gideon had left. Emily supported Casey as she taught her taxes and paying for bills and whatnot. Those first couple of nights were the hardest and Casey had to temporarily stay with Emily. It had been a sleepover every night and she was pretty glad to see both of her 'sisters from different misters'.

Casey looked over and shook Reid's hand since he didn't like hugs because of the germs and whatnot and then she continued the hug chain to Hotch.
Casey had known Aaron Hotchner since she was little, meaning he had seen the girl grow up and he was aware that she had wanted this job since she was young. And now, she had finally achieved the dream and he was standing before her — not as a child but as a young woman now.

Her eyes trailed over to the older man she had recognized. "And Casey, you may already know him — but in case you don't —" Casey held her hand out immediately to the man. "David Rossi, nice to see you again." She said and Rossi had shaken her hands.

"Casey, nice to see that you're following in your uncle's footsteps." Rossi said with a small smile on his face. "Say, are you still working on your Italian?" He asked in curiousness. "Sta migliorando." Casey said, the words meaning: 'It's getting better' and Rossi smiled proudly at the girl.

Casey looked at everyone and wondered why they had shown up. "Uh, so, what brings you guys here?" She questioned.

Hotch looked at the girl and then at his colleagues and decided that he was going to brief her back at the BAU. "I want you to come down to the Bureau and help us with the case. Director Francis has permitted you in doing so and he has stated that this will be a part of your training." Casey turned around to the director. "Really?"

"Willows, you're one of the best trainees I have right now. I'd like you to have a hand at what it's like to actually be in the FBI." The director told. "Thank you, sir. I will prove that I am qualified to be an agent in the future." Casey told.

Casey had been brought back to the Bureau and taken into the round table room. The BAU in Quantico was place that was like a second home to her. She remembered the mornings she would swing by and get the good coffee when she was in high school. Now, she would be coming here as a future agent and not a dewy-eyed schoolgirl.

As soon as she entered the round table room, Casey's eyes lit up and she saw the familiar, brightly-dressed, nerd girl that she knew as Penelope Garcia. "Casey!" Penelope smiled and Casey had given the woman a hug. Penelope was Casey's other older sister — like Emily and JJ had been to her. She was really close to her since she was the one who stayed at the BAU most of the time when Casey used to show up unexpectedly.

      "I can't believe you're here! It's about time we used your good brain around here, fair maiden." Penelope smiled. "I honestly don't know why my 'good brain' is even being out to use here. No one's told me anything." A look was given over at Hotch and he knew he would have to explain this case to her.

Casey seated herself down as the group surrounded the girl and Hotch looked at JJ to give Casey the file. "This case pertains to a girl named Stacey Edmonds." Hotch said and Casey's ears perked up at the familiar name. She remembered Stacey to be the popular girl that Casey had known due to joining the swim team with her in her sophomore year. Stacey was actually a really nice person to Casey, but to others, besides her friends — she was pretty much a bully.

"She was found murdered three nights ago." Hotch said and Casey's eyes widen. "What? What happened to her?" She questioned. "She was asphyxiated, someone drowned her." Morgan informed and Casey shook her head. "I can't believe it." Casey looked up and closed her eyes. "Uh, why, uh... why are you telling me this?"

Morgan and Hotch look at one another, wondering if she'll be able to take the news but Reid beats them from thinking. "Uh, we have reason to believe that the unsub may be someone Stacey knew and we know that you and Stacey were friends and we wondered if maybe you knew anyone she may have associated herself with."

"Two girls named Savannah Hitchford and Kim Desmond went missing two nights ago, it looks to be a home invasion of some sort and another girl — Danielle Avery was found murdered the same way as Stacey." Casey took a minute to process the information that had flown through her head. All of her old classmates had been dying and going missing and Casey had no clue. These people she knew in high school, that had lives of their own — their lives taken away from them just like that.

"Do you know anybody that wanted to hurt them at all? Perhaps back in high school?" Emily asked the girl and Casey shrugged, "I-I wouldn't know. But... Stacey and Danielle, they were pretty much the mean girls of the school. And Kim and Savannah were always the girls they picked on. I remember that much." Casey explained and everyone had glanced at one another.

"Do we think Kim and Savannah had anything to do with their deaths?" JJ asked. "The home invasion and the blood found there say otherwise." Rossi told and Hotch looked over in JJ's direction. "They haven't cleaned up the crime scene yet, have they?" He asked her and JJ shook her head. "Not yet, no." She informed.

"Make sure it stays that way," Hotch says and JJ walks out of the room to call the department to keep the crime scene the way it is. "Prentiss, Morgan, I'd like for you to come with me and Casey — you, as well."

         With that, Casey had followed Hotch, Morgan and Prentiss down to the apartment complex and she looked around at the mess of the place. A table had been broken and speckles of blood on the floor and walls and broken shards of a mirror and blood had been scattered on the floor and home.

        Casey put on some gloves and had taken the job of Savannah's room. She looked around and saw the old photographs of being at swim meets and saw an old photo of her, Kim and Savannah with a couple of other friends like Adam Brody and Erik Turner. Those were simpler times.

         "Were you close with them?" Morgan asked and Casey saw that he was standing up at the doorframe. Casey shrugged, "You could say that. I wish I stood up for them more. But Stacey liked me and when you're in your high school, you want to feel accepted." Morgan nodded, "That's understandable."

          Casey looked down at the photograph and noticed something sticky had been on the photo and she picked it up and examined it and saw that it had been red sticky blood circled on her face in the photo and she turned the photograph around her eyes widened at the back. "Morgan." She called.

          Morgan had approached the girl and saw the same thing she was seeing. At the back of the photograph, there had been — written in blood: HELP.

         Casey had a double take at her circled face. "Why write at the back of a photograph?" Morgan asked and Casey had connected it. "Morgan... this message... it's directed at me."

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"Are you sure this is directed at you?" Hotch questioned as they had gotten settled back at the round table. "My face was circled on there for a reason, Hotch." Casey told. "The one thing I don't understand, how did they know that Casey would be here and helping us with the case?" Prentiss asked.

       "Well, Casey was one of the smartest people in her grade, perhaps it's someone that knows you and knows that you wanted to be an FBI agent." Reid explained. "Casey, who would've known about you wanting to be an FBI agent?" Rossi asked.

       "Well, there were a lot of people. I was pretty passionate about it and I can't track how many people I told—"

        "Casey Willows?" The group turned their attention towards the door and noticed the scrawny Anderson, holding an envelope in his hand. Casey furrowed her eyebrows and walked towards him. "This letter's addressed to you." Anderson told and handed it to Casey and left the room.

         Casey opened the envelope and her eyes widened. "It's from Kim." She said. "What's it say?" Morgan asked.

"'Casey, I know you're here and I know you're investigating the murders. It was all Savannah, she murdered Stacey and Danielle and made us look like we had a home invasion so that it wouldn't link to us. I need to get away from her. Please help. We'll be over at the old swimming pool at the high school later tonight. The place we always used to sneak in at on the weekends. I'm warning you, she is dangerous and she is armed. Bring the team, she could be hostile. — Kim.'" Casey read out to the group.

"Well, she wasn't afraid to pin it all on Savannah." Emily pointed out. "No, it's all wrong." Casey stated. "What do you mean?" JJ asked. "Savannah would never hurt a fly. She's always been the pushover for everybody — I don't think she could ever commit murder."

"Well, people do change after high school, Willows." Morgan said. "Well, statistically, many people do change but common sayings like that imply people can change — and they absolutely can. But while people can change, not everyone does." Reid states.

"You think that this girl hasn't changed?" Morgan turned back at Casey. "I'm positive." Casey nods. "How do you know? What if you're wrong?" Rossi questioned, slightly doubting the girl. Casey looked around at the team and sighed: "My entire life, I've had this gut feeling and when I get that gut feeling, I'm never wrong and right now, I have that gut feeling that she is not capable of this."

Hotch looked at the girl. "You think Kim is calling all of the shots?" Casey shrugged, "Somebody is, but it's not Savannah. And if I go there tonight, I can prove that it's not her." She said.

"Are you sure you'll be able to go in and do this?" Hotch questioned. "I'm positive. I will keep a gun on me and my mic, I'll be ready and I have to do this myself. No backup unless I need it." Hotch and everyone else had looked uncertain. "Let me prove my theory."

Hotch sighs, "Morgan, Prentiss, you two will be going in for backup, get some of the police officers to help. Rossi, you and I will be on the stakeout. Casey, let's get you wired up."

To keep the long story short, Casey had helped out with catching the real perp — who had been Kim, like Casey theorized and she was arrested for Stacey and Danielle's murder. She was triggered by the fact that Stacey was winning an award and she heard about it on the paper and she had memories of the bullying and she decided that she needed to get rid of her source of anger and Danielle had been doing great in her life as well, that Kim decided to get rid of her as well.

Before Casey was going to leave and she said 'bye' to everyone, Casey's last stop was at Hotch's office and she knocked on the doorframe. "Hi, may I step in?" She asked.

"Of course, have a seat." Hotch said and Casey sat herself down. "I just, uh, wanted a couple of words with you in private. I know things have been tough ever since my uncle left and I know this may cause more stress and I hope it doesn't... but I was wondering if I could finish my training here."

Hotch furrowed his brows at the girl.

"I have talked to Director Francis and he heard about the case and he thinks I would be a great asset/agent-in-training/intern here. And it would count as being part of my training. You would just need to sign off on it." She had papers in her hands and she placed them on his desk.

"Casey, I... I don't know." Hotch has been going through a tough time at the moment. What, with his wife leaving him and she would soon be filing for divorce and the fact that he had to quickly step in as leader after Gideon had left.

"Hotch, I proved today that I could do this job. That I could soon be a profiler, hell, maybe even be Unit Chief one day — that is, if I am that good — but the point is: I'll be damned if I don't at least try to tempt you into giving me this job. I'm not gonna stop. I know I'd be good." Casey explained.

Her explanation was enough and maybe, she was right. Hotch sighed and sat up straight, looking at the girl and then he grabbed a pen and signed the papers in front of him. "Don't make me regret this."

"You won't, sir, I promise."

hey, lovelies!
i could've done so much better with this but i didn't — anyways, thank you for reading!!!
i was inspired to update tonight by -vxnilla 's spencer reid fanfic 'adore you',,, if y'all have not checked it — plz do, it's sooooo good!!!
anyways, i love you all, thank you for reading!
-mya <3