Cassandra has never worked a case involving bombs before–not including the lightbulb ones that Clara was using, which she doesn't count. That had been more of a fire case than a bomb one.

While she had been trained in case of a bomb threat at both SVU and when joining the FBI, she's never actually seen one in action. She can't help but feel incompetent as she watches Morgan work, since he's got experience with ATF. That doesn't stop her from asking questions, or taking notes on everything they say.

"Pipe bombs." Gideon states, setting down one of the pictures. ATF is sending pictures of the bomb fragments as they find them.

"Packed in cardboard boxes." Morgan states, handing him more pictures to look through.

"Package bombs."

"Sent through the mail?"

"No. The other picture in your hand is of the switch that ATF found. Same mechanism for both bombs, mercury-activated."

"What does that mean?" Elle and Cassandra ask at the same time, sharing a grin.

"There are contacts to a detonator on either end of a bent tube full of mercury." Reid answers, showing them a picture of what he's referencing.

"What he means is all you have to do is tilt the package to detonate it." Morgan explains further, and Cassandra winces. That's a new fear unlocked.

"So they couldn't have sent it through the mail." Elle understands.

"They have to hand deliver the bombs. That makes it personal." Cassandra notes, moving to Reid's other side to get a better look at the pictures. "He has to plan ahead, make sure there aren't witnesses. He'd have to know their schedules too."

"Exactly." Morgan nods.

"Strange way to commit an act of terrorism." Hotch says. "Why go to all this trouble to kill just a few people?"

"There's a huge margin for error, too." Cassandra points out, frowning. "You said all someone has to do is tilt the package? Someone that isn't the target could do that easily. I mean, I lived with a group of people in Seattle, and if I had been sent one of these I guarantee one of them would've found it first."

It's just another thing that suggests the unsub knows the victims' schedules: Cassandra doesn't want to consider the other option, which is that he plants them randomly.

"Let's recommend not raising the terror alert level for now." Gideon states. "No reason to spread panic."

"We got news." JJ walks into the room, turning on the TV. "This is just a local channel, but the coverage is everywhere now–CNN, FOX, MSNBC, AL-Jazeera, you name it."

"So much for not spreading panic." Hotch notes wryly.

"According to doctors, he's badly injured, but in stable condition in the ICU." The reporter is saying, standing in front of a car and a row of houses. Police and firefighters are seen in the background. "Now, neighbors say that they heard a blast at about 10:30 this morning, and police arrived . . ."

"If DHS doesn't raise the terror alert now, they'll look weak." Gideon points out.

"Make sure Homeland Security knows that this is everywhere." Hotch tells JJ, who nods and moves to leave. Before she can, a bomb goes off behind the reporter, who screams and jumps. She starts asking if everyone is alright and if they need help, and Cassandra makes a mental note to look up this reporter later. She seems genuine, which can unfortunately be rare in that field.

"Looks like we're going to Palm Beach. Let's meet at the airstrip in 20." Hotch decides.

Morgan stays behind, stating that he can help with the bomb fragments, but they all know that he doesn't want to be out in the field with Gideon while bombings occur. While he's mostly been quiet about his feelings on Gideon's PTSD, there are moments where it becomes clear that he doesn't trust him, and this is one of them.

Stupidly, Cassandra feels a little off-kilter going on a case without him, and she doesn't like that at all.

"Bombing's occurred within three miles of each other." Hotch tells them, walking down the aisle until he reaches his seat across from Gideon. "First victim was a 74-year-old widow, Barbara Keller." He gives them a picture of her, smiling in a wheelchair, and sadness floods Cassandra. She doesn't understand how anyone could target someone like that. "Two hours after that, Clurman got hit in his driveway, and 45 minutes later . . . well, we all saw that. Jill Swenson, 34-year-old housewife who lived across the street from Clurman. Of the three, only Clurman survived."

JJ slips into the seat across from Cassandra, passing her a coffee. Cassandra thanks her, smiling into her first sip: it's exactly how she likes it, with a ridiculous amount of cream and sugar. How did she know that?

"Is there any connection between the victims?" Reid asks, and Hotch turns to face them.

"One." Hotch answers. "Uh, Clurman was a partner in a $10-million condo development deal in which Keller was an investor, and a few weeks ago, the whole deal went bust."

"Went bust how?" Elle questions.

"Geologists discovered that the land was on methane, the condo's never got built, the land became worthless, and Clurman lost a lot of people a lot of money."

Well, that's a clear motive if Cassandra has ever heard one.

"So maybe one of them was mad enough to take aim at Clurman." Reid follows her thoughts.

"Oh, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Gideon protests. "It's a little too early to theorize about motive."

Reid frowns, and Cassandra doesn't like the way he sinks back in his seat. They all respect Gideon, but Reid is really proud to be his mentee.

"I think it's a good idea to have Garcia make a list of the people he burned in that deal, at least." She points out, pulling out her phone and texting her favorite tech girl. She receives a series of emojis in response, but two of them are a thumbs up and a list, so she takes it as an affirmative. She needs to buy that woman a gift basket or something, god knows she earns it every case.

"Where do we start?" Elle asks.

"From the beginning." Gideon answers. "What do we know about bombers?"

"Mostly male, loners, history of criminal activity." Reid answers. "About 50% of all bombings are actually the product of vandalism."

"And more often than not, bombers end up accidentally blowing themselves up, so the first suspects you always look for in a bombing case are the victims." Hotch adds.

"Clurman was the only male." Elle notes. "Losing a large business deal like that could be a powerful stressor."

"Well, then there's the crime scene." Gideon pushes them along. "Clurman was the only victim who didn't get hit at his door. Why? What was different about this one?"

Cassandra feels tense when they arrive at the crime scene, despite bomb squad having cleared the area. Two bombings on one street is a lot of damage.

"Before Clurman passed out, what he told cops at the time was that he saw the package sitting on the stoop outside his kitchen door." Hotch tells them, examining the car that fell victim to the bombing.

"Why didn't he take it in?" Elle asks.

"Why didn't it go off until he got to his car?" Reid asks his own question. "That's like 50 feet away."

"Joe Reese, one of Clurman's investors, was here before the bomb went off. Cops have ruled him out as a suspect but he says he saw Clurman get in the car with the package."

"So maybe Clurman wasn't receiving a bomb at all. Maybe he was on his way to delivering one." Elle suggests.

"But he drops it or tilts it, and it goes off by accident." Reid continues, while Cassandra sighs, pushing her sunglasses down as she stands back up, having been examining the driver's side of the car.

"I'd like to talk to Clurman." Gideon decides. "In the meantime, let's get a warrant to search his house."

Cassandra is sent with Gideon and Reid to the hospital that Clurman is currently in while Hotch and Elle search his house. JJ is on her way to the station, where she'll inevitably take charge the way she does.

"What can you tell us about the package, Mr. Clurman?" Gideon asks gently, while Cassandra keeps an eye on his monitor. When she'd entered the hospital, someone had been coding, and it had taken all of her restraint to not run over and help. She feels like there's an itch under her skin, being in a hospital but not practicing medicine. That feeling has never gone away, no matter how many times she's visited victims in the hospital–which, when working sex crimes, was frequent.

"I thought I knew what it was." Clurman tells them sluggishly. He's on a heavy dose of painkillers, considering that he'd experienced a traumatic amputation. "Pot for an orchid. I collect them. I ordered the pot through the mail."

"Why didn't you take it inside?"

"It was for my office. I was going there anyway. Thought I'd take it with me. That's the last thing I remember."

"You had an argument with Joe Reese. Do you remember that?"

"Joe was there?"

"He was angry. He accused you of blowing him off. Any reason he'd want to hurt you?"

"Joe? No." Clurman says instantly. "I mean, he's a confrontational guy, but if he wanted to kill me, he'd just beat me to death."

Gideon gives him a smile just as Clurman grunts in pain.

"A lot of people were angry about that deal falling apart and they were angry at you. How does that make you feel?"

"I felt awful." Clurman says, and it's obviously true, his eyes showing how hurt he is. "I thought those condos would make a lot of money for a lot of people, myself included. I thought that geologist was legit. He didn't even take samples. He scammed us. All those investors who lost their money . . . Barbara."

"Barbara Keller? What about her?"

"It's just such a shame. Such a nice lady, you know? It was such an easy sale. Sometimes I felt like I took advantage of her because she was old and lonely. Now she's dead. Oh, I feel terrible. Ow!"

"What is it?" Gideon asks him, but Cassandra has a feeling she knows, and sure enough, it's phantom limb pain. How many times had she seen Arizona go through the same thing, after her leg was amputated after the crash?

"I'll get you some help." Gideon says softly, but Cassandra stays where she is, grabbing a post-it note from the side table and writing down some pain management options: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, mirror therapy, massage therapy and acupuncture.

"Here." She says softly, setting the note back on the side table. "I would talk to your doctor about these when you can. I'm sorry that you're going through this, but there are resources available to help you."

Hopefully he won't be as resistant to them as Arizona was in the beginning.

"Have you seen that before?" Reid asks after they've left his room, and Cassandra hums. He'd watched her write the note, looking curious.

"Yeah. I spent a lot of time in my hospital's E.R., and we had quite a few amputations." She answers. "A lot of people don't think that phantom pain is real, but it is. 60-80% of amputees experience phantom limb pain. There's still a lot of stigma around it, and a lot of the time patients will deny the pain until it becomes debilitating."

"Do you have an article on it?" He asks, intrigued, and she smiles.

"Even better. I have books." She tells him. "I can lend them to you, if you'd like."

"Please." He says quickly, smiling back at her.

"You got it, Dr. Reid. Don't let me forget!"

"I can't forget, so don't worry." He says, ducking his head to hide his smile.

"What do you think? Is he our unsub?" Gideon asks them as soon as they meet him in the lobby, and the two of them instantly shake their heads.

"No. He was too coherent." Reid answers, and Cassandra nods, agreeing with him.

"Also, the way he spoke about Barbara . . . that level of empathy and heartbreak isn't something someone can fake." Cassandra points out. He'd been truly upset at the loss, and he'd spoken about her as if her life mattered.

"Good." Gideon approves, calling Hotch and telling him just that.

"Not to mention he has a hobby unrelated to bomb-making." Reid chips in, all of them walking out of the hospital.

"This is nothing like a typical bomber profile."

"Morgan emailed these over." Hotch tells them when they arrive at the station. "The three on the left are the bombs from yesterday. The one on the right's from the evidence room at Quantico."

Morgan had been piecing the bomb fragments back together, looking for the unsub's signature. Apparently he found it and was able to connect it back to a bomber they've already caught.

"They're all identical." Reid observes. "Made with steel reinforcement rods."

"Adrian Bale." Gideon states, and Cassandra freezes.

She'd looked up the case after her first day, and found an article in the Boston Sentinel titled "Shrapnel Blast Kills Six." Bale was the mastermind behind it, tricking Gideon into sending six agents into their deaths.

Morgan must feel vindicated in staying behind.

"Who?" Morrison, the detective leading the case, asks.

"He held our agents in a standoff in Boston last year." Hotch answers quickly. "He took out six agents and a hostage with one of his bombs."

"So you're thinking he's behind this?" Elle asks while Gideon backs away from the computer. Morrison looks overwhelmed by the answer to his question, likely worried about how much worse this case could get.

"Possibly, but he's in prison." Reid tells them. "He's got kind of a cult following, like Charles Manson. It could just be a copycat."

"There's one way to find out." Morrison suggests. "Let's put the screws to this guy."

Gideon sits down, uncapping a water bottle and drinking quickly. Cassandra feels for him: the last thing anyone wants is to be reminded of their trauma.

"No, no, no. Bale's too smart." Gideon protests. "If we want information from him, we have to handle him carefully. Even then you have to assume that road will lead nowhere."

"You're saying the connection to Bale doesn't help us at all?" Morrison questions.

"No. I'm just saying let us handle Bale."

"Look, we just heard from local Texas PD. You were right about Clurman's nephew." Morrison tells them, referring to the small bomb kit they'd found while searching Clurman's house. Elle had been the one to find a picture of the nephew, pointing out that little kids like blowing things up. "He admitted the bomb stuff was his, which is great for the Clurman's, but it leaves us with zero suspects. So what do you suggest my men do now?"

"Proceed from the profile." Gideon tells him.

"I didn't know we had a profile."

"Gather your men." Hotch tells him, knowing that it's time to present what they have.

"How we doin'?" JJ asks them a few hours later, joining Hotch, Elle and Cassandra. She smiles at them, looking gorgeous as ever in a green long sleeve shirt and black pencil skirt, her phone permanently attached to her hand.

They've divided up the victims between the three of them, trying to figure out why they were targeted. Elle has Barbara, Hotch has Clurman, and Cassandra has Jill Swenson, the woman who lived across the street from Clurman. So far, that's the only connection she's been able to make.

"Frustrated." Elle answers with a sigh. "I can't see why anyone would want to kill a little old lady who collects cats and coins."

"Unless somebody wanted the coins." Hotch suggests. "I spent a good chunk of my childhood looking for a 1944 penny worth thousands. Yes, I was a little bit of a nerd. Is that so surprising?"

"Not to me." Elle says, sharing a smile with JJ when he turns back to his notes. The phone rings then, and Hotch is quick to answer.

"I just got the lab results from the powder residues on the bombs." Morgan tells them over the phone. "Ammonia nitrate, Potassium chloride, and aluminum powder. Nobody uses that mixture, Hotch."

"Nobody but Bale."

"That's right. And the closer I look at these things, the more they're the same. Same weld pattern, same switch assembly, same thread sizing. It's weird, man. This guy's not building bombs, he's forging them. That's the other reason I'm calling you. Bale wrote addresses on his packages in block letters with blue ink. I'm thinking our guy's doing the same."

"Okay. I'll set up a press conference, make sure the public knows." JJ is on top of it instantly.

"Thanks, Morgan." Hotch hangs up the desktop phone, only for his cell phone to ring immediately after. "Excuse me."

Morgan and JJ save multiple lives with the information about the appearance of the package. The next would-be-victim had watched JJ's press conference, and stopped her daughter from walking after she'd picked up the package delivered to her. ATF is able to safely transfer the package away from the little girl.

Gideon visits Bale in prison, with Reid tagging along and staying behind to monitor his communication out of prison, hoping that he'll reach out to the unsub after Gideon leaves. He discovers that Bale has been sneaking onto the internet, and even has an email account that he's not supposed to, and Garcia sends him a virus that lets her see everything he does while online.

In the meantime, Elle has a theory that someone was selling Barbara fake coins, since she was having a hard time insuring them: the insurance company thought they were fake. She had an appointment scheduled with David Walker, a coin dealer. She brings Cassandra with her to interview him, where they're quickly let inside by his wife.

"Personally, I couldn't think of anything more boring than coins and old papers." She tells them as she leads them out back to the garage. "Are you two single?"

"Yeah." They both answer, sharing amused looks as they follow her down the path.

"I have a word of advice: don't marry the first guy that proposes. I wanted a pool table back there, but David insisted on making it his workshop. Oh, what's he up to now?" She complains, as a car starts up in the garage just as they get to the front of it. Elle's phone rings, and she steps aside to fish it out of her purse.

"I hope he's not committing suicide." Mrs. Walker sighs. "I won't be able to collect life insurance."

Cassandra has no idea what to say to that.

"Get out of the way!" Elle shouts from behind them, and Cassandra instinctively follows the order just as the garage door opens and Walker drives out, hitting his wife and sending her flying back into the driveway. Cassandra rushes to help her, her heart racing, while Elle shoots at Walker. It doesn't work, and he peels away.

"Don't move!" She rushes out as she drops down next to Mrs. Walker. "Elle, call 9-1-1!"

The poor woman is hysterical, constantly trying to move while Cassandra holds her down, not wanting her to cause further damage to herself. She's grateful when the paramedics arrive, and she helps them transfer her to a gurney, where she's examined properly.

"Are you alright?" Hotch rushes over, zeroing in on the red mark on her arm. She's wearing a sleeveless blouse, a move she now regrets since she'd had no protection against the pavement.

"I'm fine. I dropped to the ground when Elle shouted. Thanks for the heads up." She jokes, giving him a smile. He'd been the one to call Elle.

"Thank Reid. He found out that Walker was communicating with Bale." Hotch explains, looking back as they load Mrs. Walker into the ambulance, his face twisted in disgust over her husband's actions. "Guys a real peach. Morrison's got a county-wide search out for the car. Uniforms are gonna try and figure out where his haunts are, and ATF should be here any minute. Did you hit your head at all?"

"No, I promise I'm okay." She assures him, grateful for the concern. "Mrs. Walker got the worst of it. I completely understand her complaints about her marriage now. Speaking of, she said that he spent most of his time in his garage, so we should get a lot of information from it. Elle is there right now. I wanted to make sure Mrs. Walker was transported okay."

She already plans on sending the poor woman some flowers. No one should be treated the way she was, especially not by the person who's supposed to love you the most.

"Let's check it out."

"Elle, are you okay?" Hotch checks as soon as they're through the door, where Elle is examining something on a table. She nods, distracted as she gestures to a machine, asking what it is.

"I've seen these. It's for electroplating." Hotch explains, leaning down to get a closer look. "Look at the date on the coin."

"It's half gone."

"He was using this to build up the metal so he could change the date on the coins." Hotch tilts the coin, and Cassandra shakes her head in disbelief. Scammers put a lot of work into hurting people.

"Elle, you were right." She acknowledges, because this did directly relate to Barbara's coin collecting.

"Look over here." One of the cops calls out to them, looking at one of the walls. "Check this out."

Walker has a corkboard with news clippings about Bale on them. On one of them, titled "Bale Main Suspect in Bomb Making," he circled the name Bale and wrote 'the Best.' To the left is an article titled "Another Bomb Rips Through Boston Suburb."

"'The best.' So this is why he chose to use Bale's design." Hotch realizes.

"He idolized him."

"He was working on something." Elle lifts up a sheet underneath the corkboad, unveiling supplies for bombs. The very same supplies that Bale famously used.

"Make sure Morrison tells your officers that this guy is smart, dangerous, and he has absolutely nothing to lose." Hotch tells the officer, who quickly nods his head.

"So far, nothing from the search." Morrison tells them when they make it back to the station.

"What do we know about Walker?" Gideon asks.

"He's a quiet career criminal." Morrison answers immediately. "Spent four years in prison for a series of forged checks when he was in his early 20s. He's now 46. For the past 18 years, he owned a store which sold coins, maps, and historical documents. We raided the place as soon as you gave us Walker's name. Most of his inventory was fake, forgeries valued in the millions."

"But the walls had started to close in on him." Hotch interrupts. "We talked to some of his clients, and he was in debt up to his ears and promising stuff he didn't have time to forge."

"Then Barbara Keller found out that the coins he had sold her were fake." Elle continues. "She threatened to out him."

"And if she had, all the forgeries would have been discovered." Hotch says. "He would have done 20 years."

"So he had to shut her up?" Gideon asks. "He planted all those bombs just to kill one little old lady?"

"Yeah, and to throw us off, he made it look like it was much bigger than it was."

"You hear me? I said stop now!" An officer shouts from behind them, instantly getting all of their attention. A man has walked into the station, trembling, with a collar wrapped around his neck.

"Please . . . help me." He begs, opening his jacket to show the bomb strapped to his chest, part of it wrapped around his neck. Instantly, the officers around them pull their weapons, although the BAU does not.

"Everyone back, now." Morrison orders. "We need bomb squad in here."

"Please." He begs again, terrified. Gideon holds up a hand to Morrison. "It's not me."

"Don't come any closer." Morrison orders when he takes a step forward. "Put your hands up and walk slowly back out."

"I can't! He'll kill me."

"Who will?" Gideon asks.

"I don't know. He held a gun to me, put this on me. He said . . . you'll know who he is."

"What does he want?" Gideon asks, taking a step closer.

"A helicopter. A passport. He's watching. Once he gets what he wants, he's got instructions to defuse the bomb."

"Walker's close by." Gideon tells Morrison, who nods.

"Let's get snipers around the perimeter." Morrison orders, still aiming his gun at the man. One of the surrounding officers radios in the order.

"We understand and we're not gonna leave you." Gideon promises, stepping closer.

"Please . . . take it off."

"We need to figure out how the bomb's put together first." Gideon explains gently.

"Tracy, you're in." Morrison orders, and Tracy carefully takes pictures of the bomb. The man whimpers every time the flash goes off, sweat dripping down his face.

"This is a really sophisticated device." Tracy explains as he shows them the pictures he'd taken. "It looks like it was probably made by a master bomb maker, which means tampering with any part of it could set it off."

"So there's no way to just cut the whole thing off him?" Hotch checks, looking out into the room they've put him in.

"Not without cutting these wires." Tracy finds the picture showing the wires around the collar. "See how they're threaded all around the collar? They could be booby trapped, or there could be a hidden secondary trigger."

"How do we find out?" Morrison asks.

"Without knowing how this thing's put together, it's gonna take a while." Tracy sighs. "I'll have to X-ray it, try to figure out which are the real triggers, but . . . I don't think there's enough time."

"Is there a timer?" Cassandra asks, her heart dropping when he nods.

"We've only got about 3 hours left."

"I don't get it." Elle sighs, shaking her head. "If this guy's a hostage, then why hasn't Walker tried to negotiate with us?"

They have him isolated in a cell with Tracy.

"Maybe he's scared or maybe he hasn't figured out what his next move is yet."

"We have a beat on Walker." Morrison tells them, hanging up the phone. "Sniper spotted him in his scope. He's sitting in an office building across the street. It looks like a storage room with a small window facing us."

"We could surprise him." Elle suggests.

"That's a good idea. If he feels cornered, he might give himself up." Hotch agrees.

"Why do you say that?" Morrison wonders, shocked.

"Because bombers are generally cowards." Hotch responds. "I'll take a team in and we'll go through the back of the building."

"Hold on, is anyone else suspicious of this?" Cassandra asks, frowning. "I mean, no one's been able to find him, and now he's spotted right across from us. That feels too easy."

"He wants to be found." Hotch answers.

"Why?" Elle asks, looking just as uncertain as Cassandra feels.

"To negotiate. Are you with me?"

"Yes." Cassandra answers, ignoring her doubts. This is what she signed up for, after all. He nods, leading the way.

"Remember, we take Walker alive." Hotch reminds his team when they're outside of Walker's hiding spot. "Walker's the only one who can diffuse the necklace bomb. Everybody ready?"

"Yes, sir." They corrus, and Cassandra pulls out one of her guns, leading the way up the stairs.

"We're entering the building." Hotch tells Gideon through his headset. However he responds, none of them can hear it. "Copy that."

There's six of them, and they quickly reach the door of the room Walker was seen in. Hotch relays that information to Gideon quietly. When they reach room 324-C, Hotch nods for Elle and her to each take one side while he remains to the side, able to see through a different angle than them.

Cassandra is on the right side of the door, so she carefully twists the doorknob when Hotch gives her the signal, swinging the door open. Elle looks in, shaking her head slightly, not seeing Walker. Hotch silently passes over a tactical mirror, which Cassandra lengthens and slowly angles around. The room is filled with boxes upon boxes, and she silently closes the mirror and slides it into her blazer pocket.

"David Walker, federal agents." Hotch announces their presence, his voice carrying through the hallway. "Federal agents!"

They get no response, and he mouths to them, starting a countdown from three. At one, Cassandra and Elle quickly enter the room, and she can feel Hotch following closely behind. Elle takes one side, while Hotch and Cassandra take the other, their guns pointed directly at Walker who ducks down when he sees them.

"Freeze!"

"Walker, freeze!"

"Okay! Please, don't shoot." He pleads while Cassandra takes a step forward, trying to get a better angle. He's ducked under one of the shelves, and every second that they can't see him has her anxiety peaking.

"Show yourself." Hotch orders. "Show yourself! I'll shoot up the whole room!"

"Okay!" Walker slowly inches up, revealing his forehead and eyes. For all the fear in his voice, Cassandra doesn't see any in his eyes, and it has her finger twitching on her trigger.

"Put your hands where I can see them." Hotch commands.

"I can't do that."

"Then I'll shoot."

"My hand's on the remote." Walker tells them. "I told you what I want. The passport, the helicopter, the flight!"

"Walker, listen to me. You're at the top of the FBI's most wanted list. I think you're smart enough to realize there's no way we're letting you go. But here's my counter offer: a chance to get out of here alive. All you have to do is give yourself up. Just slide the gun across the floor. You have until 3. One . . ."

"You wouldn't let the hostage die!"

"You wanna find out? Don't give yourself up. Two!"

"Okay! Okay!" He bends down, sliding the gun across the floor, and Cassandra quickly kicks it behind her. "I'm coming out. Don't shoot."

"Now walk slowly toward me!" Hotch orders, nodding to Cassandra, who prepares to handcuff him. "Let me see your hands, Walker!"

Just as Cassandra is about to step forward, Hotch pulls her back, suddenly shouting for everyone to go. Cassandra doesn't question him, and as soon as he's let go of her shoulder she's rushing down the hall and down the stairs with the others. She can see Elle in front of her, and Hotch is right behind her, the others having already made it down the stairs since they were waiting out in the hallway.

Walker sets off the bomb just as Cassandra and Hotch turn the corner, debris flying out as they press themselves up against the wall. Her legs are shaking, adrenaline running through her, and it's only thanks to Hotch that she's able to start moving again.

"What made you change your mind?" She asks, panting as they finally make it out of the building.

"It wasn't me. It was Gideon." Hotch explains, looking over all of them, relieved when they're all free of injury. That could've been so much worse. Blast kills six worse. Cassandra is beyond grateful that history didn't just repeat itself.

Back at the station, Gideon explains that Morgan had called while they were in the building, reading off an email Bale had sent Walker. My only regret is giving myself up and for what? To be stuck in a cage the rest of my life. Don't make my mistake. If they catch you, whatever you do, don't let them keep you. This had caused Gideon to reevaluate the profile, with Walker as a forger, not a bomber.

The answer that they couldn't see, too busy focusing on the bombings even after they acknowledged that the bombings were a distraction.

Cassandra owes Derek Morgan her life.

With Walker dead, their only chance of getting the bomb off that poor man lies in Bale's hands. Gideon and Hotch bring him to the station, working out a deal with him, and they all watch as Tracy deactivates pieces of the bomb until only the wires are left.

"Okay, I've isolated the wires connected to the actual device. We've got one shot at this. It's either the blue wire or the red wire."

"Which do we cut, Bale?" Gideon asks him, while Cassandra keeps an eye on them from behind them, standing with Elle. She hates every part of this, and can only hope that Gideon knows what he's doing. Otherwise, they're all dying with this man.

They have forty seconds left.

"Red or blue?"

"Red." Bale answers, exhaling. He's relaxed, calm, confident. Cassandra doesn't trust him at all.

"You know that if you're lying and this thing goes boom, you get nothing, right?" Gideon reminds him, turning to face him.

"Yes."

"If we cut the red, it's over?"

He nods.

"You get to spend your time in a cushy asylum: bushes, trees, visits, nurses. We get this man out of here alive."

"I don't see how I can be any clearer." Bale drawls.

"Seventeen seconds!"

"Red wire, right?"

"Yes."

"Cut the blue." Gideon orders.

"Are you sure?" Tracy asks, hesitating.

"Do it."

Cassandra holds her breath as he cuts the blue wire, right at the three second mark, and her shoulders sink in relief when nothing happens except the timer turning off. If she told her past self that she'd ever be put in a position where she'd narrowly avoid exploding twice in two hours, she wouldn't believe her. It's crazy how life changes.

"Alright. Shouldn't take long to cut this thing off now."

Hotch manhandles Bale out of the room, while the man still connected to the bomb sobs out his thanks to Gideon, who looks lighter for not letting Bale trick him twice.

"How'd you know?" Elle asks him.

"He told me." Gideon breathes out, still watching as they cut through the bomb. "He said given the opportunity of pressing that button, he'd have no choice. All I did was take his word for it." He laughs then, and Cassandra realizes it's the first time she's seen him so happy.

Cassandra goes back and forth about it, but she forces herself not to back out, nerves hitting her as soon as they get off the jet at Quantico. She lets the others walk ahead of her, moving to their cars to get home as soon as possible, and she almost joins them. The thought of that empty apartment forces her into the building.

He might not even be here, she thinks, unsure if she wants him to be or not.

Of course, he's gathering up his belongings at their desks, and he turns and grins at her when she walks over to him.

"You didn't rush home?" He teases her, eyes widening when she pulls him into a hug, surprising even herself. "Woah. You okay?"

"Yeah." Cassandra forces herself to pull back, not wanting to make this any weirder than it already is. She's so out of practice on having friends, it's ridiculous. "Thanks to you."

"Oh, you're so welcome." Morgan jokes, turning his computer off. "You come all the way in here just to hug me? Not that I'm complaining, but–"

"I actually wanted to see if you'd want to get something to eat." Cassandra forces out, not meeting his eyes. "You know, as a thank you. And a sorry for brushing you off every time you've asked."

"Hey, don't sweat it." Morgan chuckles, warm as always. He's been so kind to her, even though she's been brushing him off every time he tries getting to know her better. "You don't have to thank me for doing our jobs, or apologize for not wanting to hang out after work. I get it."

"I still want to buy you a meal." Cassandra tells him, meaning it. It's less scary now that she's in front of him. "If you want."

"I mean, I'd be a fool to turn down a free meal." He laughs, grabbing his bag. "If you didn't have a place in mind, I know a diner pretty close by."

"Honestly, I know the way to three places here, and one of them is this building." She admits sheepishly, getting a scandalized gasp from him as he leads her out of the building.

"You haven't explored at all? Oh, we have to fix that."

In the short time it takes for Derek to drive them a few blocks, Cassandra is completely relaxed. Derek is so charming and easy to be around, and Cassandra thinks that picking him for this first step was the best decision she could've made. It's terrifying, and she's not about to disclose all of her secrets, but she can't stay completely closed off and expect them to trust her fully in the field. It'll be easier for everyone if she tries to get out of her bubble every once in a while.

She plans on staying, after all.

authors note

my girl is so funny being all "i don't want to make friends" while she's constantly being friendly with the bau. (keep in mind that it's not a day between episodes, more like days to weeks. so they have days just being in the office.) like babe you've known these people for a few weeks and are in danger with them fairly often. you're gonna bond.

anyway we stan derek morgan in this household. the writers didn't get him all the time but I DO. anyway i'm excited to explore that friendship a little more. cassandra found out he saved her life and went "sigh. guess i owe him a burger 🙄" like she's at all upset to spend more time around him.

also hotch is such a dad and i adore him. he loves his team so much 😭😭😭

anyway im VERY excited for the fifth episode of this season so im gonna try and write quickly. i have plans!!