The case had been a difficult one, each clue a breadcrumb leading the BAU deeper into the shadow of someone who knew them too well. David Rossi stood over the latest crime scene, his eyes narrowing as he studied the unsub’s signature, too personal, too familiar. A wave of unease crawled up his spine. It wasn’t just the work of a stranger; this was someone from his past. Someone close.

The profile began to take shape, and it wasn’t long before the details led him to a chilling realization: you.

You had been his friend back in high school, someone he trusted, someone who shared his youthful dreams. But life had been crueler to you. Where Rossi found purpose in law enforcement, you found bitterness, betrayal, and eventually isolation. He remembered the falling out, the way you drifted apart in adulthood, your troubles weighing heavy until one day you simply disappeared.

And now, here you were - reappearing in the most horrifying way. The crimes bore marks of old grudges, things only someone from his past could know. He tried to steady himself, masking the shock as the pieces fit together.

The BAU team noticed his uncharacteristic silence. “Rossi, you okay?” Hotch asked, his tone laced with concern.

Rossi hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, just… thinking.”

But in his mind, he wasn’t just thinking, he was remembering. The late-night conversations, the shared laughs, and the unmistakable darkness that always seemed to linger in your eyes. He had ignored the warning signs back then, brushing them off as the pains of growing up. Now, they screamed at him.

꩜

Later, as he sat alone in the briefing room, he stared at your photo on the monitor. It was from years ago, a younger version of you smiling beside him at graduation. He clenched his jaw, determined.

“I should’ve seen this coming,” Rossi muttered to himself. “And now I have to stop you.”