TIME IS A FUNNY THING. When you needed it to fly past you, it went extra slowly - almost like it was mocking you. Taunting you, showing you that nobody could control it - that everything revolved around it.

Ilaria felt the truth of that when the clock struck 4am and she was still in the brightly lid corridor of the town police station. Kai was wide awake too, he was playing with the stitches in her jeans with one hand - the other kept his head up as he leaned his arm against his knee.

They were abnormally quiet, usually they always found something to say. In that moment it seemed they were both too tired to talk but they clinged onto the presence of the other like if they didn't they'd somehow evaporate.

For two people who may have found a serial killer that had been terrorizing their town since Ilaria was 12 - or longer - since there could - no there were victims they didn't know about. They didn't seem triumphant in the least.

Ilaria nibbled on the sleeve of her hoodie, she was just beginning to contemplate going home and coming back when the doors of the station burst open.

Two offers flanked either side of Michael, they held him tightly at the forearm and dragged him forward - he never put up much of a fight from what Ilaria could tell.

She pushed out of her seat at the same time Kai did and as Michael passed them - he didn't fight, he didn't point a finger... He just smiled.

A winners smile.

But he hadn't won, Ilaria told herself - he hadn't won.

She tried following them down the corridor and to the interrogation room but another officer stopped her.

She pursed her lips at the captain as he came in, looking distraught as ever "I'm sure you kids have alot of questions."

"No, actually - we figured out the answers long before you did." Ilaria snapped "Although, there is one, did you find anything else in his dorm?"

Captain Bensons blue eyes met her own "unspeakable things, child." he said "the FBI is coming in. You said he might have a partner, we're going to figure that out - in the mean time, you kids should get home and get some rest."

He didn't wait for a response as he hurried down the hall to the interrogation room. The flourescent lights were giving Ilaria a migraine and she felt like stomping around like a child demanding answers but she didn't do any of that.

Why did it take them so long to finally ask the FBI here? What else, exactly, did they find in Michael's dorm? How many things were Ilaria and Kai right about?

The amount of questions storming up in her head didn't help her migraine at all.

She sighed shakily and leaned her head on Kai's chest "can we just go sleep."

Kai enveloped her in a hug, she hadn't known it before - but she really needed that hug. She breathed in his scent and held onto him tightly.

When they finally let go of each other they left the station and eventually found themselves in Kai's room.

Ilaria was so exhausted she didn't bother changing as she curled into Kai's side. There she would be okay. Beside him. That's where she belonged, that's where she would be safe. The one place she wouldn't leave-no matter what happened, no matter arguments or misunderstandings, she belonged with him and he belonged with her. It was as basic as that.

Ilaria thought she'd been inlove before. She was so wrong.

Or maybe, what she felt for Kai couldn't be put in a single word. He was so deeply entangled in her soul - the word love simply wouldn't do them justice.

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Ilaria and Kai hadn't ended up going to the police station the next morning.

The FBI found them themselves.

It was still extremely early, the cold morning air made Ilaria shiver as she dragged herself out of bed and away from Kai to answer the door.

It would've surprised any other person to find two federal agents in their doorway, Ilaria was still too tired to fully process the badges they held up.

She yawned and stepped aside to let them in "one second" she mumbled and went up to get Kai.

If she ought to have been embarrassed answering federal agents in clothes she'd fell asleep in and hair that could pass for a birds nest, she didn't know.

She shook a sleeping Kai who had been clutching onto a pillow and he groaned "no." he said "I'm tired."

"the FBI is downstairs." This made Kai sit bolt upright "like as we speak?" he asked rubbing at his eyes.

"As we speak." she answered and made her way to the bathroom, they couldn't leave the FBI waiting to shower but she wasn't about to go down there with morning breathe either.

Kai did the same, they brushed their teeth, washed their faces - in perfect sync and once they were done they made their way downstairs. Kai didn't bother changing out of his plaid pajamas and Ilaria simply pulled her clothing straight aswell as tied her curly hair into a ponytail.

They found the agents in Kai's lounge, one of them - the man sat down on the couch while the woman stood at the fireplace, hands crossed behind her back.

She sat down as Ilaria and Kai did. Ilaria analyzed the two agents infront of her, they both seemed pretty young to be federal agents, especially the man. He could easily be in his early 20s which was odd considering you were only accepted at the age of 24.

He was tall and lanky and quite fidgety in Ilarias opinion. The woman was the opposite, perfectly slender, her entire aura oozed confidence - rightly so, she was model level pretty. Something told Ilaria they weren't just co-workers. She wasn't sure that was allowed but she found they made an adorable couple, nevermind whatever rules were being broken.

They almost reminded her of her and Kai just older.

"I'm SSA Greenaway" she said and gestured to the man next to her "And this is Dr Reid, we're with the behavioral analysis unit."

It didn't slip for Ilaria that the womans introduction was directed at Ilaria only, she connected the dots in her brain, Kai's parents were profilers. It then struck her that these people knew Kai because they were in the very same team Kai's parents were.

Ilaria didn't introduce herself, they already knew. She only tilted her head at the man before her "Dr? Aren't you too young?"

"PhDs" he said "Three of them."

"How old are you?" Ilaria asked in a astonishment.

"24"

"So what, you're some sort of genius?"

"I don't think intellect can be narrowed down to one word but I do have an IQ of 187, an eiedetic memory and I can read 20 000 words per minute." The man spoke quickly, without an inch of pride - it was more matter of fact.

Ilaria smiled at him and nodded."So you're a genius?"

"yeah."

SSA Greenaway was watching Kai, who's demeanor was rigidly calm - but if Ilaria could see through his facade then an FBI profiler could.

"Good to see you again, Elle." Kai said using the woman's full name.

The woman flashed a smile "Sorry, it's just - you've grown alot."

Dr Reid next to her who had been quiet until then finally spoke up "statistically -"

"The average person grows about 8 centimeters a year." Kai finished the sentence for him "you taught me well enough remember?"

Dr Reid smiled and nodded. Ellen's eyes darted between Ilaria and Kai and then finally spoke once they fixated on Ilaria "It was brought to our attention that you two found those pictures in Michael's dorm."

Ilaria nodded and the lady went on "And that you broke into his dorm."

Ilaria shrugged, Kai grinned, SSA Greenaway tried hiding her smile, Dr Reid raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think that really matters right now" Ilaria said.

Greenaway nodded curtly "It doesn't. They found more things in Michael's dorm."

"so why are you here and not at the station?" Ilaria asked.

The agent infront of her grinned, she wasn't sure why but Ilaria smiled back anyway, she had a sort of contagious smile.

She suspected things weren't strictly professional due to their history with Kai and his parents. She was grateful of it because that made her calmer.

"We were also told that you suspect there's a second UnSub." Dr Reid cut in, pushing his brown hair out of his eyes "well not that you suspected specifically but it didn't take long for us to figure out Kai had something to do with it which then inevitably led us to you" he nodded at Ilaria.

Kai held up his hands "I just sit and look pretty, she does all the work" he joked and Ilaria jabbed him in the ribs with a roll of her eyes.

"he's lying"

"we know" The agents responded together.

"Michael admitted to his crimes." Agent Greenaway informed them "He has been oddly honest and co-operative but he denies having a partner - and everything so far doesn't point to one."

Dr Reid cut to the chase"We want to know everything you discovered from the start to the end and why you think there's a partner."

"isn't this wasting time" Ilaria asked.

"We have the best team waiting for us back at the station, they wouldn't miss us at all." Elle shrugged "besides, we got permission to come here. Your opinions might help alot. If there's anything you might know, we need to know."

So Kai and Ilaria recounted everything for the agents infront of them, Ilaria didn't mention her dream - whether that was because her suspicions about the cabin were miserably wrong or because she wanted to keep that tiny detail to herself - she didn't know.

After an hour or two had passed, Kai and Ilaria lead them out - agent Greenaway slipped her card in Ilarias hand "if there's anything at all you didn't mention don't hesitate to call me." she met Ilarias brown eyes and with a curt nod of her head she left, Dr Reid following suit after waving at them awkwardly.

Ilaria waved back and shut the door, she let out an exhausted sigh once they were back up in Kai's room."You think they believe there's a partner too?"

Kai rubbed at his forehead "Honestly, I have no idea."

Ilaria sat on his lap and searched his eyes "Are you okay? I can't imagine what memory's seeing them brought up"

"I'm okay, agent" he told her "I was just caught off guard, It never once crossed my mind that it would be the BAU to show up. Especially my parents team for that matter."

Ilaria rested her forehead against his "We'll be okay."

"We'll be okay" Kai repeated firmly.
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Hiii angels ❤️

Yall see my lil criminal minds crossover there? Sorry I couldn't help it 😭besides, I needed to feed my delusions about Elle and Reid okay?

What do you guys think of this chapter? Aswell as the one before this? What are your current thoughts? How do you think this will end?