Nature of the Game by shinealightonme (PG-13)

[jerico-cacaw.livejournal.com]

I had to double post today because, after saying there are two main ways to do the main-character-is-a-serial-killer on Criminal Minds fanfiction, I only gave an example for one of them. This is an example for the other, as well as kind of a classic in fandom.

Fandom: CRIMINAL MINDS
Pairing: Emily Prentiss, Aaron Hotchner, gen
Length: ~8,600
Author on LJ: shinealightonme
Author Website: Criminal Minds stories at the AO3 and sticky post at LJ
Why this must be read:

Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner is a character that canon has shown us can be broken. Unlike the story in the previous post, this story doesn't show us how the break happens, but takes us to a time after all has happened. We meet a Hotch similar to canon Hotch, one who's never been part of the BAU but who's still very recognizable. This time, the focus is not on the good-character-turned-bad but on the agent interviewing him, a rookie Emily Prentiss. Via their conversations we actually discover more about the (not present) team than about the circumstances that lead to Hotch becoming a killer, which cleverly proves that, despite never being a profiler, he will always be BAU material.

Warning: secondary character's death.

Nature of the Game