your friendly neighborhood author just applied for another job on top of my already 2 active ones...i guess y'all can say i am a busy bee☺️

i should be writing my application essay, but instead we are doing some for later chapters...🤭

not proofread because i've been ✨busy✨

happy readings and stay safe besties! -salem🤍

TW: angst, mentions of death, mentions of murder, trauma talks, swearing, fighting
word count: 3781

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"What?"

Y/n could feel her heart drop out of her chest. It was like Emily went ahead and stomped on it, ensuring it never would beat again.

"What is the possibility of that even happening?" Tara asked and furrowed her eyebrows. The rest of the team all shrugged their shoulders. "How did the labs miss that?"

"Since that creep guy was trying to pass of another cadaver as Y/n, he got in trouble, and the entire lab went under investigation by police. They must have just rushed through the process of getting Dallas's cadaver out because of their new situation," JJ said and shook her head. "Also, it wasn't Emily who signed off on the report. Ryan did before he got fired."

"But they should have notified Emily if the fingerprints didn't match," Luke said and placed his hands on his hips. "Why didn't they reach out?"

"But this is a good thing that we found it, right?" Penelope asked and nervously played with her fingertips. "The police can have Dallas's picture posted around the city and—"

"Aggravate her further into making a move. This is a high risk and unpredictable situation," Tara said and looked around at all the agents in the room. They all gave some nonverbal agreement with Tara. "The only thing this is good for is that we know. Dallas can't do a surprise attack if we already know about her being alive."

"Wait," Y/n said and held a hand out. "Dallas is the one that's still alive? Not the twin?"

The entire room went quiet as Y/n felt her world crashing down. Their silence was an answer—a loud, crystal clear, gut wrenching answer.

"Y/n—"

"You said she had a twin," Y/n said and turned her attention to Emily. The older woman rolled her shoulders back and sighed deeply. "You—You never said that Dallas—I thought this was a vengeful act on the twin's part. She's—She's alive? Dallas is alive? The twin is the one that died?"

Y/n could feel herself start to panic. She could feel the room closing in on her as her breathing quickened. Emily knelt down in front of her and placed a hand on her girlfriend's face. Y/n could see her lips moving, but the sound wasn't registering. A high pitch ringing was blocking out Emily's attempt to get her to calm down. Emily guided Y/n onto the floor and to put her head between her knees.

Y/n didn't realize she was crying until she felt her shoulders shake involuntary. Emily managed to calm Y/n down and get her to rest her head against her chest. Emily held her head still as she practiced breathing exercises with her.

"Agent Prentiss?" a voice said from the door. The entire team looked over at Anderson. He cleared his throat and turned towards the team. "The owner of the club is here."

"Where is she?" Candy said from behind Anderson. She pushed her way into the door when her heart dropped. She hated seeing Y/n like this. "Y/n."

"Get out," Emily said and held onto Y/n tighter. Candy raised her eyebrows and looked around the room for someone to correct Emily. "Anderson, get her out of here. I don't understand why you thought it was a wise decision to let her up here."

"She was on the list of cleared people—"

"Now wait a fucking minute," Candy said and pulled her arm back from Anderson's moving hand. "I am here to support Y/n. Shirley told me that Tara called to tell her that Y/n wouldn't be returning to the club anytime soon. I came to see what needed to be done—"

"You've done enough," Emily said and clenched her jaw. "Dallas has a twin. We are pretty sure that the twin was the one killed in the accident. And you, with your obsession with owning the club and having Y/n be at the center of it, might have endangered her further."

Candy could feel her soul being stabbed by Emily's harsh tone and fierce stare. The raven-haired woman carefully stood up and walked over to Candy. The team all shifted on their feet, ready to jump in to either defend Emily or pull her off of Candy.

"Of course you find some way to blame all of this on me and the idea of a new, healthy club," Candy said and chuckled bitterly. She pointed her finger at Emily and looked around the room to see if anyone would agree. They didn't. "You know, I was there for Y/n through everything—every moment of joy, every night she needed someone to lean on, and every time she cried over your pathetic ass. You don't know a single thing about our club because you are too busy trying to burn it down. You don't know the positive impact it's had on Y/n. You especially don't know a single fucking thing about me. So, I suggest you start looking for someone else to blame for this mistake."

"You're the reason why she's in this mess to begin with," Emily said through her teeth, her eyes locked onto Candy. "You say I don't know anything about you, but I know exactly who you are. You take advantage when it benefits yourself. That's exactly what you did here. You tried to play the supportive best friend, but I know that you only had selfish reasons for her to go to that club. You enticed her with hopes and promises that are just nothing but lies from you."

"We didn't know Dallas had a twin. If you want to blame anyone for putting Y/n at risk, look at yourself in the mirror," Candy said sternly as she made her way up to Emily. "Your team did a shitty job because you are a shitty leader who didn't double, triple, quadruple check anything! You are too busy acting superior to everyone that you've failed as a leader several times. You say I don't give a shit about her, but how did you treat her in the beginning again? You walked all over her. You used her like a toy until you didn't want anything to do with her. You belittled her to the point where she was questioning her own self-worth. You broke her. You are just a sad federal version of Dallas."

"Candy, that's enough," Y/n said sternly, finally finding her voice. The young woman leaned her head back against the chair behind her. "Both of you, back away now."

Neither woman did look away from the other.

The tension was thick between the two of them. It was quiet enough that everyone could hear Emily's enraged breathing.

She was beyond livid.

"Get. Out," Emily said through her teeth. Her eyes were dark with hatred as she stared down Candy. Truthfully, it scared Y/n to see Emily that angry. It scared Candy just the same as she swallowed harshly and took a step back. Once Candy left, the rest of the team all looked around at each other. All of them had never seen Emily this angry before. "Everyone else get out. I need a moment alone with Y/n."

The team all immediately nodded their heads and left without another word. Y/n sighed as she got up from the floor and gulped as Emily remained frozen in her stance. That was until Emily placed her hands on her hips.

"You and I are staying here until further notice--"

"What?" Y/n asked and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Please don't try to fight me on this," Emily said calmly and turned around to face Y/n. "I am trying to come up with a plan, but this is the first time someone has had a surprise twin that I don't know about. I'm doing the best I can—"

"I understand that—"

"But?" Emily asked and crossed her arms. Y/n's face scrunched up in confusion. "You understand this situation but what? Tell me."

Y/n chuckled as she looked around the entire room. It felt like she was in some sort of movie or false reality. This wasn't her life anymore. All of this craziness died the day Dallas did. "But this is insane, Emily! She's—She's not alive! I saw her when she died. I confirmed that it was her with the police! This is fucking crazy! I can't—I can't believe that this is possible—"

"Oh my God," Emily said as took a step back. "You're putting up a fight because you don't want to leave the club. That's why you're hesitating."

Emily scoffed as Y/n didn't say anything. Emily wanted to yell, scream, and throw something at the wall to let out all her frustrations. Instead, she settled for pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing heavily.

"Darling, there will be other opportunities—"

"You don't get it—"

"Then explain it to me!" Emily said sternly. She crossed her arms as she looked at Y/n in disbelief. "Explain how running a burlesque club is more important than your life, Y/n! When you give me a sound answer, I will be right here ready to listen to it."

"I can't leave them, Emily! We don't know how long this thing with Dallas will last. Candy is right. That club won't make it without me. It barely made six months before Candy reached out," Y/n said and placed her hands on her hips. She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Those people—my girls have families to feed and bills to pay. I will not turn my back on them entirely. I can't just quit the club when so many people depend on me."

"And what about me? What about us?" Emily said as tears formed in her eyes. Her voice trembled, but she managed to shove all her feelings down. "There's a sick psychopath out there who could kill you! Did you ever think about that? Call me selfish, but I don't want to lose you. But of course, you don't take inconsideration how exhausted, traumatized, and horrified I am at the possibility of losing you every time you walk out that door."

"Don't you dare make me out to be the bad guy. You said you were supporting this!" Y/n said, raising her voice slightly. Emily scoffed as she unfolded her arms and took a few steps away. "You could have told me in full transparency that you hated me going back and didn't want me to go through with it, but you didn't. You told me you would support any decision I made—"

"Because you didn't give me a choice!" Emily shouted and balled her hands into fists. Y/n took a step back as Emily's yelling startled her. "We are a team, Y/n! We're equals in this relationship! You went ahead and made your decision without thinking about my fucking feelings! I supported you doing one night, one single fucking night, not going back like nothing happened! You didn't listen to my hesitation, instead you guilted me into it for your healing journey. I felt trapped like I couldn't say no to you. Having you spend all your time at that fucking club was the last thing I wanted."

Y/n felt her throat tighten as she looked at Emily. She was tense, frustrated, and enraged as she looked at Y/n. The younger woman had tears grow in her eyes as she moved her gaze to the floor. Emily's heart dropped as she saw Y/n's hand go up and wipe a tear away. The raven-haired woman unclenched her hand and carefully made her way over to Y/n.

"I'm sorry," Emily said softly.

"Don't," Y/n said and turned her head, not wanting to look at Emily. She carefully made her way to the sofa on the other side of the room. Emily sighed as she walked over towards her.

"Darling," Emily whispered as she sank to her knees in front of Y/n. She placed her hands on either of her legs. Y/n pursed her lips as she looked down at Emily. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm—Y/n, I'm sorry."

Emily pressed her head against Y/n's knee as she held onto her. The young woman was about to move away when she heard soft cries coming from Emily. Y/n ran her hand through Emily's hair, urging her to look up at her. When she did, Y/n's heart broke. Emily's cheeks were red with tears coating them. Y/n could see the remorse in her eyes.

"Y/n, I'm sorry," Emily said softly and reached for Y/n's free hand. "But darling, I don't want the day you don't come home to ever happen. Not anytime soon."

It seemed like such a simple answer. Yet, Y/n couldn't bare to think leaving behind everyone. She had grown close relationships with each girl at the club. All of them have thanked Y/n for coming back to help them. Y/n had even met a few of their kids. She couldn't imagine leaving them just as things were starting to get settled again.

"Please, Y/n, I am begging you," Emily said and pressed Y/n's hand into her cheek. She turned her head and placed a gentle kiss onto the palm of her hand. "You need to leave the club."

"I can't," Y/n whispered as she shut her eyes.

"Y/n—"

"Emily, don't you think I want to? I want to be able to blindly just say yes and hide away with you, but it's bigger than just me and you now," Y/n said and opened her eyes. She turned her hand around and squeezed Emily's firmly. "There are families tied to that club. I just can't stand the idea of leaving people helpless when I can do something."

"Y/n, listen to me. It's dangerous to have you out there. Dallas is crazy—"

"Don't you think I know that—"

"She could kill you!" Emily said cried out. Y/n immediately stopped talking as she heard the desperation in Emily's voice. The raven-haired woman looked so helpless as she stared up at Y/n. "She could kill you."

Y/n's eyes started to water as she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Emily's.

"There was an agent here before you came in named Aaron Hotchner. His wife, Haley, was the target of unsub named George Foyet that had it out for Aaron. She was tricked by him, killed in her own home, and he would have killed her son if Aaron didn't get there and kill George without thinking," Emily said and shut her eyes tightly. "Another agent you haven't met, Derek Morgan, had to carry his pregnant wife into the emergency room as she bled out. His unsub, Chazz Montolo, decided it was up to him to carry out an act of revenge against Derek."

Emily stood up and sat on the couch with Y/n. The young woman's hands never left Emily's face. "JJ's husband, Will, was shot in the chest and nearly blown up in the train center by two psychopaths named Izzy Rogers and Matthew Downs. Rossi's girlfriend, and our Section Chief at the time, Erin Strauss, was targeted by a unsub just to get back at us. She was killed in cold blood and left to die on a New York City bench. Luke lost his best friend as an act of revenge from his unsub. And I could continue to give you a list of all the other loved ones that were in the line of fire at my job, but that would need a day. My point is that you are not safe out there, Y/n. I know you want to believe that you are but you're not. I want to take every possible precaution to make sure that you are safe—"

"Are you going to leave the BAU?" Y/n asked and pulled back to look at her girlfriend. Emily was stunned by the question. "There will be another Dallas if we both continue doing our risky line of work. There is always the possibility of someone coming after us. I want to do good while I still can, Emily. I need to help my own team the same way that you need to help other people."

Emily shut her eyes tightly. She tried so hard to suppress her anger, but Y/n could see it. It was written all over her face.

"You don't care. I don't know I bother," Emily said and stood up. She left the room without another word. Y/n was about to chase after her, but she didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

The team watched as Emily left the room and stormed into her office. The loud heel clicks grabbed everyone's attention. She slammed the door so hard that they could hear the frame on the other side of the wall fall and break. Seconds later, Emily's blinds were shut and the door was locked. Nobody was going to talk to her while she was like this.

The group of six agents looked back and forth at each other. JJ sent Luke and Spencer to go check on any updates with the police department. JJ took Rossi to go talk to Emily in half an hour, while Penelope and Tara were teamed up to talk to Y/n right now.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"I really don't feel like getting a lecture right now," Y/n said and curled further into a ball on the couch. Tara and Penelope both entered and shut the door behind them. Y/n's eyes shut as she heard them wheel chairs over towards the couch. "Agent Lew—"

"No, it's Tara. If you're going to risk your life, there's no need for formalities," Tara said and leaned forward, placing her elbows against her knees. Y/n sighed deeply before opening her eyes. "I'm talking to you as a mentor, a guide, and as a friend. I can't understand how someone so smart can be making such a dumb mistake. I think what you're doing is stupid, reckless, and just plain idiotic on your behalf—"

"Tara—"

"No, you do not get to so easily disregard your life or hers," Tara said and pointed towards the door, referring to Emily. "You weren't here to see how frantic and desperate she was to make sure you were alive. I watched her nearly slam a full-grown man into a cadaver because she wanted you alive. I watched as she tore through every single inch of that club to find some clue that you were alive. I watched her lose her mind in those hours we spent looking for you. I watched as she ran into that building without a second thought because she wanted to get to you. And I watched her get wheeled away on a stretcher with her last mission being that you were safe from Dallas. She nearly died for you, and you don't get that."

"Emily is the best thing that ever happened to us. I'm sure you feel the same, so why do you want to gamble your possibility of living a perfect life with rainbows and—and sunshine and gay rights for something so small as a club?" Penelope asked with tears in her eyes. "She loves you, Y/n. And we have never seen her this happy, this devoted, this mesmerized by someone before. I don't want to think about what the world would be if the two of you weren't in it together. But as a team, we love you, but we cannot keep silent about this if Emily is in danger. She's our priority and she should be yours too."

"And I know Shirley. There is a way for you to still contribute, but keeping a distance," Tara said and leaned back in her chair. "If you want to risk dying, fine, go right ahead and turn yourself into bait for Dallas. But you and I both know that she won't be happy until Emily is dead. She might not kill you, but she will kill Emily."

Penelope couldn't hold back her tears anymore as she let them fall freely down her face. She hated the idea of any of her family members dying, especially Emily. Y/n was also crying as she looked between the two women.

"I am an idiot," Y/n whispered before running her hands up her face. She placed either hand on her cheeks and blinked rapidly. It was like reality was crystalizing right in front of her. "I wanted to do so much good for the club after Dallas created so much bad. I—It felt like I couldn't rest until all of her was erased from that club, but that's never going to happen."

Y/n straightened out her legs in front of her as anger overtook her body. She was angry at herself for being so blinded by her own personal mission that she failed to see Emily's point of view. She was angry at the world for allowing Dallas, out of all people, to be theoretically revived for a second round. She was especially angry at Dallas. Her body's anxiety over the entire situation diminished as she thought about