A week had passed and still no response from Hotch. No word from Elle either. In the back of Marjorie's mind, she knew it wasn't over, but she tried to ignore that thought. She wanted to move on.

The past year of her life had been chaotic to say the least, and she was ready to slow down. She thought she might finally be getting that. At least until she heard the elevator ding followed by a familiar red tie out of the corner of her eye. Looking up, there was Aaron Hotchner in the flesh. He approached her desk hastily.

"Could I borrow you?" He asked.

Marjorie hesitated in confusion, "Um... I have to check with my boss—"

"I already spoke with her."

"Oh... okay."

He gestured with his head back towards the elevators, "We'll walk and talk. I have to be on the Jet in 10." Then he set off. Marjorie scrambled out of her chair to follow him, grabbing her purse.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Elle had a mandatory psych evaluation this morning. She never showed up," Hotch explained as he pressed the down button outside the elevator.

Marjorie scoffed, "So you did get my voicemail."

"Sorry for not calling back. I've had a lot on my plate."

"Mhm," The woman nodded as they stepped into the elevator.

"Listen, we have a case in Texas—small children being murdered. Elle has been MIA since I met with her yesterday about her status in the bureau. I would go track her down myself, but given the urgency of our case, I feel like I should be there. Plus, we both know she'd respond much better to you being the one to do it."

"Do what exactly? You want me to follow her? As in stalk her? Agent Hotchner, I don't think that's a very good idea—"

"I'm asking you to find her, not follow her. And I know I'm not you're boss, so you don't have to listen to me.... but it would mean a lot to me. We both care about her. Please help me with this."

"I don't know, Hotch."

"I'll do it myself if you don't, but I really think it'd be better otherwise."

She sighed as the doors opened "Fine, but I'm doing this for her, not you."

They stepped out, "Thank you. I can't express how grateful I am. I'll owe you a favor."

"Yes, you will," then they parted ways—Hotch towards the airstrip and Marjorie towards the parking lot.

The thought of what she was about to do made her sick. But she'd already agreed. Plus, she too was still concerned about the brunette.

——————

Her first stop was to camp out down her friend's block. She saw the woman come outside and walk towards her car—not answering the phone when Marjorie called her. Then Elle drove away.

Trying to be discreet, Marjorie followed. They ended up in a cemetery, the one Elle's father was buried in. The brunette woman stood over the familiar headstone as her old friend walk up.

"I'm sorry, dad," Marjorie heard her say. Then she called out, "Did Hotch put you up to this? Or are you here on your own accord?"

The blonde woman sighed, stepping closer, "Half and half." She was met with silence. "What's going on?" She asked gently, "Elle, I'm listening."

Exhaling slowly, the profiler turned around to face the blonde. "I just... I really wanted to be apart of that team."

"You are. Elle, they all still care—"

"But when I needed the team, I was all alone. I was alone and scared in the one place I have a right to feel safe and that's my home. Just like those women back in Ohio—from the case—had a right to feel safe in their homes."

"You're right," Marjorie went and stood directly beside Elle now. "You and them had a right. It was taken from you. But... does that justify what you did?"

She scoffed, "I knew you didn't believe me."

"I want to believe you. Seriously, I do. But Elle, I've known you for a long time. I know you're hiding something."

"What is it then? What am I hiding? What do you think happened that night?"

Marjorie sighed, "I don't know. And I hate that I don't know because I want to be able to help you. That's all I've ever wanted—to help my family. You are my family, Elle. So please... just tell me what really happened in Ohio."

"Why are you so adamant that I'm lying?"

"Other than you're behavior and context clues, I found you here. Are you confessing your sins to someone you know won't tell?"

Another scoff, "You really are BAU bound, aren't you?"

"Elle, I mean it. You need to tell the truth to someone. Hotch doesn't have any evidence against you. I'm sure arrest you in an instant if he did. If you tell me the truth, maybe I can help you minimize the aftermath of it."

"So you saying, I confess to you—in the situation where I have something to confess—and you run off and tell my Unit Chief."

"Tell him yourself, then! I don't know! But Elle, you know he will not rest."

The blonde reached out and grabbed the woman's hand, squeezing it. They looked into the other's eyes—Elle's welling with tears.

"I can't do it, Marj," The brunette's voice cracked, prompting Marjorie to pull her into an embrace.

"Yes, you can."

"He won't understand. I- I was just so overwhelmed and angry. I—"

"Shh shh, I know. It's okay."

Marjorie rubbed Elle's back softly, somewhat shocked at the woman's words. It wasn't a full confession, but it was somewhere along those lines.

"I'll tell Hotch everything when they get back. I promise," they broke the hug, still holding each other's hands.

The blonde woman nodded, "I'm proud of you."

Then, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Marjorie drove back to headquarters contented with herself. Maybe life could finally feel peaceful again.

——————

The next afternoon, Marjorie was doing her typical paperwork when her phone buzzed. Looking at the message, she saw Hotch's name appear.

Come to my office when you can. We need to talk.

She assumed Elle had finally confessed. After finding a stopping point, she made her way down several floors to get to the BAU. She didn't see Elle in the bullpen or anywhere else for that matter. Most of the team seemed to have gone straight home after the case.

Making her way into Hotch's office, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What's happening?"

"Have a seat," he told her without looking up from his file. She did as she was told and waited patiently for him to be ready. Finally, he looked up. "Agent Greenaway turned in her badge and gun 30 minutes ago. She resigned."

Marjorie's lips parted in shock. A thick ball of nausea swirled in her stomach. "What?" She asked in disbelief.

"I assume your reaction means she didn't tell you what she was planning."

"No, I... I thought that—"

"You thought what?" He inquired.

Freezing, Marjorie swallowed. She couldn't just drop the bomb that Elle had half-confessed to murder. Especially with her MIA again. But would it be a crime to lie? Probably. She knew the longer she took to answer, the more suspicious she would look.

Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth to speak, "I thought that... I would have been able to see this coming. That's all."

"You're sure?"

"Mhm."

"Well... when she turned everything in, she said to me: This is not an admission of guilt. Then she proceeded to explain why she was doing it. Honestly, I feel bad for her despite everything."

"For as long as I've known Elle, I've never heard of her being one to walk away. I guess I underestimated how much a trauma can change someone."

Hotch nodded, "Agent Sloan... there is one request Elle made before she left."

"You're willing to grant her a request?"

"That's up to you." Marjorie grew confused for the second time. "Sloan, Elle left the BAU with only one wish..." He paused, seemingly hesitant about the information he was about to reveal.

"Which was what?"

"Elle's final request was that you... fill her spot as a profiler of the BAU."

———
(word count: 1397)

hey!! hope u enjoyed!! I know I've been focusing on Elle a lot but this friendship and it's ending is important for the foundation of the story and character arcs.

real romance won't start between Marjorie and Hotch until act two since he's still married and my girl Marj ain't no home wrecker.

ANYWAY thanks for reading

YAY MARJORIE BECOMING A PROFILER

much love,
Chloe <3