Battlecry | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 14

~January, 1996~

"I had him," I snap. "I had him."

Andrew shakes his head. "He would've killed you."

"I wouldn't let that happen!" I shout back. "We almost—agh!"

I spin away from Andrew, smashing my fist against the wall. He's immediately there, a hand on my shoulder that I shrug off.

"Carli," he says softly, "we had no evidence. We couldn't bring him in. If you had struck, he would've fought back."

"I could've handled it," I tell him.

"No, you couldn't have," says another voice. I turn to find Gideon standing in the doorway. "There were three more men waiting around the corner. They were going to kill you," he says calmly.

I hesitate at the new information. "But... he would have given us Murphy's location. It was worth the risk."

"No, it wasn't," Gideon says. "Now, D'angelo, please come with me."

He turns away without waiting for an answer. I glance at Andrew, who shrugs. Sighing, I follow Gideon out the door and down the hall to the BAU. I skirt around the desks and agents, keeping my head down until I get to his office. He's already seated, hands folded before him.

I drop into the chair across from him. "What do you need?"

Gideon sighs. "D'angelo, there's something I need to address with you."

"I'm listening."

"You're suspended."

My mouth parts in shock. "What?"

"You need to accept how things work around here. You're not an agent, but a consultant. Which means you follow orders, and you follow them exactly."

My eyes narrow. "Is this because of earlier? Because I was just trying—"

"I know what you were doing," Gideon interrupts. "And I understand that you are willing to go to great lengths to take down Murphy."

"So why—"

"Because after Murphy, there will be another," Gideon says. "You will do great things here, Carli. But you won't always be freelancing. You will have to follow orders, whether or not they suit you."

"So you're suspending me, but only because I'm going to be a great agent someday?"

"Yes."

"That makes sense," I mutter.

"Two weeks off. Focus on school, take some time to yourself."

I sigh. "Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed." I stand, heading for the door. "And Carli," Gideon calls, "don't do anything stupid on your own."

Despite myself, I flash a smile. "Promise."

────

Stupid is a loose term. For example, there's 'hunting down a serial killer on your own' stupid, and then there's 'go to a college party and get drunk and fuck around' stupid.

I believe Gideon was referring to the former. So the latter is fair game.

The dress I'm wearing is tight, black, and sparkly. It hugs my curves, dips low over my chest, straps the width of a fingertip. The alcohol is shitty—some cheap beer bought at a general store. But it's alcohol. And it's getting the job done.

I've been unofficially suspended from my unofficial internship with the alleged FBI for three days. I'm already losing my mind. Chelsea and some mutual friends invited me to this party, hosted by the daughter of some politician. Liv, I think. Her parents are out of town for work or something. Either way, the house is now flooded with drunk and horny college students. The perfect place to drown my sorrows.