Chapter Text
If there was one thing Doug Bailey was good at, it was compromising.
He had been doing it all his life. With his dad, with his baby brother, with his college roommates. When he first entered the workforce and started climbing the ladder at the DOJ, his ability to compromise and say all the right things allowed him to rise through the ranks until he found himself being appointed the deputy director of the FBI. Someone told him once that he was the youngest person to ever hold the job and while he hadn’t fact-checked that detail himself, it sounded about right. Some people thought he was sleazy, maybe they weren’t wrong about that, but he had a talent for being able to blend in with anyone and that was something he could use. Sure, he had done a few things he wasn’t particularly proud of but, he reasoned, who hadn’t?
It had only been recently that he had begun thinking that maybe there was a limit to how much he was willing to compromise, how many concessions he was willing to make in order to play the game.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it to her, Emily Prentiss was the person he credited with the change in his thinking. God knows they weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination, they had been at odds more often than not since he became the deputy director, though that had lessened some recently. All her doing. Emily had extended olive branches that Bailey wasn’t certain he fully deserved, showed him kindness when she would have been completely justified in showing him hostility instead. Her team certainly had no qualms with expressing their distrust of him. But for some reason, Emily seemed to see something in him that no one else could, not even himself. She acted as though she had innate knowledge that beyond the charisma and ability to compromise and become a political chameleon in order to get what he needed from others that Doug Bailey was, at heart, good and just. Maybe it was her faith in him and in his possession of a functioning moral compass that was the catalyst after Elias Voit uttered the words “Gold Star” and everything ground to a screeching halt, when it became clear that the attorney general and the director wanted to find out what Voit knew and how big of a threat he was to them and that they were perfectly fine with Doug becoming caught in the crossfire if it came down to it, and when Doug decided that he couldn’t sacrifice himself for the benefit of two people who would sweep it all under the rug to save their own skins that it was Emily Prentiss that he turned to for help.
She looked confused when he called her into his office. They had been butting heads again recently, Doug marveled at how easily they got under each other’s skin. But Emily’s confusion turned to concern when she saw his face.
“Bailey? You wanted to see me?”
“Yeah.” He said, then cleared his throat. “But uh, not here. You ever uh, you ever go up to the roof?”
Emily looked at him a little guiltily then. “I go up there sometimes and smoke a cigarette.”
Doug frowned. “You smoke? Really?”
“Half the bureau smokes.” She said. “Our jobs are stressful, it’s not really a shocker that we’d want to light up every once in a while.”
“Maybe I should start.” He muttered.
“That bad, huh?” Emily said. “I could let you bum one.”
“Let’s get up there and we’ll see.” He said.
Emily led the way. When they got to the roof, Emily lit a cigarette and offered Douglas one. Doug hadn’t so much as tried a cigarette since college but he took one then, hoping it would calm his already frayed nerves. He took one long drag then proceeded to cough for the next minute and a half, nearly making himself vomit in the process. Emily looked equal parts amused and concerned.
“You okay over there?” She asked.
“Yeah.” He said, still coughing. “Okay, that was a dumb idea.”
“So, what’s this all about?”
Doug looked around, as if to make sure that they were really alone. “This doesn’t leave this roof.” He said. “Is that clear?”
“Crystal.” Emily said, though her expression told another story. “Come on, you’re being all shifty.”
“I’m not being shifty! I-“ Doug paused and took a breath. “I need your help.”
“Okay.” She said cautiously. “I’m listening.”
“When I spoke with Elias Voit, he said I was the guy who liked to get the gold star.” He explained. “I’m sure you’ve probably already figured out that the words “gold star” meant something different to me than just a dig about my need for recognition.”
“Yeah, I got that.” She said. “Bailey, what’s going on? What is Gold Star?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss the details with you.” Doug said. He lifted a hand in defense. “I know that sounds like I’m full of shit but I need you to trust me that it’s big enough that Voit knowing anything about it is a huge problem.”
“A problem as in a threat to national security?” She asked.
“And then some.”
“So where do I come in?” Emily said. “I mean, I’m sorry, but if you can’t even tell me what exactly you’re up against, I’m not sure how I can-“
“The director wants me to go out there with your team to talk to Voit.” He said. “To find out what he knows and how much he knows. At this point we have no idea if he just heard it somewhere and knows it’s important or if, with his tech skills, he knows everything.”
“I’m still lost.” She said.
“He wants me to go in alone.” Doug said. “No backup, no wire, nothing. He wants it all under wraps. The AG is with him on it.”
Emily gaped at him. “That’s a- a suicide mission!” She exclaimed. “Do they not understand how dangerous Voit is?”
“Maybe not.” He said. “On paper, he’s not Sicarius. Even if they know, it’s been made clear to me that Gold Star and whatever Voit knows about it is more important.”
“Than your life?!”
“Apparently.” He said. “They plan on apprehending Voit and rescuing Rossi, but it’s secondary. And if I were to become collateral damage, well then my death would be a sacrifice they’re willing to make. A tragedy, but a necessary one.”
“Bailey.” Emily said his name incredulously. “You can’t go alone. I won’t let you!”
Doug gave her a tight, bittersweet smile. “I uh, was kind of hoping you’d feel that way.” He said. “It makes what I’m about to suggest feel a lot less futile.”
It took a moment for realization to dawn on Emily. When it did, she looked at him with an expression that bordered dangerously close to respect.
“You’re going to defy them.”
“I’m going to beat them at their own game.” He said. “Make it look like I’m following their instructions to the letter, make Voit think I’m a sitting duck and then…”
“Flip the script.” She said. “I- I like the way you think but we’d still be taking a huge risk using you as bait. All it would take is one move we didn’t predict and this ends the exact same way you think it’s gonna end if you do what the AG and the director are telling you.”
“That’s where you come in.” He said. “I know you and your team have the skills and the expertise to outmaneuver not only Voit but the director and the attorney general with him. If anyone can do it, it’s the BAU.”
“I’m flattered that you have that much faith in us.” She said. “But if we’re gonna help you, I have to tell my team something. I can’t sign them up for something this major and expect them to go in blind.”
“Tell them what you have to.” He said. “All I ask is that you do it away from anywhere that you could be overheard.”
“That goes without saying.” She said. “If the wrong people caught wind of this, it’s all our asses, not just yours.”
“I know.” Doug said. “Believe me, I don’t take asking this of you lightly but you’re one of the only people I know who isn’t afraid to do the right thing even if it costs you. You and your team have always been above reproach in that respect.”
“Funny, I remember that being a point of contention on more than one occasion.” Emily smirked. “Now it’s coming in handy.”
“I deserve that.” He said. “I know I have no right to ask you and your team for something this big but I trust you. And right now I’m trusting you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone before. Please.”
Emily chewed on her lip momentarily. “Okay.” She said. “I’ll talk to them and we can come up with a game plan.”
“Thank you.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “There’s one more thing…I know I haven’t done enough to mend fences after all the problems I’ve caused for the BAU, but if it comes down to it and this costs me being the deputy director, do I have a place with your team?”
“You want to be part of the team?”
Doug hesitated. He had expected pushback when he mentioned it. “The bureau can be a den of vipers sometimes.” He said. “It gets worse the farther up you go. Believe it or not, I took this job because I wanted to do something good. I don’t know if I believe that I can do that from the top anymore, but with you and your unit, maybe I can.”
“Well…” Emily said. “I can’t make the rest of the team accept you, you’ll have to earn their trust but considering that you’re willing to risk your career to go against the AG and the director, that makes you one of us in my book.”
Doug smiled softly. “I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t regret this decision.”
Quietly and in secret, the team organized. They weren’t enthused by Doug Bailey’s involvement but not a single one of them was ready to let him become a sacrifice for whatever Gold Star was. More importantly, they trusted Emily even if they didn’t trust him and Emily got them to rally behind her like the leader she had proven herself to be time and time again. By the time Doug got on the jet to meet JJ and Luke on the ground, they had a plan. More importantly, Emily was on the jet with him, leaving Tara and Garcia to run point at Quantico. Doug had his misgivings about the tech analyst, given her recently discovered lapse in judgment but Emily seemed to still trust her in spite of it all and that, he decided, would have to be enough for him. Too much was at stake to second guess the one person he had in his corner.
Doug felt ill when he arrived at the residence where Elias Voit was sequestered, essentially holding his wife and children hostage with him. He managed to shove down the panic he felt, knowing what a vulnerable position he was putting himself in. As part of their plan, Emily’s presence would remain unknown to everyone but a select few until the time was right. When he entered the house with Voit, Doug knew that something could still go wrong. There was still a chance that he wouldn’t walk out of there alive. But he had faith in Emily and in her team’s ability to take control of the situation without Voit or anyone else knowing it. One thing was for sure, if he was going to die, he wouldn’t become a martyr. When the front door closed behind him, he turned to face Voit and sent up a silent prayer that the killer’s face wouldn’t be the last thing he ever saw.
“Well well well.” Voit said with a nefarious smile. “Deputy director Bailey, all the way from Quantico. I won’t lie, I half-expected you not to show.”
“Come on, Elias.” Doug said. “We both know why I’m here.”
“We do.” Voit agreed. “So, what? Is this the part where you ask me how we fix this? You try and cut me a deal where I tell you everything I know and in exchange I get a cushy cell and the possibility of parole?”
“That was what I was sent here to do.” Doug conceded. “But I’m not an idiot. I know enough about you to know that this isn’t going to go how the director wants it.”
Voit nodded. “You’re smarter than I gave you credit for.” He said.
“I’m smarter than I look.” Doug said. “Smart enough to know that I’ll be leaving here in a body bag if I play by their rules.”
“Interesting.” Voit replied, giving nothing away. “So what’s your angle, then?”
“Does the name Pete Bailey mean anything to you?”
Elias Voit raised his eyebrows then laughed in surprise. “Oh this is too good.” He said. “Let me guess, brother?”
“Yeah.” Doug said tightly. “My kid brother.”
“So this isn’t just a business call, it’s personal.” Voit was almost gleeful. “Baby bro is part of it which means you, Dougie boy, are so involved that you couldn’t untangle yourself from this if you tried.”
“Let’s cut the bullshit, Elias.” Doug said. “I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know.”
“Maybe not.” Voit shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I’d made the connection to you. It also begs the question of why tell me anything if you think I already know?”
“I don’t know.” Doug replied, mirroring Voit’s casual shrug. “Maybe I just don’t want the truth to die with me. Or maybe I’m just trying to buy some time.”
“Time?” Voit scoffed. “Well, your time just ran out.”
“No, your time ran out.”
Voit whirled around to find himself staring down the barrel of Emily’s gun, her brown eyes ablaze as she instructed Voit to stand down. The look on Voit’s face was almost comical, he seemed stunned that he had been bested, and that Doug Bailey of all people had been the one to manage it. Emily read him his rights as Doug looked on. Sydney Voit and the two daughters she and Elias shared were whisked away and taken into protective custody. Luke Alvez managed to get Rossi’s location out of Voit and went to recover the senior agent. By the time they all began the long trek back to Quantico, Doug was pleasantly surprised by how well it had all gone. There would be hell to pay, he knew, but he’d come back alive and had done his part to ensure that the most prolific serial killer of the twenty-first century was apprehended. He wasn’t sure he could have asked for a better outcome.
The Attorney General and the Director were absolutely furious with him, that much was obvious upon his return. It didn’t take long until both he and Emily were summoned to the AG’s office for what Doug was sure was to be his unceremonious removal from his position as the Deputy Director. He braced himself for the worst. It was almost to be expected.
“You disobeyed direct orders, Deputy Director.” The AG said, seething beneath her calm demeanor. “Do you have any idea how much you jeopardized this entire situation?”
“I took a calculated risk.” He replied. “I couldn’t blindly follow the instructions I was given, so I found another way and it paid off.”
“Lucky for you, or it would be your ass.” She said. She turned to Emily. “I can only assume that you knew about this. What I can’t figure out, Agent Prentiss, is who put who up to this scheme. Based on your history, this whole thing has your name written all over it.”
“The Deputy Director informed me of what was supposed to happen.” Emily replied with a shrug. “I had concerns. So did he. We came up with a new plan that would minimize the risk for casualties while still bringing Voit into custody.”
“You realize I can’t just let this go?”
“Why? Because it looks bad?” Emily said with a challenge in her voice. “We secured Voit without compromising the investigation. Your plan could have ended with Bailey dead! Or was that what you wanted?”
The AG glared at her. “Excuse me?”
“Why don’t we all take a step back.” Doug interjected, ever the diplomat. “It was a delicate situation, tensions are high, but trying to point fingers and lay blame will get us nowhere when we have to start thinking about how we’re going to prosecute Elias Voit.”
“You’re right, and you’re lucky I have bigger fish to fry.” The AG replied. “However, if you think I’m going to ignore this, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Understood.” Doug said with a nod. “Which is why I’m resigning as deputy director effective immediately.”
The AG frowned but before she could move to accept or reject Bailey’s resignation, Emily stepped forward.
“Uh, I think that’s a little rash, Bailey.” She said. “I- you’re a good agent and we need more people like you, as much as I hate to admit it.”
“I appreciate that, but I’ve made my decision.” He said, hoping he didn’t sound too rehearsed. “I thought I knew what I wanted when I took this job but the kind of change I want to create…it’s just not possible.”
“Maybe not as deputy director.” Emily said, and he couldn’t help but think if she’d never joined the FBI, she’d make a hell of an actress. She turned to the AG. “If he resigns then I want to officially offer him a position as my co-unit chief at the BAU.”
The AG looked bewildered and almost preemptively pissed off, smart enough to know she was being played but not able to work out exactly how. “That’s a hell of a demotion.” She said. “Hell of a paycut too.”
“If Agent Prentiss is willing to have me, then I accept.” He said. “Bureaucratic red tape isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, at least catching serial killers has a measurable outcome.”
“I’ll allow it, but don’t make me regret it.” The AG said. She turned to Emily. “If he screws up, it’s your ass. If I get so much as a whiff of something amiss, you can kiss section chief goodbye.”
“I’ll keep him on a tight leash.” Emily said. “I take full responsibility for everything he does as part of the BAU.”
“Good.” The AG said. “This is redemption road for both of you, act like it.”
Just like that, it was done. Douglas Bailey was no longer the deputy director of the FBI and while a part of him mourned the loss, a much larger part of him felt like he was free. He wasn’t walking away without anything to show for it, he was going to be a part of something that he hoped would be bigger. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be giving up such a high ranking position to be part of a team that tracked down serial killers, he would have scoffed at them. Now it felt like the change had been inevitable, this had always been his path, he just hadn’t known it yet.
His resignation sent shockwaves through the media and the bureau itself when it was announced the next day. More shock and confusion arose when it was then reported that Doug was accepting a position to run the BAU jointly with Emily Prentiss, with no one being more surprised by the news than the members of the BAU themselves. Doug expected hostility, perhaps even outright refusal to accept the news from the team; he certainly hadn’t done himself any favors when it came to the team at the BAU. He was surprised to instead find begrudging acceptance. They weren’t thrilled with the new change, but they trusted Emily, that much was certain, and he had proved at least in the past few days that he was not exactly who they thought he was. When they met up at Rossi’s in the aftermath of the case, Doug was surprised to find that he had been invited as well.
Perhaps things were changing for the better.
It was strange, not feeling like an outsider among the BAU, knowing that for better or for worse, he was one of them now. He wasn’t a profiler, not yet, it would take time and training before he could claim that particular skill, but he knew how to lead. He was also good with the press and good with people, when he didn’t let his ego get in the way. It was something Emily highlighted when the conversation turned towards his future with the unit at the gathering.
“We haven’t had a media liaison since JJ became a profiler.” She noted. “It might work in our favor to use your experience with the press on cases.”
Doug cocked his head. “You think so?”
“You’re a familiar face.” Emily replied. “The public sees you as someone trustworthy, you know how to talk to people, make them feel comfortable with you…”
“I sat next to you in an interrogation room.” JJ broke in. “You called it ‘political code switching’ but you know what to say and how to say it to get people to talk to you, that’s a pretty valuable asset.”
“Well, I’m at your disposal.” Doug said with a tight smile. “I know in the past I’ve been…difficult to deal with, to say the least, but I want you all to know that I am fully on your side now. The last couple days made certain of that.”
“I can’t speak for everyone here.” Rossi said. “But I’m willing to call it water under the bridge now that you’ve shown us just what you’re made of.”
Doug relaxed his smile. “Thank you.”
“And as a show of good faith,” Garcia added. “We’ve all banned Tara and Luke from hazing the complete unicorn tits out of you.”
“I didn’t agree to that!” Tara exclaimed at the same time Luke said “Hey!”
“I grew up with a brother.” Doug said awkwardly. “I know the drill. Granted, I’m the oldest so I was the one doing most of the hazing, but-“
“There will be no hazing!” Emily said, giving Tara and Luke an exasperated look. “We’re a team. That means all of us.”
Tara huffed and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
After that, the conversation moved on to more mundane things. JJ’s husband Will had joined them and while he wasn’t an official part of the BAU, he clearly felt comfortable around the team after so many years. Doug wondered if one day he would look back on this night and be surprised that he was ever not part of the BAU. The team had such an easy way with one another, something that transcended a regular relationship with your colleagues. They were tight-knit. Doug hoped that one day it would be the same for him, that he would feel like he belonged there, instead of being a guest on the fringes. After a while, when the team was busy and caught up in their own conversations, Doug snuck out to the back patio to get some air. He wasn’t sure how long he was out there before he heard the door open and Emily joined him. She smiled at him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.” He nodded. “I uh, I just needed to clear my head. Take a minute.”
“It can be a little overwhelming.” She acknowledged. “To be a new person in a group with all this history. I was the new kid once too.”
Doug chuckled. “I wouldn’t know it from the way they are around you.” He said. “They would follow you anywhere.”
“It wasn’t always like that.” She said. “I had to earn their respect and trust the same as you. Then I had to earn it all back after faking my death for seven months.”
“You-? I’m sorry, I don’t think you filled me in on that story.”
“What, and you didn’t do some digging into my past when you became deputy director?” She teased. “I’m hurt, Bailey.”
“I mean, I did some digging.” He said sheepishly. “But I think I’d remember reading something like that.”
Emily was quiet for a moment, clearly debating how much to tell him. Doug didn’t push, just waited patiently.
“Ian Doyle was my Voit.” She explained. “It was personal, in more ways than one. Unlike you, I actually confronted him alone and it almost killed me. We got him, eventually, but it took seven months. That’s why I had to fake my death. It took a long time to undo all the damage Doyle caused.”
“I’m sorry.” He said softly. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s still hard to talk about, even now.” She said. “But I can’t say I regret it. Because of everything that happened, a little boy got to grow up and become more than what his father had planned for him. If I had to do it all over, I would, just to give him that chance.”
Doug smiled. “We’re a lot more alike than I thought.” He commented.
“Oh?”
“What I said, all that stuff about my brother and Gold Star, it was true.” He said by way of elaboration. “I didn’t want to die but if it meant protecting Pete? I would do anything to keep him safe.”
It was Emily’s turn to smile now. “You’re a good brother.”
“I don’t know about that.” Doug said with a laugh. “A good brother would have found out what he’d gotten himself into sooner and stopped at nothing to get him out. I couldn’t manage that.”
“You did the best you could with what you had.” She said. “You just told me that you were willing to sacrifice yourself for Pete if that's what it took to protect him. That makes you a pretty damn good big brother in my book.”
“Well, you gotta have something worth fighting for.” He said. “Maybe I’ll find more of that with the BAU?”
“Guess we’ll find out.” She said. “You ready for this?”
Doug nodded. “More ready than you know.”
The grin that spread across Emily’s face was full of warmth and something a little deeper. Looking at her, Douglas got the sense that Emily had known for a while now who he really was underneath his public persona and had only been waiting for him to trust her enough to let his guard down and let the real Doug Bailey emerge. Now that he had given up the facade and given himself over fully to being the truest version of himself in public for everyone to see, he saw something in Emily Prentiss’ eyes that almost made him think she was proud of him. It was something that he hadn’t known he had needed, for someone to really see him for who he was and for that to be enough.
“Then welcome to the BAU, Bailey.”
Doug felt lighter as he smiled back. He wasn’t sure where he was going or what his future held for him anymore, now that he was no longer the deputy director. But he couldn’t help but feel that as long as he was a part of the BAU and someone like Emily Prentiss had his back, things could only get better from here.