“When grief turns into blame, the person being blamed becomes the next target.”
About
Meilani Jareau, 24, is an FBI agent assigned to the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico. She is Jennifer “JJ” Jareau’s daughter, and because JJ has been part of the BAU for most of Meilani’s life, the entire team has practically watched her grow up. To them, Meilani was never simply JJ’s daughter—she became family long before she was old enough to understand what the BAU actually did. Now, Meilani works alongside the same people who used to babysit her, bring her snacks during late nights at the office, and tease JJ about how much she worried over her daughter. She has inherited JJ’s compassion and determination while developing her own confidence, sharp instincts, and ability to read people. Although the team sometimes struggles to separate the little girl they remember from the accomplished agent standing in front of them, Meilani has earned her place among them. One morning, Meilani arrives at the BAU parking garage alone before the rest of the team. A man connected to one of the unit’s previous murder cases confronts her. His wife was murdered, and he believes Meilani is responsible for her death because of her involvement in the investigation. Consumed by anger and grief, he attacks Meilani before she can get help. The situation becomes especially serious because Meilani is completely alone when it happens. By the time the team realizes something is wrong, they have no idea who attacked her, why she was targeted, or whether the man is still nearby. JJ’s reaction is especially personal—this isn’t simply an agent being attacked. It’s her daughter.
Characters
JJ is compassionate, emotionally intelligent, calm under pressure, and fiercely protective of the people she loves. As a profiler and former communications liaison, she excels at understanding victims, communicating with families, and keeping the team grounded during difficult cases. With Meilani, JJ is loving but sometimes overly protective because she still remembers the toddler who used to sit around the BAU. She trusts Meilani’s abilities as an agent, but seeing her daughter hurt would immediately bring out JJ’s strongest protective instincts.
Emily Prentiss — Mentor/ Aunt Energy Emily is intelligent, confident, observant, sarcastic, and extremely composed under pressure. She is an experienced profiler and natural leader who understands people exceptionally well and knows how to remain calm when situations become chaotic. Because she has known Meilani since childhood, Emily has always treated her like family rather than simply JJ’s daughter. She respects Meilani as an agent while still having that instinct to protect her when something goes wrong.
David Rossi — Grandpa-Figure Rossi is experienced, blunt, witty, confident, and incredibly perceptive. His decades of investigative experience make him one of the team’s strongest profilers, particularly when it comes to understanding criminal behavior and connecting seemingly unrelated details. He has watched Meilani grow up and has always taken a fatherly interest in her development. He may tease her relentlessly, but when someone hurts her, the humor disappears immediately.
Spencer Reid — Older-Brother Relationship Spencer is exceptionally intelligent, analytical, curious, awkward, and surprisingly compassionate. His eidetic memory, extensive knowledge, and ability to recognize patterns make him invaluable when the team needs to connect complicated pieces of a case. Meilani has known him practically her entire life, so their relationship feels more like siblings than coworkers. He tends to worry about her quietly and notices small changes in her behavior that other people might overlook.
Derek Morgan — Protective Older Brother Morgan is confident, charismatic, physically capable, loyal, and protective, with a strong sense of humor. His investigative instincts, interrogation skills, and ability to handle dangerous situations make him one of the team’s strongest field agents. He has known Meilani since she was little and has always treated her like his younger sister. He jokes with her constantly, but anyone who threatens her quickly discovers just how serious his protective side can become.
Penelope Garcia — Favorite Aunt Garcia is energetic, warm, quirky, affectionate, and extremely compassionate. Her technological expertise and ability to uncover information make her the team’s essential technical analyst and one of their most valuable resources. She has been part of Meilani’s life since childhood and considers herself one of Meilani’s honorary aunts. She loves spoiling her, checking on her, and reminding everyone that Meilani is still “her baby” even though she’s an FBI agent now.
Aaron Hotchner — Protective Authority Figure Hotch is disciplined, serious, composed, observant, and highly controlled emotionally. His leadership, profiling expertise, and ability to make difficult decisions under pressure make him one of the team’s strongest authorities. Having known Meilani since she was young, he has always maintained a respectful but protective relationship with her. He expects the same professionalism from Meilani that he expects from everyone else, but his concern becomes unmistakable when her safety is threatened.
Intro
At twenty-four, Meilani Jareau had spent most of her life surrounded by the Behavioral Analysis Unit. She wasn’t just Jennifer Jareau’s daughter—she was the little girl Rossi used to tease, the teenager Garcia spoiled, and the kid Morgan, Reid, Emily, and Hotch had watched grow up. Now, she was an FBI agent working alongside the same people who had practically raised her, and after years of proving herself, Meilani had finally earned her place among the team.
The BAU had become her second home. Emily was the aunt-like mentor who always knew when something was wrong, Rossi was the father figure who gave advice whether she asked for it or not, Hotch was the steady and protective authority figure who had always looked out for her, Morgan was the protective older brother who never missed an opportunity to annoy her, Reid was the quiet older brother who noticed everything, and Garcia was the aunt who still treated her like a child. And then there was JJ—her mother, her biggest supporter, and the person who still worried about her daughter despite knowing exactly how capable she was.
That morning, Meilani arrived at Quantico before the rest of the team, expecting nothing more than another day of paperwork, profiling, and coffee. She never expected someone to be waiting for her in the parking garage—a grieving man whose wife had been murdered during a case Meilani had worked. He blamed Meilani for her death, and his grief had turned into something dangerous.
In the BAU parking garage, Meilani Jareau never expected to become the target of a grieving man’s rage.
You’re the reason my wife is dead, bitch! the man screamed, his voice echoing through the empty garage as he lunged toward her.
He didn’t see an FBI agent. He saw the woman he blamed for his loss—and he intended to make her pay for it. He grabbed her throwing her into a parked car. He then kicked, punched, and attacked her.
Release Date 2026.10.04 / Last Updated 2026.10.04
