Somebody's Watching, Somebody's Waiting - Part 16
Title: Somebody’s Watching, Somebody’s Waiting
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Jennifer Jareau/Maggie Lowe
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is property of CBS and I don’t own anything.
Rating: PG
Summary/Spoilers: This is a retelling of the episode ‘Somebody’s Watching’. The BAU team is on the hunt for a killer stalking an actress. Meanwhile Jennifer Jareau begins dating the actress’s best friend, unaware she’s the stalker they’re searching for. Yeah that’s right I just revealed the ending of the episode, but it’s not possible to write this story without revealing it anyway. Numerous story revelations are revealed.
A/N: This episode not only had two women I really like (A.J. Cook and Katheryn Winnick) together, but the first portrayal of gay characters on Criminal Minds, with Katheryn being one of them. It had so many things going for it, but instead it was disappointing. A.J. and Katheryn’s screen time was minimal, they never appeared onscreen together, and the gay portrayals were terrible. Ironically Maggie Lowe is probably still the best portrayed gay character on the series. So I decided to write this episode the way it should’ve gone. Oh and that “lesbian” crushing on Gideon earlier in the episode because he reminded her of her dad? That scene alone warrants her getting erased from the story.
A/N 2: Special thanks to my beta talos13
Part 16
Jennifer sits on the edge of her bed, awaiting Lila’s arrival. Not much time has passed by, but for her, the anxiety made the wait excruciating. She was able to feel each second tick by. Every minute seems to be taking longer than the last.
Then finally there is a knock on the door. “Who is it?” the FBI agent calls out.
“JJ, it’s Lila.”
Relieved, Jennifer swiftly moves over to the door and unlocks it. “Come on in,” she welcomes Lila.
Lila greets her friend with a smile before stepping into the room. “So what did you want to ask me about?”
“Take a seat on the bed,” Jennifer insists.
“Sure,” Lila walks over to the bed and sits on the edge. Jennifer joins her shortly after. She looks at Lila, and before the words can get out, the agent finds herself hesitant. She takes the actress’s hands and holds them to try and sooth her nerves.
“Are you okay JJ?” Lila wonders with a concerned look on her face.
“No I’m not,” Jennifer takes a deep breath before continuing. “What would you say to the idea that Maggie is the stalker?”
Lila is stunned by the question, “Maggie? As in our Mags?” Jennifer nods. “I would say that’s crazy.”
“That’s what I thought at first... but the more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.” Jennifer closes her eyes. Trying to clear her head, “There’s things about this stalker that matches her. For instance the last time we’ve seen any sign of the stalker was around the time Maggie and I started dating.”
“There must be some kind of misunderstanding,” Lila replies sceptically. “Mags is one of the most decent people that I know.”
“That’s why I asked you to come over. You know Maggie better than anyone else, if she’s not the killer, we’ll be able to figure it out.” Lila can see on Jennifer’s face that she’s feeling the same way Lila is about the idea.
Lila pulls her hands away from Jennifer’s and starts rubbing her head, “You’re going to have to give me a minute here, JJ. I’m trying to wrap my head around this idea.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Jennifer watches as Lila has her head down, alone with her thoughts. “But the profile your team told me about...” Lila finally speaks up with her head still down. “Many of the things they said this stalker would be like doesn’t fit Mags.”
“That’s the typical profile for Erotomaniac stalkers. However there have been cases in the past where the team used an wrong profile to try to catch an unsub.”
Lila raises her head and looks back at Jennifer, “She’d have to be in love with me in order for her to be the stalker though.”
Jennifer gives Lila a hard look, “Lila, do you remember your college days?”
Lila nods, “Yeah.”
“Do you remember a weekend in January? It was right after the night you were in the college production of Hamlet, and you were staying with Maggie at the time because your apartment was too cold?”
The memory hits Lila like a ton of bricks. “I remember...” Lila lets out a groan, “How could I have forgotten? But Maggie, she dated other people after that.”
“It could have been an attempt to move on from that memory. She still remembers that weekend very well. It seems to bother her that she doesn’t know what your thoughts are about it, or even what became of your sexual orientation.” Jennifer gives Lila time to take it all in before addressing something else, “Lila if you don’t mind me asking, are you...”
“Gay?” Lila finishes the sentence for her. “Yes, I am.”
Jennifer nods as the answer to the actress’s sexuality is finally out. Lila takes in a deep breath, “What are the other things suggesting Mags could be the stalker?”
The blonde agent grabs the folder from the desk and flips open to the section with the bike photos. Lila takes a look at them. “They look similar to the bike Maggie has, don’t they?” Jennifer addresses. “The team believe the stalker is someone who followed and watched Natalie Ryan and Wally Melman to know where they lived and their schedules. Though an alternative would have been...”
“The stalker worked for the industry and got the information off people who knew them,” Lila finishes the sentence again. “Ugh, why would she kill them though?” Lila asks confused. “To further my career? She was already helping me with my career.”
“Only explanation I can think of is that keeping it to herself drove her crazy, and she lost her sense of reasoning whenever that darker side of her took over.”
“I don’t believe Mags would have kept it to herself,” Lila insists. “We shared everything. She’s also not someone who’s ashamed of her sexuality. I’ve never seen her try to pretend to be straight. I already know that she’s gay, and she knows that I know. Doesn’t make any sense... she wouldn’t be afraid to tell me, especially if it reached the point where it was driving her crazy.”
Jennifer thinks about it for a moment.
*flashback*
It’s the night Jennifer discussed the collage that Maggie gave Lila. Maggie smiles bashfully, “Sometimes you have to give things up to help those you care about.”
*flashback*
“Maybe it wasn’t you she was worried about,” says the blond agent. “Lila, if word spread around that you’re gay, what kind of effect would it have on your career?”
“Not a good one,” Lila’s tone was low. The facial expression on Lila’s face is one of not too fond recollection, “It’s like those cranky old men who run the studios are still living in the fake 1950 all American family world that they created. And if you don’t fit the image, you’re going to get treated differently. It’s the reason many homosexuals here are afraid to come out of the closet. And sadly many of them would go out of their way to get a fake lover just to prove a point.”
“How bad does it get?” Jennifer wonders.
“Uh, it depends. Some don’t mind, but they’re typically the new people and are usually found in television. Some put your name at the bottom of the casting choices, while others won’t even give you an audition. The studio heads are the worse though.” The actress catches her breath, “It’s hard enough to try to make it as a racial minority. I’m noticing the studios aren’t even giving black actors auditions anymore. Instead they just hire some hack wannabe on a CD cover in their movies for their token black character. And those actors still have a better chance of making it in the industry than someone like us would if they were open about it. I’ve even witnessed firsthand with another actress how cruel it can get.”
“What happened to that actress?”
“Her name is Amber Albright. She came from a theatre background. Loved acting, was always open to criticism, so she could improve her craft. Both Mags and I met her; she was everything you would want in an actor: Talented, charismatic, pretty, a good natured person and even had the right name. Wasn’t long before she got cast, the director loved her. It was going to be for a studio picture scheduled for the summer time. However one thing that stood in her way was that she had a girlfriend and didn’t try to hide it. Once the studio heads found out, they ordered the director to fire her. He actually tried to keep her on the project, but they forced his hand. Either he loses her or they’re both out. That wasn’t the end of it however. Afterwards the studio heads called pretty much every other studio person about her and she basically got blacklisted from every major studio. Even the smaller places weren’t that much more kind. She could hardly even get an audition.” Lila’s voice is down to a low, depressed tone, “Then eventually she gave up and that was the last we saw of her. Word has it she returned back to the stage with tears in her eyes. She had a chance to let the audience know who she was... and they took that chance away from her. Both Mags and I were crushed about what happened to her. I could tell it affected Mags more. In the end Amber’s story and many others just like her served as a reminder to everyone like us what happens when you try and be yourself.”
“I could only imagine what it’s like to be in a place that conveys that type of message. A place run by people that despise you for simply being who you are.”
“A lot of people here, when depressed have delved into a bunch of bad habits. I try my best to ignore it. Mags would try and be strong about. She’ll take it all in and try to keep up the spirit regardless. It’s one of the reasons I love her so much.”
“All of that would have taken its toll after all these years, especially if she’s keeping emotions as personal and deep as those inside her. This would also explain how the stalker knows so much about you. Who your manager is, your favourite flowers and how letters and gifts can be sent to your trailer without being detected. “
“It’s still so hard to believe. She would have tried to search for some way or reasoning to deal with that negativity; couldn’t have been planning on living like that forever. Some things just don’t seem right here.”
“We don’t have the complete picture here, but most of it is there,” Jennifer tells her.
Something else comes to mind for Lila, “I just realized something. I think I know why I get red Anemones on the seventh of the month.”
“Why’s that?”
“One thing Mags does a lot whenever I’m about to perform on stage or I just landed a role, is give me flowers and wish me good luck for the performance. Most actors believe saying good luck ironically is bad luck, so they prefer break a leg. Mags thinks the phrase is just silly, and I don’t mind since someone in my drama class actually did break his leg, so she stuck with good luck. Anyways she is also a believer of the whole seven being a lucky number thing. So giving me flowers on the seventh day would probably mean...”
“Good luck,” Jennifer finishes the sentence this time.
“It really could be her,” Lila says distraught. “How could I not have noticed something was wrong?”
“What better place to learn to be something you’re not than here?” Jennifer answers.
“What should we do?”
“We have to confront Maggie. She’s not going to have any kind of a chance if the police get to her, but if we get to her first, depending what goes down, we might be able to figure something out.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea JJ? If she’s the stalker, she might snap again.”
“She’s been inactive for over a week. That would mean she’s in control again. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to Lila,” the blonde suggests.
“No, she’s my closest friend. I’m as much a part of this as you are.”
“Do you think she’s still at your place Lila?”
“That’s where I told her to stay until the two of us arrive back.”
*****
The two blondes drive through the Los Angeles traffic, Jennifer behind the stirring wheel as Lila sits in the passenger seat, thoughts racing through their heads like the endless traffic they’re in. About to confront a woman that means so much to them. A woman Lila spent her entire adult life with, someone she saw as a soul mate. A woman who just a few days ago Jennifer was thinking of ways how the two of them could maintain a strong relationship over a large distance. She was planning on spending many years to come with Maggie.
Then a revelation hits the fan and the strong possibility that same woman could have murdered a number of people surfaces. In the past, Jennifer Jareau was always told trying to capture the unsub is always the most important goal of these cases. But now if her theory is right, she’s not so sure about that anymore. Now they’re traveling a road where their destination can be the hardest decision they’re going to have to make. They aren’t even certain what they’re hoping will go down if Maggie confesses to being the unsub.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 17
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Jennifer Jareau/Maggie Lowe
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is property of CBS and I don’t own anything.
Rating: PG
Summary/Spoilers: This is a retelling of the episode ‘Somebody’s Watching’. The BAU team is on the hunt for a killer stalking an actress. Meanwhile Jennifer Jareau begins dating the actress’s best friend, unaware she’s the stalker they’re searching for. Yeah that’s right I just revealed the ending of the episode, but it’s not possible to write this story without revealing it anyway. Numerous story revelations are revealed.
A/N: This episode not only had two women I really like (A.J. Cook and Katheryn Winnick) together, but the first portrayal of gay characters on Criminal Minds, with Katheryn being one of them. It had so many things going for it, but instead it was disappointing. A.J. and Katheryn’s screen time was minimal, they never appeared onscreen together, and the gay portrayals were terrible. Ironically Maggie Lowe is probably still the best portrayed gay character on the series. So I decided to write this episode the way it should’ve gone. Oh and that “lesbian” crushing on Gideon earlier in the episode because he reminded her of her dad? That scene alone warrants her getting erased from the story.
A/N 2: Special thanks to my beta talos13
Part 16
Jennifer sits on the edge of her bed, awaiting Lila’s arrival. Not much time has passed by, but for her, the anxiety made the wait excruciating. She was able to feel each second tick by. Every minute seems to be taking longer than the last.
Then finally there is a knock on the door. “Who is it?” the FBI agent calls out.
“JJ, it’s Lila.”
Relieved, Jennifer swiftly moves over to the door and unlocks it. “Come on in,” she welcomes Lila.
Lila greets her friend with a smile before stepping into the room. “So what did you want to ask me about?”
“Take a seat on the bed,” Jennifer insists.
“Sure,” Lila walks over to the bed and sits on the edge. Jennifer joins her shortly after. She looks at Lila, and before the words can get out, the agent finds herself hesitant. She takes the actress’s hands and holds them to try and sooth her nerves.
“Are you okay JJ?” Lila wonders with a concerned look on her face.
“No I’m not,” Jennifer takes a deep breath before continuing. “What would you say to the idea that Maggie is the stalker?”
Lila is stunned by the question, “Maggie? As in our Mags?” Jennifer nods. “I would say that’s crazy.”
“That’s what I thought at first... but the more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.” Jennifer closes her eyes. Trying to clear her head, “There’s things about this stalker that matches her. For instance the last time we’ve seen any sign of the stalker was around the time Maggie and I started dating.”
“There must be some kind of misunderstanding,” Lila replies sceptically. “Mags is one of the most decent people that I know.”
“That’s why I asked you to come over. You know Maggie better than anyone else, if she’s not the killer, we’ll be able to figure it out.” Lila can see on Jennifer’s face that she’s feeling the same way Lila is about the idea.
Lila pulls her hands away from Jennifer’s and starts rubbing her head, “You’re going to have to give me a minute here, JJ. I’m trying to wrap my head around this idea.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Jennifer watches as Lila has her head down, alone with her thoughts. “But the profile your team told me about...” Lila finally speaks up with her head still down. “Many of the things they said this stalker would be like doesn’t fit Mags.”
“That’s the typical profile for Erotomaniac stalkers. However there have been cases in the past where the team used an wrong profile to try to catch an unsub.”
Lila raises her head and looks back at Jennifer, “She’d have to be in love with me in order for her to be the stalker though.”
Jennifer gives Lila a hard look, “Lila, do you remember your college days?”
Lila nods, “Yeah.”
“Do you remember a weekend in January? It was right after the night you were in the college production of Hamlet, and you were staying with Maggie at the time because your apartment was too cold?”
The memory hits Lila like a ton of bricks. “I remember...” Lila lets out a groan, “How could I have forgotten? But Maggie, she dated other people after that.”
“It could have been an attempt to move on from that memory. She still remembers that weekend very well. It seems to bother her that she doesn’t know what your thoughts are about it, or even what became of your sexual orientation.” Jennifer gives Lila time to take it all in before addressing something else, “Lila if you don’t mind me asking, are you...”
“Gay?” Lila finishes the sentence for her. “Yes, I am.”
Jennifer nods as the answer to the actress’s sexuality is finally out. Lila takes in a deep breath, “What are the other things suggesting Mags could be the stalker?”
The blonde agent grabs the folder from the desk and flips open to the section with the bike photos. Lila takes a look at them. “They look similar to the bike Maggie has, don’t they?” Jennifer addresses. “The team believe the stalker is someone who followed and watched Natalie Ryan and Wally Melman to know where they lived and their schedules. Though an alternative would have been...”
“The stalker worked for the industry and got the information off people who knew them,” Lila finishes the sentence again. “Ugh, why would she kill them though?” Lila asks confused. “To further my career? She was already helping me with my career.”
“Only explanation I can think of is that keeping it to herself drove her crazy, and she lost her sense of reasoning whenever that darker side of her took over.”
“I don’t believe Mags would have kept it to herself,” Lila insists. “We shared everything. She’s also not someone who’s ashamed of her sexuality. I’ve never seen her try to pretend to be straight. I already know that she’s gay, and she knows that I know. Doesn’t make any sense... she wouldn’t be afraid to tell me, especially if it reached the point where it was driving her crazy.”
Jennifer thinks about it for a moment.
*flashback*
It’s the night Jennifer discussed the collage that Maggie gave Lila. Maggie smiles bashfully, “Sometimes you have to give things up to help those you care about.”
*flashback*
“Maybe it wasn’t you she was worried about,” says the blond agent. “Lila, if word spread around that you’re gay, what kind of effect would it have on your career?”
“Not a good one,” Lila’s tone was low. The facial expression on Lila’s face is one of not too fond recollection, “It’s like those cranky old men who run the studios are still living in the fake 1950 all American family world that they created. And if you don’t fit the image, you’re going to get treated differently. It’s the reason many homosexuals here are afraid to come out of the closet. And sadly many of them would go out of their way to get a fake lover just to prove a point.”
“How bad does it get?” Jennifer wonders.
“Uh, it depends. Some don’t mind, but they’re typically the new people and are usually found in television. Some put your name at the bottom of the casting choices, while others won’t even give you an audition. The studio heads are the worse though.” The actress catches her breath, “It’s hard enough to try to make it as a racial minority. I’m noticing the studios aren’t even giving black actors auditions anymore. Instead they just hire some hack wannabe on a CD cover in their movies for their token black character. And those actors still have a better chance of making it in the industry than someone like us would if they were open about it. I’ve even witnessed firsthand with another actress how cruel it can get.”
“What happened to that actress?”
“Her name is Amber Albright. She came from a theatre background. Loved acting, was always open to criticism, so she could improve her craft. Both Mags and I met her; she was everything you would want in an actor: Talented, charismatic, pretty, a good natured person and even had the right name. Wasn’t long before she got cast, the director loved her. It was going to be for a studio picture scheduled for the summer time. However one thing that stood in her way was that she had a girlfriend and didn’t try to hide it. Once the studio heads found out, they ordered the director to fire her. He actually tried to keep her on the project, but they forced his hand. Either he loses her or they’re both out. That wasn’t the end of it however. Afterwards the studio heads called pretty much every other studio person about her and she basically got blacklisted from every major studio. Even the smaller places weren’t that much more kind. She could hardly even get an audition.” Lila’s voice is down to a low, depressed tone, “Then eventually she gave up and that was the last we saw of her. Word has it she returned back to the stage with tears in her eyes. She had a chance to let the audience know who she was... and they took that chance away from her. Both Mags and I were crushed about what happened to her. I could tell it affected Mags more. In the end Amber’s story and many others just like her served as a reminder to everyone like us what happens when you try and be yourself.”
“I could only imagine what it’s like to be in a place that conveys that type of message. A place run by people that despise you for simply being who you are.”
“A lot of people here, when depressed have delved into a bunch of bad habits. I try my best to ignore it. Mags would try and be strong about. She’ll take it all in and try to keep up the spirit regardless. It’s one of the reasons I love her so much.”
“All of that would have taken its toll after all these years, especially if she’s keeping emotions as personal and deep as those inside her. This would also explain how the stalker knows so much about you. Who your manager is, your favourite flowers and how letters and gifts can be sent to your trailer without being detected. “
“It’s still so hard to believe. She would have tried to search for some way or reasoning to deal with that negativity; couldn’t have been planning on living like that forever. Some things just don’t seem right here.”
“We don’t have the complete picture here, but most of it is there,” Jennifer tells her.
Something else comes to mind for Lila, “I just realized something. I think I know why I get red Anemones on the seventh of the month.”
“Why’s that?”
“One thing Mags does a lot whenever I’m about to perform on stage or I just landed a role, is give me flowers and wish me good luck for the performance. Most actors believe saying good luck ironically is bad luck, so they prefer break a leg. Mags thinks the phrase is just silly, and I don’t mind since someone in my drama class actually did break his leg, so she stuck with good luck. Anyways she is also a believer of the whole seven being a lucky number thing. So giving me flowers on the seventh day would probably mean...”
“Good luck,” Jennifer finishes the sentence this time.
“It really could be her,” Lila says distraught. “How could I not have noticed something was wrong?”
“What better place to learn to be something you’re not than here?” Jennifer answers.
“What should we do?”
“We have to confront Maggie. She’s not going to have any kind of a chance if the police get to her, but if we get to her first, depending what goes down, we might be able to figure something out.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea JJ? If she’s the stalker, she might snap again.”
“She’s been inactive for over a week. That would mean she’s in control again. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to Lila,” the blonde suggests.
“No, she’s my closest friend. I’m as much a part of this as you are.”
“Do you think she’s still at your place Lila?”
“That’s where I told her to stay until the two of us arrive back.”
*****
The two blondes drive through the Los Angeles traffic, Jennifer behind the stirring wheel as Lila sits in the passenger seat, thoughts racing through their heads like the endless traffic they’re in. About to confront a woman that means so much to them. A woman Lila spent her entire adult life with, someone she saw as a soul mate. A woman who just a few days ago Jennifer was thinking of ways how the two of them could maintain a strong relationship over a large distance. She was planning on spending many years to come with Maggie.
Then a revelation hits the fan and the strong possibility that same woman could have murdered a number of people surfaces. In the past, Jennifer Jareau was always told trying to capture the unsub is always the most important goal of these cases. But now if her theory is right, she’s not so sure about that anymore. Now they’re traveling a road where their destination can be the hardest decision they’re going to have to make. They aren’t even certain what they’re hoping will go down if Maggie confesses to being the unsub.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 17