Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned.
William Congreve
"Hey, Garcia has something."
Phoebe looked up from her phone to see Reid making his way towards her. She flashed him a smile, even though the last thing she felt at the moment was happy. She still had to suck it up because they had a case to finish. "Great. I hope it's something good," she said out loud, heading for the conference room.
She stopped when Reid didn't move. He was looking towards the Sheriff's Office, where Hotch was still pacing. "Am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on?" he asked all of a sudden. He turned to Phoebe, and she could see hurt in his hazel eyes.
"What do you mean?" she asked in return, genuinely confused. Am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on? Did that mean-
"Well, the rest of the team looked like they knew what you guys were talking about, but they wouldn't tell me what it was," he murmured, casting his gaze to the ground. Phoebe didn't need to see his expression to know the hurt he had been feeling had doubled. Because it was one thing for her- a complete stranger- to keep something from him. But it was another for his family to withhold information.
Phoebe opened her mouth to reply, even though she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say, but Hotch was suddenly there. "We're needed in the conference room," he announced as he brushed past them, not even glancing at Phoebe. It was like she was invisible, and she had a feeling she would stay that way until he got her off the team or she admitted the circumstances of her transfer.
Reid didn't say another word. He just marched after Hotch, and Phoebe was left to sigh before going after them. She felt even more exhausted than when she woke up.
"So I wasn't able to find any males who fit the description you guys gave, but there was a woman engaged to marry a Joshua Sullivan five years ago. The wedding didn't push through, and Julia Marshal, 27, was heartbroken. It says here she was even admitted to a psychiatric facility for self-harm due to severe depression, but before that, she had been working as a teacher's assistant. Five weeks ago, Joshua Sullivan got married to his fiancée, Ashley Walters. Hell really hath no fury like a woman scorned."
Garcia was already explaining her findings to the team when Phoebe pushed the door open, and she lingered in the background. If what Reid said was true, then almost everyone had known of Hotch's suspicion and the background check on her. And that meant they also probably didn't trust her. The best thing she could do was stay quiet, and let them do their thing.
"Well, there's the significance of the number five," Morgan said, his dark eyes landing on Phoebe. "Great work, baby girl."
"You are welcome, my darling. I have sent her information to your phones," Garcia bid before ending the call.
"But why kill the women and not the men?" JJ wondered out loud. "I mean, if she was engaged to this Joshua person, wouldn't the victims be surrogates for him?"
"Maybe she loves him too much that she channeled all her hate towards the woman who she perceives stole him away," Reid suggested.
Rossi nodded, "And because she couldn't get to Ashley without hurting Joshua, she found surrogates for her."
"Garcia sent her home and work address. There's a chance we can get to her before the party tonight. JJ, you and Reid take her house. Morgan, you and Rossi take her work address," Hotch said.
Great. I'm on time out, Phoebe thought. With a disgruntled expression that she didn't bother to hide, she moved towards the end of the table while the rest of the team moved to follow their orders. Reid's eyes lingered on her as they exited the room, but he didn't say another word.
Hotch sat at the other end of the table, also not saying a word. They stayed there, waiting for news from the team on whether or not Julia Marshal was found. Phoebe pulled out her phone, checking to see if there were any new messages.
But she was only met with her phone's wallpaper.
She sighed and pulled the case files closer to her. Of course they couldn't find the unsub. They had profiled him to be male, but who else would be so detail-oriented about the deaths? She should've seen it sooner.
The phone rang, startling her out of her silent musing. She turned to see Hotch putting the call on speaker. "Julia Marshal has called in sick for the past two days. Looks like she might've been preparing for tonight," Morgan said. "We got nothing at her work address."
"Or she could be devolving, and she's having a hard time sticking to her routines," Rossi added, having the same train of thought as Phoebe.
"Alright. We're still waiting to hear from JJ and Reid. Standby in case they need backup," Hotch replied.
"You got it, Hotch," Morgan answered before ending the call.
Phoebe found herself worrying for JJ and Reid. She knew they were probably more than capable agents, but she knew all too well just how easily a mission could go wrong. She clutched the folder tightly, praying she was wrong. But she knew she wouldn't be able to focus until they heard back from Reid and JJ.
When the phone rang for a second time, Phoebe shot out of her seat and moved closer to Hotch as he answered the call. "Julia Marshal's home is empty. It looks like it has been for awhile," JJ's voice spoke over the phone, and Phoebe sighed in relief.
"She could be staying with friends or family, but I don't think we have the time to check," Reid added. She was glad to hear his voice.
"We'll just have to get her at tonight's rave. You guys should get back here, so we can coordinate for tonight."
"Already on our way," JJ said.
Once the call was over, Phoebe found her voice. At the moment, she didn't care whether or not the team liked her. She was here to do a job, and she would be damned if she didn't do it. "You need every agent for the operation tonight. You can't make me sit this one out," she finally told Hotch.
Hotch stared- or more like glared- up at her from where he was sitting. He could see the determination in her green eyes, and he knew he couldn't ask her to sit this one out. She had, after all, contributed a lot to the case. "Alright. But if you deviate in any way from the plan, you'll be off this team faster than you think."
"I'm sure you would like that," she bit back, no longer scared to speak her mind. If he was being blunt and straightforward with her, there was no reason for her to sugarcoat, either. "But the truth is, sir, I don't think it's up to either of us. One thing you can count on is I would never put any of my team, or any innocent lives, in danger. I made an oath to protect, and that's what I intend to do."
With those words, she turned and walked out of the conference room. She could wait for the arrival of the team somewhere else, but what she couldn't do, was be subjected to another minute of Aaron Hotchner's judgmental stare.
The operation seemed simple enough.
Everyone was dressed to go undercover at the rave, and if anyone spotted Julia, they were to let the others know, so they could take her into custody. But Phoebe knew that was the hard part. It would be nearly impossible to talk Julia out of her mission. And there were hundreds of innocent bystanders at that party. One wrong word, and Julia could end up killing more than one person.
Beside her, Reid was dressed in a different set of clothes. He had changed out of his suit and into something more casual. He still wore a blue, long-sleeved button- down shirt that were rolled up to his sleeves but he had paired it with jeans and his converse sneakers. Phoebe, on the other hand, was in a dress that she found way too short. It was also too body hugging to conceal her weapon, so she had to carry a sling bag that was just the right size to keep it in.
"Hotch was asking me about my transfer," Phoebe finally spoke, breaking the silence between them. She figured he would find out soon enough anyway. "But I told him I couldn't talk about it. Or my previous cases. He didn't like that very much. Anyway, I'll tell you what I told him. It's not up to me. I'm just following orders, too."
For a moment, she thought Reid wouldn't reply. He just kept driving. At least Hotch seemed to have a bit of kindness left towards her for allowing her to go with Reid. He seemed like the only person on the team who was comfortable around her. But she could see that had changed, too.
"You always have a choice," he finally spoke, but it was so low Phoebe almost didn't catch what he said.
Phoebe sighed, but how could she explain that her boss wasn't as nice or caring as Hotch was? She was trained to follow orders, not to questions her superiors. And she was trained to know that disobedience led to less than pleasant consequences. No, she couldn't talk about any of that. "It's nothing bad, I promise," she whispered back, looking out the window. "I just can't talk about it."
That didn't seem to be the right answer because, for once, the young genius remained quiet. They stayed that way until they got to the location. What was supposed to be an abandoned warehouse a few miles out of town was booming with loud music and lighting up the night with different shades of neon.
Phoebe and Reid got out of the vehicle, heading right for the entrance. "I know you may not want to talk to me right now, but we need to put on a show for the unsub. I need to know if you're still okay with that."
"I know what we need to do," came his curt reply.
Phoebe was stung by his attitude. She had expected some anger, but not to this degree. And he doesn't even know the whole story yet. If he did find out the truth, he would surely hate her. "Great," was all she said out loud, plastering a big smile on her face and latching on to Reid's arm. "Let's go have some fun then, sweetie."
The rave was anything but fun.
Especially to Reid.
He didn't understand how people could enjoy being pushed around and stepped on by other people. Not to mention the smell of alcohol and sweat was very strong, and it only got stronger when someone spilled a drink. Still, he tried to keep a small smile on his lips as he and Phoebe lingered at the bar. He didn't want to be angry with her, but knowing she was keeping something was hard to accept. He didn't like it when people kept secrets from him. It reminded him of that time that Emily faked her death.
Reid was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a flash of brunette hair on the dance floor. He glanced in the general direction again, waiting to see if he was right. And there she was. Julia Marshal, in the middle of a group of dancers. Her brown eyes were scanning the bar, most likely looking for her next victim.
"I've got eyes on her," Reid spoke, leaning into Phoebe. She placed her hand on his shoulder, giving the illusion that they were flirting and he was whispering something more intimate to her. "She's right behind Phoebe, on the dance floor."
"I see her too," Morgan said into the earpiece. He was on the second floor, overlooking the middle of the warehouse, and JJ was with him. "She's looking right at you guys."
Just then a man who was clearly drunk broke away from the rest of the dancers and swayed towards them. He came between Reid and Phoebe, ordering something to drink. "Oh, you've got her attention," JJ pointed out, seeing Julia freeze as the stranger stood between Reid and Phoebe. "Try flirting with him, Phoebe."
Phoebe swallowed nervously, and Reid saw the look of hesitation flash across her face. Everything was too familiar to her. The loud music. The drunk people. The men who were eyeing her in her dress. Everything seemed to be exactly the same, except for her. Now she was hyper focused, able to remember every detail. And she didn't want to. Instead, she felt like she was going to hurl even though she hadn't touched a single glass of alcohol all night.
"Hi there," Phoebe said, smirking at the stranger in front of her.
He turned to her, acting surprised. But the smirk on his face told her this was exactly what he was hoping for when he walked between them to order a drink. "Hey there. What are you doing sitting here? Don't you wanna dance?"
"I don't really have a dance partner," Phoebe replied back, standing from her seat. The smirk hadn't left her face, and she used her eyes to flirt, peeking up from underneath her lashes. "I'm Phoebe, by the way."
"I'm Ashton," replied the guy. "Maybe I could be your partner." Another smirk. His confidence told her that he usually got what he wanted from girls, and she wished she could squash his ego.
But instead-
"Keep going, Phoebe," JJ said, watching as Ashton offered his hand to Phoebe.
-she had to keep her promise.
"I believe I would," Phoebe replied, accepting the offer and placing her hand in his.
Reid, who was both impressed and annoyed at watching the scene unfold before him, sprang into action. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked, acting like the jealous boyfriend he was supposed to be.
Phoebe and Ashton both turned to him. Phoebe looking mockingly sorry while Ahston just looked as annoyed as he felt. "We'll be right back, sweetie," Phoebe replied.
Reid didn't say anything to that but glared at Ashton as he continued to lead Phoebe away. "Nice work, kid," Morgan also said. "You look as angry as Julia Marshal does right now."
"We need to move fast," Reid spoke into his comms. "We just made Phoebe her next target."
Phoebe wanted to throw Ashton over her shoulder as soon as his hands were on her waist, but she knew they were on a mission and she had to act like she was enjoying. Thankfully, there wasn't room for much conversation with the loud music, and she only had to endure his proximity for the duration of one song.
"I need to use the restroom," she lied when the song was up.
"Alright. I'll wait for you right here," Ashton replied.
In your dreams, buddy, Phoebe thought, but she just flashed him a smile. Instead of making her way to the bathroom, she started walking towards the entrance of the warehouse. She needed to lure Julia away from the crowd. "Alright, Julia is on the move. Does anyone have eyes on-"
Morgan's voice suddenly cut off as sharp ringing sounded in Phoebe's ears. She pulled out the ear piece before she went deaf. Damn it. She just lost contact with the team. With a deep breath, she continued walking, hoping that Julia Marshal was following her and that the team saw where she was headed.
"What happened? We lost them," Hotch said, turning to the woman at the controls. She was pressing a lot of buttons, but he still couldn't talk to the team.
Hotch was on the surveillance vehicle down the road from the warehouse. They didn't have cameras in the place, so he was relying on updates from the team, but they just lost the feed. "Their equipment must be interfering with our signal sir," the agent replied, looking up at Hotch with worry.
Hotch met Rossi's look. This wasn't good. If they couldn't communicate here, what about the team inside?
"We lost track of her after she separated from Ashton," Morgan said as he joined Reid and JJ on the ground floor.
"But Julia Marshal was definitely on her tail," JJ added, looking at Reid's worried expression.
He was clutching Phoebe's bag in his hand, worry blossoming in his chest. He felt like a blackhole had opened in his stomach, even though he knew that was impossible. "We need to find her," he murmured. "She left her weapon here when she went to dance with Ashton."
Phoebe was thankful for the fresh air that hit her face as soon as she pushed the door open. She walked further outside until the music was a bit softer. Only then did she realize she couldn't see the road. Or their parked car.
I went out the wrong door.
She was at the back of the warehouse instead. And she needed to turn back, but when she swiveled around, Julia Marshal was already there. She stood with a gun pointed at Phoebe, her breathing shallow. Phoebe could see the rage on her face despite their dark surroundings, and right now, she knew she was the target of that rage.
"Do you have fun toying with people's emotions like that?" Julia asked her, walking closer.
Phoebe stood her ground, trying to keep in mind all the training she had. Keep her talking. That was one of the standard ways to approach the situation, so Phoebe kept her voice level as she replied. "I can explain."
"Explain what? How unfaithful you are? How you enjoy breaking other people's hearts," Julia questioned, moving even closer.
Phoebe wouldn't be surprised if she just shot her with how angry she was. She probably wouldn't even bother with the ritual this time. She was too angry. Too hungry for the kill. "No, Julia, you don't understand-"
"How do you know my name?" the woman shouted, the gun shaking in her hand.
Phoebe stopped breathing. Jesus, she could kill me without even trying, she thought.
"That's because she's with us, Julia," that familiar voice spoke up. Phoebe knew it was wrong, but she found herself relaxing when she saw Reid walking out of the warehouse with JJ and Morgan behind him. Their guns and their focus were on Julia, but Reid was unarmed. In fact, he looked like he was placating Julia as he raised his hands in a show of surrender. "We're with the FBI, and we know what you've been through."
"You do," Julia replied, keeping the gun on Phoebe as she walked closer. Phoebe didn't move when Julia grabbed her and pointed the gun to her temple, using Phoebe as a human body shield. "Of course, you do. I saw you two in the club. I saw how she left you for that guy."
Reid met Phoebe's look, and she knew they were thinking the same thing. Julia was delusional. She wouldn't see them as undercover agents. "You know what it feels like to be hurt by someone you love," Julia continued. "To be treated as though your feelings don't matter. Well, now she's going to learn that you do matter."
Julia pushed the gun to Phoebe's temple harder, digging the muzzle into her flesh. Phoebe ground her teeth in frustration, but she didn't see her opening yet.
"You're right," Reid suddenly said in agreement. "I do know what it feels like to be hurt by someone you love. But that's a part of love, isn't it?" he asked. "If you're not ready for the pain, then you're not ready to love."
Phoebe stopped breathing at Reid's words. She didn't expect him to say anything like that, but she knew she had to stay focused. Julia was quiet now. Her grip on Phoebe had loosened. She was enraptured by what Reid was saying. "I know you lost the person you loved to someone else. But please, don't take away the one I love. I don't think you want to inflict the same pain you felt on someone else, do you?"
Quick as a flash, Phoebe moved. She ducked her head, bringing her elbow up and hitting Julia below the chin. Dazed, the woman let go of her, and Phoebe went for the gun, twisting Julia's arm in a practiced maneuver, the unsub dropped the weapon with a cry of pain.
Morgan and JJ rushed to Phoebe's side. JJ recited her Miranda rights as Morgan cuffed her, but Phoebe couldn't focus on that. She was breathing hard, trying to control the surge of adrenaline coursing through her system.
She tried to remind herself that Reid had only been building rapport with Julia. He was telling her what she wanted to hear. He didn't really love her. He didn't care about her. Get yourself together, Phoebe.
Reid stood across from them, still in shock. Phoebe could've been shot. You could've been shot, he wanted to shout at her. Why couldn't she just wait for him to talk Julia down? But he knew a lecture was the last thing she needed at the moment. He stepped towards Phoebe to check if she was okay, maybe apologize for his behavior before the operation. But Morgan had called Hotch and police cruisers and sirens suddenly filled the scene.
Phoebe met Reid's eyes one last time. Then she was turning and walking away.
The case was closed.