-MAD WOMAN-
twelve!

how can i begin anything
new with all of yesterday
in me?
-leonard cohen

now - 6x15!

"Long time no phone call, it's a spectacle to see your name on my phone, darling," Clyde's smooth voice on the other end of her call caused Wren to roll her eyes at his antics. "To what do I owe for such a pleasure?"

"Hello, Clyde," Wren greeted him as she sat down at her desk in the bullpen as her teammates started to move towards the roundtable room. "It's been, what, four years?"

"Getting there soon," he agreed with her timeline. "I assume from your call you heard from Sean as well."

"He gave the two of us in the States a personal visit," she stated.

"And you're concerned?"

"I was one of two people who had personal connections to him," Wren reminded him. "I think I have a right to be concerned."

"Sweetheart, as far as anyone, including Doyle, is concerned, Leslie Ryder was killed in an explosion," Clyde stated. "Tsia and Jeremy did excellent work in confirming that."

"I know, but what if-"

"There are no what-ifs," he interrupted. "You are safe, I promise you. He cannot harm you because he does not know who or where you are."

"But, Clyde-"

"Repeat after me, Spader. 'Leslie Ryder was killed.'"

"Leslie Ryder was killed," Wren recited the phrase, running a hand through her hair.

"I will let you know if anything happens, but I'm sure nothing will," Clyde said, attempting to be reassuring but failing miserably."

"Just, be safe, please," the brunette pleaded with him as they ended their call.

"Who's Leslie Ryder?" Hotch's voice from behind her startled Wren and she jumped slightly, turning to look at him with wide eyes.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"Just a few seconds, I was waiting until you finished your call," he explained, looking between her and the case files in his hands. "Who's Leslie Ryder?"

"She was a friend I use to work with," Wren lied.

"She was killed?" He continued to question her while the brunette was still trying to accept the idea that Hotch had heard some of that conversation.

"Yeah, in an explosion a few years ago," she told him and he nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he sympathized and she gave him a tight-lipped smile in return. "We're ready to present the case."

Wren stood up from her desk and the pair joined the rest of the team in the roundtable room. Ashley had finally rejoined the team after needed to take a few tests at the academy and Wren was glad to see her. The two women shared a brief smile as the brunette sat down next to Reid.

Garcia and Hotch presented the case of Molly Grandin, a 24-year-old who's been missing from Syracuse for 24 hours. The victimology matched a similar case from four months ago where the woman had been abducted, held captive for three days, feet and hands smashed, stabbed to death, and then washed up in a lake. The team knew that if the unsub was sticking to the same timeline, they didn't have very long to find Molly alive so they left in a hurry.

However, before Wren could get on the plane, a text from her sister threw her head for a loop.

from Raven Spader:
Christopher is in town. Says he wants to see Oakley and that he's changed. I don't believe him for a second but I'm not sure what to do. Call me when you get the chance.

Wren talked to her sister over the phone as she waited for the rest of the team to arrive at the tarmac. Raven's abusive ex resurfacing wasn't ideal whatsoever, especially since Wren was dealing with Doyle too, but the agent tried to give her sister her full attention as they spoke. Apparently, Christopher was waiting for Raven at her house this morning when she returned from taking Oakley to school. Raven said that he didn't seem drunk, high, or off his meds, but still, he was violating the restraining order she filed against him and he wasn't allowed visitation with Oakley. His showing up felt like a bad omen to Wren and all she truly wanted was to get Raven and Oakley as far away from him as physically possible.

When Hotch arrived at the jet, Wren informed him subtly about the situation with her sister and if she needed to step away at all during the case, this was why. The concern on her boss's face for the Spader family was clear, but the assurance on Wren's that she could handle it was just enough for him to feel a bit at ease.

The flight to Syracuse was short and spent talking about the victims. After receiving a call from Garcia stating that the Syracuse police had brought in Molly's ex-boyfriend as a suspect, Hotch split up the team. He instructed Morgan and Reid to go to the dumpsite, Prentiss to Molly's apartment, and the rest were to go to the station with Spader talking to the ex-boyfriend, Lyle Donaldson.

Based on the way she felt just looking at him, Wren felt as though Lyle should've been in jail a long time ago and his list of arrests just made her believe that even more. The man's lawyer stood next to him as Wren entered the room.

"Mr. Donaldson, my name is Agent Wren Spader, I'm with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit," she introduced herself before nodding at the lawyer in greeting.

"FBI?" Lyle asked in disbelief. "This is crazy. I didn't do anything."

"Sure you didn't, Lyle," she replied as she sat down in front of him and opened up the case file she brought with her.

The brunette remained silent as she spread the photos of Gail Langston's body out on the table in front of the suspect. She knew that if she didn't say anything to him, he would feel the need to fill the silence, and the more he talked, the more likely he was to slip up.

"I didn't know Gail Langston," the man told her as she continued to place the pictures on the table. Wren genuinely didn't care what he had to say. She already read the emergency room reports for Molly after he had abused her and it didn't matter if he was the unsub, he was still a piece of shit in Wren's eyes. "Yeah, we had a class together but there were like a hundred people in it. I barely went, anyway."

Lyle's words were caught in his throat as he stared at a photo of Gail Langston's severely beaten feet and Wren watched his face turn slightly green. "I knew Gail was murdered, but that looks like torture."

"Looks like torture? Wow, you are right on the nose there, buddy," Wren chuckled lightly, unimpressed by his signs of remorse.

"My client is sitting here with you, Agent Spader. How could he be off torturing his ex-girlfriend at the same time?" The lawyer asked her and Wren looked up at him for a moment before turning her attention back to Lyle.

"So, Lyle," do you have any fishing buddies that have a cabin up by the lake?" She questioned the man sitting in front of her. "Somewhere secluded and private where you could keep Molly tied up until you can return?"

He immediately started shaking his head. "No, man. This is insane. I would never hurt-" Lyle cut himself off as Wren scoffed in disbelief at what he almost said. She reopened the file and looked over Molly's multiple injuries from his attacks. "Okay, look, I did some things that I'm not proud of, but-"

"That's enough," his lawyer interrupted.

"But I could never do this," Lyle finished.

"Did Molly dump you after you beat her up last time?" Wren asked.

"He was arrested but never formally charged with assault," the lawyer informed her.

"That's not what I asked, but if you're not understanding the question, let me rephrase. After you broke Molly's jaw, did she still want to date you?" the brunette questioned, overall annoyed by both of the people in the room with her.

"Look, we always managed to work things out," Lyle replied and Wren internally rolled her eyes. "But not this time. She was lying. She was seeing somebody else."

"Do you know who?"

"No, but it was obvious," he told her. "Molly, she changed. She changed the way that she dressed, and she was going out to clubs."

"Let me ask you a question, Lyle. When you two were together, did you make it a point to tell her what to wear and where she could go?" Wren inquired of him. He nodded. Her first response was to tell him that isn't how you treat a woman. She wanted to tell him that with how he treated Molly, he was lucky to never be charged with assault. And if he cared about Molly, he wouldn't have let his emotions turn physical against her. But instead, she refocused. Wren knew that Lyle wasn't likely to be the unsub, but he was still part of the equation. "The person who took Molly is into controlling her, too. But it's different than the way you controlled her."

"How?" He asked.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Donaldson, I'll come back if I have any more questions," the woman didn't answer his question. She stood up and looked at the lawyer. "I'll let you know if we decide to charge him."

As she exited the interrogation room, she noticed Rossi speaking with Molly's father in one of the break rooms. Wren made her way over to the observation area where she met with the police chief, Hotch, and Seaver. The group spoke about Donaldson for a bit before heading over to one of the larger tables. Wren stayed behind for a moment to look at Lyle through the window, all too familiar with men like him.

"You okay?" Ashley's voice caught Wren's attention and she looked at the blonde who had a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Oh, yeah. Just one of those days where I really hate men," she replied, getting a small smirk out of Ashley. "C'mon, kid."

"When are you going to stop calling me that?"

"When you turn thirty."

Another hour passed before Wren received a call from Spencer telling her that they were possibly looking for a female unsub. With the new information, the brunette went back to talk to Lyle. He didn't know anything about any new women in Molly's life and before long, he and the lawyer walked out of the police department. Emily, Spencer, and Derek all returned to the precinct over time and the group went over a few possible theories.

The team retreated to the hotel for the night with the three women heading back to Molly's apartment early the next morning. But for now, Wren needed to release some steam, and the best way for her to do that was to punch something. She just hoped the hotel had a punching bag. If it didn't, she would have to resort to running and she would wear herself out a lot faster doing that.

Music was blasting in Wren's earbuds as she hit the bag over and over again with closed fists. For every punch, she was thinking of a new face. Often it was Ian Doyle's, but occasionally it would be others from her past or even an unsub who irked her the wrong way.

The brunette was frustrated beyond belief. She had way too much on her mind and compartmentalizing didn't seem to be doing the trick for her anymore. A case with an abusive ex possibly kidnapping and torturing a woman was way too close to what Wren's sister could be dealing with at any moment. And every time she looked at Lyle during the interrogation, she could help but see Christopher when he was first arrested.

Each punch was harder than the last. She wasn't intentionally hurting herself or pushing herself further than she should have, but Wren needed to let it out and she sure as hell wasn't going to talk about it with anyone. Besides, who the hell would she talk to? There was nothing anyone could do about Raven's current situation, and she and Emily decided there was no reason to tell the team about Ian Doyle yet. Everything felt as though it was falling apart around her and she had nothing to hold onto to keep her stead aside from hitting the shit out of a punching bag.

She probably shouldn't have had the music so loud because Wren wasn't aware that one of her teammates was trying to get her attention from the other side of the fitness center. If she hadn't had the restraint that she did, she certainly would've punched Rossi in the stomach for touching her shoulder.

Wren's reflex told her to hit him, but whipping around and seeing the man behind her already raising his hands defensively caused her to relax. She pulled out one of her earbuds as she looked at his amused expression.

"Someone's on edge," he stated and she chuckled lightly, turning the music off on her phone.

"What are you still doing up?" She asked him, looking to see him in sweatpants and a long-sleeved pajama shirt. She'd never seen him so casual before and it was certainly a sight to see.

"Couldn't sleep," Rossi told her. "Walking around always helps to clear my head and tire me out and I can only pace back and forth in a hotel room for so long."

Wren nodded as she started to unwrap her hands. "Do you need to talk?" The man asked her as he leaned against a wall.

"Not much to talk about," Wren lied, unwrapping her knuckles to see that fresh cuts had opened up and early signs of bruising were forming.

"Hotch told me that your sister was dealing with some problems with an ex," he said and she glared up at him playfully.

"You two talk too much," she replied, getting him to laugh lightly.

"He's just worried about you," Rossi admitted as he looked at her now red knuckles. "To be honest, I am, too. You've been acting a bit different these last few weeks."

"How so?" Wren asked him, genuinely curious about what was different in her behavior.

"You haven't been as talkative with the group," he stated. Wren understood that one. She usually had something to say, whether it was important to the conversation or just a random thought she had, Wren was usually a bit more chatty. "You've also been more closed off to all of us, even the ones you spend the most time with."

"Name one time I've been open with you guys about my life," the brunette requested, knowing that she didn't tell them anything unless it was important to a case.

"You don't have to talk about your life to be open with us," Rossi pointed out and she knitted her eyebrows together. "You haven't involved yourself in conversations outside of things pertaining to a case. Usually, you'll talk about what TV shows or movies you've been watching or what you do with your free time. That's how you open up to us. You like to mention the little things about your life and you haven't been in the past few weeks."

Wren nodded as she thought about what he said. He was right, of course. She didn't talk to them about anything outside of cases but she really didn't have much to say that wouldn't cause them to worry.

The pair walked out of the fitness center together in silence before Wren spoke again. Coming up with the right thing to say felt almost impossible at the moment. She fiddled with the wrap she previously had on her hands as she pondered her choice of words.

"The thing with my sister is bothering me, yeah," she agreed, bringing the conversation back to that topic since it was the one issue in her life that she could talk about. "I mean, her ex is a real piece of shit, and if he does anything to her, I'm never going to forgive myself."

"Is he Oakley's dad?"

The brunette nodded once again. "He doesn't have any custody rights but according to Raven, he doesn't care what the court says."

"I thought he lived in Wisconsin," Rossi replied.

"You and me both," Wren admitted as they approached the elevators.

"Are you sure that's all that's been bothering you?" he asked and Wren sighed.

"I can't really talk about the rest of it," she stated and Rossi nodded, though he didn't understand. "Thank you, though, for checking on me. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, kiddo."

✦✧✦

The next morning, Wren, Ashley, and Emily went over to get a second look at Molly's apartment. Immediately, they noticed the overwhelming amount of daily affirmations littered around her bedroom. It was clear as day that Molly was suffering from some sort of depression and attempting to cope with it. A box hidden under her bed told the agents that she was suffering from anorexia and bulimia, but seemed to be recently on the road to recovery. After coordinating with Rossi, who was currently speaking with Gail Langston's family, the team learned that Gail also followed a similar pattern as Molly before she was killed.

Once Prentiss, Spader, and Rossi were done talking with Reid about how the unsub would fit into Molly and Gail's healing processes, the team was ready to give the profile. They gathered the police officers and began.

"We're looking for a white woman in her mid-twenties," Hotch began after Wren explained the purpose of the profile to the officers. "Most likely blue-collar and local to the Syracuse area."

"She probably has a job that puts her in the role of caretaker," Morgan continued. "Such as a masseuse, a nail or hairstylist, personal trainer."

"Women feel comfortable opening up to her about their personal lives, revealing details about their insecurities that she later uses to manipulate them," Reid added.

"Do you think she tried to pass herself off as a therapist or a counselor of some sort?" the detective asked the profilers.

"It's unlikely," Wren spoke. "Her narcissistic personality would make it difficult for her to listen to anything that didn't remotely revolve around her for longer than a few minutes. She's the kind of person who believes they are right all of the time, even if they have no former knowledge of the subject."

"We don't think she's capable of getting a degree of any kind," Morgan stated.

"Wouldn't she need some kind of certification for the jobs you're talking about?" the detective continued to question and Wren smiled a bit. She was glad he was curious about different aspects of the profile, it helped the whole department learn more about the unsub.

"She would, but she's a master manipulator," Morgan agreed. "She probably talked her way into many jobs before they realized her credentials were fake."

"So check gyms and spas, salons, yoga studios for employees fired in the last two years," Hotch instructed the officers. 

"We need to find out who this woman is as fast as possible if we want to have a chance at finding Molly Grandin alive," Wren added.

After a few more questions from some of the officers, the department dispersed, getting their canvassing assignments from the detective. Rossi was off talking to Molly's father again and returned with the information that a year ago, Molly was treated for an eating disorder at the same hospital where Gail was treated for depression. The team was able to convince both families to release the women's medical records and before long, part of the team was on the phone with Garcia, trying to find the overlap aside from the hospital itself.

Emily's phone started to ring while she and a few of the others were on the phone with the technical analyst. She left the room, leaving Wren, Spencer, and Ashley at the desk they were using, the former of the three a bit curious about who was on the other end of the phone call. Wren knew she still needed to get back to Raven about her current situation and then call Daria, but she didn't have the time to do so and stepping away from the case for longer than a few minutes wasn't going to be an option.

Before long, Emily returned and her face was paler than before. Wren knew something was wrong but the look on her friend's face told her that she couldn't talk about it now.

Penelope called back with video footage of a woman stalking both Gail and Molly, using the ruse of having identical accessories to strike up conversations with her victims. The technical analyst sent them an enhanced photo of the woman and the agents went to inform the rest of the team of the new information.

Wren's phone buzzed as she walked and as Emily passed her, she saw the raven-haired woman placing her phone in her pocket. The brunette stopped walking with the group for a moment and pulled her phone out of her cardigan pocket. She had gotten a text from the teammate who had just walked away and the words that appeared on her screen made Wren want to throw up.

from Emily Prentiss:
Jeremy is dead. Tsia just called me. Think it was ID and friends

The news of an old friend and coworker getting killed left Wren shaken. She knew she didn't have enough time to process the information, but all she wanted to do now was drop this case and get back to D.C. 

But she couldn't. If Emily could keep up appearances to the best of her ability, so could Wren. After a deep breath and the memory of the last time she saw Jeremy, Wren shook the thoughts away and rushed to rejoin the rest of the group.

✧✦✧

The team was lucky to find Molly before the unsub killed her. She was trying to drown the girl in the lake when they apprehended her. Wren felt sick when she heard the unsub plea that she was only trying to help Molly. 

The FBI agents flew back to DC that night, Wren and Emily keeping their distance even though they knew they had a lot to talk about. The brunette sat next to Spencer as he did some of the crossword puzzles in one of the puzzle books she had gotten him for his birthday a few months back. It was peaceful for the few moments she was focused on helping him figure out some of the answers. Her problems didn't feel as earth-shattering as she tried to solve a puzzle with an actual genius.

When they arrived back at the BAU, Hotch gave Wren permission to call her sister before she helped finish the case files. She separated herself from the team and sat at her desk while the others gathered in the roundtable room.

Dialing her sister's phone number, Wren was pleasantly surprised at the sound of her niece's voice answering the phone.

"Hello?" the five-year-old answered the phone, definitely attempting to mimic her mother anytime she was on the phone.

"Hey, little lady," Wren greeted her niece, hearing her giggle as she recognized the woman's voice.

"Auntie Wren!" Oakley exclaimed. "I've missed you!"

"Oh, I've missed you too, Oak," the agent told her. "I'll be around to see you soon, I promise. Hey, is your mommy busy?"

"She's making dinner," she told her before pulling the phone away from her face to shout for her mom. Wren could hear the girl shuffling the phone in her small hands and the echoes of her shouts. "Mommy! Auntie Wren is on the phone!"

The brunette heard Raven call back before footsteps approached Oakley. "What are you doing answering Mommy's phone, huh? Silly girl, you were supposed to be watching Frozen."

"But phone call!" Oakley protested as the phone was taken away from her.

"I know, the phone is so exciting," Raven agreed, placing the phone to her ear. "Hey, Wren. How's the case going?"

"Uh, we just wrapped up. Are you able to talk?"

"Yeah, I just put a pizza in. Are you in town? You could come over," Raven offered.

"No, I can't," Wren sighed. "Look, I don't know how to say this, but I, uh, I need you and Oakley to get out of town for a while."

"What do you mean?" her sister asked and Wren ran a hand through her hair. "Is everything okay?"

"To be honest, no," the agent said. "I can't really go into detail but there's a chance that you and Oak are in danger and I think the best bet would be for you to leave town until the coast is clear."

"Are you sure? What makes you think we're in danger?"

"It's a gut feeling right now but I would rather be overcautious instead of feeling guilty for not getting you out of harm's way," Wren admitted.

"You're scared," Raven stated. She couldn't see the look on her sister's face but Wren wasn't one to admit that things were wrong or get overprotective unless she felt it was necessary.

"Yeah, I am," she agreed as she rested an elbow on her desk and placed her head in her hand. "And besides, with Christopher showing up out of the blue, it's better for you to get out of town anyway."

"Where will we go?"

"I know it's not your first choice and believe me, it's not mine either, but maybe you could go to Mom and Dad's?" Wren offered. "I'll pay for plane tickets and everything."

"When do you want us out of town by?" Raven asked more questions. She learned a while back that when Wren was scared, she always had a reason to be and if Wren had a gut feeling that something was wrong, she was always right. There was no reason for Raven to doubt that Wren just wanted to protect her and her daughter.

"As soon as possible," the agent admitted, noticing Emily leave the BAU room and approach her own desk. "I still need to call Daria, but let me know what your plans are and I'll send you whatever you need."

Raven sighed. "What about you? Will you be safe?"

"The safest place I can be right now is with my team, I think," Wren told her sister as Emily looked over at her with furrowed brows. "You don't need to worry about me."

"I always worry about you," the woman on the other end of the call stated. "My sister is an FBI agent who has had multiple brushes with death, I have a right to be worried about you."

The brunette chuckled at the remark and nodded. "Then worry from Mom and Dad's place, okay?"

"Okay. I love you. Be safe," Raven said and Wren smiled.

"I love you, too. Text me when you land."

The agent hung up the phone and looked over at her teammate. Emily was curious about the phone call Wren just had. They agreed not to tell anyone about the situation.

"I didn't tell her anything," Wren informed her, knowing what Emily was thinking. "I'm just getting her, Oakley, and Daria out of town. I was already planning on getting them out of here before today but after Jeremy, I have to make sure they're safe."

Emily nodded. She knew how much those three meant to Wren and if anything were to happen to them, the brunette would never forgive herself. 

"Tsia's coming to the states," Emily stated. "Which probably means Doyle isn't too far behind."

"I hate this," Wren admitted. "I hate not knowing where he is or what's going to happen next."

"That makes two of us," the raven-haired woman agreed before she made a few steps towards the BAU room again. "Call Daria and then join us. The others are getting concerned."

After nodding, Wren looked back at her phone and went to pull up Daria's contact information. But before she could make the call, she received a text notification and heard Emily's phone make a similar sound, indicating that she also got one. Reading the text caused a chill to run down Wren's spine and she looked up to meet eyes with Emily, who clearly had gotten a similar or identical message.

from Unknown Sender:
See you soon.