Criminal Minds Suspect Behavior drabble series.

Intermission

Summary- Sam Cooper never abides by the expectations of others. That includes choosing the members of his newly authorized Red Cell team. Gina's heard the rumors about her soon to be boss, but she never expected this.

Rated Teen mostly for cursing, a bit of blood that will not be expounded on too severely, and minor violence. Pairings are not really Mick/Gina because this is pre-series but it leans more towards them by the end. No spoilers exactly, but this does tie into my own work so keep that in mind. This particular one-shot will be divided into two or three parts because it's long. It's not written from the standard first person perspective of Gina like I normally use simply because that wouldn't work. I tried. And failed. Several times. It's good practice because not every chapter I write in my main arc can be written from Gina's perspective. Seth McCall is an OC who has a later purpose in the main arc.

I don't own anything involving Criminal Minds Suspect Behavior. The only things I do own are my creations. I am simply burrowing everything else for my own entertainment and practice. No one else beta reads my stuff so any spelling and grammar mistakes are my own. Please don't verbally kill me for a typo.

Now, on to the story. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 Live Up To Your First Impression Part 1

Thursday, August 10, 2009.

First impressions in any relationship are the most crucial. It's the introductions, the subtle hints and nuances within the first few moments, that tell you who the person is and what to expect from them.

Gina LaSalle's first interactions with Sam Cooper, Jon 'Prophet' Simms, and Mick Rawson was not different. Well, it was different in the aspect of other job interviews she had ever been to. Except in all honestly, it wasn't actually a job interview. It was more or less a test that she had no idea she was even taking.

Rumors of the infamous Sam Cooper had spread through the FBI rumor mill for years. Every recruit in the academy knew about him in some way. Granted, distinguishing legend from reality in a rumor was like determining black from gray when you're blind. Still, Gina knew what the world must have thought about him. Aside from the innuendos of being fired for his abundant disregard of proper authority and politics, fled to another country to conduct psychological experiments on willing soldiers, and finally disappearing before resurfacing in the FBI radar after almost four and a half years of silence, she believed Cooper was a good man. The good outweighed the bad and his impressive reputation of understanding the human mind in a manner that can't compare to even the most brilliant minds was inspiring.

When word of his return to the world of profiling started, Gina jumped at the opportunity to work with him. Director Fickler had already authorized a new Red Cell team in which Cooper would lead. It was only a matter of choosing the agents he would work with. Applications were sent to the director who then passed them to Cooper. Most agents wouldn't know if they were accepted until the day of their test. He would contact them with a date and time for a meeting after reviewing their files. So naturally, Gina did everything she could to stand out among her peers.

However, she never imagined that she was already being tested. Nor did she anticipate the relevance of her recent case to her future as a Red Cell agent.

The case itself was given to her team per Fickler's request. High profile cases were often given to Red Cell teams because they required a level of urgency, discretion, and skill most others didn't possess. So when the director placed her and the four others in charge of finding a man responsible for the deaths of four UK soldiers immigrated to the US, she knew it was drastic to her career in some unforeseen way. The others on the team were new and fairly skilled in one way or another. But they lacked, what Gina never voiced aloud for fear of starting an unwanted fight, common sense. As a profiler, every detail mattered in the assessment of the unsub. They had skipped over the seemingly useless data which resulted in their versions of the profile to be skewed. Which was what put Gina above the rest in a matter of days.

All of the victims were found hanging from their wrists on the Kutz Bridge railing over the Tidal Basin. They had been redressed after their deaths in their own uniform, still pressed but slightly small from the years of disuse. Even their weapons had been returned to their holsters. That particular location and methodology had a meaning behind it. As did the reason for why all four men had been gutted like a fish before they were hung. It was brutal and unnecessarily violent. For the first day Gina couldn't understand how or why the unsub chose two separate methods of murder. Using a hunting knife to subdue and kill spoke to a strong man who was able to gain access to the victims without their knowledge. Considering the victims were decorated soldiers, that wasn't an easy accomplishment. So he was smart and capable, knew his way around a weapon and how to conceal himself when needed. The hanging and redressing of the victims was more signature based. It was what set him apart from other monsters.

Ultimately, it was the one thing that led Gina to him.

Two days after being assigned the case, Gina used her profile to narrow the suspect pool. Much to the dismay of her teammates because Fickler had been watching the case closely and realized what she was doing. From a list of sixty suspects, she focused on two who fit the idea of a man in his forties, spent time in the military during his youth, suffered from some form of PTSD and a tragic loss, lived in the DC area, had access to the victims, and had no history of violence. Gina reasoned that he would be naturally careful, OCD even. Meaning he wouldn't have put himself in situations that led to trouble and therefore resulted in a record.

Raymond Lopez was the likely unsub based on how well his personality fit the criteria. Convincing her teammates was another matter entirely.

Seth McCall, an enthusiastic twenty nine year old agent working the same case and trying to conceal his obvious affection for Gina, was the only one who agreed to break protocol. He was encouraging in comparison to the others she had teamed with. Since she graduated from the academy in December of 2008 and found solace as his partner shortly after, he had shown her the ropes of the FBI. In some sense, he was a mentor. But he longed for more and Gina knew it. She pushed for the title of close friends because it was necessary. Because getting involved in a relationship with a partner wasn't only against the rules of the FBI, but her own morals as well.

And when the time came to move on, he didn't accept that excuse as she hoped he would.

Focusing on the case at hand, Gina studied the apartment building before her with a skeptical expression. Mid afternoon sunlight poured over the red brick and white mortar structure, bright enough to reflect upon shaded glass panes and few air-conditioning units mounted to open windows scattered among the side from top to bottom. People were still filing in and out, busying themselves with their daily routine of life with no regard to the agents positioned in the parking lot across the street. A small number of vehicles ranging from motorcycles to compacts littered the pavement, untouched for the time being.

She couldn't explain how or why she felt distrustful of the location. It was the indescribable knot in her stomach, the twitch she couldn't deny that always accompanied someone's eyes on her, that brought doubt to her plans. An intuition, perhaps, or just the rational portion of her subconscious coming to realization, she didn't know. It was irrelevant, really, because they had already taken the final step in the long run to find the unsub. Locating his living space was not difficult when she consulted the records. However, somehow she knew the chances of apprehending him in his third floor apartment were slim.

Seth had already vacated the black sedan from the driver seat, slamming the door behind him in fluid motion as he slid the keys into his pocket. He seemed more happy, more willing to flirt with her openly, and Gina found it rather amusing to play along. Like most other agents Gina worked with, he chose the classic attire stereotyped to most FBI agents. His dark gray suit was pristine, save for the contrasted sky blue button shirt, and pressed against a muscular frame. Black dress shoes, which Gina often complained about because they slowed him during the pursuit of a suspect, scuffed against the summer heated pavement impatiently. His observant and restless expression on clean shaven thin features and hazel eyes silently suggested she move. When she made no indication of obedience, he ran his hand through the flat mass of short brown-orange hair and heaved a sigh from deep inside his chest.

"You've got another one of your intuition feelings again, don't you?" He questioned, tone low over the dull noise of passing cars in the street and bystanders on the stone sidewalk.

She nodded in spite of herself and finally abandoned the passenger seat. The sun bore through her denim jacket and maroon blouse, heating her skin uncomfortably. Thankful for the slight breeze that flicked shoulder length blond hair from her face and caught the steady motion of her circular locket around her neck, she nudged the door with her jeans clad knee until it partially closed. Her grip remained on the warm metal beside the sealed window as she replied almost shyly, "Something doesn't feel right." Voicing her discomfort of someone else watching couldn't be an option. The last thing she wanted was to imply paranoia in her imaginative partner. "He shouldn't just be hiding out in his apartment."

"Maybe he isn't hiding. We'll never know until we check." He offered as his gaze swept over her thin frame.

Gina knew why he was staring but ignored it, choosing to roll her eyes and smirk instead. "You're getting less subtle with the days, Seth. I'm still not taking you on your offer to dinner at your place. You might as well put your eyes back in your head before they get stuck like that." Her smirk grew as he fiend a pout, somewhat childish in nature, and crossed the hood of the car to coax her away. "Profile wise, this shouldn't be easy. He's too smart to just live in a place like this with no securities. And he's too paranoid to leave himself open. Arresting him in his own apartment doesn't sound plausible."

Seth closed the passenger door with a snap once she was out of the way. Then straightened and grasped her by the shoulders tightly, smiling in reassurance. "It'll be fine. You were the one to convince me that the unsub is living under his own home, thinking no one else will be able to figure out who he is. Please tell me I didn't waste gas for nothing."

The younger women shook her head and shrugged off his hands, only to find them gently urging her towards the building. She resisted for a moment before realizing that it was futile and setting a steady pace for him to fall in line with beside her. "No, I'm sure he's here somewhere. I just think he isn't reckless on security. After what happened to his wife in Glasgow all those years ago, when she was murdered by those ex-SAS soldiers who got drunk and decided to rob a few homes, you would think he would have some form of surveillance to know if he was compromised." She paused as they crossed the street and headed for the entrance to the building, waiting for his response.

"I think you're giving him too much credit." Seth replied as they reached the painted glass double doorway entrance. He opened one door and stepped aside, waving his hand for her to enter first out of courtesy. "You should never overestimate the unsubs. That's just as bad as underestimating them."

Gina held the retort by biting her lip. She wasn't overestimating, she was just relying on what her instincts told her. And at that moment, they were screaming that the unsub knew they were coming.

Over the years Gina has learned the importance of following intuition. In the academy, it kept her scores above others and made her a formidable opponent to those who wanted to prove that they were better. During cases, it crafted profiles that were true to the unsub more often than not and kept her safe during a pursuit.

But sometimes having the horrid gut-wrenching feeling of impending trouble, and then acting upon it with sensible reason to those around her worsened the trouble itself.

Lopez wasn't in his apartment. According to the security camera records they were given access to via a flash of their FBI credentials, Lopez left the building at nine earlier that morning and hadn't returned yet. His apartment was empty save for the usual necessities, implying that he lived a very sparse lifestyle. A few hand guns were found stashed in a dresser drawer. Knives in the kitchen were accounted for but a shelf beside the two-burner stove top held the impression of several sheathed weapons. They hadn't found the knives in the apartment during their search but that didn't mean he hadn't hidden them somewhere. Lastly, his prescribed sleep and anti-anxiety medications were still full. It appeared that he hadn't been taking the daily recommended dosages for the same period of time as the murders, which undoubtedly resulted in severe paranoia and other life altering symptoms. And with only circumstantial evidence and a hunch, getting a warrant to properly tear the temporary home apart would be impossible.

It was just as Gina suspected, what she had tried to explain to Seth. Security was a must for Lopez. The laptop computer perched on his bed was restricted with a password, but Gina was fairly certain it was connected to the building's wireless security camera network. Which explained why he ran when he recognized two FBI agents inside his apartment building. It was still warm from the blanket that muffled the fan output, and the lack of a multicolor default screensaver suggested that they were only minutes behind him.

The question, at that point, became a matter of how. How did he leave his apartment without the cameras scattered through the halls seeing him?

A blind spot. That was the only logical option she could fathom. The only thing that made sense because Lopez couldn't have disappeared.

Gina paced in the small living room for several minutes, back and forth while her blue latex fingers abused the necklace around her neck, allowing herself to catalog the evidence around her. There had to be something he left behind that would validate him as the unsub. That would show her where he went in his mad dash for safety. The fact that there wasn't didn't make sense. Unsubs always leave evidence in their haste.

Her instincts told her that it was staged. That they weren't the first to enter the apartment. If that were true, then the landlord lied to them.

The man, Harold Simms, did seem vaguely familiar but she couldn't place from where. Mid thirties, dressed in ragged jeans and a brown tee that appeared to be stained with dirt in unison with his sneakers, a few inches taller than herself, slightly balding brown hair trimmed to just inches from his scalp, and an aged expression trying its hardest to mask heartache and tragedy. She knew she had seen him somewhere because she hardly ever forgot a memorable face. Maybe it was just in passing though.

Regardless of what she thought, Seth had other ideas. He ordered the man to keep his eyes on the security cameras and alert them if Lopez was seen. It was somewhat pointless because if Lopez escaped the apartment using the blind spots in the halls, then it was a safe assumption that he used the same method to leave the building. But Seth wanted to cover all bases and Gina wasn't about to object to that.

"Okay, I admit it. You were right. Something's weird about this place." Seth exclaimed in defeat as he entered the room from the bedroom. His attempts at hacking into the computer must have been futile if he had just given up after only a few minutes. He wore a tight frown that did nothing to mask confusion and contemplation. Gina knew that expression well because it often led to a lack of his flirtatious and humorous quips. "I think now would be a great time to call in the others."

Gina stopped her pacing abruptly and turned to him with a nod in agreement. "Let's try one more thing. If this doesn't pan out, then you can call in backup to help search the streets and the building." She responded as she reached the door in three strides. Pulling it open, she waited impatiently for Seth to read between her words.

"Conditions? Really?" Seth replied with a raise of his eyebrow in question as he joined her. Once they were out of the apartment they scanned the row of closed doors along the elegantly red wallpaper hall, settling on the black recorder position at the end beside the classic metal lift. The position appeared correct at first glance. But one of two things could have caused the blind spot. The machine could have been damaged or repositioned. She was betting on the latter.

A smirk tugged at Seth's lips as he continued, "Moments like these should be recorded. Just to prove that you're capable…" He stopped suddenly and slapped himself on the cheek lightly, childishly, causing Gina to stare at him in amusement. "Never mind. That didn't come out like I intended. So what's this new plan of yours?"

Gina laughed and shook her head. She slid her hand into his suit jacket pocket, causing him to jump at the intrusion, and found his cell phone. "Call the landlord back and tell him to focus on the camera for this floor. We need him to walk us through so we can retrace Lopez's steps." She stated as she placed the device in an open hand.

"And you say I'm a flirt." He muttered, dialing the number.

"You are. But I'm not going to fall for it like almost every other woman you meet."

Placing his phone against his ear in wait, he quipped, "Not every woman I've met ends up at my place after dinner. That's just a myth."

Gina gave him a questioning glare, smirking widely. "My father has a saying involving believing your own BS. You want to know what it is?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me even if I say no."

Their banter ended at the sudden click of Seths' phone being placed on speaker for both to hear, followed by Simms' quick reply of 'what?'. Moments before it sounded as though he were arguing with someone. Gina managed to hear him mention the name 'Mick'.

Seth offered one last smile in amusement before he requested the older man to watch them and point out the camera blind spot. "Against the same wall as his apartment. Someone moved the camera. I didn't realize it until now." Simms answered quickly. "It runs until the end of the hall. Around the corner is a window that opens up to the fire escape. I don't have visual on that either."

Gina furrowed her brow at his words. The choice of words, the stern and informative tone that masked new anxiety, it reminded her of Seth. More accurately, it reminded her of a trained FBI agent that was trying too hard. Someone who knew what to look for and how to deliver the information, but tried to disguise it.

At that moment the pieces seemed to click into place. The case, clearly meant for a Red Cell team, Fickler's interest, the unsub himself, and the strange circumstances in the apartment. All of which added to the conclusion that it was staged. They were being fooled. Someone was watching them and it wasn't the unsub.

"Thank you for your help Mister Simms." Gina said with forced kindness. She ended the conversation by snatching the phone from Seth before he or Simms could respond. Then twisted the phone between her fingers as she gnawed on her lip, internally debating how to voice the new revelation to Seth.

Seth stared at her in confusion, blinking in disbelief that she had just contradicted herself. "Gina, what the hell was that? You just said that we needed him to guide us through the cameras…"

"We're being fooled. This case, the landlord and the unsub, it's all some kind of ruse. Like a test or something." She answered, replacing his phone in his top jacket pocket.

His confusion deepened as he studied her expression, posture stiff as he started to put the clues together himself. Realization dawned on him a few moments later and he cocked his head to the side and muttered an 'oh' in surprise. "You signed up for Cooper's new Red Cell team too, didn't you? Somehow you think this is our test? If we solve this, then one or both of us could be accepted."

Gina grimaced at thee tone in his voice. Neither her or Seth were competitive. Well, she did refuse to tell her other teammates where she and Seth were going. But towards each other, competition was irrelevant. So why did he sound startled and displeased by the suggestion?

"It makes sense…" She attempted to explain.

"Yeah it does. But that just makes things worse, doesn't it? If we screw up, we could be humiliated by one of the most notable profilers the FBI has. There's no pressure, though, right?" He interrupted, heaving a sigh and rocking on his heels as his hands fumbled in his jacket pockets.

Gina released a deflating breath in agreement. She hadn't fully grasped what being 'tested' meant until Seth's worried and nervous explanation summed it up. Now that she realized the consequences of failure would probably be the end of her short lived career, she couldn't afford to lose. Because she liked being an FBI agent, gaining respect from others because she was often more savvy in profiling, and she enjoyed Seth's company. None of which she wanted to leave behind.

So she bit back a curse and hooked her arm around his own, dragging him towards the end of the hall where the fire escape was located. "You know, that doesn't make me feel better." She muttered with another sigh.

Seth nodded and set the pace of their walk easily. "Me neither. I'll vouch for you with the director though. As much as I want the job too, I think you're more likely to get picked. But I wouldn't mind working with you."

The words brought a thankful smile to her face and she squeezed his arm gently in appreciation. But it didn't last when the unmistakable click of a gun safety echoed the hall behind them. The earsplitting crack of a bullet leaving a chamber of a gun brought instinct that wasn't fast enough.

When the man she adored and playfully flirted with sagged in her grip, threatening to pull her down to the carpet, instinct was all she could rely on. Because the panic engulfing her was not going to stop Seth from bleeding onto the floor from the ragged hole in the back of his lower right shoulder. And it wasn't going to stop Lopez from firing his gun again. Only this time, she knew he wouldn't aim to simply disarm.

Gina had seen the photos in Lopez' records. She'd put the profile together without much, if any, assistance. Memorized the traumas listed and the notes of a once secure and joyous life before tragedies and war. She knew why he was afraid and why he attacked them with a gun. Knew that paranoia was contorting his image of life. That his severe PTSD was worse because his medication found in the bathroom cupboard of his apartment was still full, meaning he had skipped too many dosages to keep him rational. And she knew that no amount of peaceful conversation would ease his heavy trigger finger.

"What the hell were you doing in my apartment?" The older Hispanic man seethed. His iron grip on the black polished gun shook in rage, bouncing between Gina and Seth dangerously. Worn boots shifted on the floor nervously, knee torn jeans and wrinkled tan button up against a large frame giving him a very intimidating look. A single hand wound its way into messy black hair peppered with gray, pulling as his tight features occasionally twitched. No sooner did the question leave his mouth, harsh and demanding, did he take another severely limping step forward and positioned his aim at Gina. "You're one of them, aren't you? One the bastards that's been spying on me?"

Remaining outwardly calm in situations like this was critical to survival. The neighbors probably heard the gunshot and called the local police, but were too afraid to leave their apartments for fear of being shot themselves. So backup was only a few minutes away. That should have been a small relief.

However, Gina couldn't be calm. Inside, she was a mess of scattered emotions ranging from terrified to furious. She had never been shot before and she had no desire to change that. So naturally, she was horrified at the prospect of a piece of metal embedding in her skin and ending her life in a heartbeat. Her instincts told her that this was wrong, that it would end in danger and trouble, and she didn't listen. Which caused the self loathing and frustration that compromised her aim of her own unsteady weapon trained on Lopez.

Her voice caught in her throat as her eyes skimmed over her partner. Any response or reasonable lie she could have given seemed unbearable. It was her fault that they were in this situation and she bore that burden without regard to herself.

Seth was bleeding on the floor beside her, the bullet wound in his right shoulder leaking a copious amount of sickeningly red blood that stained his suit and fingers. And even though the bullet was technically a through-and-through, it probably still hurt like hell. The panted gasps as he tried to right himself, pulling his head from the floor and rolling on his opposite side to look at her and the gunman, was enough proof that Gina had been right and wrong all at the same time. He didn't admit blame to her and she was grateful that he had more class than most men she had ever been with. But his eyes spoke volumes. Pained from the bullet wound he tried desperately to stop the blood flow, angry at Lopez, and somehow betrayed. Which Gina suspected was his definitive way of trying to grasp what she had gotten him into.

"We're FBI. Drop your weapon now." Gina hissed through clenched teeth, clenching her weapon until she was sure her fingers were going to snap due to the pressure.

"I knew it! You are with them! They know and they sent you to come get me." Lopez risked looking away for a moment to observe the nearby doors.

Gina could have shot him at that moment. She was a particularly good marksman in every firearms class she took. The chances of hitting her target were high. Except she didn't want to kill him so she would have had to immobilize him. Which would also probably result in herself being shot when the crack of a bullet left her gun. His trigger finger was too eager and the risks were too high.

She had to do something though. Seth was bleeding to death and the unsub was too trigger happy and paranoid, and what the hell else could she do?

Swallowing her nerves, she forced her stance to relax minutely. Then flipped her gun in hand, holding it in her open palm to signify surrender. It wasn't surrender to her. Actually, it was a strategy she never thought could ever work.

"I'm not with them or anyone else." She stated, holding her hands outward and trying to keep her tone level over the panic that restricted her chest. "My partner and I do work with the FBI. We're investigating a series of murders…"

"Don't lie to me! I know you're with the other team that's been hunting me! This is some kind of trick to lure me out, isn't it? They're on their way now." Lopez interrupted with another step forward and jab of his gun for emphasis.

Gina didn't know what he was referring to but assumed he had some form of logic behind his paranoid thoughts. As far as she knew, her team was the only one working on the case. Too many chefs in the kitchen, as her father would say, would lead to mass confusion and no progress. Her team did know that she suspected Lopez as the unsub, but they were still running through the data to validate a warranted search of his home. Seth and Gina didn't wait for a warrant. Nor did they use any kind of surveillance before their arrival.

But if she was correct in assuming that this was some kind of test, then the people he was referring to were probably Cooper and whoever else worked on the unorthodox temporary team.

After seeing her partner get shot by a clearly disturbed unsub, she was sure this particular scene was not something Cooper intended to happen.

"Okay, just wait a minute." She shot her partner a warning glare when he reached for his gun at his hip, shaking her head to indicate that she had other ideas than to just shoot him. "We don't know what you're talking about. Our profile of a man who has been murdering UK retired soldiers pointed us to you. But we have never done any kind of previous surveillance." The older man tried to intervene but she carried on, swallowing her own fears as she stepped forward. There was still quite a bit of difference between them so physically removing the weapon from him before he could fire another bullet wasn't going to be possible. "I honestly don't know who you think is stalking you. But it isn't us."

"You just said that you know about those monsters…"

"The soldiers you butchered were innocent." Seth retorted angrily, pushing himself against the nearest wall. His left hand pressed against the seeping hole in his suit jacket as he attempt to stem the flow of blood. But it was already tacking to the wall he propped himself against, thick and dark and completely unhelpful to Gina's anxiety. He withdrew his gun despite Gina's silent warning and removed the safety, grimacing in pain as he propped it on his knee and directed it at the unsub. "They weren't like those kids who killed your wife."

Gina wanted to smack him for his carelessness to the situation. He was ruining any sense of understanding she was trying to establish between her and Lopez. Skill to defuse a hostage situation of any kind was difficult to come by and Seth had never been lenient or patient enough to learn. It shouldn't have been surprising to hear the hatred in his tone or see his ridiculous attempt to handle a defensive weapon. Still, she twisted to hiss a 'shut up' to him before he got himself killed.

Lopez's expression twitched again, something Gina had a hard time watching. He was pissed, furious, on the edge of shooting them both just to see how it would all end. And he was surprised by the outburst. Clearly he didn't expect such resistance from two agents, one of which he already injured.

Seth wasn't helping the situation. He threw his head back against the wall and stifled a moan, face paling with the seconds, glaring at the older man. "You shot me! What the hell do you expect from us!" He nearly shouted.

All of Gina's nerve-biting and apparently unsuccessful negotiations meant nothing at that point because Seth couldn't be quiet.

Lopez's aim went rigid as he narrowed his eyes. He was going to react, to shoot again, and Gina was officially out of time. The older man advanced several steps and directed the weapon at Seth. For a moment she thought he was going to fire a warning shot. But the chances of such a thing were ridiculous when she recognized the undeniable rage in his eyes.

She placed herself between the two men and regained use of her own gun in hand. For all of the adrenaline and fear that clouded her rational thoughts, she found that the weapon remained surprisingly steady. "Wait! Just stop and think about this for a minute!" She shouted, holding one hand outward in reflex. "You can't shoot us because others will know. They'll hunt you down and there will be nowhere to hide. So you really don't want to do this. I don't want to shoot you and I know you don't want to shoot us."

That was playing with fire.

And he didn't fall for it.

"You don't know me as well as you think." He replied quickly.

Gina prepared herself for what was to come. Lopez would pull the trigger of his gun and Gina would have to do the same. She had never shot anyone before and it wasn't something she desired to do. But she had to protect Seth and herself. That was why she had a gun. Protection during the cases with dangerously unstable unsubs kept the agents involved alive. At least, that was what she was taught at the academy.

But he didn't fire the weapon.

Gina was baffled as to why until she heard the ping of the elevator door alarm behind him. The black metal lift entered the shielded cage but never opened. Through the slants of metal, the interior appeared empty. It became clear in a matter of seconds that it was a distraction. And that was jus what Gina and Seth needed. Somehow she thought Simms had a hand in that. He was supposedly watching them on the security camera near the elevator. She made a mental note to thank him later. If he were responsible…

Lopez hesitated for a moment, knowing that looking away from Gina would probably result in getting shot. But curiosity and paranoia won and he turned towards it for just a second. As soon as his eyes caught sight of the empty container, he zipped his gaze back to the younger woman.

Seth took that opportunity to fire his own weapon. In his wounded state the bullet disappeared with a deafening bang into the other man's right femur. Then he was being yanked upwards by Gina and directed out of the line of fire. He choked on a hoarse cry when the motion jostled the seeping bullet wound. Gina ignored it as she directed him against the nearest door several feet away. He stumbled towards it, reaching blindly until his body came in contact with the wood.

She dashed towards the gasping figure of the unsub without a single glance at her partner. He had dropped his gun when the bullet embedded itself into his femur and his balance became compromised just as fast. Which left him futilely attempting to push himself back to his feet. One hand grasped the mass of dark red leaking from his leg, the other groped for his weapon just out of his reach. He panted and cursed and gasped with every movement. Some too muffled, others clear enough to make Gina blush at his choice of curse words.

Gina kicked it behind her, sending it sliding against the carpet until it collided with Seth's outstretched foot. Once she heard him retrieve the weapon and remove the remaining bullets, she ordered the other man to lay on the floor first-first and place his hands on his head. She holstered her weapon as soon as he ceased resisting and complied with a huff in defeat. Handcuffing him roughly with a knee in the center of his back, she glanced back at Seth and released a pent breath. "You okay?" She asked, watching him slide down the wall tiredly.

He threw his head back against the wall again and rolled his eyes, pressing his fingers on the bleeding wound tenderly while the other hand sat limp in his lap. His gun sat on the floor beside him with the weapon he confiscated. Adrenaline was still present but it was fading fast and the pain was becoming more evident on his features. "Yeah, I'm great. I've got a hole in my shoulder that hurts like hell, but I'm absolutely fine. Oh, and I think I smashed my finger too." A sudden smirk flashed on his pale features as she withdrew her cell phone, trying to call backup to handle the last two minutes of hell. He held his pointer finger against his leg lazily as he quipped with a pout, "Kiss it and make it better?"

Gina looked up from her phone and trembling fingers, then at the man moaning on the floor beside her feet. She shut her eyes for a moment to gather her voice. "You are incorrigible." She muttered.

"So I should take that as a no?"

She couldn't help but choke a laugh at his childishness. It was defensive, she knew, whenever he was injured or stressed and she, for the first time in months, didn't mind it. "Keep dreaming."

Just a quick note for now- Hello people! Sorry for the long wait for this. It takes a bit longer to write in this perspective than the usual. Don't ask me why because I don't know. I'm weird like that and admit it. Lol. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this. All drabbles (Short stories or snippets not placed in my main arc.) will be put under one location for easier access. However, if the one-shot is more than two or three parts then it will be placed in its own file to conserve space. Part two will be posted as soon as it's finished. Let me know what you think. Thanks in advance to anyone who reads, reviews, and subscribes to this and my previous work!