"What happens in the past, is in the past. But don't be surprised if it comes back and haunts you"
-Nicholas Sparks-

tw: sexual assault mentioned/written

"Hey, here" Maya says as she walks up to Derek, handing him a cup of coffee. "I'm about to give a lecture, don't think I have time for coffee" Derek jokes before he takes a sip of the coffee. "Yeah, but the lady gave me two when I asked for one and I was too afraid to give it back so... you can have it or throw it out" Maya explains as she rests one of her hands in her back pocket.

"You sure you don't want to give this lecture with us? I know you read a lot about the case" Derek asks, referring to a case that happened about 20 years ago. "No, I'm not good with crowds and I rather sit down anyway" Maya says, not wanting to get up on stage and speak about a case to a class full of college students.

Rossi brought the team to a college so he could give a lecture about the science of criminal profiling. The team wanted to go but they also volunteered to help him do the lecture so he wasn't up there alone. Maya, on the other hand, decided to back out of this one and watch from the crowd since she has no valuable information to give.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the class" Derek jokes before he walks over to the rest of the team while Maya walks out and finds an empty seat by a student who has his laptop out, ready to take notes on the information about to be given to him.

"It's rare than an undergrad criminology class gets guess speakers of this caliber. But today we're specially fortunate. I'd like to welcome an old friend, esteemed author and FBI Agent David Rossi, and his team, the behavioral analysis unit" The lady introduces. Maya watches from the crowd and puts one of her legs over the other as she watches and listens.

"Woah, nice gun" The boy next to her cheers quietly, looking at the gun Maya has on her hip.

"Yeah... thanks" Maya says before she uses her shirt to cover it up.

The team announces that they're going to be talking about what makes a serial killer. They show two women from different backgrounds and classes, saying that they couldn't be more different. The one thing they had in common? Crossing paths with 'the most profilic serial killer the BAU has ever seen.

"Are you one of them?" The college boy with dark brown hair, a leather jacket and clean black boots asks softly. "Yeah, but I don't know much about the case they will be talking about" Maya answers, trying to be as nice as she can while also trying to listen to the lecture.

The team talks about how this killer probably grew up in a monstrously abusive household, but that people shouldn't be prejudiced against the monstrously abused, since they don't all become killers. Rossi furthers his point by saying 'not all' psychopaths become killers. The killer they're talking about is still out there, and he butchers women up and down the California coast. But he's only got 40 victims so far, and Frank was well into 3 digits. Still, the team thinks this is a good case to use.

"That's crazy, don't you think? He grew up in an abusive household and he turned out crazy" The same college kid from before states. "Yeah, pretty crazy" Maya answers. "You didn't turn out crazy though" He says making Maya whip her head in his direction and knit her eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry... what did you say?" Maya asks, her hand gripping the arm chairs of the seat.

"Oh, nothing" The kid excuses as he starts to type in his computer while he goes back to listening to the lecture.

The team explains the methodology of forensics - 50+ stab wounds means overkill, he was probably young because the women were, and he was able to use a ruse to isolate them before the attack. They explain that he must have grown more confident between the first and second killings because he went after a runaway first, and a college girl second.

"You know, I feel like I know you from somewhere" The college boy states as he leans over, whispering to Maya. "Well, if you still go to school, you don't know me at all" Maya says as she adjusts herself uncomfortably in her seat while suspiciously looking over at the college boy and looks at his facial features.

Yes, he's in college and is probably around the age 19-22 but the stubble on his chin makes him look and feel older. Especially the clothes he's wearing. Maya has never seen a college student wear a black leather jacket and heavy black boots.

"You look as if you know me too" The college boy says as he turns to look at Maya, a smirk growing on his face.

Maya clears her throat and looks at one of the exits seeing a body guard. A body guard she didn't recognize. Why would the college need boy guards if there are FBI agents in the same room? She turns around and looks at the other exits, seeing another body guard who's wearing the same thing and nothing adds up.

Maya turns attention back to the stage where the team continues talking and answering questions. "Something wrong?" The college boy wonders as Maya taps her finger repeatedly on her leg. "No, no" Maya answers, not making eye contact with the man next to her.

The man groans softly as he relaxes in his seat. He lifts up the sleeve of his leather jacket at the same time Maya looks over at him. She immediately looks down at his arm, noticing something on his wrist. It's a brand. A box with the letters JP is branded on the man's wrist. Maya's eyes widen and her breathing picks up.

She gets up to leave until the college boy grabs her wrist and swiftly sit her back down. "No, no" The college boy whispers as he lifts Maya's jacket sleeve and sees the same brand. Escort her brand has faded because she goes and gets it laser removed every month. She can't get it off all at once, or it'll ruin her skin so she goes every month to a special doctor and they work on
getting it off one by one.

"You didn't think we wouldn't find you... did you?" The man whispers in her ear, making Maya's breathing uneven as her eyes fill with tears. "You belong to Joseph... Perez..." The man whispers and Maya couldn't take it anymore. She elbowed the man right in the nose and stood to her feet, "Everyone get down!" Maya screams at the top of her lungs.

Derek widens his eyes and rushes to Penelope, bringing her behind the podium at the same time, shots are fired into the class. Maya ducks and covers her head as glass and bullets fly everyone in the room. Screaming is heard coming from the students as they duck into their seats, trying not get hit with anything.

The door swings open and 6 men walk in, fully armed. The body guards that were guarding the two exits, pull out there weapons also making it 7 on 9. Some of the men even have grenades on them.

"Now, where's Maya Regan?" A man with a strong accent asks. An accent Maya knew all too well.

"FBI! put your guns down!" Derek shouts as him, Hotch, Emily, JJ, Rossi and Reid come up from behind the podiums with their guns out, pointing them at the man. "We know who you are" The man says as he walks down one of the steps.

"Where's Maya Regan?" He asks again. Maya slowly stands to her feet, coming up from behind one of the rows in the crowd.

"I'm right here" Maya says, grabbing his attention. "Ah, Maya. I've missed you" he says as he turns his head to face Maya with a large smile on his face. "Can't say the same Joseph" Maya says as she looks to Joseph Perez. The same Joseph Perez who assaulted her many years ago...

12 YEARS AGO

"He's going down the south stairwell" Younger Maya says into a mic, tied to her shirt and listens in the responses from her earpiece. "If you have a chance to kill him, Maya... kill him" Joseph orders, his words transferring to Maya's ear piece. Maya struts down the hallway of a hospital and spits a doctors coat on an empty chair, her heels clink to the floor as she grabs the jacket, swiftly putting it on and continues walking down the hall to get her target who has now traveled down the stairs.

Maya fixes the collar of the doctors jacket and takes her hair out of a ponytail, letting it lay on her shoulders perfectly. She opened the door of the stairwell and all she heard was silence until the door behind her shut, leaving an echo behind.

She proceeded to walk down the stairs and slowly grab her gun that was tucked away in the front part of her jeans, hidden because of her shirt. Her heels echo the empty and hallow stairwell after every step she takes and she can't help but feel a presence. If you have a chance to kill him, Maya... kill him. Those are the only words that ran through her mind as she traveled down the stairwell.

She had finally made it to the bottom of the stairs and found no one. "I think he's-" Maya speaks into the mic before she was tackled and pushed up against the railing of the stairs, causing her gun to drop out of her hands. "Ugh!" Maya groans as she is punched in the stomach multiple times by the unknown person who takes off up the stairs.

"Shit!" Maya shouts, grabbing her gun off the ground. She shoots at the man but misses as her turns to the right and proceeds up the stairs. Maya kicks her heels off and starts running up the stairs, after the man.

The man she was catching was a man who betrayed Joseph Perez and it was her job to kill him. Maya was a hit woman for Joseph Perez, and she was a good one. Anytime a person betrayed Joseph or if Joseph simply didn't trust them, it was Maya's responsibility to take them out because she signed up for that and plus she got paid... lots of money which helped her and her brother out.

"I didn't mean to give him the wrong amount!" The man screams as he continues to travel up the stairs. Maya slips over three stairs and tackles the man to the ground. "I don't really care, I just have a job" Maya says breathlessly as she turns the man over and wraps her hands around his throat. "P-Please..." The man begs as she slaps Maya's arm, only causing her to tighten her grip.

The man stared into Maya's eyes as the life left them but Maya kept a leveled head and didn't let the look of fear and death get to her even though it did. Maya lets out a breath and pulls out her phone, taking a picture of the dead body before sending it to Maya.

"Good job, meet us in the parking lot" Joseph says into the earpiece. Maya took off the doctors jacket and threw it onto the dead body before she made her way back down the stairs that lead to the parking lot Joseph and the rest of the men were waiting.

She grabbed her heels that were still on the ground and quickly out her gun away before walking out the stairwell of the hospital and walking to the large van. She got in the back of it, only to Joseph and few other man there to see her. "You did it, baby" Joseph cheers as he brings Maya close and looks into her eyes. "Yeah, I always do" Maya says as she looks away from Joseph, starting to feel uncomfortable but she always did around him.

Joseph smiles and turns Maya to look at him before he places his lips onto hers. Maya tried to
pull away but Joseph's strong grip only made her get closer. She closed her eyes tightly waiting for the horrific moment to be over. She saw Joseph as a father figure and nothing more but it seemed Joseph thought the opposite...

PRESENT DAY

"I want all the kids out" Joseph orders as Maya looks to Derek who is still on stage. She shakes her head, wanting them not to shoot because it'll only make things worse and Maya doesn't want any innocent child getting hurt because of her... Not again. Joseph's men walk row to row, pointing their large guns in the direction of each student, letting them leave the building.

"What am I gonna do about your friends up there?" Joseph asks as all the students are now out of class, including the teacher. "Just let them go" Maya suggests as she walks towards the stage. Joseph tilts his head and looks into Maya's eyes but she's not looking at him... she's look at Derek.

"Get them out of here! Especially him!" Joseph shouts, pointing to Derek. "Don't touch them!" Maya shouts as she jumps onto the stage, ready to defend her friends. "They know how to walk" Maya says. Joseph allows the agents to leave themselves but they must leave this insist.

"Derek, whatever you hear- don't come in here. Okay?" Maya whispers as she turns to look at Derek. "I can't leave you in here" Derek states before Joseph walks up to the stage and grabs Maya by the hair, pulling her closer to him. He puts a small gun to her head.

"Leave or I shoot her, right here, right now. I'll even allow you to take your guns" Joseph demands and Derek immediately helps Penelope, who has tears staring her face, to her feet and has JJ and Emily escort her out.

"Morgan, let's go" Hotch says as he and Rossi grab, Derek and slowly take him out the building since it was clear he was hesitant to leave Maya behind. "Good, good. Now the gangs all her" Joseph whispers in Maya's ear as he sways back and forth with her causing tears to cloud her vision.

12 YEARS AGO

"I love this song"Joseph whispers as he sways back and forth with Maya in his hold while music plays throughout his room. Maya was in her bra and underwear with bruises on her thighs.

He continued to sway her back and forth, not caring about the unspeakable things he did and has done to her in this very room. A single tear slid down Maya's cheek as she was continuing to be swayed. She felt weak and disgusting. All she wanted to do was throw up during the moment and multiple times after it.

She didn't want his hands on her body... ever but he broke that boundary and did it anyway. He promised to protect her from men like that but he became the very man he was supposed to protect her from. Maya felt betrayed and beyond upset but there was nothing she could do... there was no way she could get out of this situation.

PRESENT DAY

Joseph has his men get their tools and begin to lock the doors of the room so if the FBI brings more guys, they won't be able to come in, especially not when they have their very own hostage who is an FBI Agent. "She- she has a" The college boy from eariler shouts out as he rises from behind one of the rows. Maya elbows Joseph in the nose and pushes him away before she quickly grabs her gun that was hidden by her shirt and shoots the college boy from on the stage in the shoulder. She turns, ready to shoot the other men until...

"Don't shoot!" Joseph shouts, ordering his men not to kill her.

Maya stopped in her tracks but continued to hold the gun in her hand. Joseph stood up, wiping the blood that fell from his nose and stood beside Maya. "Who were you planning to shoot first?" He asks, whispering in her ear.

"I would say Rocko, he's like the weakest one here" Joseph declares, watching as Maya's hands begin to shake while she holds the gun.

"Oh, you can't do it? Let me" Joseph suggests, pointing his gun at Rocko and shooting him right in between the eyes without even looking.

"It's not that hard, I promise" Joseph whispers as her shoots another one of his men, having Maya watch as their bodies hit the floor. A single tear slides down Maya's cheek as she shakes her head and begins to feel like this is her fault and she's just standing there doing nothing.

"Don't cry, baby" Joseph says as he gently swipes his fingers on Maya's cheek, wiping the tear for her only making Maya more and more uncomfortable. "What do you want?" Maya asks as she swallows a large lump down her throat nervously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Joseph asks before he grabs Maya by the neck and pushes her into one of the podiums, causing her gun to fall out her hand and the podium to break on impact.

"Ah" Maya groans as she feels a cut at the top of her forehead, probably from the wood when she slammed into the podium. "I want you" Joseph says as he picks Maya up by her jacket and turns her to face him. "I haven't seen you in years" Maya says breathlessly, blood dripping down her forehead.

"That's because you left me... you left me with bitches who don't know what there doing" Joseph says as he slides his finger down Maya's chest until he stops at her jeans. "Get away from me, you sicko!" Maya shouts as she spits in his face, only making him angrier.

_____

Meanwhile, Hotch has called almost every swat team to come to the college and escort the kids out of their dorms and teachers and students out of class since they have no idea what this Joseph is up too and could have a plan to harm anyone on or in the probably.

"Hotch! What the hell are we going to do?" Derek asks, walking up to Hotch angrily. "We are going to get our vest on and wait it out" Hotch says as he grabs FBI bullet proof vest out the swat car and hands them to each member of the team except Garcia.

Garcia had people setting a up a tent where her computer equipment could go. They have a fellow BAU agent in there and they will do whatever it takes to get her out alive.

"She could already be dead, I've already heard shots" Emily states as she tightens her vest around her chest. "Let's have Garcia confirm that" Hotch states as he and the rest of the team enter the tent Garcia is in. She is still setting up her computers but it shouldn't take more than 3 minutes.

In the auditorium where the lecture was being held, Maya is tossed on the ground, yet again. "Why did you leave me?! We could've been happy!" Joseph shouts as he kicks Maya in her stomach. "Ah!" Maya cries out, begging him to stop.

"You want me to stop, say you love me, and you didn't mean to leave me" Joseph demands as he bends down to Maya who lifts her head up, tiredly.

She spits blood out of her mouth and at the bottom of Joseph's nice dress shoes. "Never" Maya states and Joseph lets out a angry scream as he slams his hand on one of the podiums on the stage while his men watch from the side, refusing to help Maya. They're his property and they won't do anything without his permission even though there's only 4 of them left and they could easily over power Joseph and save Maya.

Maya knew that wasn't even a possibility. She's been in their position. Listening to everything he says because he has something on them. He has something in everyone he works with.

"You killed my daughter! You owe me an explanation" Joseph shouts and Maya shakes her head as she sits up, holding her stomach and groans because of the pain. "I didn't mean to do that. You know that. It was supposed to be you" Maya says as she breathes heavily.

"But it wasn't and now my daughter is six feet under!" Joseph shouts, taking his anger out on another one of his men, shooting them dead. "Ugh!" Joseph screams before she catches his breath and starts to smile.

"What a psychopath" Maya mumbles as the sound of her ringtone, sounds throughout the auditorium.

Joseph walks over to Maya, taking her phone out of her pocket and look at who's calling. It's Derek. "Hm, this your little boyfriend?" Joseph asks before answers the phone. "What?" He answers with. "Let her go" Derek orders.

"Why? so you can have her all to yourself, I don't think so" Joseph says.

"I know you've already killed 4 of your guys. You keep getting angry like this, you won't have anyone to protect you when we bust in there" Derek says and Joseph starts looking around the auditorium and sees a camera in the corner of the room, knowing that's how they can see him.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the show" Joseph says, not afraid to be seen. He hangs up the phone and tosses it on the ground and looks over to Maya with a mischievous look on his face.

______

Hours later, the sun was starting to set, and no shots have been fired from inside the building. "We can't let this go on any longer. We have to either make a deal with them or go in there now" Rossi suggests as he talks with Hotch.

"Morgan isn't behaving rational right now, he cares about her. I do too but if we want to keep her safe, we must keep a level head" Hotch state, not sure if Derek is up for the job at the moment, considering how close him and Maya have gotten. He's starting to think with his heart and not his head.

"The sun is about to go down and we haven't done anything to get her out of there" Derek rants as he paces back and forth. JJ and Reid trying their best to calm him down while the police set up caution tape as reporters and crowds of people start to show up. "One thing I know about Maya is that she's a strong women. She can handle herself" JJ says as Reid reaches out to comfort Derek but it's clear he doesn't want any affection.

He walks to the tent where Garcia is and sees if she has any information on Joseph Perez. "He run an international drug cartel and has for several years now" Garcia informs as she begins to look up more information.

"He has... had a daughter named Michelle, she died when she was 10 years old because she was shot. Doctors did everything they could, but she died several hours after surgery" Garcia explains but Derek just can't wrap his head around it.

"I know that he hurt Maya years ago but- but why would Maya be involved with someone who runs a international drug cartel?" Derek wonders when Emily enters the tent with a large file in her hand. "Because she was in the same drug cartel" Emily states as Derek looks to her in concern, thinking if he really knows Maya at all.

"No way, this is the file that Maya forbid me to open" Garcia says as she flips through the multiple pages in the file. "I called a friend and he found it immediately" Emily says as JJ and Reid enter the tent and are informed of the file and begin looking through while Derek watches the team in shock.

"She probably didn't want you looking through it because the things in here could literally land her in jail" JJ says as she reads through some things in the file. "We don't need this" Derek declares.

"What?" Emily asks. "We don't need this!" Derek says as he takes the papers out of JJ and Garcia's hands and places them back in the file. "We don't need to look through her life. We just need to get her out of there" Derek states, not wanting to know the things Maya done because what if he looks at her differently?

"Morgan, we're doing this to save her... not judge her" JJ says. "But that's exactly what you're doing" Derek declares, pointing to JJ rudely.

"Guys" Garcia calls out, but no one seems to listen. "Morgan-". "No!" Derek shouts, making JJ flinch at the sound of his voice. "Derek!" Garcia shouts, grabbing his attention.

"Look" Garcia says, pointing to the security footage. "No, no no" Derek mumbles as he rushes out the tent. "Derek! Derek!" Emily shouts as she, JJ and Reid rush out of the tent. "Where the hell is he going?" Hotch asks before him and Rossi start following the rest of the team who follow Derek who continues to run.

_____

In the building, Joseph had now killed all of his men, with no hesitation. He did all this to prove how in love he was. He 'loved' Maya deeply and when she left him it felt as if he had a large hole in his heart. "You're disgusting! No one will ever love you!" Maya shouts as Joseph holds his hands around her neck, not letting go.

"Shut up!" Joseph cries out as Maya reaches for a wooden piece that was created when Maya was tossed into one of the podiums and manages to grab it with her fingertips and bring it closer to her.

"You think you're in love with me but you're not. You're a selfish psychopath and think the whole revolves around you... but it doesn't. I left because- because you hurt me. You hurt me for years and I let it go on for way to long" Maya says as her lip starts to quiver, thinking about all the times Joseph stood before her and took advantage of her.

"I love you" Joseph declares as his hands start to loosen more and more around Maya's neck. "No, you love being in control but not anymore... I am not your property" Maya says as she swings the wooden piece across Joseph's face, causing him to fall on to the ground next to her.

Maya swiftly turned over and hit Joseph with the wooden piece multiple times... over and over... again and again. She did that until she saw blood and even when she saw blood, she didn't stop. Betrayal, Abuse, Anger, Sadness and Loneliness hit Maya all at once and she couldn't stop because she believed he deserved it and she'd be wrong if she believed other wise. She let him hurt her for way to long and she wasn't going to let him do it to anyone else.

This was her life. Her crazy, messed up, life. She's killed and she's loved. She's lost and she's gained. Joseph wasn't her first enemy and he wasn't going to be her last...

"Maya! Maya!" Derek shouts as he, Hotch, Rossi, JJ, Emily, and Reid enter the auditorium by having the swat team use their battering ram to break open the door. Hotch and the rest of the team check the pulses of the dead bodies that surround the auditorium and they are for sure dead. "No! No!" Maya cries out before Derek grabs her arm. Maya flinches at his touch but once she realizes it's him she drops the wooden piece that is covered in blood and falls limp into his arms.

"Shh shhh" Derek whispers as he holds Maya close. "No.. no" Maya cries as she holds onto Derek who holds her close, never wanting to let go. "Let's go... let's go" Derek urges as he helps Maya stand to her feet.

"We need an ambulance" JJ says into her mic as Derek escorts Maya out of the auditorium to get help for her wounds.

"Thank you" Maya says as Derek helps her sit in the back of the ambulance. "Anytime" Derek says as he pushes Maya's hair out of her face and places it behind her ear.

"I was worried about you" Derek says softly as he rests his hand on Maya's knee while the EMT starts to take her blood pressure. "I'm okay" Maya reassures as she looks down at the very little blood that stains her hands and clothes.

Joseph Perez is dead but his legacy continues on...

Case Closed, for now.

"It doesn't matter where we are going, or what the future brings and what people might do to us, the past always comes back one way or another"
-Isabella Kruger-

Joseph Perez was played by Pedro Alonso